NY-Gov: Freakjob Carl Paladino Compares Health Care Reform to 9/11

by: Roatti

Tue Mar 23, 2010 at 19:12:38 PM EDT

But there is a third contestant in the race for the Christian Nationalist GOP nomination.  That would be eccentric millionaire Montgomery Burns Carl Paladino.  And Carl Paladino just compared the passage of Health Care Reform to 9/11

"The day that bill was passed will be remembered just as 9-11 was remembered in history," Paladino told Curtis Sliwa during an early morning interview on AM-970. "It was an attempt by these people in Washington to defy the Constitution."

9/11 family member Donna Marsh O'Connor said this in response:

Donna Marsh O'Connor, whose pregnant, 29-year-old daughter was killed at the World Trade Center during the attacks... was disguested, "It is despicable if in someone's mind those events are analogous. That is not a person who should be a leader of our country, of a state, of a city, of any community."

How Mr. Paladino even sleeps at night is beyond my comprehension.

Steve Levy's Wild Mustache Ride to Albany

by: Roatti

Tue Mar 23, 2010 at 12:33:55 PM EDT

A friend of mine threw this "board game" together to highlight Steve Levy's history of bigoted and anti-immigrant opinions and actions.  Note that it can only be played with a 5-sided die lol.  

Bigots don't win in 2010.

Eliot: no regrets on Paterson; New Yorkers: please, just go

by: Michael Bouldin

Thu Jan 28, 2010 at 14:45:05 PM EST

"I don't regret asking David to be Lieutenant Governor when I ran. I think David has been thrust into a very difficult environment," he says in the clip above, noting that governors from Corzine to Schwarzenegger have also been battered.

Via Crain's:

Gov. David Paterson's 2010 election chances remain low, despite small increases in his poll numbers released Monday, according [to] the Siena Research Institute.

Mr. Paterson's electability and favorability ratings in January each increased two percentage points from the previous month to 21% and 38%, respectively.

We have gone from a steamroller to a tricycle, apparently.

NY-Gov: Chris Collins drops out of the governor's race.

by: Adama D. Brown

Tue Jan 26, 2010 at 21:49:36 PM EST

The Buffalo News has confirmed it tonight: Collins is ending his exploratory run for Governor of New York.

"It becomes apparent to me that my message of real reform and change has not been embraced by those who are happy with the status quo," he told The Buffalo News.

Yeah Chris. I'm sure it's the fact that New York isn't ready for a barely competent ex-businessman governor who thinks that the Bush playbook is still the way to go. It couldn't be the fact that your own party sees you as an embarrassing troglodyte knuckle-dragger.

This leaves the GOP with only one announced candidate, the former Long Island congressman Rick Lazio, best known for his role as Hillary Clinton's punching bag back in the 2000 Senate race, after Giuliani dropped out. Lazio is actually not a terrible guy on some issues, but there's a distinct difference between that and being qualified to be governor of 19 million people. Not to mention he's a rather obnoxious little twerp, and an executive vice-president at JPMorgan Chase & Co., neither of which bodes well for his appeal to the general electorate.

Nevertheless, it looks likely now that Lazio is going to be the Republican nominee unless they can come up with a dark horse candidate. With them having to contemplate running Bruce Blakeman, a former town supervisor, against sitting US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, it shows that the Republican statewide bench is shallower than Paris Hilton's intellect, and about as appealing.

NY-Gov, NY-Sen: Q Poll: Paterson Behind Cuomo; Thompson Leads Gillibrand

by: robert.harding

Tue Dec 15, 2009 at 10:25:47 AM EST

For Governor David Paterson, the Q Poll has one piece of good news. His favorable rating is up to 38 percent - the highest it has been since earlier this year. The last four Q Polls had Paterson's favorable rating under 30 percent. That favorable rating is padded by New York City, where respondents had a 49 percent favorable rating of Paterson. Elsewhere, Paterson's favorable rating was between 31 to 35 percent.

In the hypothetical Democratic primary between Paterson and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Cuomo wins 60 percent to 23 percent. Paterson would defeat Republican Rick Lazio 41 percent to 37 percent but Cuomo would win easily over Lazio 62 percent to 22 percent.

In the race for the seat currently held by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, 2009 New York City mayoral candidate Bill Thompson would defeat Gillibrand in a primary, according to the poll. Among registered Democrats, Thompson beats Gillibrand 41 percent to 28 percent.

What is interesting about this though is that Gillibrand fares better than Thompson against Rudy Giuliani in the general election. Giuliani would defeat Gillibrand 50 percent to 40 percent while the former New York City mayor would knock off Thompson by a 52 percent to 36 percent vote.

