Thursday, November 5, 2009

What In A Mandate?

Breaking News: Kerik Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case * Fannie Mae Will Let Thousands Rent Out Homes To Avoid Foreclosure



* Up to 9 killed, 30 wounded at Fort Hood by multiple shooters

What In A Mandate?

Michael Bloomberg: “That was as close to a mandate as I think you can possibly come in a very difficult time.”

11.7% of all the registered voters voted in the city voted for Bloomberg on Tuesday. Before the paper is counted, the mayor received 548,660 out of the 4,657,516. The recent runoff does make Tuesday's vote look like a mandate. In New York the Democratic Primary is the real election, for most elective officers.. In the primary our new Comptroller John Liu received 127,173 or just 4% of the registered Democrats in the city (3,177,740) in the runoff. De Blasio did a little better with 138, 736, he got 4.4% of the city's democratic voters. John Liu was elected with just 2.7% of all the city's registered voters casting their vote for him.

How can you have a mandate when registered voters feel or become disconnected, that they don't vote? If the numbers of people participation in recent New York elections occurred in the third world, Jimmy Carter would be demanding to bring in UN inspectors.

Henry Stern who heads up NY Civic sent around a good analysis yesterday, that analysis how the numbers of New Yorkers who vote has dramatically fallen, not only during the past two Bloomberg elections, but also over the last century in the city.(Several other papers have picked up his analysis today) Stern reported that Mayor O’Dwyer election in 1941, which took place one month before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor received 1,100,649 more votes than Bloomberg 68 years before mayor won his third term. The 1940 census reported the population of New York City to be 7,454,995. The most recent estimate from the City Planning Commission, as of July 1, 2009, gives the population of New York City as 8,363,710. Two decades before that Mayor John Francis Hylan(1921) Jimmy Walker(1925) both received 200,000 thousand more votes than Bloomberg on Tuesday. In 1921 the City's population was 620,000. The Village Voice's Wayne Barrett wonders if Bloomberg will get the message why New Yorkers are not voting? Barrett: Just How Strange and Pathetic was Bloomberg's Victory? (Village Voice) "The key question coming out of this election is whether Mike Bloomberg got the message. Can he listen to voters he'll never face again? If Bloomberg L.P took a hit like he did Tuesday, wouldn't the company take stock and make real changes?" Barrett thinks the mayor's spin operation is impenetrable as witnessed by the spin reported in today's NYP Mike is psyched despite thin win . . . “The Democratic Party is winning elections by reducing turnout,” says Fred Siegel, a historian at the Cooper Union. Siegel would be more accurate by saying incumbents and what left of the political parties love light turnout so they can used their small core of loyal voters to control the vote or the political party. The NYP and the NYP have articles how the democrats are blaming each other for Paterson narrow defeat Gov blew it for Thompson: labor big(NYP) Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said he offered Paterson and state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs union funds to hire "a Howard Wolfson-like strong advocate" to take on Bloomberg, but that the offer was refused by Paterson Obama team goes on defensive over tepid support for Thompson *** The Morning After, Democrats Regret Lost Chances to Win(NYT) *** Thousands Failed to Vote, for Just as Many Reasons(NYT) *** Daly from the Daily News says Bloomberg won because he did what the governors of New Jersey and Virginia failed to do. Bloomberg actually made people's lives better *** The Daily News continues it tend of support for Bloomberg their editorial talks about anger of the voters in NJ and says New Yorkers are mad also but does not attribute the closeness of the mayoral race to voter anger or quite frankly tell us how New York's election system allows voters to express anger. How can voters vote out Albany elected officials next year when most of them will not have an opponent, let alone the millions in slush fund member items that uses tax payer money to buy votes for their reelection? None of the stories today talked about how much of the media coverage was about inaccurate polls or greatly influenced by information in those polls, one of which said the mayor would win by 18%. This lack of accurate poll data allowed Democrats to line-up to endorse the mayor or stay out of the race all together, Pollsters Hit And Miss On 2009 Elections , Today's Tip Sheet: Thompson's Own Poll Finds a Closer Race - City Ladies and gentleman of the press lets forgo the round of good government groups jumping into the voter melt down issue, those jerks accomplish nothing beyond getting into your articles,

