Texas Governor Rick Perry seems to be not so much running for president as running for mayor of New York.
Today he is meeting with Hispanic leaders in Washington Heights; tomorrow he will head to the United Nations for a pro-Israel rally with some Israeli politicians and local Jewish leaders, including Danny Danon, head of the conservative Likud Party. Read More
2012: “Clinton poked a little light-hearted fun” at Perry. [Newsmax.com]
2012: The firemen who heard Clinton’s remarks laughed. [NY Post]
2012: The story gets picked up by the wires. [AP]
2012: Romney notes only other candidate with private sector experience is Herman Cain. [S.A. Miller / NY Post]
2012: Perry touts “We created more jobs than any other state in the nation – from June of 2009 until present…Nobody in this race can say that.” [Huffington Post]
2012: “I can think of no reason why anyone who, for some unaccountable reason, supports Michele Bachmann will not move over to Perry.” [Richard Cohen / Daily News]
2012: “Republicans have yet to articulate a clear and compelling case for the White House — other than that they’re ‘not Obama.’” [NY Post]
2012: “Both parties’ primary systems give far too much weight to a small coterie of true believers.” [New York Times]
2013: “[Quinn] is unapologetic about her move to the middle, and brushes off her critics as ‘naïve’ ideologues. ‘There’s very few things in life…where there are angels and devils. Everything is usually more complicated than that.’ ” [David Chen / New York Times]
NY-9: Schumer to endorse Weprin. [Celeste Katz / Daily News]
NY-9: Turner defends opposition to Park51 and use of 9/11 imagery. “I’m not even remotely backing off it.” [Michael Saul / WSJ]
NY-9: “[Turner's] campaign is geared around nationalizing the race and winning the support of Democrats who are dissatisfied with the president.” [Alex Isenstadt / Politico]
VP: Biden was in the Hamptons with tech entrepreneur David Bohnett and his partner, Tom Gregory. [Page Six / NY Post]
Transporting Cuomo: “It cost New York about $13,000 to shuttle Gov. Andrew Cuomo on state-owned aircract for six months.” [AP]
Reading Cuomo: He “seemed rudderless when it came to the Port Authority.” [Bill Hamond / Daily News]
County Chairman: “With strong hints from statewide Democrats close to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that his services are no longer required, [Erie County Democratic Chairman Len] Lenihan is quietly slipping out the door.” [Robert McCarthy / Buffalo News]
Ethics: “The new commission will mark the first time an independent body has been in charge of overseeing legislative ethics.” [Jon Campbell / Poughkeepsie Journal]
Labor: CSEA ratifies deal with Cuomo; avoids layoffs. [Democrat and Chronicle]
Labor: Unofficial vote was 60-40 in favor of the contract. [Rick Karlin / Times Union]
Labor: CSEA ratification is a big win for Cuomo. [Erik Kriss / NY Post]
Labor: “[R]atification also goes a long way toward validating Mr. Cuomo’s strategy for dealing with public workers.” [Thomas Kaplan / New York Times]
City Council: Former Councilman Jennings is best-funded challenger to Ruben Wills. [Lisa Colangelo / Daily News]
Taxis: Assemblyman Kellner urges Cuomo to block Bloomberg’s taxi plan until more cabs are handicap accessible. [Ken Lovett / Daily News]
Monroe: Incumbent GOP County Exec seeks unprecedented third term; Dem challenger vows to create integrity office. [Jill Terreri / Democrat and Chronicle]
World Police & Fire Games: No events on Staten Island. [Judy Randall / SI Advance]
Third Party: New SI chairman of Libertarian Party is Dave Narby. [Tom Wrobleski / SI Advance]
Fire: Judge blocks Bloomberg plan to eliminate emergency call boxes. [Benjamin Weiser / New York Times]
Health: State health officials support Oswego County’s decision not to spray insecticides, despite “a dozen positive tests for Eastern equine encephalitis this summer and the death of a 4-year-old girl.” [Teri Weaver / Post-Standard]
Taxes: GOP candidates are proposing “most radically conservative positions of any set of candidates at least since Barry M. Goldwater in 1964.” [Steven Rattner / New York Times]
And Attorney General Schneiderman’s push against a settlement with BofA gets a boost from Nevada’s Attorney General. [David McLaughlin / Business Week]
Critics of New York State’s recent bill legalizing same-sex marriage have been arguing that the State Senate violated its own procedural rules when they voted on it last month.
