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July 30, 2010

PoliticsNY.Net: PUBLIC JUST SAYS "NO" TO BASS PRO

UPDATES: The CanalSide Corp. says its the media's fault! If the media hadn't taken the project on the poll numbers would be different. The truth is media coverage is just a reflection of public sentiment. A mega Bass Pro is a disaster. The power brokers at the CanalSide Corp., Jordan Levy, Larry Quinn, et al. are out of control. This project is DOA. Hopefully, Congressman Higgins will step up & put the last nail in its coffin!

CanalSide: "I am not surprised at the poll results given the negative media coverage in recent weeks. A small, vocal minority who oppose progress and the CanalSide project have used lies and misinformation to slant public opinion against Bass Pro. These self-appointed interest groups have misled the public regarding the actual facts: "Bass Pro is the number one destination retailer in America, and that is why we have aggressively pursued them for Canal Side."

Probably not true! But the realistic response is SO WHAT!

Let me make the point again; a mitigated version of what is on the table now, a compromise, is what is the appropriate outcome. The store should be built on the General Donovan site. This nonsense about another hotel & office space is just that nonsense. There are more than enough hotels & restaurants DOWNTOWN. REMEMBER DOWNTOWN? A desired result of NOT building a hotel, restaurants & office space at the Donovan site is visitors, et al. will take advantage of the struggling realtors, restaurants & hotels already DOWNTOWN. ...

What we are forgetting is just down the road is the Seneca casino & the promise to build a $330M venue with their own money. I guarantee you build a convention center & we will see the Seneca's spend that $330 MILLION!

What is needed on the AUD site is an international state of the art, glass, green convention center.

The convention business is a multi - multi BILLION dollar business with huge returns on investment. More importantly a convention center addresses almost every single interest out there from food, auto, boat, sports, religion, politics, etc. The venue does not just simply rely on sports enthusiasts for support.

Putting $7M in the current facility is just a band-aid & will give our County no where near its ROI potential.

The sales tax numbers are down, so are other revenue streams. We need to spend this money to make money.

Remember Gaughan's "Conservation I" a few years ago. The conclusion was that in order to have successful waterfront/downtown development you must think of the sum of the parts being greater than the whole. A variety of venues, the water, arts, culturals, sports, etc., to market around the world. Not to mention Niagara Falls.

Build it & they will come, no doubt, they will come. People with all sorts of interests with their pockets full of NEW money. ...

A new, exclusive 2 On Your Side poll reveals that the vast majority of Erie County residents believe Bass Pro is receiving too much public money, and should not be the anchor of Buffalo's inner harbor waterfront. The scientific telephone poll, conducted by Survey U.S.A., an independent polling company, questioned 500 random Erie County residents, with a 4.3% margin of error. The findings appear to indicate that the public does not have a very favorable opinion of the current Canal side agreement offered to Bass Pro.

We asked residents the following questions:

1) Should Bass Pro be the signature store in the Canal side waterfront development project?

Yes - 27%

No - 64%

The rest were not sure.

2) Bass Pro is being offered $35 million in subsidies to come to Buffalo. Is that too much money? Too little money? Or just about the right amount?

Too Much - 80%

Too Little - 5%

Just About Right - 13% ###

LAZIO vs PALADINO

"Multiple GOP sources confirm that gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio is poised to change his campaign manager, Kevin Fullington, and replace him with Matt Walter, who is currently holding down the post of director of strategic planning at the state GOP."

"Buffalo businessman Carl P. Paladino said he will not continue to run for governor on a new third-party line if he loses September's Republican primary against Rick Lazio."

Paladino went on to say he won't play role of spoiler. Mike Caputo says the campaign fully expects to defeat Lazio in the primary so the point is moot, paraphrasing.

We are still waiting for a poll of prime voters likely to vote in September. Then & only then will we have a snap shot of what is really going on in the race.

If Lazio won this could be good news for the State Conservative Party; at least there would be a chance the line survives past November. ###

Joe Illuzzi

Assemblyman Jack Quinn

“The leadership of the Assembly and Senate has once again shown that they are not fit to lead this state. The budget is now four months late, and the fact that the Temporary President of the Senate could not even be bothered to show up for the special session adds a new meaning to the phrase, ‘actions speak louder than words.’

Everyone in this state deserves better than the lack of leadership currently being provided by the Speaker of the Assembly and three headed leadership of the Senate. If they continue to demonstrate that they are unwilling to do their jobs, then they ought to turn the reigns over to those willing to make the tough choices needed to get the budget passed.”

Assemblywoman Jane Corwin

ALBANY'S DOWNSTATE LEADERS CONTINUE TO SHOW LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY

After being called back to Albany by Governor Paterson, I was utterly disappointed and am becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of accountability and leadership by the majorities in both the Assembly and Senate. As we gaveled into session and subsequently gaveled out of session minutes later, it was obvious that the Speaker's intentions were to remain defiant of the Governor's call to take up a variety of bills while the Senate remained unwilling to pass a budget nearly 4 months after the April 1st deadline.

To say that I am surprised at the lack of accountability and leadership on the part of the majority would be an untruth. In my first term in the Assembly I have watched the Speaker protect his members from taking official positions of delicate policy matters and legislation.

I refuse to let taxpayers foot my bill for the wasteful inaction of a few members in the Assembly and Senate, and I will not take reimbursements for this trip, as I have consistently promise my constituents accountability and transparency, and will not deviate from those promises.

July 29 2010

PoliticsNY.Net: QINNIPIAC POLL

POLL

Cuomo still has a 69 - 17 percent approval rating and tops either Republican contender more than 2 - 1 in the race for Governor: Beating Rick Lazio 56 - 26 percent; Topping Carl Paladino 55 - 25 percent.

Lazio leads Paladino in a Republican primary 39 - 23 percent, with 33 percent undecided.

Paladino has closed the margin in the past month. In June, Quinnipiac said Republican voters favored Lazio, 46-17 percent with 28 percent undecided.

"It's all coming up roses for Cuomo. While he gets OK grades for battling corruption, his overall job approval rating is still stratospheric. And he continues to trounce either of the Republican wannabes, Rick Lazio or Carl Paladino," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. ###

2011 ERIE COUNTY BUDGET $HORTFALL?

UPDATE: County Executive Collins doesn't hold out much hope if any for the $22M in Medicaid relief via FMAP. Obviously, there is a hope that the sales tax numbers will turn around; however, even if there was an increase in those numbers in the next six months that would not cover the full $36M shortfall.

It will be difficult to find tens of millions in cuts because there have significant cuts as a result of the 2004-05 red - green budget debacle. So that leaves a property tax increase & or using reserves.

Frankly, 2011 is an election year so we believe Collins will not raise taxes.

One of the mistakes former County Executive Joel Giambra made was using reserves & one shots to balance his budgets. Not to mention as a result of Giambra's gimmicks having 5% of the total budget in reserve became a Charter mandate & is recommended by Wall Street.

Joel Giambra never admitted it but he increased the amount of his short term RANs (revenue anticipation notes) borrowing to cover his budget shortfalls as well as relying on reserves & one shots. He rolled over & increased the one year borrowing for at least three maybe four years. The number was close to $200M plus or minus by the 3rd year of his 2nd term. To his credit Comptroller Mark Poloncarz mitigated the need for short term borrowing in the first & second years of his first term.

UPDATE: The loss in investment income & interest if the County used the reserve fund to balance the 2011 budget could actually be greater than the interest on a short term RAN. By the way it would be nice to know what income the County has realized from the investment of the reserve accounts. ...

Having written that I believe, as a last resort, this is the method Collins should use to cover the 2011 deficit if there is one. The ECFSA can borrow that money for much less than a million in interest.

Readers this is NOT long term bond borrowing that was proposed by certain of our state leaders to solve the State's deficit problem. This is a ONE year note, a float of sorts, so the argument that we are burdening our children & grandchildren with our debt does not apply.

I see NO problem in borrowing $20-30M or less short term for one or two years to cover the deficit. If the deficit continues to grow year to year then the County will be forced to raise property taxes, just simple reality. By the way Erie County has the lowest property tax in the State, no where near the County's property tax ceiling!

The Feds or State could come up with significant mandate/Medicaid relief. The property & sales tax numbers will rebound as the economy continues to turn around.

The good news is Collins has put the County in an excellent position to solve this problem.

The probability is this problem will be a one or two year apparition.

So lets not have a HUGE debate & take the easy way out at the same time not raising taxes or raiding the reserve fund. ...

Facing a "potential" 2011 budget shortfall of circa $36M the Collins administration has asked department heads to identify 20% in cuts. We believe the cuts will not be that severe. Collins has taken a worst case approach. The State sales tax collection was up 11% in June so we expect a turnaround in the 2nd half of 2010 with respect to those numbers. We also anticipate there will be some sort of Medicaid relief from the feds via Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP). At this point in time there is NO crisis on the horizon. ###

Joe Illuzzi

With Friends Like These, Who Needs Keith Olbermann?

by Ann Coulter

While engaging in astonishing viciousness, vulgarity and violence toward Republicans, liberals accuse cheerful, law-abiding Tea Party activists of being violent racists.

Responding to these vile charges, conservative television pundits think it's a great comeback to say:

"There is the fringe on both sides."

Both sides? Really? How about: "That's a complete lie"? Did that occur to you simpering morons as a possible reply to the slanderous claim that conservatives are fiery racists?

The most notorious accusations of "racism" at anti-Obama rallies so far has consisted of the allegation that one black congressman was spat on and another called the N-word 15 times at an anti-ObamaCare rally on Capitol Hill last March.

The particularly sensitive Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., perhaps walking too closely to a protester chanting "Kill the Bill," was hit with some spittle -- and briefly thought he was a Freedom Rider! When observers contested Cleaver's account -- with massive video evidence -- he walked back his claim of being spat upon.

The slanderous claim that a protester called the civil rights hero John Lewis the N-word 15 times was an outrageous lie -- never made by Lewis himself -- but promoted endlessly by teary-eyed reporters, most of whom cannot count to 15.

The media never retracted it, even after the N-word allegation was proved false with a still-uncollected $100,000 reward for two seconds of video proof taken from a protest crawling with video cameras and reporters hungry for an act of racism.

When St. Louis Tea Party co-founder Dana Loesch did make the point on CNN that no one spat on any black congressmen at the anti-ObamaCare rally, a liberal on the panel, Nancy Giles, told her to "shut your mouth," while alleged "comedian" Stephanie Miller repeatedly called Tea Party activists "tea baggers."

It's like watching Hitler hysterically denounce Poland for being mean to Nazi Germany while Polish TV commentators defend Poland by saying, "There are mistakes on both sides."

Meanwhile, we do have video proof of the New Black Panthers standing outside a polling station in Philadelphia in 2008 with billy clubs threatening white voters who tried to vote. And there is video footage of Sarah Palin, Karl Rove, Condoleezza Rice as well as a slew of conservative college speakers being assaulted by crazed liberals.

