Feel free to use this as a weekend open thread, but I thought I would update you all on something I have been working on and why I haven't been blogging here as much as I have in the past.
Those of you who have received e-mails from me know that I started a project over the last couple of months called The Excelsior Files. It is a blog about New York State politics that I am writing for The Empire Page. I have seen limited success so far, but would love to see the blog grow. It is a paid venture, although it's hardly something that I can do full-time for the pay I receive.
I have also been working for a nursery and landscaping company five days a week to give me a second income. It's not what I wanted to do, but it's something until I can find something in my field. I would love to blog full-time, but the money just isn't there for it. I needed a second job and this was it.
My time has also been occupied over the last month because my mom has moved into a new home. We moved a lot of little things over time and then over the course of two days, we moved all of the big things (furniture, appliances, etc.) that require trucks and manpower.
I will start contributing regularly again here and also check out the new blog for other pieces. We could use the traffic and eventually, we could use advertisers. If you're interested in advertising down the road, let me know.
Other than that, how is everyone doing this weekend?
Being that this is a secular progressive blog, I would like to wish all of our readers, commenters and contributors a happy and peaceful holiday.
On a personal level, I want to thank everyone for their support this year. This year was a tough one for me. Losing my dad and all of the health troubles he went through from mid-June until his passing on Nov. 22 was tough and this community was behind me the whole way. My great thanks for the support you showed me and my family.
I will be back to blogging on December 26, but you will be hearing from me a time or two more today. I have some more stuff to write about before attending two Christmas Eve parties and then celebrating Christmas with my family.
My best to all of you. Enjoy your holiday. We have a lot of work ahead of us.
Thank you to those of you who have extended your sympathies after the passing of my father on Saturday. This has been a hard time for us and certain things trigger tears, but we also have been able to laugh at other things that reminded us of some comical times with our dad. He was a great man, but in the end, endured too many health issues to overcome.
But as the saying goes, the show must go on. My dad wouldn't want us to freeze, sit around and dwell on what has happened. He would want us to move on. I will be back on my regular blogging schedule today and keep this thing going.
So again, thank you all for your kind words over the last few days and for the e-mails I have received from some of my close friends and readers. Those comments and e-mails have been a nice lift during this tough time.
When I went to the Joe Mesi gathering tonight, I had to snap a picture of this teenager who was expressing himself in a big way:
It is amazing how energized the Democrats are in these rural areas. I have never seen it like this. Usually the Republicans can count on their enrollment advantage to come through for them. That won't happen any longer.
I'm reporting in late tonight. It was a long day and I was busy all day. I found time to go to tonight's Sabres game (they won 5-0). But I have plenty of video (including video from yesterday) and I will have plenty to write about. Stay tuned.
It's been a few days since I have posted here like I normally do. I've actually been sick and now I'm going to embark on getting an abscessed tooth pulled. Should be a blast.
Anyway, here are a few news stories from around the state today. And remember, Governor David Paterson will be joining us at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Voter registration is in full swing out on Long Island. Democrats are seeing a registration edge. The last day to register to vote in New York is Friday (Oct. 10).
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is still cracking down on lawyers who have taken advantage of state pension benefits they are not entitled to.
Just got in from the press conference held this morning in Rochester featuring Democratic state senate candidates along with a few of our best Democratic leaders in the Senate. I will have that write-up on TAP today.
I also have two interviews from Kathy Konst and Alice Kryzan that I am working on. They should also be up today.
In the mean time, let's hear what's on your mind today.
Hope everybody is having a nice Saturday. I'm in New Mexico for a wedding, but I thought I'd post some links to stories that may have slipped under the radar in the past few weeks. Enjoy!