Most of their complaints are tenuous at best (yes the bill didn’t age for three days as required by rules, but that’s because Cuomo signed an “order of necessity” so, it’s legit). But the complaints give critics of the bill a foothold on the public perception battle over which side was acting on behalf of “the people.”
In an interview with the major Jewish news organization, Vos is Neias, Democratic congressional candidate David Weprin agreed with the outlet’s assertion that that some violations may have taken place in the State Senate and that the matter deserved some type of investigation.
Weprin is running in the 9th congressional district, where there is a sizable Orthodox Jewish constituency which opposes same-sex marriage. His opponent, Republican businessman Bob Turner, has already called attention to this issue. Read More
Housing Duffy: Cuomo’s spokesman defends Lt. Governor’s use of campaign money for Albany housing costs. [Ken Lovette / Daily News, via Capital Tonight]
2013: Publisher running for mayor. “I know it’s an enormous leap…I’m a Cuomo Democrat.” [Jeremy Smerd and Shane Dixon / Crains]
2012: Democrat Chris Petsas running primary against Ken Levinson to take on Republican Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik. [Michael Valkys / Poughkeepsie Journal]
Books: David Paterson’s wife is writing a book. “It’s about getting thrown into being first lady. How the press treated us…He didn’t think he was up to it.” [Cindy Adams / NY Post]
NY9: Turner paid $16,000 in fines for bad bookkeeping. [Alison Gendar / Daily News]
NY9: Weprin always loved politics. “Politics is his life,” said Dromm. Would be only Orthodox Jew in the House. [Joshua Miller / Roll Call]
NY9: “Turner signaled that he’s trying to tie Weprin to President Barack Obama.” [Grace Rauh / NY1]
NY9: Local races in Queens, where Weprin and Turner are running. [Lisa Colangelo / Daily News]
NY9: Republican blog says “we have a real–all be it an outside–chance in this seat.” [Race42012.com]
NY9: Turner “sacrificial lamb.” [Thomas Tracy / Courier Life]
NY9: National GOP not pouring money into the race, citing 100,000 Democratic voter advantage. [Carl Campanile / NY Post]
Same-Sex Marriage: Hard to gauge financial boost it’ll bring to NY. [Margot Adler / NPR]
Redistricting: Advocates raise prisoner counting issue as legislators proceed with drawing lines. [Jimmy Vielkind / Times Union]
Redistricting: “victory on this front would further cement Cuomo’s national reputation as a reformer.” [Bill Hammond / Daily News]
Tourism: High-wire act over Niagara Falls awaiting Cuomo’s approval. [Mark Sheer / Niagara Gazette]
Jobs: Federal money went to create some public jobs that Cuomo is now looking to cut. [Rick Karlin / Times Union]
Taxes: Out-of-towners who own homes here and spend 183 or more days here may face NY taxes. [Craig Karmin / WSJ]
Tax Cap: Moody’s raises concerns. [Joe Spector / Democrat and Chronicle]
Bills: Bloomberg signs law boosting price for getting your car towed. Also, DOE to post info about students who leave or transfer schools. [Jill Colvin / DNA Info]
Cars: Bloomberg admin “curiously coy” on banning cars from parks. [Michael Grynbaum / New York Times]
Inactive: Embattled Assemblyman Boyland skipped 1/3 of meetings; hasn’t introduced a single bill. [Glenn Blain / Daily News]
Objections: Deputy Elections Commissioner Dan French is also a candidate. [Larry Hertz / Poughkeepsie Journal]
Community Service: Federal Probation Department probing Andy Stein’s activities. [Nicholas Rizzi and Erin Einhorn / Daily News]
State Fair: Cappucilli gushes about fair, then, pleads guilty to ripping off tax payers. [Terri Weaver / Post-Standard]
And Roger Stone’s tattoo distracts Oddo and Morano and their cars get ticketed.