We also have evidence of liberals' proclivity for violence in the form of mountains of arrest records. Liberal protesters at the 2008 Republican National Convention were arrested for smashing police cars, slashing tires, breaking store windows, and for possessing Molotov cocktails, napalm bombs and assorted firearms. (If only they could muster up that kind of fighting spirit on foreign battlefields.)

There were no arrests of conservatives at the Democratic National Convention.

Over the past couple of election cycles, Bush and McCain election headquarters around the country have been repeatedly vandalized, ransacked, burglarized and shot at (by staunch gun-control advocates, no doubt); Bush and McCain campaign signs have been torched; and Republican campaign volunteers have been physically attacked.

It was a good day when George Bush was merely burned in effigy, compared to Hitler or, most innocuously, compared to a monkey.

In the fall of 2008, Obama supporters Mace'd elderly volunteers in a McCain campaign office in Galax, Va. In separate attacks, a half-dozen liberals threw Molotov cocktails at McCain signs on families' front yards in and around Portland, Ore. One Obama supporter broke a McCain sign being held by a small middle-aged woman in midtown Manhattan before hitting her in the face with the stick. These are just a few acts of violence from the left too numerous to catalog.

There were arrests in all these cases. There was, however, absolutely no national coverage of the attacks by Obama supporters.

Obama is in danger from the Tea Partiers! The Poles are mobilizing on the border!

Since Obama became president, the only recorded violence at Tea Parties or Town Halls has been committed by liberals. Last fall, a conservative had his finger bitten off by a man from a MoveOn.org crowd in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Two Service Employees International Union thugs have been charged with beating up an African-American selling anti-Obama bumper stickers at a St. Louis Tea Party in August 2009.

Respected elder statesmen of the Democratic Party have referred to Obama's "Negro dialect" (Harry Reid), said he would be getting them coffee a few years ago (Bill Clinton), and called him "clean" (Joe Biden). And that's not including the former Ku Klux Klan Democratic senator, the late Bob Byrd.

So I'm thinking that maybe when conservatives are called racists on TV, instead of saying, "There are fringe elements on both sides," conservative commentators might want to think about saying,

"That is a complete lie."

Liberals explode in rage when we accuse them of being unpatriotic based on 50 years of treasonous behavior. They have zero examples of conservative racism, but the best our spokesmen can think to say when accused of racism is: "Man is imperfect."

Conservatives who prefer to come across on TV as wonderfully moderate than to speak the truth should find another line of work and stop defaming conservatives with their "both sides" pabulum.

I hear BP is looking for a new spokesman.

July 28, 2010

PoliticsNY.Net: LANGWORTHY FOR STATE GOP CHAIR?

"New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox still has well over a year left in his term in office, but horse-trading has been underway for a while about who the next one will be — and the name of Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy has cropped up a few times. Langworthy is younger than 30 and has only been on the job as Erie County's new chair for a few months. But he's in charge of a large Western New York county, and he's also been promoting local GOP gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino's effort. Two sources said Langworthy's name has been circulated as a possibility. Langworthy told me, "I can't say that I've put much thought into anything like that," adding that he's "only been on the job for a short time and is focused on his county. " I asked if it's something he'd be interested in and he demurred, saying, "We gotta get through this election and then look to the next thing [after that]. I'm focused on building [the local party] and also dedicated to helping Carl Paladino." POLITICO ###

Joe Illuzzi

Trusted most - Men with guns

by Pat Buchanan

Public confidence in Congress has plummeted to the lowest level of any institution since Gallup began asking the question in 1973. One-half of all Americans have little or no confidence in the Congress.

Only 11 percent have a "great deal" or "a lot of" confidence in what is, given its place of primacy in the Constitution, the first branch of government and the branch most representative of the people.
The house of such giants as Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and Henry Cabot Lodge, the greatest legislative body in the world that was home to John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage" who decided the questions of war and peace, Reconstruction and civil rights is now looked upon with pervasive mistrust.
Of the 16 major institutions of which the question was asked, Congress' closest competitor for the least trusted was HMOs.
And this poll was taken after President Obama achieved what is being hailed by his party as the greatest legislative accomplishment since Medicare and Social Security.
Not only is this bad news for the Democratic Party this fall, it is reflective of the disdain if not contempt in which the nation's political class is held by those they govern. Three times as many Americans have confidence in the Supreme Court as have in Congress.
And though Obama has been through a rough patch, three times as many Americans retain confidence in his office as have confidence in the Congress. Even when Bush was at his nadir, in 2008, 26 percent professed a high level of confidence in the presidency, more than twice those who today have confidence in the institution led by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
This would also seem to be bad news for democracy, as the closest competitor to Congress in public disregard was the 2008 Congress that enjoyed the trust of only one in eight Americans.
But the poll reveals even more about us as a people.
Only three institutions of the 16 have the solid confidence of the nation with more than 50 percent saying they have high confidence or a lot of confidence in them: the military at 76 percent, down from 82 percent a year ago, small business at 66 percent and the police at 58 percent.
All three institutions tend to be male-dominated, conservative and hierarchical. Two of the three feature men with guns -- the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who defend us from foreign enemies, and the thin blue line that defends us from the predators at home. Americans have a far greater appreciation of those who risk their lives to defend our country than for those who write its laws.
When one recalls how the military and police were regarded in the 1960s, the former being trashed for "the dirty and immoral war" in Vietnam, and the latter being called "racists" and "pigs" for battling campus radicals and urban rioters, what a difference a few decades can make.
What these surveys suggest is that the New Left of the 1960s was and is over-represented in the media depictions of that era. Some baby boomers were indeed in the mud at Woodstock. But others were in the mud at Khe Sanh. And large majorities of baby boomers helped deliver to Ronald Reagan his historic landslides in 1980 and 1984.
Half of all Americans yet retain confidence in organized religion, an institution not wildly popular with our cultural and media elites. Yet, the churches retain twice the level of confidence of the newspapers, and more than twice the level of confidence of television news, which ranks just below "the banks" at 22 percent.
This explains why the public is less enthusiastic than the press about enacting "shield laws" to protect journalists' sources.
While the number of those having a high measure of confidence in the medical system has risen from 36 percent to 40 percent during this year of debate on health care, confidence in the public schools fell from 38 percent to 34 percent. Despite immense infusions of federal cash, the public schools are still bleeding public esteem.
As for Big Business, confidence there is not one-third that of small business. Washington, Wall Street, New York -- our media and financial capital -- and the Business Roundtable are not beloved.
If one takes only those institutions generally regarded as liberal and Democratic -- newspapers, TV news, unions and Congress, not one enjoys the high confidence of even half of those Americans who have confidence in the church and religion. Even the honored office Obama occupies has lost one-fourth of the confidence it inspired a year ago.
In short, the Gallup Poll showing soldiers, small businesses, cops, preachers and pastors to be trusted, while journalists, bankers, big business, unions and congressmen are not mirrors the message of polls showing that conservatives now outnumber liberals two-to-one.
Those institutions in society perceived as dominated by liberals are also, perhaps not coincidentally, the least trusted in the land.

The pendulum is swinging back.

July 27, 2010

PoliticsNY.Net: A FEW THINGS



You know what let me take a step back & start with Tom Golisano. I really don't know the man; I just met him a couple of times & communicated with him through intermediaries. First & foremost Tom Golisano is a "PATRIOT". Secondly, Golisano is a true public policy advocate, no one questions his sincerity. The problem Golisano had or has on the cusp of his retirement or semi retirement from political life is he just does not have good political instincts. He takes horrific advice from time to time, e.g. when he, et al. raided the Erie County Board of Elections. Not to mention the tens of millions he spent with no good results over the years. The Senate coup involving Espada & Hiram Monserrate was comical. The gang that couldn't shoot straight. Albeit, some reform might have come out of the attempt; we'll see! We believe in spite of all that history will treat this self made man & philanthropist well. So will we! Never a dull moment - we'll miss him!

We want to congratulate Erie County Legislature Chair Barbara Miller Williams on her retirement from the Buffalo Police Department. Barbara is still serving with the National Guard. Things are moving along quite nicely on the Legislature. Mayor Brown was on hand at her well attended retirement party to present a well deserved proclamation!

Ditto to Deputy Mayor Steve Casey & his lovely wife on the birth of their son "Luke". Three boys for the Casey's, a line on a hockey team or an outfield. The question for Steve is what teams, the Sabres or Flyers - Yankees or Phillies? We will pass your response on to Byron!

Speaking of Mayor Brown what an incredible job he has done with City finances, etc. An "A" bond rating, large surpluses. Bloomberg.com rankings listed Buffalo/Niagara as the 7th strongest job market in the country. Considering where we were when he took office this is an outstanding accomplishment. Surely, the Control Board will go soft. The City is also making great progress on the quality of life issues; a lot of work still to be done, however. We are looking forward to working with whoever to get both legal & illegal guns off the streets of our City.

Kudos to City Comptroller Andy SanFiliippo as well.

We didn't cover the snit between the majority on the Common Council & the Mayor's office over the Derenda appointment for Police Commissioner. We knew Derenda would be confirmed; this issue gave the Council something to fight with the Mayor about.

What can we write about County Executive Chris Collins (R)! He is up for reelection next year. He will probably win that race by 60-40% or better against all comers in a County where Democrats have a 2-1 advantage in enrollment. He has done an excellent job running this County in his first term. We would like to see him consider a new convention center in his 2nd & last term.

Cliff Bergfeld (R) is promising a spirited campaign against incumbent Kathy Hochul for County Clerk.

Paterson is forcing the Legislature back into session on the 28th. We would implore Senator Bill Stachowski to continue the fight for UB 2020.

Lets see: In the 58th Senate race there is no doubt some real anger out there between the Kennedy & Stachowski camps; ya think! Anyway, Stachowski ended up with the IP line which was a coup in & of itself. We had to ask ourselves why would Paul Rivera & the State Senate Election Committee lobby NYS IP Chairman Frank MacKay for this endorsement. Quite simply the locals lied to them. I spoke to former County IP Chairman Tony Orsini, Lenihan's NEO friend, the other day; he actually said that Stachowski has a chance in the Democratic primary.

Apparently, Orsini resurrected himself from the political graveyard & claims to have sway over MacKay over IP endorsements. Really who cares! Some people do not know when to stay buried. The only races next year of note are the County Executive & County Legislature races. Orsini says he, et al. will target Christine Bove in the 9th. Bove very close to Sandy Rosenswie current County IP Chair. Good luck with that!

Back to the point: State Senate Majority Leader John Sampson favors Stachowski. We do not blame him, Bill is a loyal Democrat. Juxtaposed with that fact: County Chairman Len Lenihan, et al. have convinced the State people that Stachowski can win given the polish vote in the District, etc. Bill is over twenty points behind & has no chance. So look for Stachowski to split the vote in November & Quinn (R) wins.

