First off, the trash has been carted off to the dump. The single most foul, offensive, miserable, and corrupt waste of flesh has been removed from our legislature. Everybody who contributed to his ousting, from reformers to unions and the WFP to all the volunteers and voters who looked at this abysmal sleazy excuse for a human being and roundly said enough is enough, should be commended for their contribution. A clear message has been sent to the rest of the pack up there that you cannot get away with just anything.
The GOP nominated Carl Paladino for Governor. But the great thing is that Rick Lazio won the Conservative nomination, thus making it even more impossible for Cuomo not to win, not even considering Paladino's history of racism and general wingnut teabagging lunacy.
It appears Eric Schneiderman will pull out the AG race. This is a very good thing. Schneiderman has been a lifelong reformer. I am very happy to think that the man who had Hiram Monserratte's scalp will now fill a position with powers to regulate all of Albany.
Unfortunately, Ruben Diaz Sr. soundly defeated Charlie Ramos, 81-19 at this point. What we've learned from the Pedro race and the Squadron/Connor and Newell/Shelly races from 08 is that pork-spewing incumbent legislators can be defeated, but it involves a full-court press by reformers, democratic clubs, unions, and the WFP. If that full spectrum coalition isn't all behind the challenger, it is unlikely that incumbents lose. Another anti-gay Senator, Shirley Huntley beat challenger Lynn Nunes by an over 2-1 margin.
Charlie Rangel won re-election. Rangel certainly doesn't deserve this victory but it was clear this would happen with the divided nature and weak candidates of the opposition.
Crazy person Greg Ball won his GOP primary for the 40th Senate District to face rockstar Mike Kaplowitz in November.
Doug Hoffman is losing the GOP nomination for NY-23 but will ensure we keep the seat because he will run on the third-party Conservative line.
Carolyn Maloney soundly defeated Reshma Saujani. Saujani could have tapped into an anti-incumbent mood this year but was defined early as the pro-wall street candidate and never shook that association.
Bill Stachowski lost to a Steve Pigeon candidate. Stach was stupid for voting against marriage equality and for that he deserves to lose. But Tim Kennedy didn't deserve to win. It would have been better if that pro-equality energy were directed at Ruben Diaz Sr. instead.
Overall, I'm sad that Diaz Sr. won by such a large margin but the race in the neighboring 33rd district took most of the reform resources. Next time, that might not be the case. In many of the other races, the best result happened for us happened, so everyone should feel good after today's results. Nights like these are what make politics great.
Since June 2009, Espada has raised $261,000 from individuals and corporations, 90% of which ($237,510) came from elsewhere, the records show.
The most, $85,000, came from Manhattan, with most of that coming from real estate interests, including $25,000 from developer Laurence Gluck's Stellar Management.
Espada heads the Senate's Housing Committee, which handles legislation that landlords from Buffalo to the Bronx care deeply about.
(snip)
Espada is still raising money from the Buffalo area, and some of that comes from interesting sources.
Take Roger Peck of West Seneca, who gave Espada $2,500 on Aug. 30. In 2008, Peck pleaded guilty to failing to report a $10,000 campaign contribution to a local candidate, a misdemeanor. He got a conditional discharge and a $500 fine.
Peck told The News he was asked to donate to Espada by "a friend of a friend," but declined to elaborate.
In nearby Niagara Falls, the Algiers Motel made two donations last month just six days apart totaling $3,000.
In March 2009, motel owners Kenneth and Phyllis Kasper were indicted on charges of failing to report more than $270,000 of income on their tax returns for three years.
A week ago, a judge threw the case out because the Kaspers' right to a speedy trial was violated.
Records show Espada got a $1,000 donation from an Albany entity called Divestiture Defense LLC, created by the New York State Association of Service Stations and Repair Shops.
Executive Director Ralph Bombardiere said his group gave Espada's campaign $1,000 "out of appreciation" for sponsoring a bill that would have protected downstate ExxonMobil dealers in danger of losing their gas stations.
One more day until this miserable corrupt hypocrite is tossed out of office.