Reform: “Incomplete” is Cuomo’s grade, say advocates. [Nick Reisman / Capital Tonight]
NY9: “Turner is not a stranger to the district.” [Katie Fisher / WFUV]
NY9: Debunking criticism that Weprin took “unJewish” votes. [Andy Branower / Yeshiva World]
NY9: “[T]here could be a surprise brewing.” [Ed Morrissey / Hot Air]
NY9: “[U]nlike Turner, Weprin has never even won a primary.” [Queenslyfe.com]
NY9: Video of David and Mark Weprin from last year’s campaign. [Adam Dickter / Jewish Week]
NY9: I can’t tell if that’s the roar of the crowd at Turner’s event, or the train going by. [WNYC]
DSK: Perkins rallies to pressure Vance. [Noah Rosenberg / New York Times]
Evaluating Cuomo:
School Funding: A borrowing plan to skirt the tax cap has been sent to Cuomo’s desk. He’s already said he’d veto it. [Cara Matthews / LoHud]
Same-Sex Marriage: Now, a boom in same-sex adoption. [AP]
Fund-Raising: Skelos raises on the golf course. [Jimmy Vielkind / Times Union]
Matching Funds: NYC CFB program “ripe for constitutional challenge,” thanks to Arizona ruling. [Nick Resiman / Capital Tonight]
Debt: Rangel discusses Jesus and the debt. [Celeste Katz / Daily News]
Tourism: Journo hops on a tour bus. [Dave Kim / Brooklyn Rail]
Ed Koch said electing a Republican to the predominately Democratic and Jewish congressional seat vacated by Anthony Weiner would send “a shot across the bow” of President Obama, whose policies on Israel and Medicaid have angered the former mayor.
Koch, a Democrat who served three terms, said he’s not going to endorse the Democrat David Weprin. “I don’t have to endorse everybody,” said Koch, who then explained how Republican Bob Turner could get the former mayor’s support. Read More
The labor-backed Working Families Party is endorsing Democrat David Weprin for the NY-9 congressional seat vacated by Anthony Weiner, according to a source.
Weprin, an Assemblyman from Queens, already has the backing the Democratic Parties in Queens and Brooklyn, along with the Independence Party. Last time around, the WFP helped the Democratic candidate add 3,332 votes.
An official announcement is expected soon, I’m told.
Update: Statements after the jump.
Ed Koch raises the stakes on the special election in Queens and Brooklyn, saying an upset victory by Republicans would send a signal to the White House.
Koch emails:
If Jewish New Yorkers and others who support Israel were to turn away from the Democratic Party in that congressional election and elect the Republican candidate to Congress in 2011, it might very well cause President Obama to change his hostile position on the State of Israel and to reestablish the special relationship presidents before him had supported. His own reelection will be decided next year in 2012.
[skip]
If the Republican candidate runs on these four issues: Israel, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in the 9th Congressional District, which will probably no longer exist after redistricting takes place in 2012, I believe that candidate would win.
Bob Turner is still refreshingly unpolished, despite having run for the NY-9 seat in 2010 and making his carefully orchestrated debut today.
“I can hardly believe the volunteers didn’t toss their signage after the last election. I had thrown mine out,” he said in his kick-off speech.
Turner is looking to drum up support by bashing the president and the federal government’s handling of the economy. Read More
Video
My camera missed Bob Turner’s answer to my first question (how much of your money will you put into this race? “As little as possible”) but here’s his first Q&A with reporters as the official G.O.P. candidate for the special election in the Ninth Congressional District.
The fun really starts around the 2:00 mark when Turner explains what he likes, and doesn’t like about the Paul Ryan budget.
“I’d have to study that a good deal more” he said.
Video after the jump. Read More