Pay to Play Liu Already? Carl McCall under investigation by the the AG in the pension scandal is to be named to head John Liu transition team. McCall firm Convent Capital was subpoenaed in May, because he accepted a money manager fee and was unlicensed by the SEC. McCall received $48,221 for assisting Steinberg Asset Management in 2005 which received 25 million in pension funds from State Comptroller Hevesi. After he turned over the papers McCall said in a statement, that this is the only deal in which he participated involving the fund he once controlled. McCall is the former State Comptroller(1993 to 2002). McCall also admitted that he talk to Mr. Loglisci, who is currently indicted for his role in the pension scandal. In a 2002 article on pensions and politics a New York Sun editorial stated that "The New York Times reported that 35 percent of McCall's $5.2 million reelection campaign fund came from firms that received contracts to manage the state's pension fund. It cited one California firm that received an $85 million contract last December, three days after executives donated $16,000 to McCall's campaign. Two months earlier, the paper made similar charges regarding law firms doing business with the comptroller's office. A glowing Times endorsement was a big help to McCall in '94—he can probably forget about that in '98. The Village Voice in an article by Wayne Barrett also in 2002 reported on how Comptroller McCall ignored using the pension funds for moral causes and playing up to whatever the corporations wanted Queens Machine Thankful for GOP Wins The two candidates who won the democratic primary in the 19 and 20 were long shots and not part of the Queens machine inner circle so it was no surprise that their operatives worked in two GOP council races to regain support in those areas. The machine is rebuilding the type of coalition they had with GOP State Senator Surf Maltese for years Republicans Win 2 Council Races in Queens *** For Quinn, Election Night Was About Shoring Up Queens (City Hall) Wall Street Should Find a New PR guy Some Wall Street Year-End Bonuses Could Hit Pre-Downturn Highs and stops acting nuts New York Businesses Get H1N1 Vaccine *** Living the good life at Goldman Sachs *** On 3 Out Of 5 Days, Goldman Sachs Makes $100 Million On Trading Alone *** Bank Bonuses Up 40 Percent


Road to City Hall Reyna's Big Council Win a Defeat for Dem Boss Vito Lopez *** Mike is psyched despite thin win *** Block by Block, the Vote for Mayor *** Mayor Mends Fences After Slim Victory *** Republicans Win 2 Council Races in Queens *** Staten Island Elects Its First Black Council Member *** There's no moving Al Vann out yet *** Class, financial issues led Brooklyn voters' gripes about Bloomberg (DN) *** GOP scores big in Queens: Take 2 open seats from Dems to lead city delegation *** Bloomberg Visits Brooklyn Voter In Wake Of Close Win *** *** It wasn’t a good election cycle for billionaires. Awww. (WashTimes) *** The Times says the race was close because of term limits and campaign spending (no mention of taxes or the economy) *** The Times says the race was close because of term limits and campaign spending (no mention of taxes or the economy) *** What lays ahead for Mike McMahon? *** Team Bloomberg Never Sweated The Numbers On Election Night *** Brooklyn is Thompson country *** Bloomberg biographer Joyce Purnick said it was a "mistake" for the mayor to run a campaign that was "devoid of any sense of humility." Henican: There's what the voters did (and then what everyone else thinks it means) *** Mayor Tries to Project Conciliation, and Authority *** Bloomberg Declines to Say Whether He Voted R or I *** Bloomberg Confident He'll Make Friends with Liu, City Council *** In Mayoral Race, N.Y. Jews Back Bloomberg *** Ed Koch Doesn’t Appreciate John Liu’s Snubbing of Mayor Bloomberg *** "I think Republicans who might have been supportive in the past might have been spooked by the Owens-Scozzafava-Hoffman race," said Senate President Malcolm Smith of the gay marriage bill's chances next week.