It's just five days until the primary elections in New York. This year, the epicenter of efforts to cleanse the Democratic Party is squarely in the Bronx, in the 32nd and 33rd Senate districts. There's no need to remind everyone how terrible Pedro and Ruben DIaz Sr. are. What needs reminding is how bad things will be next year if both of them win re-election. If Pedro wins, it sends a message to every corrupt legislator that elections provide zero accountability. And if Ruben wins, we can probably forget about passing marriage equality in the next two years. That is why if you care about either of these races, the next few days are the time to get involved. Here some opportunities:
For the 33rd District race, the amazing grassroots volunteer group, ACT NOW is putting together a canvassing event this Sunday. You can RSVP here. Additionally, Assemblyman Dinowitz sent me the following information on how to get involved with the Ben Franklin Reform Club to help knock off Pedro:
We are doing the following in the 81st AD for Gustavo:
- dear neighbor letters into any buildings in the district signed by residents of the building in support of Gustavo
- Stuffing flyers, letters and palm cards under doors, especially in the big buildings with lots of Dems - especially the last few days before 9/14 with palm card (Schneiderman/Rivera)
- phone banking evenings at the Ben Franklin Club
- shopping areas such as W 231/Broadway and Gun Hill/Jerome - especially on Saturdays and on 9/13
- most important - primary day - campaigning at polling sites (and also shopping areas and transportation stops) - we need as many people as possible for 9/14
Anyone who is interested in working in the 81st AD portion of the district should call the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club at (718) 796-6177.
For the 32nd, Charlie Ramos could use help on election day:
Charlie Ramos Campaign office
1554 Westchester Ave.
Bronx, NY
Come out and help Charlie defeat Ruben Diaz Sr. on Sept. 14th
We need folks to help with shifts during the day. Here is list of the shifts:
5:30am-9am
9am-12pm
12pm-4pm
4pm-9pm
Please email Natasha.Equality@gmail.com to let us know what shifts you are available. Also, if other time slots are better for you --please let us know and we will fit you in :)
I know that all good progressives don't want to wake up on Wednesday seeing these two jokers re-elected and feeling like we didn't do everything in our power to prevent it. We all want to cleanse Albany and now is the time to do it.
"Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. represents neighborhoods that have some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STD transmission in the city, yet Diaz has consistently opposed every piece of legislation aimed at addressing these issues," said Matthew Traub, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Action Fund, in a statement.
The group is also mailing against Diaz, with a story from one of its young activists who says she had an awkward encounter with the senator in an elevator at the capitol, during a lobbying trip to Albany.
"Senator Diaz Sr. must have known I was with Planned Parenthood from the t-shirt I was wearing with the logo and asked me how such a pretty girl could volunteer with Planned Parenthood," she writes. "I was speechless! I mean, what would you say if a State Senator asked you that?"
What a creep!
As for Espada, his coup last summer destroyed the Reproductive Health Act. Both the 33rd and 32nd districts will be much better off without the reckless representation of these two clowns. Election in 6 days!
Dan Padernacht, a 34-year-old community board member, formally threw his backing to fellow challenger Gustavo Rivera, 34, saying he wanted to create "a united front" against Espada and restore credible representation to the district.
"I believe it's the right thing to do," Padernacht said at press conference outside the Municipal Building in Manhattan, where he was joined by a bevy of elected officials who are backing Rivera's campaign, which has drawn endorsements from potent unions and many Democratic elected officials.
Much praise is deserved for Padernacht for putting the best interests of his district and state above his personal gain. Now with no split in the anti-Pedro vote, it is looking increasingly likely that he will no longer be befouling out Legislature come January. Everything had to break just right for Pedro to be defeated but it is looking like everything is indeed breaking just right. Only 8 more days until the election!
"Pedro's going to win. I'm going to win. And we're going to come back stronger, faster and better," said Diaz, who remains the only elected official to have endorsed Espada.
This is footage of Pedro's victory party in 2008:
If the two jokers in the 32nd and 33rd districts get re-elected, it will send a message to every member of the legislature that they can get away with anything. Imagine the legislature starts its first session in 2011 and the rest of Albany looks around and sees Pedro and Ruben with another 2-year term under their belts. What would the rest of them think? They would think the reform movement is a paper tiger and that the voters just don't care enough to hold any of them accountable. Is that really how we want to the future of Albany to play out?
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz endorsed Gustavo Rivera for State Senate today, the latest endorsements for Rivera's surging campaign against scandal-ridden incumbent Senator Pedro Espada.
Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. said: "It is time for change in Albany, and Gustavo Rivera will bring that change to the 33rd District. Gustavo Rivera is committed to reform, in both the Bronx and in Albany, and will fight for the people of his district, the Bronx and the entire State. Not only is Mr. Rivera a smart candidate with real ideas for improving the lives of his future constituents in areas such as housing, healthcare and quality of life issues, he is a true Democrat who--unlike the unfortunate incumbent Pedro Espada--will not abandon the shared principles of both his party and the voters who sent him to Albany. In Gustavo Rivera we have a bright, intelligent young man who shares my vision for a better Bronx for all 1.4 million of its residents, and together we will continue to work to make our neighborhoods great. I urge all voters in the 33rd District to join me in supporting Gustavo Rivera for State Senate."
Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz said: "I endorse Gustavo Rivera. He will help bring much-needed reform to Albany, particularly the State Senate. As Assemblyman for the northwest Bronx, I know the urgent need for change in the 33rd senate district. Sadly, Pedro Espada is the poster child for what's wrong with Albany. Whether it's his role in the Republican coup, his consistent flouting of campaign finance laws, or his use of his position to block passage of desperately-needed pro-tenant legislation, it's clear that we must make a change. I would go so far as to say that it's a moral imperative that Senator Espada be defeated. Fortunately, the voters have an excellent alternative: Gustavo Rivera. He will be a true Democrat, committed to Democratic ideals. His skills as an educator, as a labor organizer for the Obama campaign, and his work for key elected officials give him the wealth of knowledge and experience that we need. I look forward to his being my partner in Albany, and I proudly and strongly endorse his candidacy."
"Ruben Diaz Jr. and Jeffrey Dinowitz have served the Bronx with distinction, fighting for living wage jobs, good schools, affordable housing and much more," said Gustavo Rivera. "I am honored to have the support of distinguished leaders like these for my campaign."
Notably absent from from the list of Rivera supporters is corrupt Bronx Boss Carl Heastie, but hopefully after Pedro loses, he will also lose his job. Regardless, Diaz Jr. and Dinowitz have enormous influence in the Bronx organization and hopefully they can put the boots on the ground that will back up this endorsement with real effect. I also want to note that when Dinowitz decided not to remove Pedro from the party, I was initially disappointed. But now that he moved past that decision, he no longer has to put on the appearance of impartiality and can become an effective Rivera partisan. If he rallies the troops and helps produce a Rivera victory, history will show that Dinowitz made a very wise decision.
The final thing to note here is that all the anti-Pedro eggs are in the Rivera basket. I hope Daniel Padernacht can see the writing on the wall and endorse Rivera for the good of our state and for the values I hope he believes in.
The folks at NRI continue their excellent work cutting Pedro down to size:
The truth hurts, doesn't it, scumbag? In slightly over 2 weeks from now, you will be expunged from our governing institutions and our state will be a much, much better place.
I can tell why these two clowns are best friends- they both think that they are above the law:
By law, a candidate must declare the costs of any events paid for by the campaign; even if someone donated the food, the candidate would have to count the value of it as a donation and report it, which Espada didn't do. "He has violated election law by failing to report the expenses associated with it [the giveaways]," said Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union, tells the Post. Espada's spokesman, Frank LaBoy, said they plan to add the costs associated with the giveaways on their next report.
I wonder what other expenditures Pedro is failing to report... given his history, probably a lot.
Diaz, a Pentecostal minister, could be jeopardizing the tax-exempt status of his Christian Community Neighborhood Church by parking his fleet of campaign vans and trucks in the church's parking lot, a lawyer familiar with nonprofit tax law says.
"Anytime [nonprofits] are interacting with candidates, it often raises questions," said Abby Levine, legal director for the Washington-based advocacy group Alliance for Justice.
The Internal Revenue Service's regulations state nonprofits, including churches, are "absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in or intervening in any political campaign."
An IRS spokesman declined comment.
Diaz, as the Daily News revealed yesterday, spent campaign cash to buy seven vans and trucks that he dispatches to spread the "Vote for Diaz" message.
Click the link to see a pic of another absolutely faaaabulous completely straight cowboy outfit being worn by the Rev. Also notice that his campaign vans say that he is a "true Democrat." Yes, such a true democrat that he is running on the Republican line for the second cycle in a row.
"Today, I'm not just endorsing Gustavo Rivera for State Senate-I'm endorsing reform, I'm endorsing leadership, and I'm endorsing integrity," said lifelong progressive Democrat Eric Schneiderman. "For far too long, New Yorkers have lost confidence in their representatives in government. But for the voters of the Bronx, that's about to change. Gustavo will help restore dignity to the office, bringing fresh, new leadership to Albany. I'm proud to stand with him to support his campaign."
"If we're going to really change state government, we need a true reformer as our Attorney General-and that person is Eric Schneiderman," said Gustavo Rivera in his endorsement of Schneiderman. "No candidate is more committed, has struggled harder, or has more experience in the cause of reform than Eric. He has spent his life fighting for what's right and as our Attorney General, he'll clean up our government, while fighting for equal justice for all New Yorkers."
