At least for the Governor Race, throw out those normal general election playbooks.
With Carl Paladino shocking the republican establishment with his outsider victory and tea party push, all bets are off.
Paladino pulled it off, Espada goes down, and Rangel cruises to Victory
|Will Rangel Cut the Deal?
|Congressman Rangel finds himself between what is said: “a rock and a hard place.”
In the twilight of his career, he is forced to make a decision that he does not want to make.
Having Known Rangel for a number of decades, and knowing how important his legacy is to him, every ounce of Rangel’s being is to fight the ethical charges all the way.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he took that route.
Don’t Count Rangel Out Just Yet
|An investigative subcommittee has charged Congressman Charles Rangel with multiple ethics violations, but to those hoping the Harlem Democrat is going to resign, don’t hold your breath.
Rangel is a fighter, and when he does decide to leave, he’ll want to do it on his own terms.
In a statement Rangel said: "I am pleased that, at long last, sunshine will pierce the cloud of serious allegations that have been raised against me in the media."
"I will be glad to respond to the allegations at such time as the Ethics Committee makes them public."
Cracking the Whip
|“I write today as a proud Democrat who maintains great hope that this fall a winning coalition will take back Congress from the Republican stranglehold it has struggled under for the last 12 years…..As such, I read with great displeasure the comments of your number one financial backer, Ken Langone, who a few days ago stated: "I can't tell you how critical it is that we preserve and protect the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and as well in the Senate. This is not a time to turn the asylum over to the inmates." ….As the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee I hope to one day represent this state as its Chairman. It is your lead and most public fundraiser who has dedicated resources to making sure that people like me do not assume these important leadership roles and that we as Democrats do not take back the House. …Some of us believe that the Republican party has taken our State of New York, as well as our nation, in the wrong direction. I certainly thought that you were one of us….I hope that your support of Democratic Congressional candidates, especially in New York State, would cause you to denounce Mr. Langone's statements of Tuesday evening. I call on you to return the money he has given you in the past, to express your support for a Democratic takeover of Congress and to renounce any further support from Ken Langone for your campaign. …I respect your role as an outsider. But there is a fine line between being an outsider and turning your back on the Democratic Party and what it stands for.”