Gillibrand's favorable rating is similar to where it was when she was appointed to the post. She has a 26 percent favorable rating - only one percentage point higher than what it was in January 2009.

For Thompson, the favorable rating isn't much better. His favorable rating comes in at 25 percent, so while he might be ahead of Gillibrand in a primary, his favorable rating isn't higher and is right on par with Gillibrand. So while some question Gillibrand's viability as a candidate, her prospective challengers have never fared any better in this department.

But perhaps the most interesting finding in the poll was Governor Paterson's job approval rating. His favorable rating and electoral ratings aside, his job approval rating is at 40 percent. His disapproval rating is at 49 percent. So while his disapproval rating is still high, having the approval rating he has at this point is encouraging for him. It also might help him in his argument that he can run in 2010 and be a viable candidate, although other polls down the road might change that.

NY-Gov: I Endorse Emil Henry Jr. To Be The GOP Candidate For Governor

by: robert.harding

Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 13:37:02 PM EST

Emil Henry, Jr., a former assistant Treasury secretary under George W. Bush and executive at Lehman Brothers, has been in discussions with state Republican officials about the possibility of running for governor next year, according to people with knowledge of the conversations.

In July 2007, Henry was brought on board and served as managing director for Lehman Brothers. Prior to that, Henry was Assistant US Treasury Secretary for Financial Institutions. Over a year later came the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.

Just who I want running an already broken state budget process.

Nice work, Ed Cox.

NY-Gov: Chris Collins manages to set his hair on fire twice in one week.

by: Adama D. Brown

Thu Oct 29, 2009 at 15:56:10 PM EDT

In the aftermath, Collins of course apologized and swore up and down that it was just a casual joke, completely accidental, one time thing.

Come to find out he made the same joke at least once before to a group of Buffalo State political science students, as well as their two faculty escorts. Geoff Kelly over at Artvoice puts it as well as I ever could.

Yesterday I asked Grant Loomis, the county executive's director of communications, if Collins had ever made a similar reference to Silver before. He assured me that Collins had had not, that the remark was "unscripted" and "off the cuff."

He then paused a moment and backed off a little, adding, "...to the best of my knowledge."

I told Loomis about the Buffalo State students, and the two members of the faculty, and Loomis said, "Oh."

Generally speaking, it's a bad sign for you when your communications director's best rapid response and fierce advocacy for your cause is reduced to "Oh."

NY-Gov: If Lazio Is The GOP Nominee, Paterson Can Run... And Win

by: robert.harding

Fri Oct 02, 2009 at 00:15:01 AM EDT

The only candidate Paterson beats? Republican Rick Lazio, who has declared his candidacy for governor.

Steve over at Daily Kos has this analysis on the New York gubernatorial race:

NY-Gov: Is Romney Tipping Rudy's Hand?
There are a couple of different ways to read into this nugget of news out of the Empire State: apparently, 2008 GOP presidential contender (and, to many, the 2012 favorite) Mitt Romney will be heading to New York in three weeks to host a fundraiser for 2010 gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio. This could be seen as a sign that Giuliani is going to eventually demur from seeking the governorship, since Romney would be unlikely to expend a lot of political capital on a candidate who polls show would have little chance of winning the GOP nomination against Giuliani. This could also be a sign that there were some seriously hard feelings about the 2008 presidential race, and Romney feels like giving Rudy a little clip at the knees. It is worth noting that Lazio is a Romney friend, as well as an endorser of the former Massachusetts Governor's presidential campaign last year.

While I don't think Romney will have such an impact (if Giuliani decides not to run, it will be on his own, not because he isn't aligned with Romney or because Lazio is Romney's horse in this race), I do think if Giuliani were to take a pass and no other serious Republican challenger steps up to run, we could see Paterson give it a go in 2010.

For that to happen, Paterson will need some help.

- Giuliani would need to announce he isn't running OR Giuliani could run for U.S. Senate against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. That would take away the GOP's best candidate for the seat.

- Cuomo will have to pass on the Democratic primary. This is the least likely of the two. Cuomo's poll numbers show that he would win a primary. He is a very popular attorney general and would get a lot of support in a primary and general election. He is the biggest threat to Paterson.

- Lazio isn't the strongest of candidates, yet he is only within a few percentage points of Paterson. While it's too close for comfort, it's a race Paterson can win.

I don't think it's likely, but we could end up with a general election of Paterson versus Lazio. What a campaign that would be. Having a matchup like that would be like the Yankees and Red Sox losing their respective division series matchups and getting an ALCS featuring the Twins and Angels. Sure, it's still a championship, but it's not the best championship possible.  

