I'm sorry, but if the Chair of the State Democratic Party (who seems to harbor the delusion that the State Democratic Party means the Governor) can't bring herself to support the choice of the Democratic Party’s Conference for the leadership of the State Senate, she should resign. http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/12/syracuse_mayor_miner_valesky_p.html
And that goes for Keith Wright (who seems to harbor the delusion that the State Democratic Party means the Assembly) as well. http://capitaltonightny.ynn.com/2012/12/state-dem-co-chair-adopts-wait-and-see-attitude-on-skleinos-alliance/
Non-story of the Day: "Jeff Klein Hungers for Power." http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/critics-jeffrey-klein-craves-power-albany-article-1.1213540
The latest changes to the City Council map are pretty much the political equivalent of a Bill of Attainder (and are almost without any practical significance).
On the upside, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2012/12/on-the-hot-seat-over-vito-lopez-nyc-districting-commission-scraps-the-maps
Meanwhile, The Daily News complains that if the Redistricting Commission’s reopening its hearing actually result in other changes, it might not be a Bill of Attainder (as if that would be a bad thing) and persists in pretending that Erik Dilan is not term-limited. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/vito-vetoed-article-1.1213467
Eight million people live in the City of New York and our Mayor can't think of any who would be qualified to take his place.
Let Hillary run for Westchester County Executive. I'll even send her a check.
I'd also back her for the White House, though I'm reluctant to admit it because I hear it would infuriate the Governor.
However, if the Governor wants to run for Westchester County Exec; I'd back him too.
In fact, I’m starting a committee. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/nyregion/mayor-clinton-bloomberg-asked-her-to-consider-a-run.html?ref=nyregion
Warren Wilhelm for President of Weinstein? Guten himmel!
The race for Comptroller gets Dom-ed down as Stringer continues to Recchia havoc. http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2012/12/brooklyn-city-councilman-domenic-recchia-im-not-running-for-comptroller
It seems churlish to criticize a piece for which the editor has apologized in advance, but I'd only gotten to the eighth entry to learn that Marty Golden is "the city’s only Republican state senator," so I guess one can't blame Andrew Lanza if he's churlish.
Then I saw Dov Hikind on the list and immediately thought of Woody Allen's "Academy of the Overrated." (Real Borough Park Power Broker David Greenfield, who’s given Hikind multiple ass-kickings, is not on the list).
Mostly, though, think of Claude Rains in Casablanca rounding up all the usual suspects regardless of whether they deserve to be there. http://www.cityandstateny.com/new-york-city-power-100-poll/
Karin Camara thinks NYS should do something to help Catholic schools, though what remains a mystery.
I won't even mention Church-State separation, or the fact that a denomination closing parishes is naturally going to be closing schools as well, because Assemblyman Camara has the right to consider something a “problem” and propose solutions for it. It’s pretty much his job.
The issue I have with Camara's column is the absence of even one solitary idea of what to do about this “problem.”
It is an empty suit of a column.
If Camara wants vouchers, let him say so–I don't agree, but at least it's a proposal, and from a minority Democrat as prominent as Camara, such a proposal would have to be taken seriously. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/closing_good_schools_AtHCZ09xO9GotYverR8GVJ
GOP cognitive dissonance means their road to the best deal for their ideas (and the most popular deal for the electorate) is the one they can't take. http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/12/logic-of-a-january-fiscal-cliff-deal.html
GOP Doomsday Plan: Modified Capitulation http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/fiscal-cliff-doomsday-plan_n_2233685.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
Mary Landrieu: Class Act http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2012/12/louisiana-sen-mary-landrieu-says-shell-help-new-york-like-new-york-helped-her-
Republicans shamefully repudiated virtually all their living Presidential nominees to vote down the UN Treaty on the Rights of the Disabled while Bob Dole sadly looked on in a wheelchair.
If this is what Lindsay Graham has to do to win renomination, how can he believe it is really worth it? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/disability-treaty_n_2238181.html
Bill Maher: Let’s not forget the other side of this issue, which is, the Palestinians do have gripes, and most Israelis do not agree with the Netanyahu government on the settlement issue. [Israelis] want a two state solution. I don’t think anybody’s ever gonna be happy or the conflict will ever end before that happens and as many writers have pointed out, Israel faces the problem of becoming a minority Jewish state within their own country if they allow this to keep going. There has to be some solution. In a lot of ways, what we see in Israel is their government has been taken over by the equivalent of what would be the Tea Party in this country. If you talk to most people in Tel Aviv, I don’t think they’re for what the government is doing, but when it comes to self-defense — Obama himself said the other day: There’s just not another country in the world that would allow missiles to be rained down on them without fighting back. What I find so ironic is that after World War II, everybody said, ‘I don’t understand the Jews. How could they have just gone to their slaughter like that?’ OK, and then when they fight back: ‘I don’t understand the Jews. Why can’t they just go to their slaughter?’ It’s like, ‘You know what? We did that once. It’s not gonna happen again. You’re just gonna have to get used to the fact that Jews now defend themselves — and by the way, defend themselves better. I mean, this is a country, after all, that is surrounded by far greater numbers than their own [and] they are like two generations ahead in the military technology they have. http://www.jewishjournal.com/hollywoodjew/item/bill_maher_on_israel_uncut_and_uncensored
All this talk about Newark and food reminds me that it’s been far too long since I've had the mariscada (their Verde is great, but I prefer the version with tomatoes and sherry) and garlic shrimp at Don Pepe (just steps from the Station, so you can take the PATH). http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/booker-food-shopping-food-stamp-challenge-article-1.1212572