In the 59th it is a wild race: Domagalski has a great message & the money to get it out there. Gallivan has an incredible shelf life & is slightly ahead of the wild card in Dave DiPietro. A really tough primary fight ahead.

UPDATE: "Amy H. Witryol, who has become well known locally through her involvement in environmental issues in the Lewiston-Porter area, will run against State Sen. George D. Maziarz this fall. The name of Witryol, 51, of Lewiston, was mailed to the state Board of Elections by the Niagara County Democrats’ committee on vacancies, which needed to replace Christopher M. Srock of Wilson." Published report ...

Antoine Thompson (D) will win the 60th going away. So will Mike Ranzenhofer (R) the 61st. George Maziarz (R) in the 62nd.

The race in the 144th Assembly between Joe Golombek (D) & Sam Hoyt (D) is to close to call. We believe Golombek will win. By the way the IP endorsement means nothing in that race. It is all about who wins the Democratic primary.

We like John Accardo (D) in the 138th over Delmonte (D) , a very - very tough race however. Steve Hawley (R) in the 139th is an unknown. Robin Schimminger (D) owns the 140th. No race for Crystal Peoples (D) in the 141th. No race for Jane Corwin (R) in 142nd. Dennis Gybryszak (D) 143rd an easy time. Mark Schroeder (D) a shoe in the the 145th. County Legislator Dan Kozub (D) in the 146st Assembly will win the Democratic primary against Brad something or other! Dan Burling (R) in the 147th is an unknown. Our great friend Jim Hayes (R) has a lock on the 148th.

Carl Paladino is sending shock waves through the hearts of the State GOP's leadership. Is Ed Cox still Chairman? Pundits around the State are articulating scenarios where Paladino can win the GOP primary. Lets face it Lazio is a lousy candidate! As we have written the polling in August should be a good barometer of the outcome in September. The Siena Institute promises a poll of GOP prime voters who are likely to vote on primary day. Can't wait for those numbers! You really have to give Paladino, Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy, Mike Caputo, & Roger Stone a hell of a lot of credit for bringing Paladino this far.

We believed Patadino was toast after that poorly read blog released his emails that caught national attention. We should have known better via the Sam Hoyt episode. Hoyt actually wrote the emails this very well read publication released & Hoyt had sex with the girls, his interns, in question. Yet, the Buffalo News endorsed him for reelection. Hoyt still captures media attention, esp. locally.

Pundits across the State seem to agree the Conservative Party will lose the line in November; not garnering the required 50,000 votes to in the governor's race to retain the line. Whether or not Paladino, et al. will be able to get the 15,000 signatures to put the "Taxpayers" line on the ballot is still open ended. If so then the Conservative line is history. Thank you Mike Long!

Primary Challenge' Len Roberto (R) will be on the ballot against Brian Higgins (D) in the 26th. Chris Lee (R) has NO race in the 27th. Eddie Egriu made the ballot against Louise Slaughter forcing a primary in the 28th congressional.

The races for the five seats on the 8th Supreme Court is unclear. GOP Chairman Langworthy along with his counterparts in the 8 counties will not cross endorse a 2 for 1 this kind of thing. It has to be an even trade; after all "a fair exchange is no robbery." We believe, however, that Democratic Chairman Lenihan, et al. will be COMPELLED to figure out a cross for the two incumbents Justices Kevin Dillon & Eugene Fahey. So this will put the GOP in the drivers seat. We believe the race or who will get the nominations at the conventions for the 5th seat is up in the air at this point. We will just have to wait until after the September delegate elections. Very fluid environment!

For County Court: Ken Case & City Court Judge Jim McLeod will be battling for three lines in September; all but the GOP & Conservative lines. Case is endorsed by the Republican, Conservative, Working Families & Independence Party. He will primary McLeod on the Democratic line.  McLeod is primarying Case on the IP and WFP lines. Remember that in County judicial races including city, towns & villages all that is necessary to make the ballot are the signatures; no authorization to cross party lines is required. Something I had forgotten until GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy was kind enough to refresh my recollection.

I have known former Arts Council Director Celeste Lawson for years. If she made mistakes then she will have to answer in this imperfect world for her poor judgment. It must be written, however, that Celeste Lawson, the late Margaret Roblin, Cindy Abbott, Bob Wilmers (M&T), Stan Lipsey (Buffalo News), Jamie Moses (Artvoice), et al. brought the arts & culturals in Erie County & WNY to the forefront of National attention; Buffalo being named the number one arts destination for medium sized cities in the Nation two years running. I for one thank Celeste for her service.

Just say "No" to Bass Pro!

& so it goes ###

Joe Illuzzi

PALADINO: "ENOUGH TALK, CUT THE FAT GOVERNOR"

"Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino, a Republican candidate for Governor of New York, today called upon Governor David Paterson to layoff expendable government positions to cut costs to taxpayers.

"Today we hear more talk from the David Paterson about laying off government workers to help bridge the budget gap," Paladino said. "More than a month ago I called upon the Governor to layoff from the layers of fat woven into the fabric of the Albany workforce - not the hardworking line employees, but the management moles appointed to roles only because of their political connections."

"As I've traveled across the state, I've heard from many civil service employees who are fed up with the 'well-connected brothers-in-law' who are pretending to work in our bureaucracy," Paladino said. "We've also heard countless stories of no-show jobs for hacks. Governor Paterson must brush these leeches off the taxpayers and give the people a budget we can afford."

"Enough talk. Cut the fat, Governor, and layoff dead weight," Paladino said. "The business community already bit this bullet long ago in this bad economy. It's the government's turn."

"There's probably a billion dollars worth of dead weight in our state workforce today," Paladino said. "As Governor of New York, many hardworking state employees have promised to help me identify these parasites and cut them from our employment rolls forever."

Carl Paladino, a successful Western New York real estate developer and attorney, declared his candidacy for Governor of New York in April. He and Lieutenant Governor candidate Tom Ognibene petitioned their way into the Republican Primary and are canvassing also to create a Tea Party-oriented line: the Taxpayers Party. For more information on where Carl Paladino stands on the issues, please visit www.paladinoforthepeople.com."

LORIGO CALLS FOR CUOMO TO DROP CHARLIE RANGEL

Conservative Candidate for NY Governor says Cuomo is "part of the problem"

Ralph Lorigo, a Conservative Party candidate for Governor of New York, today criticized Andrew Cuomo for hosting a birthday gala fundraiser for US Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) next month in New York City. Cuomo will joining the rest of New York's Democrat ruling elite to pay tribute to Rangel, who spent the last two years under investigation for serious ethical violations by the US House of Representatives Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

"Andrew Cuomo launched his campaign for Governor calling for ethics reform, yet he is one of the main sponsors of an event designed to help keep one of New York's most corrupt politicians in power in Washington," said Ralph Lorigo, Conservative Party candidate for Governor. "Andrew Cuomo must immediately drop his backing of Charlie Rangle's fundraiser if anyone is to take his calls for change the least bit seriously. If he doesn't, Cuomo will prove yet again that he is part of the problem, not the solution."

Rep. Charlie Rangel, a twenty-year member of Congress representing the 15th District of New York, has been charged with ethics violations stemming from improperly leasing four rent controlled apartments, improperly using Congressional stationary, failing to report rental income from a vacation property and trading legislative assistance for contributions to the Rangel Center for City College.

The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct has scheduled a reading of ethics charges against Rep. Rangel on Thursday.

The present ethics investigation into Rangel began in July of 2008. Prior to these charges, Rangel was also forced to give up his chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee after he was admonished in an unrelated investigation into two corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean.

Erie County Conservative Party Chairman Ralph Lorigo is running for Governor of New York State in the Conservative Primary, facing liberal Republican lobbyist Rick Lazio. Please visit www.LorigoforGovernor.com.

How Smart Are We

by Thomas Sowell

Many of the wonderful-sounding ideas that have been tried as government policies have failed disastrously. Because so few people bother to study history, often the same ideas and policies have been tried again, either in another country or in the same country at a later time-- and with the same disastrous results.

One of the ideas that has proved to be almost impervious to evidence is the idea that wise and far-sighted people need to take control and plan economic and social policies so that there will be a rational and just order, rather than chaos resulting from things being allowed to take their own course. It sounds so logical and plausible that demanding hard evidence would seem almost like nit-picking.

In one form or another, this idea goes back at least as far as the French Revolution in the 18th century. As J.A. Schumpeter later wrote of that era, "general well-being ought to have been the consequence," but "instead we find misery, shame and, at the end of it all, a stream of blood."

The same could be said of the Bolshevik Revolution and other revolutions of the 20th century.

The idea that the wise and knowledgeable few need to take control of the less wise and less knowledgeable many has taken milder forms-- and repeatedly with bad results as well.

One of the most easily documented examples has been economic central planning, which was tried in countries around the world at various times during the 20th century, among people of differing races and cultures, and under government ranging from democracies to dictatorships.

The people who ran central planning agencies usually had more advanced education than the population at large, and probably higher IQs as well.

The central planners also had far more statistics and other facts at their disposal than the average person had. Moreover, there were usually specialized experts such as economists and statisticians on the staffs of the central planners, and outside consultants were available when needed. Finally, the central planners had the power of government behind them, to enforce the plans they created.

It is hardly surprising that conservatives, such as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Britain and President Ronald Reagan in the United States, opposed this approach. What is remarkable is that, after a few decades of experience with central planning in some countries, or a few generations in others, even communists and socialists began to repudiate this approach.

As they replaced central planning with more reliance on markets, their countries' economic growth rate almost invariably increased, often dramatically. In the largest and most recent examples-- China and India-- people by the millions have risen above these countries' official poverty rates, after they freed their economies from many of their suffocating government controls.

China, where famines have repeatedly ravaged the country, now has a problem of obesity-- not a good thing in itself, but a big improvement over famines.

This has implications far beyond economics. Think about it: How was it even possible that transferring decisions from elites with more education, intellect, data and power to ordinary people could lead consistently to demonstrably better results?

One implication is that no one is smart enough to carry out social engineering, whether in the economy or in other areas where the results may not always be so easily quantifiable. We learn, not from our initial brilliance, but from trial and error adjustments to events as they unfold.

Science tells us that the human brain reaches its maximum potential in early adulthood. Why then are young adults so seldom capable of doing what people with more years of experience can do?

Because experience trumps brilliance.

Elites may have more brilliance, but those who make decisions for society as a whole cannot possibly have as much experience as the millions of people whose decisions they preempt. The education and intellects of the elites may lead them to have more sweeping presumptions, but that just makes them more dangerous to the freedom, as well as the well-being, of the people as a whole.

July 26, 2010

PoliticsNY.Net: MONDAY'S NYS INTERNET NEWS

NY TIMES: States Hooked on Gambling for Revenue. From the beginning of our joy ride with legalized gambling, there was a worry that more gambling would mean more overextended suckers addicted to slots, poker tables, lotteries and roulette wheels.