New York Economic & Albany Melt Down Taxpayers wake up When lawmakers meet next week to take up Albany's multibillion-dollar cash shortfall, they'd be wise to take careful note of Tuesday's election results *** Hizzoner wakes up to budget nightmare *** Terra ties up deal in luxe real estate *** Christie Pledges Fight on Taxes and Business Rules *** In TriBeCa, a Face-Off Over City Tax Breaks and Rents *** Bus and Subway President Quits in M.T.A. Shake-Up *** It’s beginning to look a lot like a special session might not happen next week. (TU) *** Paterson Reaches Out To Senate GOP *** Kolb: Special Session a 'Question Mark' *** Iran, Bosnia...Albany? Upset that the Senate has balked at his request to deliver a joint emergency budget message to the Legislature, Gov. Paterson this morning compared Albany to Iran and Bosnia ***Senate Dems Divided On Joint Session (Surprise, Surprise) »

Pay to Play Casino Wynn a scratch at big A Out of 'racino' *** Aqueduct-bid tribe in 'illegal casino' flap *** Aqueduct bidders told to ante up even more money Gov. David Paterson told the site's six bidders Friday that they would each need to pay the state $200 million upfront to win the racetrack's redevelopment game *** In Surprise Move, Casino Magnate Abandons Bid for Aqueduct Racetrack *** Steve Wynn folds on Aqueduct racino More Play to Play Auction of Queens hospital sites stirs up controversy *** Real estate bigs accused of $50M kickback *** Forest City Enterprises could get $55M boost from
Bruno Play to Play Bruno got higher pay and faster fees, his jury is told *** A former senior executive at Wright Investors’ Services thought Joe Bruno should have been fired during a market downtown, but he was kept on. (TU) *** Joe Bruno wanted to be paid quickly, the former CEO of Wright Investor Services testified.
Law and Order NY1er a whiner Told judge: 'This case is unfair!' *** Kerik Expected to Accept Prison Term in Corruption Case *** 53 Indicted on Drug Charges in Sweep of 2 Bronx Housing Projects *** 'Operation Rotten Apple' clears BX projects of drug dealers *** 'Leandra's Law' push goes online *** Report: Former Top Cop To Accept Plea Deal *** Officer Is Arraigned on Drunken Driving Charges

White House White House says local issues decided NJ, Va elections *** The Morning After, Democrats Regret Lost Chances to Win *** Obama Uses Malia's Test Scores as a Teaching Example *** Classical Music Takes Center Stage at the White House *** Pentagon Expected to Request More War Funding *** Reports Show Conflicting Number of Jobs Attributed to Stimulus Money *** It's clear President Obama's charisma cannot rescue the lackluster Democrats *** Voters Reject Wasteful, Ineffectual Spending - Larry Kudlow, RCP *** Voters Reject Obama's Double Talk - Washington Examiner *** Obama marks Iran hostage anniversary *** Obama Ignores Mandate to Govern From Middle - Nolan Finley, Det News *** The West is Tough Terrain for Dems - Kevin Bohn and Jessica Yellin, CNN *** Tension Builds Between Hillary, Obama Clinton a strong secretary, but not yet administration's voice

Congress and Political Parties Energized G.O.P. Looking to Avoid an Intraparty Feud *** Haggling Over Abortion Deal in Health Bill *** Democrats to Use Election to Push Agenda in Congress *** Fiorina Formally Announces a Hinted-At Candidacy *** A Year After Dousing, Republicans’ Hope Rekindled *** Conservative Loses Upstate House Race in Blow to Right *** California’s Democrat Is Elected to Congress *** Health Care Debate Focuses on Legal Immigrants *** Democrats debate course following election losses (Wash Post) *** GOP faces ideological fissures (Wash Post) *** Democrats Confront Coalition Strains (WSJ) *** Democrats Eye Saturday Health Vote (WSJ) *** Senate Alters Taxes for Big Firms *** Big Deals Did Worse in Decade *** Clash Looms on Banks *** Ten Dems who are on “high alert” after election ‘09. (Politico) *** 'Permanent' Dem Majority Begins to Unravel - James Pethokoukis, Reuters *** The GOP's Toxic Tea Party - Joe Conason, New York Observer *** Biggest Loser: The Union Agenda - Michael Barone, Wall Street Journal *** Heretical Thoughts on Health Care Reform - John Cassidy, The New Yorker *** Tuesday's Lessons: The Center Holds - Washington Post *** Fed Medicine Has Undesirable Side Effects - Peter Coy, BusinessWeek *** Republicans Boycott Climate Bill *** Bachmann Wants 'Scare' Tactics *** GOP Caves on Unemployment Bill *** Dems: Go for Broke or Stay Put? *** Splits Threaten GOP 'Renaissance' *** Election result: Red-state Dems worried, rethink agenda (Politico) *** Boxer passes climate bill over GOP boycott *** Election puts 10 Dems on high alert *** Tea partiers hit Capitol *** Democrats Who Should Be Worried Election '09 puts the fear into these 2010 incumbents *** On the Hill, Protesters Chant ‘Kill the Bill’ *** Rangel Supporters Play The Race Card *** PoliticsHundreds Of Tea Party Activists Storm Capitol*** Lobbyblog Grassley Took $150K From Health Insurance Industry In Third Quarter *** Incumbents Should Be Afraid, Very Afraid - Margaret Carlson, Bloomberg *** The Most Absurd Post-Election Spin - Jay Cost, RealClearPolitics *** Michael Steele's Gotta Crow - Dana Milbank, Washington Post