Western New York happens to be a hot-bed for primary activity tonight. I have counted 10 primaries that I will be writing about tonight that are occurring within 50 miles of my home (approximately). Without any links, here are the races you will see me covering tonight:
NY-26 Democratic primary: Jon Powers vs. Alice Kryzan vs. Jack Davis
SD-61 Democratic primary: Michele Iannello vs. Joe Mesi vs. Dan Ward
SD-59 Democratic primary: Kathy Konst vs. Timothy Pawarski
SD-59 Republican primary: Dale Volker vs. David DiPietro
AD-142 Republican primary: Mike Cole vs. Jane Corwin vs. Leonard Roberto vs. Jeffrey Bono
AD-144 Democratic primary: Sam Hoyt vs. Barbra Kavanaugh
SD-62 Republican primary: George Maziarz vs. Brian Grear
SD-62 Conservative primary: George Maziarz vs. Don Hobel
SD-60 Democratic primary: Antoine Thompson vs. Mark Grisanti
AD-143 Democratic primary: Dennis Gabryszak vs. John Kaczorowski
A lot of action at this end of the state. I should also have some news on NY-21 tonight and possibly for a few more races, like SD-43. It will be a busy night but I am prepared. I'm sure our friends down in the City will cover AD-64, SD-21 and SD-25 for us and politics64 will have news for us from out on Long Island in AD-6.
I will have tables with data, analysis and more tonight. I will also be reporting live from the Jon Powers party tonight. That should be a lot of fun. You will be hearing a lot from me after 9 p.m. tonight. Prepare to get bombarded with news and information.
We are back to open threads. I forgot about them for some time, but we will have them every day for you to vent about something that's not yet posted on TAP.
Meanwhile, here's a funny story for you.
For the last two days, my house has received two anti-Jon Powers mailers from the Davis campaign. The first one led my father to say a few choice words about Jack Davis that I can't publish here. Today we received another one. So my dad turns to me and asks, "What's Jack Davis' phone number?"
I replied with a confused, "Why?" It was just a mailer and I figured it would be something my dad tosses in the garbage with the rest of the junk mail. But he insisted on having a number. I provided him with the campaign's number (1-716-542-4499 for those of you interested) and he called and asked for the Davis campaign to stop sending these mailers to him.
In fact, the word he used to describe the anti-Powers mailers was "crapola." No kidding.
Another great moment from my dad, who is two months into his recovery from open heart surgery and doing quite well.
A week from today marks a huge day in New York State politics and a huge day for a couple of congressional races around the state.
At the state level, there are a number of important primaries:
AD-64: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver faces off against two Democrats: Luke Henry and Paul Newell. It will be interesting to see how well Henry and Newell do. Silver is not going to be easy and the fact that there are two challengers might hurt both Henry and Newell in this race.
AD-102: The Democrats have another primary in a seat that could be competitive in November that might just add one more seat to the Democratic-dominated Assembly. Gary Levine and Jonathan Smith will face-off in the Democratic primary that looks to be very close right now.
AD-144: This is another interesting Democratic primary. Assemblyman Sam Hoyt is being challenged by Barbra Kavanaugh, a former ally of Hoyt's and the Golisano-backed candidate in this race. Hoyt will have to overcome a scandal to win this race and overcome his opponent who is being backed by one of Hoyt's political rivals, Steve Pigeon.
SD-21: This Democratic primary is an interesting one. Sen. Kevin Parker will face Simcha Felder and Kendall Stewart - two New York City councilmen whose terms run out next year. This will no doubt be a fight for Parker. Felder and Stewart present strong challenges to Parker. Like AD-64 though, both challengers could cancel each other. This is definitely a primary to watch.
SD-25: Sen. Martin Connor is in trouble against fellow Democrat Daniel Squadron. Squadron is going to be a tough opponent for Connor to handle. If Connor can pull this out, it would be a great victory for him. Squadron might have his number here though.
SD-43: Brian Premo has been in this race from the get-go, which is a good trait to have. After all, he was going to take on the man who was, at the time, the most powerful Republican in New York (Joe Bruno). But after Bruno retired, Mike Russo - a former staffer for Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand - entered the race and will be challenging Premo in the primary.
SD-61: This is one of the big Democratic primaries to watch because this seat could be a pickup for Democrats in November. Michele Iannello, Joe Mesi and Dan Ward are running in a three-way primary for the right to face Republican Mike Ranzenhofer in November. Right now it looks like a battle between Iannello and Mesi, both of whom have received support district-wide. Ward is a better general election candidate than primary candidate. That is one reason why he won't succeed in this race.
NY-13: Mike McMahon is the clear front-runner in this Democratic primary. Steve Harrison will have to pull off a big upset to overcome the DCCC-backed candidate in NY-13. McMahon will have smooth sailing through the primary and November.