NY TIMES: Attorney General Candidate Failed to Vote for 18 Years. Kathleen M. Rice, the Nassau County district attorney and a Democratic candidate for attorney general, did not cast her first ballot in an election until 2002, nearly two decades after she first registered to vote, according to election records. Full story

TIMES UNION: Paterson taking kinder approach. With lawmakers set to return to the Capitol on Wednesday, Gov. David Paterson is bringing back his proposals for a property tax cap, wine sales in grocery stores and a penny-per-ounce tax on sugared beverages.

TIMES UNION: Cuomo prepares for storm. Who's got enough opposition research to generate a mud storm against Attorney General Andrew Cuomo from now until the November election for governor? Carl Paladino, that's who. "We have six binders on Cuomo," said Michael Caputo, campaign manager for Paladino, the primary candidate facing Rick Lazio for the right to the Republican line in September. "We're going to win the campaign on it." Full story Full story

NY DAILY NEWS: Republican governor hopeful Rick Lazio lagging as GOPers show support for Carl Paladino. Rick who? In a snub to the gov hopeful - and the Republican and Conservative leaders backing him - GOP candidates are rushing to ally themselves with Rick Lazio's renegade opponent, Carl Paladino. About a dozen Republican candidates for Senate and Assembly seats have had talks with the controversial Buffalo businessman about running on his independent Tea Party-inspired "Taxpayer" line, Paladino's campaign confirmed.Even state GOP Chairman Ed Cox's son, Chris, who is running for Congress on Long Island, has joined with Paladino - an outspoken millionaire best known for forwarding racially and sexually explicit emails.

NY DAILY NEWS: Mayor Bloomberg is trying to give nonpartisan elections another push after it failed in 2003. Mayor Bloomberg's old dream to change New York elections has a new name - and may soon get new life. His operatives are quietly studying how to encourage the Charter revision commission to put nonpartisan elections - called "top two" elections - on the ballot in November. Full story

NY POST: Gov. Paterson is ready to make the lives of state lawmakers "miserable" over the next three weeks in an effort to avoid having the latest state budget in history, a source close to the governor told The Post yesterday. "The governor is fed up with the Legislature, which has had three weeks to finish the budget since they left Albany in late June and instead has done nothing, and he's not going to take it any more," said the source.

NY POST: Indy 'pay to play' GOPers backed after hiring chief's pal. For two elections in a row, the state Independence Party endorsed a Republican candidate who hired a political consultant with close ties to party Chairman Frank MacKay, campaign records show. Full story

NY POST: Fed-up gov to make pols 'miserable'. Gov. David Paterson is forcing the Legislature to reconsider some of his ideas that have already been rejected. Paterson today announced the agenda for the session he called for Wednesday to finally close the state budget that was due April 1. Items on the agenda include his proposed cap on local property taxes, a plan to allow the public universities to set higher tuition without legislative approval, a tax on sugar products and authorization to sell wine in grocery stores. The Democrat-led Senate needs to approve a single revenue bill to complete the budget. Re-do: Governor David Paterson says the sugar tax, wine plan and property tax cap is back on the agenda. Paterson added the additional items.When a governor calls an extraordinary session compelling the Legislature back into session the governor sets the agenda. Entire Post

DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE: Spending reaches $5M in race for governor. Campaign cash can go fast, and it doesn't seem to matter how much you've raised. In the state's gubernatorial race, former Rep. Rick Lazio has spent nearly as much money over the last six months as opponents Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino, despite Lazio's anemic fundraising.The candidates have spent a combined $5 million on political consultants, advertising and travel since January. Cuomo and Paladino both spent $1.7 million, and Lazio reported spending $1.6 million between January and July. Full story

POST STANDARD: Skaneateles native chosen to run day-to-day operations in House of Representatives. Skaneateles native Dan Strodel in some ways is now among the most important people in Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Strodel to the post of interim chief administrative officer for the House of Representatives, a job he began this past week. Full story

ITHACA JOURNAL: Education commissioner says test scores will disappoint parents. Even as state education officials were touting students' improved performance on mastery tests more than a year ago, they were talking about the need to make the exams more difficult. They made a few changes during the 2009-10 school year, such as giving the standardized tests for children in grades 3 to 8 later in the year, increasing the level of unpredictability on math exams and adding new questions that tested different sets of skills. Full story ###

Joe Illuzzi

Fairness for Shirley

by Bill O'Reilly

This time last week, few Americans had ever heard of Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod. Now she is a household name in households that actually follow the news. A few days ago, Sherrod was fired by the Obama administration for admitting that more than 20 years ago -- as an administrator in Georgia -- she did not treat a white farmer as fairly as she would have treated a black farmer. Her admission came as part of a speech she made before the NAACP in March. Sherrod is black.

The problem was Sherrod was relating the story as part of an epiphany she said she'd had. After mulling things over, she came to the conclusion that what she had done was wrong. Unfortunately, that message was overlooked in the initial reporting, and I was one of the culprits.

Regrettably, I did not examine the full transcript of Sherrod's remarks closely enough, and after hearing that the white farmer had been hosed, I said she should resign. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made the same mistake; so did the NAACP. Like all Americans, Sherrod deserves to be treated fairly, and she should be reinstated at the Department of Agriculture. However, the situation deserves a top-to-bottom examination by the feds.

Shirley Sherrod is a longtime liberal activist who peppered her NAACP speech with racial references, such as this: "So I figured if I'd take (the farmer) to (a white lawyer), that his own kind would take care of him."

Own kind?

Now, we all make mistakes, and that just might be a harmless comment. But if a white federal official referred to an African-American by using the term "own kind," you know what would happen.

Then Sherrod went on to tell the NAACP audience this: "I haven't seen such a mean-spirited people as I've seen lately over this issue of health care. Some of the racism we thought was buried. Didn't it surface? Now, we endured eight years of the Bushes, and we didn't do the stuff these Republicans are doing because you have a black president."

The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from endorsing political parties while on the job. Sherrod was invited to speak at the NAACP meeting because she was in the administration. So you make the call.

There are two main points here: First, Shirley Sherrod was not initially treated fairly by me, some other journalists, the NAACP or the Obama administration. She deserved better.

And secondly, Sherrod may not be a great fit for the USDA. She is obviously a very political person with a strong point of view. Public servants are supposed to look out for all the folks; it is tough for polarizing people to do that.

So this is a fascinating story on many levels. We have not heard the last of it.

Unconventional and politically uncouth

Paladino crashes the NY governor's race, GOP

by Michael Gormley

Rick Lazio, a former congressman, has the backing of just about every county Republican leader in his run to be New York's next governor. He's got the essential Conservative Party endorsement and already fended off two better-financed challengers at the Republican convention, one of whom was backed by the state chairman.

So why is he looking over his shoulder, when Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo is already plenty to worry about in front of him?

Carl Paladino.

The unconventional and politically uncouth Buffalo millionaire last week forced a Republican primary in September through the difficult petition route. Now, Paladino is steering the New York governor's race after being written off several times by Republican leaders. In the state convention in June, he had to resort to nominating himself because he said he was denied a chance to speak to delegates.

Now it's Paladino who is flooding talk radio with ads, saying he's "mad as hell." He says what many

New Yorkers think: That the only promises politicians keep are those to special interests.

In a year in which all candidates want to look as mad as hell, it's Paladino who is firing up the rhetoric and making the other comments seem tepid by comparison.

Cuomo, during last week's campaign swing: "I've been watching government for a long time; I have never seen it as bad as it is today."

Lazio: "We need to develop new initiatives and ideas."

Paladino: "Plain Joe Citizens are sick and tired of footing the bill for higher taxes and the most extravagant spending to benefit an elite political class that is both incompetent and corrupt."

Last week, while Lazio tried to force Cuomo, the attorney general, to investigate how a $100 million mosque planned for a couple blocks from ground zero will be funded and Cuomo defended freedom of religion, Paladino said: "It's no different than Japan asking to build a memorial to kamikaze pilots next to the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor."

When viewed through the lens of traditional politics, Paladino shouldn't stand a chance to get the Republican nomination. He's not as experienced or polished as Lazio. The real estate developer has no experience in government or politics or in a major state campaign like Lazio, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate seat won by Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2000.

Even the $10 million Paladino pledged to use from his own fortune isn't much in a New York governor's race, although Paladino is close to billionaire B. Thomas Golisano, who spends freely on campaigns and likes to back mavericks.

But Paladino might have timing on his side.

An electorate angry at politics as usual blames politicians for the long recession. New York taxes are higher than ever while deficits are deeper. Unemployment is either a looming fear or devastating reality. Meanwhile, Albany's powerful special interests fought off layoffs and deep funding cuts.

These are the seeds that put hard-nosed Republican Chris Christie in the governor's office in New Jersey a year ago, and elected a professional wrestler as Minnesota's governor in 1998.

"It was like today," said Tom Hauser, author of "Inside the Ropes with Jesse Ventura," and a political reporter for KSTP-TV in Minneapolis. "I think this year is absolutely ripe for it, not just in Minnesota, but all over the country. Some of the same things you heard about trying to get rid of career politicians was the same thing Jesse Ventura ranted about in 1998."

In an interview last week, Paladino, a fit, low-keyed 63-year-old with the steely eyes of a bouncer on a Saturday night, took apart his younger rivals. Of Lazio: "He doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to confront these demons." Of Cuomo, the Democratic son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo: "Mr. Cuomo is going to be easier to beat than Lazio ... this guy has a freight train of stuff, the arrogance, this entitlement attitude."

A Siena College poll this month found Lazio remained the Republicans' favorite, 40 percent to 20 percent, but 40 percent of Republican voters were undecided. That survey was done before Paladino forced a primary with his petition of more than 25,000 Republican voters statewide.

"When you look at two factors like money - Paladino says he has a lot, Lazio we know does not - and you look at the likely electorate in this primary, I would have to say that Paladino has at least as good a chance at winning that primary as Lazio," said Steven Greenberg of the Siena poll.

A primary will likely draw more conservative Republicans with a drum beat by the fed-up members of the tea party movement, each of whom are Paladino's strongest constituencies.

Yet former Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, a moderate New York Republican who served 24 years in Congress, sees electoral weaknesses in what Paladino considers his strengths.

"I think there's a sort of inherent resentment of the big-bucks guy," Boehlert said in an interview. "Rick Lazio has the advantage of having been inside, but on the outside for many years. He knows how the inside works."

While Lazio is disciplined, reasonable and articulate, Paladino suffered early in his campaign when racy and racist e-mails he once forwarded were released, and when he said Obama's health care program would hurt and kill more people than the Sept. 11 attacks.

Boehlert doesn't see Paladino as another Christie.

"I'm skeptical," he said. "Most people figure this is a place for pros. We don't want a consummate insider, but we want someone who knows how it works."