National Voters' Swing is Simply Astonishing - Dan Henninger, Wall Street Journal *** In Virginia, A New GOP is Born - Alex Castellanos, New York Times *** Tuesday's Suburban Vote Swing - Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal *** Gay Rights Rebuke May Change Approach *** A Setback in Maine for Gay Marriage, but Medical Marijuana Law Expands *** Menino Coasts to Fifth Term as Boston Mayor *** A New Mayor for Miami *** Cameras fuel drivers' disgust *** Pot Gangs Infiltrate Indian Reservations *** Time for Equal Rights for Gays is Now - Los Angeles Times


Wall Street and the Economy Gold surges, dollar falls as Fed sits on rates *** Fed Sees No Need to Raise Interest Rates Soon *** J.P. Morgan: Banker, Gym, Publisher *** Time Warner Cable Profit Falls *** Fed to Markets: Let the Bubble Blow - David Callaway, MarketWatch *** Why the Indy Race Car Monetary Policy? - Editorial, Wall Street Journal *** The Feds Show No Faith in Recovery - Michael Pento, RealClearMarkets *** Michael Moore liked Eliot Spitzer's column on how the White House dropping the ball on banking reform could boost the GOP in 2010 *** 20 More Weeks of Unemployment Aid *** Wall Street Banks Getting Swine Flu Vaccine Before Many High-Risk Groups (VIDEO)
Pay to Play Wall Street J.P. Morgan Settles Alabama Bribery Case *** Cuomo Files Intel Antitrust Suit *** S.E.C. Likely to Charge More People in Galleon Case *** FBI Arrests Seven in Insider Probe The FBI has taken into custody seven persons in an ongoing insider-trading probe of the hedge-fund industry *** Financial complexity and the municipal swamp Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a major settlement with J.P. Morgan Securities concerning the fascinating municipal-corruption case of Jefferson County, Alabama.

International U.N. to relocate Afghanistan staff *** Missteps hamper Mideast efforts *** Chasing Unicorns in Kabul - George Will, Washington Post *** India Shows Hedge-Fund Savvy With Gold Buy - William Pesek, Bloomberg *** U.N. Relocates 600 Afghanistan Staff


Media and New Tech Time's ill fortune Fortune, SI to take big hits; about 40 each *** Comcast primed for NBC *** News Corp. lifted by cable, film nets ***For Thrillers, Glenn Beck Is Becoming New Oprah ***G.O.P. Victories Inflate Fox Ratings ***After Mickey’s Makeover, Less Mr. Nice Guy*** Time Inc. laying off 280 NY employees (Crains) *** Struggling WNET furloughs staff***Google's Schmidt on Silicon Valley***Scripps Buys Travel Channel In $975 Million Deal *** Rupert Murdoch Is Mad but Cute WSJ become the NYT (Newser Wolff) *** THE END OF 'OPRAH' AS WE KNOW HER: Daytime Diva Giving Up Syndie Talk Show & Moving It To Her Cable Network In 2011 *** Fox News: CNN Ratings More Like G4 Network!
***Kyle Pope Is the Next Editor of The Observer *** Rush Limbaugh Gives "Fox News Sunday" Big Ratings Boost