By Colin Campbell 11/19/12 7:27am

up with criticism

(photo: msnbc.com)

Chris Hayes Declares War on Governor Cuomo

In case you missed it from early Saturday morning, MSNBC host Chris Hayes is really not a fan of “New York’s supposedly Democratic governor,” Andrew Cuomo, and in a monologue lasting several minutes, he urged his viewers to reject Mr. Cuomo’s hypothetical presidential campaign in four years.

“So what do we know that we didn’t know last week? We now know that Democrats cannot count on New York’s supposedly Democratic governor as an ally and every Democratic primary voter in the country should know that too,” he opened up his segment, clearly on a roll. “We already knew that in the run up to the election, Andrew Cuomo, whose aspirations for national office are well-known, did essentially nothing to aid the Democratic Party in its quest to take back the the State Senate from Republicans.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/15/12 3:15pm

challenges

(Photo: Facebook)

Lew Fidler Unloads Further on Simcha Felder

Tells us how you really feel, Councilman Lew Fidler.

Mr. Fidler, who yesterday criticized Senator-elect Simcha Felder for vowing to cross party lines and caucus with the Republicans, took another pass this afternoon in a lengthy statement where he demanded Mr. Felder himself answer questions about the decision.

“Simcha is correct that the parties are not a religion, nor should they be,” Mr. Fidler wrote. “But being open and honest with the voters should be.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 10/26/12 12:34pm

oy

(Photo: Getty)

Jewish Pols Demand Bloomberg Apologize For ‘10,000 Guys in Black Hats’ Remark

In latest issue of The Atlantic, Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a freewheeling interview on a multitude of issues ranging from the presidential race to his public health efforts, including a new consent form requirement for a controversial circumcision practice, metzizah b’peh, often used in the city’s Orthodox Jewish community. “I think it’s fair to say that nobody else would take that on. I mean, come on!” Mr. Bloomberg exclaimed of the political fortitude needed to even touch the issue. “Who wants to have 10,000 guys in black hats outside your office, screaming?” Read More

By Colin Campbell 9/25/12 8:32am

changing the guard

David Storobin (Photo: Facebook)

David Storobin Shakes Up Staff, Campaign

Over the past days, Republican State Senator David Storobin replaced the top levels of his government office and campaign operations, including his chief of staff, spokesman and campaign manager, according to sources familiar with the decision.

“I honestly don’t want to comment, right now,” Mr. Storobin told Politicker last night when we asked about his motivations for the changes, “I think it’s better kept personal. It was the right move to make at this point.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 8/31/12 1:01pm

social media

tischler following

State Senate Candidate Grabs 27,000 Fake Twitter Followers [Update]

Avraham Tischler, a 21-year old underdog candidate for the State Senate in southern Brooklyn, has suddenly surged to over 27,400 followers as his September 13 primary date fast approaches. A cursory survey of dozens of the followers showed all of them to have no activity and no followers, a hallmark trait of fake, automated accounts. Furthermore, the Twitter tool StatusPeople estimated 100 percent of his followers as “fake.”

The number stands in sharp contrast to his generally inactive account. Mr. Tischler, who started his campaign account earlier this summer, has only made 23 tweets, and the only interaction others have had with his profile in recent days was political blogger Yossi Gestetner noting the giant leap in followers. The exact point when he accumulated these followers was unclear, but a Google cache from last month shows him with six followers. Read More

By Colin Campbell 8/15/12 10:03am

foreign endeavors

David Storobin holding a machine gun on the Syrian border. (Photo: Storobin office)

David Storobin Takes Israel

State Senator David Storobin is in Israel, and he’s doing more than tasting the falafel.

“Senator David Storobin (R-Brooklyn, on the left) today visited with General Shmulik Olansky (center), a 3-star general in charge of the Golan Heights Armor Division, directly on the Syrian border in a hostile region,” read a morning press release accompanying the photo on the left, featuring Mr. Storobin holding a military rifle. “The Senator is on an official state visit approved by the Defense Minister of Israel. To the right is the Senator’s Chief of Staff, Paul Gullo.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 8/12/12 1:40pm

ryanapalooza

Simcha Felder (Photo: Facebook)

Simcha Felder Digs Paul Ryan Pick

Although Democrats carpet bombed reporters’ inboxes yesterday with press releases slamming Mitt Romney’s vice presidential selection, it turns out that there isn’t complete unanimity among the party’s candidates when it comes to Paul Ryan. To wit, former Councilman Simcha Felder, a Democrat running for the State Senate in a heavily Orthodox Jewish district in southern Brooklyn, sent out a press release this afternoon embracing Mr. Ryan.

“Paul Ryan is a terrific pick for Vice President,” Mr. Felder said in the statement. “As Chairman of the Budget Committee he brings tremendous knowledge of fiscal policy and will be an asset to a Romney administration.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 7/25/12 8:40am

brooklyn's florida returns?

david storobin fb

Déjà Vu: David Storobin Facing Another Fraud Lawsuit

“Upon information and belief, the Storobin Petition is fraudulent, insufficient, ineffective, false, and invalid and null and void,” an order to show cause, prepared by the campaign of Democratic State Senate candidate Simcha Felder, argued to the State Supreme Court yesterday.

Mr. Felder’s legal position is that the signatures gathered by incumbent State Senator David Storobin to get on the ballot for reelection are so rife with fraud that they should be tossed out altogether. Read More

By Colin Campbell 7/16/12 3:24pm

super jewish district

Simcha Felder and David Storobin

Storobin and Felder Like Their Fundraising Totals

It’s filing day, and both Republican State Senator David Storobin and his main Democratic rival, former City Councilman Simcha Felder, like their campaigns’ fundraising accounts. Mr. Felder reported raising $229,000 with $525,000 cash-on-hand, while multiple sources in Mr. Storobin campaign told us they aren’t that far behind, at least in terms of campaign raised.

“He raised more in the last two weeks than in the whole previous campaign,” one source explained, with another pegging the number at below Mr. Felder’s, but still in the six figures. Read More

By Colin Campbell 7/16/12 12:24pm

State Senate

Tischler speaking to the crowd.

Running in Boro Park, Candidate Vows to Support Rubén Díaz

Avraham Tischler, a 21-year-old candidate running against establishment favorite Simcha Felder in the so-called “Super Jewish” state senate district, has a novel idea. Instead of saying he’ll caucus with Democratic Minority Leader John Sampson or Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Mr. Tischler, a Democrat, said he’ll support Bronx State Senator Rubén Díaz instead.

Mr. Díaz would initially seem to be an odd choice for Mr. Tischler, but the state senator, a political gadfly known for his staunch socially conservative positions, allows Mr. Tischler to back a fellow Democrat without saying he’ll back a liberal like Mr. Sampson. Read More