NY-Gov: Marist Poll Says Most New Yorkers Against Obama's Involvement

by: robert.harding

Thu Sep 24, 2009 at 16:05:37 PM EDT

The poll found that 62 percent of those surveyed did not support Obama's involvement in the governor's race. Only 27 percent believed it was the right thing to do. In a separate question, 60 percent believe the White House should not get involved in the primary even if it impacts other Democrats.

These facts from the poll are good indicators of where people are at on the White House's involvement.

Not surprisingly, Democrats are more worried about Paterson's impact on the 2010 Democratic ticket than are Republicans.  Still, only 42% of Democrats agree with the White House based on this rationale, and 48% report the White House was incorrect in urging Paterson not to run.  Looking across the aisle, 75% of Republicans overwhelmingly believe the Obama Administration overstepped its bounds while 18% think the move was a right one.  Non-enrolled voters are more in line with Republicans on this issue.  Regardless of the potential impact Paterson's run may have on other Democratic candidates, 68% report the White House's action was wrong while 21% think it was right.

Few New York State voters are surprised by the White House's interest in next year's New York State elections.  Just 25% are surprised while 73% are not.

I am in the minority on this. I believe it was the right thing to do. I also think the interest in New York has a lot to do with Patrick Gaspard (a New Yorker) being the White House political director. If the political director was someone else from another state, there might not be such an interest in New York.

Paterson's approval rating didn't make any gains in the polls. His approval rating is at a new low for the Marist poll and is at 17 percent.

One final stat: 63 percent of voters don't want Paterson to run next year. That tells the story right there. Whether you agree with the President or not, you have to realize that he had a point. Paterson isn't the greatest candidate for governor at this point.

NY-Gov, NY-Sen: Paterson's Favorable Rating Down, Gillibrand's Numbers Drop

by: robert.harding

Tue Sep 22, 2009 at 11:51:05 AM EDT

Governor Paterson has a 29 percent favorable rating in the new poll. It is the first time since May that his numbers dropped below 30 percent and does not serve him well after the news came out that President Barack Obama doesn't want Paterson to run next year. It is hard to make a case for Paterson running next year with numbers like that a year out from the primary.

When asked about next year's elections, 71 percent said that they "prefer someone else" over Paterson. That is a tie for the highest percentage of respondents saying that they want someone other than Paterson. Only 14 percent said they would elect Paterson.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo fares better than Paterson in a primary and against hypothetical general election opponents. If the race between Cuomo and Paterson was held today, Cuomo would win 66 percent to 20 percent. In general election contests, Paterson beats Republican Lazio 39 percent to 35 percent with Cuomo beating Lazio 64 percent to 18 percent. Paterson loses to Republican Rudy Giuliani 52 percent to 35 percent with Cuomo knocking off Giuliani 52 percent to 39 percent.

By comparison, Cuomo's favorable rating is at 66 percent. In a separate question, 47 percent of respondents said that they would rather see Cuomo run for governor than attorney general.

For Gillibrand, the numbers are a little better given her time in office (eight months) and her status as still a statewide unknown. Her favorable rating is 29 percent, which is the same as last month. However, her unfavorable rating is at 24 percent - the highest it has been since Siena starting asking people about Gillibrand.

The poll only focused on one possible opponent for Gillibrand this month and that was Giuliani. In the matchup, Giuliani would win 46 percent to 38 percent. Those numbers aren't bad considering Giuliani's name recognition statewide compared to Gillibrand. But it does show Gillibrand has a long way to go.

A final stat to take notice of in the poll is this question:

As things stand now, if the election for State Senate were held today, would you vote to re-elect your incumbent Senator or would you prefer someone else?

Only 38 percent of respondents said they would vote to re-elect their incumbent senator. Another 45 percent said they would vote for someone else. Those numbers are worth highlighting because of everything that has happened in the state senate. I don't think it should sweep up the good senators, but I do hope it rids the New York State Senate of ineffective legislators whose only goal in Albany is to line their own pockets and expand their influence.

NY-Gov: What killed David Paterson?

by: Adama D. Brown

Mon Sep 21, 2009 at 17:31:25 PM EDT

Up front disclosure: I like Governor Paterson. I always have. Honestly I don't think that his tenure has been nearly as disastrous as most people think it has. And I completely agree with the President's decision to try and curb Paterson's attempts to run next year, because if he does it will be a disaster.