Assemblyman Mark Schroeder
Introduces legislation to end taxpayer-funded abortions

Legislation introduced by New York State Assemblyman Mark Schroeder, during the adoption of the state budget, would stop state Medicaid funds from being used to pay for abortions. The legislation makes exceptions in the case of rape, incest, or in order to save the life of the mother.

“More than a dozen state legislatures are moving to opt out of government funding for abortions,” said Schroeder. “Two state legislatures have already voted to disallow taxpayer subsidy of abortion. New York should do the same.”

The legislation was an amendment to the state’s health budget. It is commonly referred to as the “Butler Amendment,” after former Assemblyman Denis Butler, who first introduced the legislation. Schroeder quoted a 1998 speech from Butler, who pointed out the Supreme Court’s ruling that the legal existence of a right does not require the government to subsidize that right.

“Whatever your position on this issue, there is no question that millions of New Yorkers, including many in my district, object to their tax dollars being used to pay for abortions,” said Schroeder, who added that 33 percent of pregnancies in New York State end in abortions.

Schroeder pointed out that New York does not have any of the major types of abortion restrictions – including waiting periods, mandated parental involvement, or limitations on public funding – that are found in other states.

“As a result, New York’s abortion rate is twice as high as the national average,” said Schroeder. “That is not something to be proud of.”

Although Schroeder’s amendment was defeated 91 - 43, he has vowed to introduce the amendment again during next year’s budget process.

July 25, 2010

O's SATURDAY INTERNET ADDRESS

PoliticsNY.Net: CHRIS COLLINS ENDORSES PALADINO

With Erie County GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy at his side Carl Paladino accepted Erie County Executive Chris Collins' endorsement.

“I would never go down that road because he’s not talking about the fundamental changes needed to fix our state,” Collins replied. “It’s, you know, political soundbites, and there’s no energy there and clearly his lack of enthusiasm is evidenced by his recent financial filing. I don’t view him as a credible candidate. Carl is the real deal. Not only is he a credible candidate. He’s the only one talking about issues.” Collins talking to YNN's Liz Benjamin

"Carl Paladino’s campaign is trumpeting a new Rasmussen poll that shows the Buffalo businessman peforming slightly better against Democratic gubernatorial designee Andrew Cuomo than the GOP/Conservative designee Rick Lazio. The poll shows Paladino vs. Cuomo at 29-58, with 8 percent unsure; while Lazio vs. Cuomo is 27-58, 9 percent. Last month, the breakdown was 25-55 Paladino vs. Cuomo and 28-55 Lazio vs. Cuomo." ###

GOV AIDE TAKING THE 5TH

"David Johnson has become well acquainted with the Fifth Amendment. The former aide, whose domestic-violence case helped sink Gov. Paterson's election bid, invoked his right against self-incrimination during an investigation into the Aqueduct-casino boondoggle, sources said. Johnson refused to answer questions under oath several weeks ago and invoked the Fifth during separate state probes into whether administration officials intervened in his case and whether he wrongly helped the governor secure World Series tickets." Published report ###

COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN LEN LENIHAN

Lenihan's get even politics will cost the Dems the 58th & possibly the Senate

UPDATE: "Staten Island DA Dan Donovan Thursday said he was launching an investigation of the state Independence Party following a report in The Post that the party chairman's wife solicited a $10,000 business loan from a candidate who was seeking the party's backing. The disclosure came in a letter Donovan wrote in his other role, as a candidate for state attorney general, notifying Independence chairman Frank MacKay that he no longer wanted the party's endorsement. "I applaud DA Donovan on his proactive move to demonstrate . . . that the leadership of the Independence Party has made its line toxic," Tabacco said. MacKay did not respond to a request for comment yesterday." NY Post ...

"Indy Party's tangled Web of deals with the missis. The state Independence Party paid at least $17,876 to computer consultants with ties to the party chairman's wife, according to campaign records. The records show that the Independence Party Chairman's Club, one of three accounts the party has registered with the Board of Elections, shelled out the money to four entities with connections to Kristin MacKay, wife of Chairman Frank MacKay, since 2006." Full story ...

Note we haven't written very much about Len Lenihan lately, nor has anyone else, because he has been invisible. Witness no democratic candidate in the 26th Congressional or the Assembly 142nd & others.

According to reliable sources, a few days ago there was parley of sorts in Lenihan's Ellicott Square office. On the conference call was Paul Rivera with the Senate reelection committee, a rep from Stachowski's office, with NYS IP Chairman Frank MacKay on the party line, so to speak.

On background: Let me pause here & remind you all of a tape we published three years ago, released by MacKay, with Lenihan leaving a voice message trying to work out a meeting to discuss IP endorsements; Lenihan inferring he controlled the weighted IP vote in Erie County.

MacKay released the tape & charged Lenihan with "Party Raiding" which is a crime.

Fast forward three years.

MacKay went along with Rivera & Lenihan & endorsed incumbent Bill Stachowski over County Legislator Tim Kennedy. Kennedy has the local endorsement which means absolutely nothing.

Lenihan knowing full well that Stachowski having the line would all but give the election to Jack Quinn, the GOP & possibly control of the Senate.

For Lenihan getting even with Mayor Brown, the Higgins team, by extension Kennedy for not supporting Stachowski & his Chair was more important than the Dems retaining the seat.

Lenihan, et al. talked MacKay into endorsing Sam Hoyt on that call as well. ###

ERIE COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN NICK LANGWORTHY

GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy (29) living up to the moniker "Wonder Boy"

UPDATE: "Wonder Boy" strikes again & again! Credit Langworthy for playing a HUGE role in getting the Erie County endorsed GOP candidate's petitions in on time & valid. ...

Flash back to the first week in June. Langworthy, head man in charge for just a few weeks, demonstrated his political skills & acumen at the GOP state convention. Not only did he not allow himself to be handled by NYS Chairman Ed Cox but he put up a journeyman's floor fight for Carl Paladino. Paladino actually able to address the convention thanks to Langworthy's tenacity.

Fast forward to the first of July.  A crowd of well over 200 came together at a well known watering hole in Amherst to support their new Chairman.  A fundraiser that brought together the older and the younger generations of the Republican Party. Many in attendance that have been disgruntled for one reason or another came out to support their new Chairman.

County Executive Chris Collins was the special guest speaker; he was joined at the mic by Governor candidate Carl Paladino. Also attending were Chautauqua County Executive Lt. Governor candidate for Lazio, Greg Edwards, US Senate Candidate David Malpass, Senator Mike Ranzenhofer, former NYS Senator Mary Lou Rath, former Congressman Jack Quinn, former Congressman Tom Reynolds, Republican County Legislators Rath, Fudoli, Hardwick, Dixon, Mills, and Walter, Judges Fahey and Dillon, Mark Rodgers, Judge Debbie Chimes, Judge Jeff Voelkl, Paul Wojtaszek, Judge Debbie Bender, Judge Patricia Maxwell, Howard Cohen, Catherine Nugent Panepinto & former Party Chairmen Bob Davis, Jim Domagalski, et al.

Langworthy keeps his word & is loyal to local candidates like Carl Paladino, Jim Domagalski, et al. However, Langworthy is no longer someone's ex officio campaign manager or chief of staff, aka pit bull. Albeit, the Chairman & Executive Committee play an important role, it is up to the candidates to win elections not GOP headquarters.

No doubt Langworthy's time has come; Langworthy has taken upon himself the role of statesman as County Chairman. So far he is a unifying force within the Party & his peers around the State are taking notice! ###

Joe Illuzzi

Losing White America

by Patrick J. Buchanan

On Monday, the Department of Agriculture demanded the resignation of Shirley Sherrod over a two-minute videotape where she appeared to describe to a cheering crowd of the Georgia NAACP how she denied assistance to a poor white farmer about to lose his land.

Declaring itself "appalled" at this "shameful" act of racism, the NAACP said it would investigate the Georgia crowd that cheered her and praised the Department of Agriculture for firing her.

On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was begging for Sherrod's forgiveness, and the NAACP was burbling apologies.

For the video turned out to be an excerpt from a speech in which Sherrod described her growth from a bitter black woman whose father was murdered by a white man into one who found joy helping poor white folks keep their farms.

What was it that caused the rush to judgment by Vilsack, the NAACP and a White House that supported the ouster of Sherrod without talking to her or viewing the full tape?

Panic. The White House fears it is losing white America because of a false perception that it harbors a bias against white America.

Outrageous, rail those journalists who celebrated the NAACP's accusation that the tea party is harboring racists and is too cowardly to confront them.

Yet, as things perceived as real are real in their consequences, if the White House does not eradicate this perception, its lease may not be renewed. Whence comes that perception? Several incidents.

First was the startling accusation by Attorney General Eric Holder, days after Barack Obama was inaugurated in a gusher of good feeling, that we are all "a nation of cowards" when it comes to facing issues of race.

A real icebreaker for a national conversation.

Second was the instantaneous verdict of the president, when asked about the arrest of Harvard's Henry Louis Gates by Cambridge cop Sgt. James Crowley. With no knowledge of what happened, Obama blurted out that the cops had "acted stupidly."

It took a White House beer summit to detoxify that one.

A third was the revelation that Obama's first Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the "wise Latina" herself, had gone to extremes to see that the case of Frank Ricci and the New Haven, Conn., firefighters never got to the Supreme Court. Ricci and co-defendants had been denied promotions they had won in competitive exams solely because they were white and no black firemen had done as well.

The fourth was the Justice Department's dropping of charges against members of the New Black Panther Party, whose intimidation of voters in Philadelphia had been captured on tape.

When a department official resigned in protest and went to the Civil Rights Commission to accuse officials at Justice of ordering staff attorneys not to pursue such cases, that explosive charge, too, was ignored by Justice.

Came then the NAACP smear that the tea party was harboring racists, which Joe Biden explicitly rejected on national television on Sunday, before the Monday firestorm over Sherrod.

Now, whatever one's views on each of these episodes in which race played a role, white Americans are being forced to address them. And, surely, the White House understands this is bad news for Obama and the Democratic Party.

For though the black community remains solidly behind Obama and the white majority is shrinking toward minority status by 2042 or 2050, depending on which Census survey one uses, whites in America still outnumber blacks five to one. And if forced constantly to come down on one side or the other of a racial divide, most folks will wind up with their own.

In past elections, Democrats have raised race -- allegations that black churches were being torched in the South, that George W. Bush's opposition to a hate crimes bill meant he was coldly indifferent to the dragging death of a handicapped black man -- to solidify and energize the minority vote. And, today, that vote remains solid behind Obama.

Where the erosion is taking place is in white America, among working- and middle-class folks who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primaries but took a chance with Obama in the fall. Now, every time some new incident erupts, these folks are being tarred.

Opposition to affirmative action is racist. Supporting the tea party gives aid and comfort to racists. Opposing health care puts you in league with folks who used racial slurs on Rep. John Lewis. To raise the issue of the New Black Panther Party is to play the race card.

One understand the bitterness of tea party folks who carry signs that read: "What difference does it make what this placard says. You'll call it racist anyway."

