By Hunter Walker 2/20 6:26pm

Humor

405px-Osmia_ribifloris_bee

Chuck Schumer Releases Most Pun-Filled Press Statement of All Time

Senator Chuck Schumer may have broken the record for most puns crammed into a political press release with his response to the news five people and two companies were busted by federal officials for illegally smuggling honey from China. Though his statement was quite brief, Mr. Schumer managed to fill it with an un-bee-lievably high number of honey-themed puns.

“This successful sting operation is sure to be a buzz kill for would-be honey smugglers,” Mr. Schumer said. “For too long, foreign smuggling of this product has created a sticky situation for domestic honey producers. We need a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to honey laundering.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/20 6:16pm

Punditry

Councilwoman Tish James (Photo: Facebook)

Tish James Takes on Fox News

Councilwoman and candidate for Public Advocate Tish James wants an apology from the Fox News host who suggested rapes do not occur on college campuses during an appearance on the roundtable show The Five.

“Questioning whether rapes happen on college campuses is deeply offensive to all, especially those who have suffered irreparable harm as a result of these vicious crimes,” Ms. James said in a statement. “Furthermore, when the very existence of rape is challenged in a public forum, such as a widely-viewed cable news channel, it discourages the reporting of an already under-reported crime.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/19 5:11pm

Mayoral Memes

MB_kermit

Mayor Bloomberg Attempts to Make a Cuddly Internet Listicle

This morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg journeyed into the belly of the meme-making beast when he visited Buzzfeed’s headquarters on 21st Street to announce a new “Made in NY” initiative involving a website and ad campaign designed to attract more tech startups to New York City. To mark the occasion, his staffers created a Buzzfeed-style listicle entitled, “5 Animals Who are Not Disappointed in Mayor Bloomberg,” on official city tumblr and his personal site.

“Since BuzzFeed is famous for lists, such as the ’33 Animals that are Extremely Disappointed in You,’ we came up with our own list,” the introduction to the post says. “Here are the 5 animals who are not disappointed in Mayor Bloomberg.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/19 10:43am

Talking Heads

David Axelrod (Photo: Twitter)

David Axelrod Signs on at MSNBC and NBC News

President Barack Obama’s longtime strategy guru David Axelrod has signed on for a post-campaign gig as a “senior political analyst” for NBC News and MSNBC. Mr. Axelrod previously served as a senior strategist for President Obama in the 2008 and 2012 campaigns. During the president’s first term, he was on the White House staff as a senior advisor. Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/15 5:49pm

media

gothamist-logo

Gothamist Versus the Council General Counsel

A Freedom of Information Law investigation into the finances of City Council members conducted by the local news blog Gothamist led, Phil Monaco, a staff attorney in the Council general counsel’s office to send around an email warning members about an email from a staffer “who works for the Gothamist.”

“This email appears to contain follow up questions regarding a prior FOIL request from this individual,” Mr. Monaco wrote. “These emails are NOT legitimate FOIL requests. And they do not require a response, as they are not proper requests under the law. There is nothing your offices need to do at this time.”

The issue apparently stemmed from a miscommunication between the media outlet and the Council members it was investigating. Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/15 12:34pm

Beef

ruben-diaz

There Is No Love Lost Between Senator Ruben Diaz and Gerson Borrero

The latest edition of State Senator Ruben Diaz’s periodic “What You Should Know” email columns contained an attack against Gerson Borrero, a NY1 contributor and columnist for the Spanish-language newspaper El Diario. In his email, Mr. Diaz accused Mr. Borrero of lying about him, having a “deep obsession” with him and even “trying to imitate my dressing style.”

“There are some people who, when they fall in love or feel envious, may easily feel rejected. Any real or perceived rejection could bring them to the edge of absurdity. Sometimes they even become liars,” Mr. Diaz wrote. “This seems to be true in the case of Mr. Gerson Borrero, a reporter, who has issues with me. If you read or hear Mr. Borrero’s writings or commentaries about me, you might think this individual has a deep obsession with me.”

Mr. Borrero had some harsh words of his own for Mr. Diaz when Politicker called him to discuss the column this morning.

“I’m not particularly obsessed with him like he suggests,” said Mr. Borrero. “I’m definitely not enamored with him. I don’t like him, I’ve never had such bad taste. I think he’s an ugly person, not physically, he is an ugly human being. I think he is Lucifer personified.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/07 5:12pm

Adios Amigo

John "Cash Money" Catsimatidis

How John Catsimatidis Bid Farewell to Ed Koch

Readers of Wednesday’s New York Post may have noticed a full-page tribute to the late former Mayor Ed Koch signed by Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis and his wife, Margo. When Politicker called Mr. Catsimatidis to ask about the ad this afternoon, the billionaire businessman was quick to point out it wasn’t a campaign expense.

“I paid for it personally,” he said as soon as we mentioned the tribute. Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/04 12:12pm

Ancient History

Andrew Cuomo in a high school yearbook photo taken about two years before the 1977 mayoral campaign.

Koch and the Cuomos: A Tale of Feuds and Forgiveness

Andrew Cuomo is among the mourners attending Ed Koch’s funeral today in Manhattan, but the governor and his family didn’t always enjoy the best relationship with the former mayor.

Koch ran against Governor Cuomo’s father, Mario, twice. They first faced off when Koch made it to City Hall in the 1977 mayoral election. In 1982, Koch ran for governor and was defeated by the elder Mr. Cuomo. The 1977 campaign included an incident where posters alluding to the widespread rumors about Mr. Koch’s sexuality by proclaiming “Vote For Cuomo, Not The Homo” were placed all along Queens Boulevard.

This situation evidently caused a lasting rift between Koch and the Cuomos. However in one of his final interviews with Politicker, Koch explained the signs weren’t among the reasons he initially had issues with Cuomo the younger.  Read More

By Hunter Walker 1/31 12:25pm

Back That Thing Up

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

Mayor Bloomberg Calls Sexism Questions ‘An Outrage’

On Monday, New York Magazine published a profile of Council Speaker and likely mayoral candidate Christine Quinn that contained a quote from Mayor Michael Bloomberg that got a great deal off attention. According to Jonathan Van Meter, who wrote the story, while at a Christmas party, Mayor Bloomberg “gestured toward a woman in a very tight floor-length gown” and said,  ”Look at the ass on her.” Politicker asked the mayor about the comment at a press conference this morning announcing new measures to eliminate a backlog of maintenance claims in New York City’s public housing system.

“I never said it and I don’t know where it came from, next question,” the mayor replied tersely.  Read More

By Colin Campbell 1/30 5:42pm

Abracadabra

Megyn Kelly (Photo: Getty)

Fox Anchor Says Bill de Blasio Has ‘Special Power to Silence Viewpoints’

According to Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, Bill de Blasio has a special power, and it’s not his son’s afro.

Mr. de Blasio, the city’s public advocate and recently-announced mayoral candidate, faced a barrage of criticism from Ms. Kelly over his position that New York City should divest its pension funds from the gun industry. Needless to say, the host viewed Mr. de Blasio’s advocacy in rather authoritarian terms.

“Why not go out there and say, ‘World, this is how I feel,’” she inquired. “Why go to a law-abiding company that employs thousands of American citizens and say, ‘You’re blacklisted. You’re done, no relation should be had with you  because I don’t happen to like the right you’re exercising.” Read More