Governor Paterson's rapid slide into the annals of New York political history can be chalked up to three things. Two are his fault, one is not. The budget shortfall problem was going to need to be dealt with no matter who sat in the Governor's mansion, and there are a limited number of ways to deal with that. New York has to reduce spending and raise revenue, neither of which is a popular thing to do, and even less so when you've got a screaming mob of legislators trying to pin you as either kicking disabled veterans out of nursing homes, or taxing poor people into starvation.

However, where things really went awry is not primarily with policy--it was with communicating about policy. There has been an overall lack of a clear and consistent message coming out of the Governor's office. Paterson can be a really good communicator when he wants to be--I had the privilege of getting to see him in person during his stop at SUNY Geneseo this past spring, and he firmly and clearly presented his case for why the budget needed to be the way it was.

I think it's fair to say that if every single one of our 19 million New Yorkers got to see the Governor explain the current governmental situation in person, we wouldn't be having this discussion. However, they don't have that luxury, and that brings us to the crux of the matter: the use (and misuse) of mass media. The Governor's office has not well handled the press. From the broad range of anonymous (and contradictory) leaks during and after the Senate appointment process, to the invocation of race as a reason for falling poll numbers, to the lack of a statewide address explaining the budget crisis, the message coming out of Albany has mostly been in bits and pieces, not a coherent whole.

Then there's the third and final reason for the Governor's political demise. This is a simple misjudgment on his part: opposition to the "millionaire's tax" as a partial relief to the budget crisis. While no one likes raising taxes, the media moguls and Wall Street barons affected by this can afford it far better than most New Yorkers could deal with cuts to vital state services and jobs.

Lastly, as to the President's involvement, I can only say this. Like any good political observers, President Obama and his advisers can look at the history of Cuomo vs. McCall in 2002, as well as Paterson's statements invoking race, and recognize a serious disaster coming from a long way away--one that not only could hand the Governor's mansion to a Republican, but could damage turnout across New York State and even become a national story leading up to the crucial 2010 mid-term elections.  

NY-Gov: If Obama Didn't, Who Else Would?

by: robert.harding

Sun Sep 20, 2009 at 16:31:00 PM EDT

The answer (or another question) is simple: If President Obama doesn't, who would? Or better yet, who has the fortitude to do so?

In New york,

I don't consider his involvement in the U.S. Senate race to be anything New York-specific. He did the same in Pennsylvania with Sen. Arlen Specter and Congressman Joe Sestak. He tried to talk Sestak out of running, but Sestak decided on his own that he would run. There are those who see the President talk to Congressman Steve Israel and ask him not to run against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Keep in mind, however, that Obama did not force Israel out. Israel could have done what Sestak did. And while the President did talk to others, like Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, they all have decided on their own not to run against Gillibrand. Israel wasn't any different.

The same is being said now about Obama that he is asking Governor David Paterson not to run. People are questioning why Obama is getting involved.

The question I asked earlier (if Obama doesn't, who would?) has an answer: No one. The state party is behind Paterson, mostly because he is the party leader in New York. The state party's website proudly displays Paterson's 2010 logo and the party is supporting him. So they aren't going to stand up and say that even though Paterson's poll numbers are hovering around 30 percent that he should not run in 2010. And with Paterson saying that he intends on seeking re-election even with his approval rating down to Bush-esque levels, someone needs to step in. It wasn't going to be Paterson. It wasn't going to be the party.

So if it's no one at the state level, who better than the Democratic Party's leader and our President?

I am glad President Obama did this. It was a much needed dose of reality for the state Democratic Party and Governor Paterson. I cannot share the same view of those who see this as "meddling" in our politics. Sorry, but this was needed.

We need a real leader and a strong candidate at the top of the ticket. The person that comes to mind is Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. We also need someone who is going to energize Democrats in New York to not only come out and vote in the gubernatorial race, but also to support candidates for Assembly and Senate, as well as the congressional races that are obviously of interest to Obama. Having Paterson at the top of the ticket would be a detriment to us and any candidate running.

That is the reality. You can not like it. You can say that Obama should mind his own business. But if there is anything you can say about Obama, it's that he is a leader and that he is a great political mind. I would much rather take his advice than (no offense) some of the people here who think this is the wrong move and those in the state party who would rather back a 30 percent candidate.

I'm with President Obama here. And believe me, you will be thanking him for it.  

NY-Gov: O'Byrne To Return As Unpaid Political Advisor To Governor Paterson

by: robert.harding

Sun Feb 22, 2009 at 08:09:31 AM EST

But now, O'Byrne will be making a comeback. This time though, the New York Times reports, he will be returning as an unpaid political advisor to Paterson for his re-election bid next year.