For those of you with free time on Wednesday nights, now you can spend every Wednesday until the primary phone banking for Gustavo Rivera, courtesy of the excellent group, ACT NOW. RSVP here.
Thank you for joining ACT NOW's efforts to unseat the notoriously corrupt Pedro Espada and to elect progressive reformer Gustavo Rivera to the New York State Senate.
We'll be meeting every Wednesday at 211 East 43rd Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), Suite 306, and phoning from 5:30-8:30PM.
In other Pedro-related news, he has snagged one illustrious endorsement, ridden with the typos one would expect from campaign workers dumb enough to work for Diaz:
Earlier this afternoon, at 1:30PM, while standing in front of the beautiful Church of the Mediator located at 351 East 231 Street in Riverdale, New York State Senator Ruben Diaz,Sr. endorsed the Re-Election of New York State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr for another term. Senator Esapda was described as the seminole [sic] leader who worked closely with Senator diaz [sic] to save senior centers from closing. Senator Diaz exhorted the public to prevent the election of an unknown rookie who, "does not know where the Senate is".
Senator Diaz extolled Senator Espada's many years of fighting for the community, and he enthusisastically [sic] endorsed Senator Espada 's Re-election [sic] in the September 14, 2010 Democratic Primary.
Several members of the Bronx Clergy also publicly endorsed Senator Espada att [sic] the press conference.
Senator Espada thnaked [sic] Senator diaz [sic] for his support and he made brief remarks, and he took questions from news reporters afterward.
Funny, I thought Diaz couldn't support any legislator who voted for marriage equality. But I guess Espada is corrupt enough to warm Diaz's completely straight heart. That, or Diaz is impressed with his leadership of a storied Florida Native American tribe.
Update: Here's video of Diaz's endorsement of Clay Davis Pedro:
The special referee overseeing Pedro's challenge of Gustavo Rivera's ballots has made a ruling in Rivera's favor:
The report says Mr. Rivera collected well over the 1,000 signatures needed to keep him on the ballot, according to Mr. Gutierrez.
"He actually called Espada's challenge 'frivolous,'" Mr. Gutierrez said, adding, "He called Gustavo's petitions 'a model example.'"
The judge in the case is expected to make a final ruling later today.
Sorry Pedro, frivolous lawsuits aren't gonna save you this time. It appears your days of being a national embarrassment are coming to an end. Soon you will lose re-election and then you will have one less bargaining chip with prosecutors and will likely end up in jail where you have belonged for way too long.
The Gotham Gazette has a good profile of the SD-33 race featuring Charlie Ramos vs. Albany's biggest (and possibly most self-hating) bigot, Ruben Diaz Sr.:
On the bed of a white pickup truck stands a man in a pearl cowboy hat and white Western-style shirt. The stitched red lettering on its back reads, "Senador Ruben Diaz." Techno music blasts from loudspeakers mounted on top of the pickup, accompanied by a voice reminding people to "Votar, votar, votar!" on Sept. 14. It is July 31st --there are 45 days to the primary.
The message cycles from Spanish to English. Four vans trail behind the pickup, some emblazoned with: "Vote Ruben Diaz. A True Democrat. !Nuestro Lider!" Traffic snarls as the 67-year-old Diaz orders the caravan to a halt. "Lets go!" he says, launching himself out of the back of the bed.
And go he must.
This year, Sen. Ruben Diaz is facing a rare primary challenge from a young community organizer, Charlie Ramos. Despite the many issues that face the people of the Bronx, the race has been focused on same-sex marriage -- which Diaz staunchly opposes.
The whole thing is definitely worth a read. It shows how Diaz's special interest money allows him to pay for essentially a mobile party everywhere he goes.
Two things also stand out in this article. First Ramos has only about $6000 on hand now. While I don't expect the pro-LGBT rights community to have much organizational pull in this district, I expected a lot more in terms of raising money. The gay rights community has mounted much more impressive fundraising efforts in other prominent legislative races against high-profile bigot incumbents. I was hoping for a lot more, but it's still not too late. You can give Charlie some coin here.
Second, there's this passage:
[Ramos] has had trouble drumming up support in the community. He says it's because people are afraid to anger Diaz. "I'm going against the machine. Folks sit me down behind closed doors and say, 'I can't support you in public but I support you.' They don't want to do anything to upset the reverend or his son, the borough president." Ramos says he has "silent supporters."
I really wonder who these people are and why they're afraid of Diaz (Sr. or Jr.). The only people who should be afraid are those involved with nonprofits that benefit from the largess of either Diaz's public funds. Other than that, Diaz Sr. is certainly not powerful enough to be able to intimidate people and I don't think Jr. would really be that vindictive- he has aspirations for higher office and I can't see him wanting to make enemies. So to all those silent Ramos supporters, I say come out of the closet!