As the National Journal's Ron Brownstein has been reporting, white America is increasingly alienated and distrustful of all our major economic and political power centers -- the banks, big corporations, the government.

And, for the first time in our lifetimes, outside the South, white racial consciousness has visibly begun to rise.

Beware The Lame Duck

by Charles Krauthammer

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama's considerable political capital, earned on Election Day 2008, is spent. Well spent, mind you, on the enactment of a highly ideological agenda of Obamacare, financial reform and a near trillion-dollar stimulus that will significantly transform the country. But spent nonetheless. There's nothing left with which to complete his social-democratic ambitions. This would have to await the renewed mandate that would come with a second inaugural.

That's why, as I suggested last week, nothing of major legislative consequence is likely to occur for the next two and a half years. Except, as columnist Irwin Stelzer points out, for one constitutional loophole: a lame-duck Congress called back into session between the elections this November and the swearing-in of the 112th Congress next January.

Leading Democrats are already considering this as a way to achieve even more liberal measures that many of their members dare not even talk about, let alone enact, on the eve of an election in which they face a widespread popular backlash to the already enacted elements of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda.

That backlash will express itself on Election Day and result, as most Democrats and Republicans currently expect, in major Democratic losses. It is still possible for the gaffe-happy Republicans to blow it. When the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee publicly apologizes to the corporation that unleashed the worst oil spill in American history, you know the Republicans are capable of just about anything.

But assuming the elections go as currently projected, Obama's follow-on reforms are dead. Except for the fact that a lame-duck session, freezing in place the lopsided Democratic majorities of November 2008, would be populated by dozens of Democratic members who had lost re-election (in addition to those retiring). They could then vote for anything -- including measures they today shun as the midterms approach and their seats are threatened -- because they would have nothing to lose. They would be unemployed. And playing along with Obama might even brighten the prospects for, say, an ambassadorship to a sunny Caribbean isle.

As John Fund reports in The Wall Street Journal, Sens. Jay Rockefeller, Kent Conrad and Tom Harkin are already looking forward to what they might get passed in a lame-duck session. Among the major items being considered are card check, budget-balancing through major tax hikes, and climate-change legislation involving heavy carbon taxes and regulation.

Card check, which effectively abolishes the secret ballot in the workplace, is the fondest wish of a union movement to which Obama is highly beholden. Major tax hikes, possibly including a value-added tax, will undoubtedly be included in the recommendations of the president's debt commission, which conveniently reports by Dec. 1. And carbon taxes would be the newest version of the cap-and-trade legislation that has repeatedly failed to pass the current Congress -- but enough dead men walking in a lame-duck session might switch and vote to put it over the top.

It's a target-rich environment. The only thing holding the Democrats back would be shame, a Washington commodity in chronically short supply. To pass in a lame-duck session major legislation so unpopular that Democrats had no chance of passing it in regular session -- after major Democratic losses signifying a withdrawal of the mandate implicitly granted in 2008 -- would be an egregious violation of elementary democratic norms.

Perhaps shame will constrain the Democrats. But that is not to be counted on. It didn't stop them from pushing through a health-care reform the public didn't want by means of "reconciliation" maneuvers and without a single Republican vote in either chamber -- something unprecedented in American history for a reform of such scope and magnitude.

How then to prevent a runaway lame-duck Congress? Bring the issue up now -- applying the check-and-balance of the people's will before it disappears the morning after Election Day. Every current member should be publicly asked: In the event you lose in November -- a remote and deeply deplorable eventuality, but still not inconceivable -- do you pledge to adhere to the will of the electorate and, in any lame-duck session of Congress, refuse to approve anything but the most routine legislation required to keep the government functioning?

The Democrats could, of course, make the pledge today and break it tomorrow. Call me naive, but I can't believe anyone would be that dishonorable.

Buffalo City Comptroller Andrew A. SanFilippo

Bond proceeds will fund City and Buffalo School District improvements

Buffalo City Comptroller Andrew A. SanFilippo announced Thursday that the City’s first competitive bond sale in more than 24 years was a “significant accomplishment,” and proof of Buffalo’s improving financial status in the bond market.

“It’s a proud day for Buffalo. We had seven bidders on each of two bond series,” SanFilippo said, “and these were aggressive bids. The end result was a spectacularly low interest rate for each bond issue.”

The two-step bidding structure began Wednesday morning with $22.7 million in General Improvement Bonds, sold to fund 37 City improvement projects. In a process similar to an online auction, competitive bids on interest rates were entered right down to the wire. The final winning bid came in from J.P. Morgan Securities, which offered a low true interest cost (TIC) of 3.626 percent on the deal.

The second bidding Wednesday, for $4.9 million in School Serial Bonds, also went down to the wire, with the winning bid coming in from Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc at a TIC of 3.53 percent—just eight seconds before closing.

“These were extraordinarily close bids,” SanFilippo said. “For our first attempt in the competitive market in 35 years, as opposed to negotiated bond sales, seven bidders on each issue represents our positive creditworthiness and tremendous acceptance in the marketplace.”

“Buffalo is now a player in the competitive bond market again and hopefully this will continue to translate into lower borrowing costs for the taxpayers,” SanFilippo added.

The City bond proceeds will be used to fund, among other projects, new police and fire radio systems ($1.6 million), citywide infrastructure improvements ($4.8 million), and $722,000 for community center upgrades.

The School Series bond proceeds will fund school improvements.

“Buffalo has been fiscally scratching and clawing its way back since the nineteen seventies,” SanFilippo said, “and this represents a very triumphant return to the competitive bond market. For the people who continually knock our city, it’s an example of Buffalo headed in the right direction. Even in a tough economy, with tough budget decisions that have to be made, here is a glimmer of hope that we are on our way up, not down.”

PoliticsNY.Net: HIGGINS STEPS UP - AGAIN!

LEVY'S PATRONIZING RESPONSE

JUST SAY "NO" TO BASS PRO

UPDATES: Harbor Board Chairman Jordan Levy wrote a rather patronizing response to Higgins deadline announcement. Levy dismissing Higgins, thanking him for his service & with the same stroke of the keyboard wrote that the final resolution to the Bass Pro debacle will have a favorable result (for Levy & company) within a few weeks. These people are out of control! ...

I have known Brian Higgins for well over 12 years. I was watching the film of that news conference the other day what caught my attention was the look on Higgins' face! He had that look as if to say I am sick & tired of this. I actually thought to myself Brian is going to do something & he did (scroll down)!

The time has come for Bass Pro to make a decision.

Our hope is that they will look at a smaller store & or just cut bait.

The community does not want a mega Bass Pro on our waterfront.

I understand why County Executive Collins is excited; he is an Eagle Scout after all!

Look bottom line is there are those connected to Canal Side who are sounding like elitists; the public be damned. The truth is this is an inside the park, ego driven proposal between some very rich people like Bass Pro CEO Johnny Morris, Bob & Mindy Rich, Jordan Levy, esp. Larry Quinn, et al.

We know best elitists, even with the best of intensions, do not do well in Buffalo & WNY! ...

The disingenuous claims about Bass Pro continue ad nauseam!

This time Larry Quinn says it has taken 7-8 years to put the Bass Pro deal together because they didn't want to make any mistakes, paraphrasing, bovine manure.

Look even if the taxpayers have to pay this $35M + TAX to Bass Pro to get them here why not give them the money but insist Bass Pro build a smaller store & not on the prime AUD site.

There is no reason why Bass Pro can't use the General Donovan site for a new store. Please don't give us that nonsense about a hotel & office space. For goodness sakes the AUD site is shovel ready & there is NO reason not to leave the site in that condition until a true anchor comes to our waterfront willing to spend private money to develop that PRIME real estate. ...

The taxpayers of WNY, speaking through a number of media outlets (including the courts), are adamant they do not want a mega Bass Pro as the center piece of their waterfront development.

Yes! The taxpayers are footing the bill by as much as $52M by some estimates & they are Just saying "NO" to Bass Pro.

The problem is Jordan Levy, Larry Quinn, et al. are circumventing the will of the taxpayers by saying in effect, "we know what is best for you taxpayers"; Levy actually said in spite of you taxpayers, "we want Bass Pro".

Well! We don't & you can't if we don't! So stop taking yourselves so seriously & remember the taxpayers should be the final arbitrators with respect to this proposal.

The reality is Bass Pro's time has come & gone! Live with it! ...

Harbor Corp. Chairman Jordan Levy has to tell taxpayers who the "we' are when he says "we want Bass Pro." It is clear that the taxpayers in Erie County en masse do NOT want this size Bass Pro, with this subsidy, on our waterfront. Build a smaller version on the General Donavan site that makes sense. Right now Bass pro is 12% of the plan for OUR waterfront & that is just the absolute worst example of POOR planning & POOR judgment. ...

Speaking of the waterfront I a had to laugh yesterday when I tripped over the Sandy Beach show on WBEN 930. I heard Beach talking about the proposal to build a weather museum on the waterfront, the outer harbor to be specific. How can I be specific you ask? PoliticsNY.Net was the driving force behind the proposal. We put together a great team early on with myself, County Clerk Kathy Hochul & developer Hormoz Mansouri. Later WIVB #4 weatherman Don Paul signed on as did the National Weather Service's Tom Noziol, et al.

When we sat down Politics.NY.Net had secured 14 legislative endorsements including the Erie County Legislature, the 3 cities in the County & 10 of the largest towns & villages in Erie County including Amherst, Cheektowaga, West Seneca, etc.

Beach did not know that fact when he repeatedly said on air this is an excellent idea.  By the way this writers' name appeared, if not on the resolution itself, in the record on each & every vote!

The problem is the private sector folks who signed on to support the proposal did not understand the political component to getting this done. Truth is they lost their compass; as a result Hochul, Mansouri & I had NO other choice but to back out. The project has been in limbo ever since!

The idea came from UB's Kate Foster, we ran with it.

Thanks for your endorsement Sandy; it is a great proposal!  ...

BUFFALO NEWS: Fear not, the leaders of the $295 million Canal Side project say. Bass Pro very well could finally sign its lease here within the next couple of months. The question is, will Bass Pro be worth the wait? I doubt it. The outdoors store was touted as a destination retailer when Bob Rich and other local officials first pitched Bass Pro as the centerpiece in the harbor front development. Full story ###

Joe Illuzzi

Higgins Gives 14 Day Deadline on Bass Pro

Congressman Calls for Final Decision on Lease Agreement

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) issued a letter to Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris and President Jim Hagale calling on the company to make a final decision about building a store within Buffalo’s Canal Side waterfront development project in the next two weeks.

“Waterfront development in Buffalo and Western New York is well underway and it is because after decades of talk and plans we have moved into action,” said Congressman Higgins. “Great progress is visible, construction trucks and people are working, the public excitement is building and well over a hundred million dollars is available for economic development at the Inner Harbor alone. Bass Pro should certainly want to be a part of it and today we are calling on them to make that commitment.”