Mr. O'Byrne's new role will be as an outside unpaid political adviser, a spokeswoman for Mr. Paterson's office said, a setup that will allow Mr. O'Byrne to continue to work on behalf of private clients as a consultant.

Mr. O'Byrne's duties were still being defined, the spokeswoman said. He is expected to have responsibility in helping to run Mr. Paterson's political operations and to work in a significant way with the governor's senior staff in the Capitol.

"The governor will have a reinvigorated operation led by O'Byrne that will focus on the re-election," said one person with direct knowledge of the governor's plans. "That's where they decided to deploy him, and he'll provide guidance to the new internal team about what works for the governor."

Governor Paterson has been criticized recently for his lack of a political operation. Critics say that if Paterson was seeking to run for re-election, it sure didn't look like it.

But with O'Byrne, Paterson gets someone he can trust and someone who will be a strong asset going forward.  

Q Poll: Paterson Continues To Slide, Now Trailing Cuomo; Gillibrand Still Unknown

by: phillip anderson

Tue Feb 17, 2009 at 09:52:26 AM EST

In hypothetical 2010 matchups, Paterson ties Rudy Giuliani and gets crushed by Cuomo. Gillibrand would slightly trail Rep Carolyn McCarthy though most New Yorkers seem not to know much about either of them. Oh, and Gillibrand would beat the pants off wingnut Rep Peter King in a general.

The Caroline Kennedy caper continues to bedevil New York Gov. David Paterson as he trails Attorney General Andrew Cuomo 55 - 23 in an early look at a 2010 Democratic primary for Governor, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

In a general election matchup, Gov. Paterson ties former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a possible Republican challenger, 43 - 43 percent, with 10 percent undecided, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Paterson leads 70 - 18 percent among Democrats, while Giuliani leads 80 - 9 percent among Republicans and 47 - 38 percent among independent voters. New York City voters go with Paterson 52 - 35 percent, while Giuliani leads 48 - 36 percent among suburban voters and 47 - 38 percent upstate.

Attorney General Cuomo leads Giuliani 51 - 37 percent in the Governor's race, ahead 81 - 11 percent among Democrats and 45 - 40 percent among independent voters. Giuliani leads 76 - 11 percent among Republicans. Cuomo is up 61 - 30 percent in New York City and 48 - 41 percent in the suburbs and gets 44 percent of upstate voters to Giuliani's 42 percent.

New York State voters approve 45 - 41 percent of the job Paterson is doing, his lowest approval rating in 11 months as Governor and down from 50 - 30 percent January 26.

Voters disapprove 52 - 35 percent of the way Paterson handled the appointment of a U.S. Senator to fill Hillary Clinton's seat. Disapproval is similar across the political spectrum.

"The Caroline Kennedy mix-up still haunts Gov. David Paterson," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "In numbers which could tempt Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to take another shot at Governor, Paterson trails Cuomo 2 - 1 among Democratic voters and scratches out a tie with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the general election."

...

While voters are not happy with the process, they do approve 45 - 33 percent, with 22 percent undecided, of Paterson's selection of Kirsten Gillibrand as U.S. Senator. Even Republicans approve 42 - 33 percent.

Sen. Gillibrand gets a 28 - 10 percent job approval rating, with 62 percent undecided. Similarly, she gets a 24 - 9 percent favorability with 65 percent who haven't heard enough.

A possible challenger in the 2010 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, has a 24 - 9 percent favorability with 66 percent who haven't heard enough.

And U.S. Rep. Peter King, a possible 2010 Republican challenger for the Senate seat, has a 21 - 10 percent favorability, with 68 percent who don't know enough to decide.

Rep. McCarthy tops Sen. Gillibrand in a Democratic primary 34 - 24 percent, with 39 percent undecided.

In a general election matchup with Rep. King, Gillibrand is up 42 - 26 percent, with 28 percent undecided.

2010 is certainly shaping up to be a rather interesting year.

NY-Gov: Paterson Raises Nearly $3.6 Million

by: robert.harding

Thu Jan 15, 2009 at 18:56:49 PM EST

Governor Paterson's campaign finance filing shows that Paterson raised nearly $3.6 million during the last six months and has nearly $4.9 million cash on hand.

Here is a breakdown of his filing:

CONTRIBUTIONS: $3,598,653.17
MISC. RECEIPTS: $85,190.74
TOTAL RECEIPTS: $3,683,843.91
EXPENSES: $1,812,039.69
CASH ON HAND: $4,888,229.66

These numbers are impressive. Raising $3.6 million in six months is no easy task, so if Paterson can keep raising money at that rate, he is going to be very difficult to primary in 2010.