In bold-face capital letters, it read "Notice of Legal Information Warning" and went on to say that the woman had been identified "as a person who has signed a legal document known as a petition."
"Receipt of this letter is NOT an indication that you have done anything wrong," the letter stated. "However, there is reason to believe that your signature has been obtained against the law." The recipient was told to call "the Ballot Integrity Unit." There was no answer at the number on Thursday afternoon.
The letter was signed by the "Concerned Citizens for Good Government," but at the bottom of the page, in small type, it read "Paid for by New Yorkers for Espada."
Pedro's internal polling must be telling him he is in deep doo-doo if he is resorting to stalinist tactics like this.
Here's a bit of news for you, Clay Davis Pedro: we live in this great country called the United States of America. This great country is a democracy, which means its citizens are free to vote for, support, and peacefully criticize any politician they damn well feel like. Especially corrupt, embarrassing, miserable rat-like wastes of flesh like yourself. You can resort to whatever Kim Jong Il-inspired tactics you like, but it won't save you from going down in defeat 5 weeks from now.
Long-shot Pedro Challenger Fernando Tirdado has his signatures successfully challenged and will not be on the primary ballot:
Sen. Pedro Espada will face one less challenger during the Democratic primary on Sept. 14. That is actually a bad thing for him as pundits have said that the anti-Espada vote could be split. Fernando Tirdado was booted from the ballot on Thursday as his petitions were successfully challenged. Espada now faces Gustavo Rivera, a former aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Daniel Padernacht, a Bronx based lawyer
It looks like there is a perfect storm shaping up for Pedro- the opposition will be less divided, have the organizational muscle of the WFP, and have the advantage of running in a year when public anger at Albany and Pedro as the poster boy for that dysfunction is at an all time high. Although Pedro will almost certainly end up in jail, it's looking like we will have the satisfaction of removing from him from office before then.
Reid Pillifant at the Observer has a great analysis of the SD-33 race:
"If Espada wins, it sends a message that we Democrats are continuing to fail," said Mr. Samuels, who has pledged as much as $250,000 to defeat Mr. Espada. He raised the specter that a loss in this low-turnout Bronx district-where Mr. Espada last won the primary with only 4,988 votes-could help deliver the Senate to Republicans, giving them control over redistricting and ultimately threatening the progressive cause at the highest levels.
"Can you imagine losing [Jerry] Nadler or Carolyn Maloney? We don't want that to happen," he said. "This is the most important election. Not attorney general, not even the governor."
"He's got to be defeated this September," declared Bronx councilman and former attorney general Oliver Koppell, whose district overlaps with Mr. Espada's. "If we don't defeat him, we could lose the majority. And we also, in a sense, are losing our soul."
Koppell and Samuels are exactly right. If Pedro is on the Democratic line after September 14th, it puts a headwind on every Democrat running for the State Senate in November. Pedro is an corrupt, embarrassing vermin and he has no business being in the Democratic Party.
Luckily the anti-Espada movement is coalescing around Gustavo Rivera. However, it will still be hard to beat Pedro with his army of slave workers from Soundview providing his campaign with boots on the ground. He even admits as such in this interview with Liz from a few weeks ago (starting at 3:48), along with saying that God wants him to win, he is the epitome of the American dream, and he is being selectively prosecuted for being hispanic:
There should be no higher priority for all NY progressives than putting this piece of human garbage where he belongs: out of the legislature and in jail.
It is really starting to look like Pedro's days embarrassing our party and bringing Albany to new lows are numbered:
Said Angel Seymore, a tenant and constituent of Sen. Espada's from Kingsbridge Road:
"Is Pedro Espada afraid of his own constituents? First he tries to have an exclusive, invitation-only town hall 'forum' where only certain people are invited, then cancels the event when word gets out.
"When will Pedro Espada finally face the people he is supposed to represent and answer their questions? Why does he continue to take thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from landlords and lobbyists while ignoring the needs of tenants? Why does the senator keep the most important bills for tenants -- the repeal of vacancy decontrol and the protection of Mitchell-Lama and Section 8 apartments -- bottled up in his housing committee instead of passing them to the Senate floor?"
This also brings up an important point. While Pedro has been an absolute disgrace for his actions that are illegal, like the corruption surrounding his state-funded campaign army otherwise known as Soundview, his legal doings, like his voting record in the legislature is also a disgraceful sell-out to the special interests that rule Albany.