NY-21: This is arguably the most intriguing primary contest statewide because of the cast of characters. Five Democrats are seeking this seat, with the top four being Tracey Brooks, Darius Shahinfar, Phil Steck and Paul Tonko. Brooks and Steck appear to be at the top, but you can't rule out Tonko coming from behind. Tonko is a familiar face and won't be a pushover.
NY-26: Jon Powers is the endorsed candidate in this race but he must get by Republicrat Jack Davis and fellow Democrat Alice Kryzan. Kryzan has been very quiet during this race while Davis has been spending a lot of money and has had his minions trying to back Powers against the wall forcing him to defend allegation after allegation. It will be tough, but Powers should come out on top.
It's been a pretty crazy week; here are some stories that slipped through the cracks, but shouldn't have:
Hillary Clinton keeps up her quest for sponsors for an emergency transit-funding bill to help prevent fare hikes and service to the nation's transit systems at this time of high oil prrces.
(Use this as a late night open thread if you are still awake.)
In less than three hours I will be getting back on the subway, which will take me to the bus station to head back upstate, where I will continue on with my regular routine of blogging daily, pushing local candidates and writing about the issues impacting the state. My trip to New York City was a rewarding one personally, professionally and I picked up some nice souvenirs and experiences along the way.
Among others, I met Phillip Anderson. At the David Sirota event tonight, Dan Cantor of the Working Families Party mentioned blogging and specifically pointed out Phillip. Phillip's work cannot be understated. The reception he received reminded me of the welcome I get in the upstate counties where I have built great bonds over the past several months. It was nice to be in the shadows (although, because of Phillip and Bouldin, I wasn't in the shadows long). Phillip has really built a great name for himself here and A LOT of people notice.
I feel Phillip, myself and a number of other bloggers have created a great coalition. We will help put the New York State Senate into Democratic hands in November and we will win the three upstate congressional races we have had our eyes on for some time.
This is truly one New York. The economic plight I see in upstate is visible in parts of New York City as well. The success you see downstate is similar to the successes (some of the successes anyway) we have had upstate. Sure, the "big city" is something unique for downstate, but overall, we have a lot more in common than we realize.
I was asked tonight in a conversation with someone from upstate if I was thinking about living in New York City. I certainly wouldn't have a problem living down here, but being upstate has its advantages. The Internet is a great thing and we can connect upstate and downstate together to make this one state and one successful and prosperous state.
That all starts with the New York blogosphere. We have proven to have a great coalition here of bloggers that care about the whole state, not just upstate or downstate. When I went down to New York City, one of the first questions I was asked was about Jon Powers. I also listened in on a conversation about the 2009 New York City elections, which was interesting considering I knew little about them - until now.
So when the November elections come to a close, don't just go hide until the next election year. I can guarantee that here at The Albany Project, we will be writing for change no matter what the occasion is.
How is everyone today? Just a heads up: Saturday is my graduation. So expect no posting from me all day Saturday.
I will be attending Monroe County Democratic Committee's designating caucus tonight featuring a guest appearance by DNC chairman Howard Dean. I will have pictures and video later tonight. Keep an eye out for it.
Anyone else see Keith Olbermann and his tour of Citi Field (the Mets home beginning next year)? I'm a Yankees fan, but the Mets new park will make me come visit next year. The new Yankees Stadium is good, but Citi Field could be the best stadium in the MLB come next year.
More states are trying to implement a Voter ID requirement that would mean every time someone votes, they must show identification first. The problem? You will disenfranchise thousands because of this. We saw what happened to the nuns in Indiana. This could happen to many people. What about new, young voters (18 years old) who might not have a driver's license? Believe me - I've seen it. This is a terrible law in a number of states even though our Supreme Court finds it constitutional.
I will be attending two events today: A town hall meeting with Gov. Paterson and Sen. Schumer as well as an event this evening featuring Jon Powers. I will have write-ups, pictures and hopefully video from both.
I will be posting very light from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today - give or take.
ActBlue page of the day: SD-61 Democratic candidate Joe Mesi.
Watch Keith Olbermann's tour of the new Yankees Stadium. At first I thought that it would just be a bunch of steel and some dirt. But things are starting to take shape.