The idea of a Bass Pro store in Buffalo was first mentioned in 2001 and in 2004 the company announced the “Aud” site as its location choice. Congressman Higgins noted the substantial waterfront progress which has taken place along the Inner in recent years

A number of other projects along the Outer Harbor and the Buffalo River are also underway.

Higgins said, "Initiation of the Bass Pro discussions pre-dated my service in Congress but became something I was open to consider as a small component of the overall Canal Side project. My focus has been and continues to be improvements to the public space and with that, I believe, private investment follows.  I have consistently said that with or without Bass Pro, Buffalo has a waterfront to develop, and I have worked very hard to take the vision we have and turn it into reality."

“Too often people sit back and wait for progress to materialize,” Higgins added. “We aren’t as patient. The people of Western New York have waited too long to witness what is happening along the water’s edge today. Finally the improvements are tangible and now the stage is set for more great things moving forward. We aren’t about to let anything slow down the momentum.

PoliticsNY:Net: AMEND OR NULLIFY THE 2nd AMENDMENT

Illuzzi: Let me preface: I believe the Obama Administration is indeed eroding our individual & state's rights. Things like putting 17,000 more IRSS agents on our streets, pun intended, shutting down the Internet, etc. are very worrisome propositions.

Definition of terms: Patriotism: Love for or devotion to one's country.

Nationalism:  A sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.

An interesting dichotomy or bifurcation of what is indeed the proper approach to the proposition "love of country".

I am tipping my hand here because a brother Conservative Bud Schroeder & I possibly will debate the question of the 2nd Amendment the "Right to Bear Arms" this Fall.

I consider myself a patriot. I consider Schroeder, et al. both; albeit more nationalist than patriot.

No doubt that the anti gun control crowd will argue with superfluous fervency that the individual has a right to own a gun for self defense; this kind of thing.

I believe, this Nation was founded on Christian principles, God's law, "thou shalt not kill", i.e. the right to life; this Commandment takes precedent over the nationalists constitutional declaration of "the right to bear arms".

The Supreme Court a couple of weeks ago upheld 2nd amendment rights in a rather specious decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas 5-4.

Our proposition is quite simple: Given the millions of deaths, including children, by legal & illegal gun ownership the 2nd amendment should be nullified or amended restricting the right to law enforcement & the military.

The precious "right to life" far out weighs the Nationalists view of the right to bear arms. ...

"A 9-year-old boy fatally shot his 2-year-old brother while playing with a gun in Los Angeles, authorities said late Saturday. The boy found the gun in his house, said Sgt. Tim Walters of the Los Angeles Police Department. While playing with it, he accidentally shot the toddler in the head, Walters said. No charges will be filed, according to Walters."

How many of these stories have we read like this one; even in our own community. Is one child's life worth owning that gun? "NO"! Yet, we have lost hundreds if not thousands of children over time in similar circumstances. That school teacher from Albany would be alive today if that gentleman did not have a gun in his home, what is his life worth. ...

"Thirteen days ago, the Supreme Court undermined Chicago’s ban on handguns by applying the Second Amendment to the states, ruling that people have a right to protect their homes with a gun. Four days after that, Chicago passed another handgun restriction that edged right up to the line drawn by the court. And on Tuesday, a group of gun dealers and enthusiasts sued the city again to overturn the new law.

Bullets are flying on city streets, but the vital work of limiting gun use has become a cat-and-mouse game. Beleaguered citizens deserve better from both sides.

We strongly disagreed with the reasoning that led the court to find an individual right to bear arms in the Second Amendment, ending handgun bans in Washington, D.C., in 2008 and everywhere else last month. Nonetheless, the law of the land is now that people have a constitutional right to a gun in their home for self-defense." Full story ###

CHICAGO'S NEW GUN ORDINANCE

"The Chicago, Illinois, City Council in a 45-0 vote approved a new gun ordinance Friday, four days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the city's 28-year-old strict ban on handgun ownership was unconstitutional. Among other details, the ordinance allows only one operable firearm per household, meaning all other guns would need to have gun locks or be in locked cases. It also requires owners to have a state firearms permit, to register weapons with Chicago police and to take four hours of classroom training and one hour of firing range training. The plan also bans assault weapons and gun shops in the city. See national screen

PoliticsNY.Net: Sources say that once Interim Police Commissioner Dan Derenda is confirmed the administration will assign him the task of reviewing gun control initiatives of cities around country, esp. Chicago. The plan, according to sources, is to take more guns off of our streets. ###

PRO LIFE vs PRO GUN

I am a registered conservative who believes in the value of life from conception & traditional family.

I have a very serious disconnect with my fellow conservatives who espouse a pro life position & have a very liberal approach to gun ownership.

Just like an abortionist's scalpel - guns kill period, esp. hand guns.

Five human beings have been murdered in the last ten days on the streets of Buffalo alone. Millions of lives lost since the turn of the century as a result of our nation & state's liberal approach to gun ownership.

If one values life - it is incumbent that one make a decision with respect to what is more important life or owning a gun.

Please do not make the 2nd amendment argument that was another time, surely we have advanced beyond that mentality. & Yes law enforcement & the military should carry guns. & YES I am opposed to the death penalty.

If we are enlightened to the extent we support life from conception, mandate motorcycle helmets, seat belts, ban smoking, etc. in order to save lives, how can we collectively support private gun ownership en masse; this is a glorified oxymoron.

I support making owning a gun period a felony, i.e. take every gun out of the hands of every American & illegal, end of story. ###
Joe Illuzzi



MEET THE STATE CHAIRMEN

A PoliticsNY.Net Exclusive

NYS Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs

JACOBS TAKES OVER DEMOCRATIC REINS SAYS BUFFALO VISIT SUCCESS

by Staff

What will Gov. Paterson do and when will he do it?   Does he really intend to stick it out and run for re-election even though his poll numbers seem below the point of resuscitation? And what about Andrew Cuomo, the extremely popular Democratic attorney general who seems ready, willing, and able to lead Democrats in next year’s elections?

Those questions and many others are among the challenges facing the state’s new Democratic chairman, Nassau County’s Jay Jacobs who took over the party’s reins in Buffalo during a two-day conference that featured Paterson, Cuomo, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, and Democrats from across the state hoping for party unity in next year’s looming elections.

“It went really very good in Buffalo,” said Jacobs during an exclusive interview with www.PoliticsNY.net. “I talked to a lot of people and I think we’ve set ourselves on a good course.”

Asked about the biggest challenge the party faces, Gov. Paterson’s sinking popularity in the face of the state’s growing budget deficit and his insistence on running for re-election, Jacobs said it’s too early to panic.

“I think we have a good deal more time than everybody thinks,” said Jacobs. “We’re not through the 2009 elections yet, so the governor has some time to make his case to the public and he’s going to do that. The poll numbers today may not be the poll numbers of tomorrow,” adding “Gov. Paterson is running and I support him.”

That position seems to fly in the face of the conventional political wisdom---and apparently President Obama’s wishes---to let Andrew Cuomo top next year’s ticket to avoid a Democratic statewide meltdown with a weak Paterson leading the way. But Jacobs insists Paterson has the opportunity and time to resurrect himself and says his job is to build an organization and a strong party to take on the Republicans in 2010.

As for Cuomo, Jacobs says the attorney general’s high standing in the polls in well deserved. “He’s done a great job,” says Jacobs, “and I supported him in 2002 [during Cuomo’s battle with Carl McCall], and I was one of the few county chairman who did and he’s certainly someone I’ve always considered a good friend. I haven’t heard anything but that he’s running for re-election as attorney general, but what happens in the months ahead, I don’t know,” emphasizing again his support for Paterson.

On the battle for control of the State Senate, long a Republican stronghold but currently narrowly controlled by not-always-united Democrats, Jacobs says “you don’t look at it [the Senate] in the aggregate, but in the target races where the parties are vulnerable. You have to be very strategic, raise the revenues, in order to fund strong races. I have been telling the [party] leadership that we had a procedural fight (a reference to the coup) in June, and now we have to demonstrate to the people that we have been fighting for them on the important issues, and we need substantive results to show that we should elect a Democrat. And I am going to try and help our leaders do that.”

One Senate seat that many Democrats fear might be vulnerable next year is Bill Stachowski’s in the 58^th District, and Jacobs said “we know that was a tight race last time and we will have to keep a careful eye on that. We must weigh the threat and obligations of our party to protect our incumbents,” saying he will be doing that as the travels the state to ready the party for next year’s political battles.

Even though Democrats enjoy a roughly 5 to 3 voter enrollment edge in the state over Republicans, Jacobs cautions that “New York voters are smart, and while they have affiliation, we can’t rest easy on that. Of course I would rather be us than them, but we can’t leave any stone unturned.”

Jacobs said he’s optimistic that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who took over Sen. Clinton’s seat when she joined by Obama cabinet, will fare well with voters next year despite her rather poor standing in the polls. “President Clinton said last week that a poll is just a snapshot of a horse race that isn’t finished,” said Jacobs, “and the campaign hasn’t even begun. Not many voters know her but after she spends millions letting people know what she has done, her name recognition and positive polls numbers will go up dramatically.”

Right now, according to Jacobs, voters only know Gillibrand through the short snippets in newspaper stories and that will all change after she gets her message out. “I don’t worry about the early poll numbers,” said the new chairman. “I respect them [the poll numbers] but don’t overly appreciate them.”

Jacobs, who has been the Nassaut County Democratic chairman since 2001, says he met and talked to Mayor Byron Brown during his Buffalo visit “and I was extremely impressed by him. Very talented, tremendous potential, certainly someone who is likely to go places. One place where Brown has been mentioned as likely to go is on the ticket with Andrew Cuomo next year, providing Cuomo is the candidate at the top.

As for the two leading Republican names that have been bandied about for governor and senator, Jacobs says he doesn’t think either former Mayor Rudy Giuliani or former Gov. George Pataki will risk their political legacies on races they might lose. “I have a sense that Rudy will take a long look and decide it’s not a race and I think Gov. Pataki will do the same. They are both making a ton of money in the private sector and a loss would be catastrophic to their legacies and wouldn’t make sense.”

The only announced Republican candidate for governor so far is former four-term Congressman Rick Lazio who has been warmly received by Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long.

Jacobs has enjoyed great success as chairman in Nassau County where Democrats, under his watch, have re-elected a Democratic majority in the legislature in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007, and elected a Democratic county executive, comptroller, assessor, and district attorney.

He takes over as state chairman from June O’Neill.

A PoliticsNY.Net Exclusive
NYS Republican Chairman Ed Cox

COX SAYS ALL IS WELL WITH NIAGARA COUNTY CHAIRMAN HENRY WOJTASZEK

by Staff

Ed Cox, the soon-to-be Republican state chairman, stopped in Buffalo on Wednesday, the same day former Long Island Rep. Rick Lazio was in town to pitch his candidacy to be the GOP candidate for governor next year against most likely Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo.

