No Smoking in NYC Parks

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Let’s start with full disclosure here.

I admit I was never a smoker, but it’s hats off to Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council for the new law banning smoking in 43 square miles of parks, public plazas, beaches, and boardwalks in the city.

That means no smoking in Central Park, the pedestrian plaza even in Times Square, or again, at the beaches.

Mr. Paladino… Andrew Cuomo is outsmarting you at every turn. This as Paladino also attacks Gays

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Carl Paladino is really screwing up, and Andrew Cuomo is exposing him as a rookie political novice.

Many of us were raised on this tradition: “if you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.”

So borrowing a diplomacy page from the parental playbook, perhaps the nicest thing we could say is Cuomo is making Paladino look like a light weight. Further, quoting Republican strategist Ed Rollins, Rollins has labeled the Paladino campaign "absurd and irrational.” According to Rollins, “the Republican Party will take 10 years to recover from this candidacy.”

For now, I’m not even questioning Paladino’s fitness for being governor. (many others are doing that) But the man has blown any shot he had at beating Cuomo.

Let’s look at how Paladino has handled two subjects in the news recently. Marital affairs and debates.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS MR. PALADINO, don’t preempt your own negative attack.

You hit your opponent when you have the goods, or when you box your rival in, where he is forced to answer a question.

If you preempt your own negative attack, you are simply giving your rival cover. That is exactly what Paladino has done. He actually helped Cuomo.

How is this possible? What am I talking about? It’s simple. When Paladino claims Cuomo’s sexual “prowess is legendary," without providing any details, Paladino has effectively removed the issue off the table.

By sounding like he’s so out of control, so reckless, when reporters actually tried to ask Cuomo the question, Paladino has handled the matter so badly, that Cuomo can take the high road, and not be forced to answer.

In other words, Paladino swinging in the air aimlessly, by being so baseless in his claim without evidence, you could have predicted Cuomo response Friday to a possible affair question:

"I'm not going to get into the gutter with my opponent; we've gone through this before." Cuomo said.

Paladino has tried to explain to reporters his prior claim that the Democratic attorney general had multiple "paramours" while married to Kerry Kennedy. Paladino contends he made the unsubstantiated claim only to get journalists to ask Cuomo the same questions they had been asking of him.

But from now until the day Cuomo takes office… directly because of how Paladino handled the issue…Cuomo will simply say "I’m not going in the gutter with Paladino" and decline to answer any such question.

What Paladino didn’t consider is that he gave Mr. Cuomo more of an out than Cuomo’s own key advisers could have come up with.

On the issue of debates, Paladino has also badly handled himself. Frankly it’s the only issue Paladino has had left to throw at Cuomo, but even that didn’t work.

Paladino made the mistake of thinking he could attack and attack, without Cuomo giving in, but Cuomo has now agreed to share the stage with Paladino, AND ALL THE OTHER CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR, and simply play a game of “beat the clock,” during the one hour time. They will all gang up on Cuomo as the front runner, and he will simply “talk to the voters ignoring everyone.”

Thus, Paladino’s message and more importantly his attacks against Cuomo will be diluted.

Paladino came on strong in the final weeks against front-runner Rick Lazio, so this should be said, the potential for that to happen again is there, but Andrew Cuomo is no Rick Lazio.

It bears repeating Cuomo is no Lazio.

Paladino’s general election campaign has been so bad, at this point Paladino will be lucky to escape with his image and not damage his lucrative Buffalo real estate business.

If Paladino has not been making one mistake after another, what does he do on Sunday?  In the middle of of the all the recent news about suicide in the gay community and antigay violence, Paladino delivers a speech to Orthodox Jewish Leaders in Brooklyn, and says the following:

-Children should not be "brainwashed" into thinking homosexuality is acceptable.

How to shut down the slick Albany money scam. Dan Donovan has a damn good idea.

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For years, one of the biggest scams in the State of New York has been a shell game where some elected officials “direct” taxpayer money to an organization. The practice falls under the categories of so-called “pork,” “member items,” and “bringing home the bacon.” The money is supposed to be for a worthy cause but then ultimately in some of these cases we find out the money is lining the pockets of an elected official. Privately, some of them even brag of their elaborate plans.

Does NYC Schools need someone like hard charging DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee? I’m just asking.

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She raised hell in Washington. Might D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee be ideal for New York City. 

A few questions here: 

Much has been made about D.C. voters recently rejecting incumbent Mayor Adrian Fenty over City Council Chair Vincent Gray – with the speculation that the Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, cost Fenty the primary. Fenty gave Rhee free rein three years ago to overhaul the city’s dismal schools.

Andrew is not taking the bait

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Disciplined.

You have to give it to Andrew Cuomo. The guy is disciplined and not taking the smear bait of Carl Paladino.

Paladino is throwing everything he can at Cuomo, but Cuomo is turning the other cheek. He’s not going down in the mud with Paladino. (At least not as of yet, and signs are Cuomo is not going to do it.)

Tick Tock…The Primary is only days away

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Labor Day is now past us, and that means Politics takes center stage. The unofficial start of the fall campaign. The time, that polls show voters really start paying attention.

Race for Governor

Andrew Cuomo appears unstoppable towards the job once held by his father. You name the Category. Cuomo has much higher popularity, name recognition, and is far ahead in fundraising.

It seems like so long ago when Cuomo posted the video statement online announcing his candidacy, promising to change the notoriously shady culture of Albany.

I for one, wish Caroline Giuliani well with future endeavors.

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What Rudy Giuliani did as Mayor in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Patrick Dorismond was not lawful in the eyes of many.

Dorismond was a security guard and father of two children who was killed by an undercover NY Police Department officer.

Giuliani decided to release Dorismond’s Juvenile record and declared Dorismond was “no altar boy.”

But the move caused a firestorm of criticism at Giuliani because the juvenile record had been sealed, and you can’t make this stuff up, Dorismond had actually served in that capacity, as an “altar boy.”

The Upcoming Televised Debates

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To those of you interested in the political process, and I hope that is everyone, it’s that time of year, to start watching LIVE DEBATES on NY1.

First of all, no organization in this state comes close to doing as great a job on debates as NY1. Hours and hours of preparation go into the debates. Hours and Hours of meetings and research.

It doesn’t matter if your politics are Left, Right, Conservative, Liberal, Progressive. Or Independent. These debates are an opportunity for the public, a “snapshot” for you to see the candidates without some type of a media filter.