Cox, a lawyer and the son-in-law of former President Richard Nixon, met with Erie County Republican Chairman Jim Domagalski and other party faithful, including his defeated rival to lead the party, Niagara County Chairman Henry Wojtaszek who had enjoyed the support of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, himself a possible gubernatorial candidate.

But Cox tells www.PoliticsNY.net that all is well with Wojtaszek, saying “I have Henry’s full support and he is being very helpful.” And Cox also had high praise for Giuliani, who had stumped hard to win the chairmanship for Wojtaszek, fueling talk that Giuliani wanted his own chairman for an expected gubernatorial run.

It was not the first time Cox had squared off against Giuliani.   As chairman of John McCain’s presidential campaign in New York State, Cox butted heads with the former mayor who harbored his own presidential ambitions. But on Wednesday, Cox was conciliatory.

“Mayor Giuliani would have made a great president,” Cox said in a telephone interview. “But given the international situation, I felt McCain would be a little better. And secondly, I think the mayor is a wonderful asset for New York State and the Republican Party, so I wouldn’t let anyone attack him during that [presidential] campaign, including the fire fighters in New York.”

Cox added that he believes Giuliani “would be a great candidate and would make a great governor,” adding he didn’t think Giuliani’s support for Wojtaszek “means that he was against me.”

As for the enthusiasm of some GOP faithful to Lazio’s candidacy, Cox said: “Well, when you are the only candidate out there, people get very enthusiastic. He has a lot of attractive features. He was a major J P Morgan Chase executive and that bank survived and did well during the economic recession. He [Lazio] has a certain charisma, supports a unicameral (single body) legislature. There’s a lot there. But we’re going to see a full field of candidates going forward.”

Cox is expected to win election as state chairman next Tuesday at the GOP organizing convention in Albany when he will formally take over the party’s leadership from Joe Mondello. While he would appear to face an uphill fight in rebuilding the party, Cox appears ready and willing to take on the challenge.

“I’m very excited, the opportunities to do good things for people are just tremendous,” said Cox who had the clear backing of the majority of party leaders across the state, perhaps best exemplified by GOP Chairman Jay Dutcher of Ontario County who said the following about Cox: “…Ed Cox stands out as the candidate with the ability to rejuvenate the party, raise the funds, recruit the candidates and provide the support and leadership the Republican candidates across the state deserve.”

So Cox will take over the helm of a party badly in need of rejuvenation, with a battle for control of the State Senate looming as well as the positions of governor and senator. And Cox was especially energized about taking on Sen. Kirsten Gilibrand who was appointed to fill out Hillary Clinton’s term.

“She is very vulnerable,” said Cox in describing Gilibrand as a “political chameleon without moral scruples or principles. She was a hard-core conservative [as a congresswoman] who voted for funding Acorn. Even [Sen.] Schumer voted against funding Acorn,” an organization he said washes taxpayer funds for political purposes.

“She supported [Acorn] because she’s concerned about the far left, especially in the New York primary process. I think taxpayers will be looking for principled candidates who will fight for the forgotten taxpayers of New York State.”

Cox said that’s what the party will be looking for, candidates who are dedicated to taking care of the forgotten state taxpayers who are paying more for less, feel that their jobs are being threatened, and witnesses their children leaving the state for better opportunities elsewhere. Cox included former Gov. George Pataki as one of those principled candidates who will be in the mix. The former governor and former Mayor Giuliani have both been mentioned as possible Senate candidates against Gilibrand.

So come Tuesday, the leadership of the State GOP will be in the hands of Cox, a prominent Manhattan lawyer who in 2008 was named in Super Lawyers in the area of Securities & Corporate Finance and his firm, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLL was ranked number one in New York city and number three in the U. S. on the American Lawyer’s list of elite law firms.

Cox is perhaps best known as the husband of Tricia Nixon, daughter of the late President Nixon.



A PoliticsNY.Net Exclusive

NYS Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long

LONG HOPES GOP ENDS FIGHT SOON, BOOSTS POSSIBLE LAZIO CANDIDACY

by staff

State Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long says he hopes New York Republicans settle their leadership fight soon so that the focus will be on the full slate of offices up next year, including governor, comptroller, attorney general, and two U. S. Senate seats. There’s also the matter of the State Senate, controlled for so many years by Republicans but now in the tenuous grip of Democrats.

“It’s their fight, not mine,” said Long, the state’s longest tenured chairman (20 years) in declining to comment directly on the GOP chairmanship battle between Niagara County’s Henry Wojtaszek and Nixon son-in-law Ed Cox. But Long added it was his hope that Republicans will settle the matter quickly and move on to developing a strong slate of candidates for next year’s important elections with the state mired deep fiscal troubles.

Long, who jokingly refers to himself as the longest running play in town, told www.PoliticsNY.net that so far, the only Republican who has approached him about the top state office next year is former four-term Congressman Rick Lazio who lost to Hillary Clinton during the 2000 Senate campaign, largely because he got too close to her during a debate in Buffalo, seen as an intimidating move by many women voters.

“We have not committed to support anyone yet,” said Long, adding that the only potential candidate who has approached so far is Lazio who has made a number of appearances before Conservative Party organizations giving every indication, according to Long, that he intends to run.

“I think he [Lazio] is a bright, articulate guy who if he has the support and money could be a serious contender,” said the chairman. “He’s always had the Conservative Party endorsement and he ran statewide in 2000, so he certainly knows the state and he is willing to make the personal sacrifices. At some point he will leave his job, a fairly high-salaried position (Wall Street executive) and campaign for governor.”

Long said Lazio shows a willingness to take on the state’s deep troubles and states there is a need for change. “We have to defend the taxpayers,” said Long. “People are losing their jobs, taxes and spending are out of control. I think he understands that and feels New York is worth fighting for. He also bring some vision for the future,” adding there is a need to stop people from voting with their feet and leaving the state.

“I like what he’s saying,” said Long, adding no other person has approached him or talked about being given consideration for a gubernatorial run.

As for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is backing Wojtaszek for chairman, Long said he didn’t believe the 9/11 hero was planning a run.

“I heard he was saying he would decide in 30 to 60 days,” said Long. “I would think if he was serious, he would be moving around. I don’t believe he’s considering a run for governor. A lot of people are trying to encourage him, but it doesn’t appear he’s going that way.”

On the matter of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is seen by many as the strongest potential Democratic candidate next year given Gov. Paterson’s dismal poll numbers, Long said that while Cuomo did speak at a major Conservative Party event last February, he doesn’t expect that Cuomo would be looking for the endorsement of the party.

The Conservative leader said he did receive a visit from Assemblyman Jack Quinn at party headquarters in New York recently who, according to Long, said he wanted to work more closely with the party going forward. Long said Quinn (R-146^th District) “is possibly looking to run for higher office,” but that he made no commitment to Quinn who has been mentioned as a possible challenger to Democratic State Sen. William Stachowski next year. The other possibility should Senator Dale Volker retire is Quinn will move into that district & contest for Volker's seat. However, many political observers believe that would be a crtical error in judgement on Quinn's part for reasons that will surface in the near future.

“Right now, I’m involved in the 23^rd District congressional race,” said Long, “We’re going to support a conservative Republican when the seat becomes vacant later this year, with a special election possible in November. Maybe we can pull off a mini-Jim Buckley race and win a three-way contest.” Long said the Conservative Party will support Doug Hoffman in the 23^rd which covers mainly the north country, including Watertown.

As for the current state of the Conservative Party in New York, Long said the policies of Gov. Paterson in Albany and of President Obama in Washington are giving life to conservative policies.

“We [the party] have had our ups and downs, but I think with what’s happening in New York and Washington with Paterson and Obama we’re seeing a spike in support of conservative policies and a growth of the party,” said the long-time leader.

A PoliticsNY.Net Exclusive

NYS INDEPENDENCE PARTY CHAIRMAN FRANK MACKAY

IP SETS GOAL OF 500,000 VOTERS

by Staff

The state Independence Party, the third line on the election ballot, is not focusing on next year’s gubernatorial election, at least not yet.

That’s the word from Chairman Frank MacKay (Suffolk County) who tells www.PoliticsNY.net that the focus right now is on party building. MacKay was doing just that while chatting on the phone from his car while traveling in Columbia County after a stop in Albany County, as the party seeks to expand its registered membership from the roughly 412,000 voters it has right now.

“That’s the largest third party in the history of the U. S.,” says MacKay, “and we’re on the path toward 500,000, and that’s certainly a goal of ours and it is within reach. When it does [reach 500,000], then we’ll celebrate.”

In this space recently (scroll down) , state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long signaled the party was warm to the expected gubernatorial run of former Rep. Rick Lazio, who is expected to get into the race shortly. Meanwhile, President Obama is sending signals to New York Gov. David Paterson that he should not seek election next year, obviously recognizing Paterson’s dismal poll numbers and the fear that Paterson at the top of the ticket could hurt Democratic candidates in numerous key races. Obama appears to favor Andrew Cuomo, as the attorney general enjoys very high standing among voters.

“It’s early on the governor’s race,” says MacKay. “We don’t endorse until we know who is in the game. We’ll make our decision after we find out who is running and who is being endorsed. Paterson is a friend, as is Andrew and Rudy Giuliani. Also, Rick Lazio. All types of people. But we always go last.”

Make no mistake about Chairman MacKay’s allegiance to billionaire Sabres owner Tom Golisano and his top political adviser, Steve Pigeon, both of whom will most certainly have a lot to say about the party’s candidate for governor next year.

“Tom Golisano is the founder of our party, and without him we wouldn’t be here,” says MacKay. “Our respect is never ending. Steve and Tom are very close, and certainly Steve is an ally and a friend,” adding Pigeon’s voice will have a great deal of influence with party leaders.

It is clear that MacKay is also hoping for harmony in Erie County, a place that he refers to as “Beirut on the Lake” because of the many party squabbles over the year. MacKay also had kind words for former Chairman Tony Orsini, still a state party vice chairman who seems to have retired to his Springville home following his tumultuous run as the local party’s top guy. “We like Tony and we respect him,” says MacKay, but he clearly notes the chairman is now Sandy Rosenswie and he’s obviously hoping that Erie County will no longer set the bar in the state for rough and tumble politics and will enjoy a period of relative tranquility.

But MacKay says his focus right now continues to be party building and he’s urging everyone to test the waters, with more and more candidates coming over, being independent rather than being Democrat or Republican. And he’s also pushing hard to bring party unity to the fore, saying “yesterday’s enemies can become our friends today.”

MacKay, who has led the Independence Party at the state level since early 2000, usually makes three or four trips a year to Erie County, and while he couldn’t say for sure when he will make his next visit, he said it would certainly be in the near future.

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PALADINO: "ENOUGH TALK, CUT THE FAT GOVERNOR"

LORIGO CALLS FOR CUOMO TO DROP CHARLIE RANGEL

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