Tuesday, January 19, 2010

High Noon in Massachusetts


High Noon in Mass

Rothenberg Moves Mass. Senate to "Lean Takeover"
*** Charlie Cook on Scott Brown Becoming Obamacare Stopper

Dems lookin' like a loser for Ted's seat ***Obama is facing Mass. defection *** Massachusetts Senate Candidates Push to Finish Line *** Get-out-the-vote Pitches in Massachusetts *** After Career as Their Advocate, Coakley May Face Voters’ Wrath *** Riding Wave of Disaffection, Brown Pushes for an Upset *** Scott Brown Closing The GOP Technology Gap *** Democrats fight to keep 'Ted's seat' as Mass. voters head to polls *** 1946: The last time a Republican won what would become the 'Kennedy' Senate seat *** Coakley, Brown making plenty of gaffes in race for Kennedy's Senate seat *** By phone, ads, or in person, a frenzy to get out the vote Boston Globe *** Terror Interrogations & the Ma. Election - Marc Thiessen, RealClearPolitics *** His Agenda At Risk, Obama Stumps in MA - Kane & Vick, Washington Post *** This will be a harbinger for future fights over health care restructuring legislation. (WP) *** Democrats are already starting to point fingers over the race, which is closer than anyone expected. (Politico)

Rev. Sharpton the New Al Smith? Cardinal Spellman, capitalizing on the fact that Governor Smith died in the month of October (the peak of election season), used the dinner to remind later generations of Smith's extraordinary public career and unique role in political history by securing the participation of the leading political figures of those later generations. Over the years, the dinner has attracted the cream of modern American politics: the list of speakers and attendees reads like a who's who of the political landscape. By 1960 the Al Smith dinner had truly reached its zenith as "a ritual of American politics," in the words of Theodore H. White.Many of past dinners have generated front-page news items as a result of the program, i.e. joint appearances of opposing presidential nominees. Thompson and Bloomberg Almost Cross Paths at Alfred Smith Dinner With the city's population change since the 60s' the Rev Al Sharpton Martin Luther King celebration has not only become a competitor of the Smith dinner it has surpassed it in importance. The Smith dinner was designed to give the Catholic Church power with the pols. Now the torch has been passed on to a new generation of power broker, Sharpton *Andrea Peyser said Ford “walked into the event a nobody. And he emerged a punk-rock star.” (NYP)**Rev. Al Sharpton Speeds Away With Harold Ford Jr., Gillibrand Left in the Dust *** Rev. Al's Gilly diss *** Gov'$ clock ticking: Shel *** Paterson's poll numbers show slim election chances *** At a King Day Celebration, a Preview of a Gillibrand-Ford Primary *** 'I love the smell of New York,' says Harold Ford *** Cohen: A Senate seat for grabs*** Sharpton Snubs Gillibrand For Ford At MLK Event (WCBS) ***An uncomfortable sitdown Concerned Democratic leaders want meeting over Paterson candidacy *** Harold Ford Jr. said his possible Senate race is about "issues," but a pre-requisite to interviewing him is to not talk about issues *** Peyser: Ford spoke " like he was born in Harlem." Gillibrand "sounded like a schoolteacher." *** Richard Cohen satirizes Kirsten Gillibrand and Ford for being flip-flops *** The Observer-Dispatch notes a geographical slip-up by Gillibrand *** Ford at Sharpton's House *** De Blasio Lunches With Ford

Editorial Boards Get No Respect
NYT Begs Albany to Change Again and Again At least there doing it on a regular basis now One Star for Ethics Reform The reforms proposed by Senator John Sampson, the Democratic leader in the State Senate, and the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, would inevitably get the best-we-can-do-at-the-moment label. That’s not good enough (NYT Ed) True News has point out that the NYT editorials on Albany always fall on deft ears The Audacity of Bruno's Corruption: Editorial Board Outrage Over the Years Leads Nowhere

 NYP Begs for Charter Schools . . . Albany Ignores A special session to act on charter schools ended last night with no action. David Paterson and others ripped a bill proposed by Democratic legislative leaders, but the two houses of the legislature didn’t consider that bill or one submitted by Paterson. (TU/GNS) *Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the application for federal funding could be “undermined by legislative shell games,” and some parents are angry with the lack of action. (NYT/NYP) ** Parents rage at Albany over charter-busting bill (NYP) *** The education gap hits home (NYP) *** Whither Merryl control? (NYP Ed) ***Teacher unions are big spenders on campus *** NY Regents are board stiffs: study *** School Plan for U.S. Aid Gets No Vote in Albany *** Mayor Bloomberg rips charter school bill for insulting Martin Luther King, but signs off on it *** NY Legislature rejects charter school bill (WABC) *** Senate spat as Republicans frustrate adjournment on charter schools (TU) *** The charter school bill has to be passed by 4:30 p.m. today *** Teachers unions spent $5 million lobbying and campaign contributions last year. (NYP) *** Obama will expand the Race to the Top program by $1.35 billion. (WP) *** Paterson accused lawmakers of "elitist sophistry" and scolded them for setting a bad example for the state's school children *** "It's sending a negative message to Arne Duncan and the U.S. Department of Education that we're going to control the growth and location of charter schools, if we allow them to be created at all," said top Paterson aide Larry Schwartz. (Jacob Gershman at WSJ!) *** The Sharpton to Ford: "Get in the damn car." *** Nolan: Charter Bill 'Dead' (Updated)

Daily News Begs Thompson to Change Throw down the gauntlet, Dave: The budget speech Gov. Paterson should give What the DN does not get is that the gov always changes or flip flops Gov Broken Field Daily Senate Flip Flops Paterson’s Ford flip (Tuesday, Jan 12) Today's NYT Now Paterson Supports a Ford Senate Bid "Paterson says there is no reason why Harold E. Ford Jr. should not run for a Senate seat, two days after suggesting that he find another state to mount a campaign." (Wednesday, Jan 13th) * Paterson Uses The 'C' Word Paterson today referred to former Harold Ford as a "carpetbagger" and suggested

More Broken Field Gov Run: In 2010-2011 executive budget by
the governor who once said he was dead set against more tax increases
and then slowly but surely walked that back. Taxes, Taxes, Taxes


NY Congressional Delegation Asleep Breaking the bank: President Obama draws a bead on N.Y.'s main economic engines (NYDN Ed)


Kill Their Lawyers Why are New Yorkers paying for lawyers the council hired last year to protect them bums from the federal slush fund investigation. By reading the press you would not even know there was an ongoing investigation of the council. Controlling the News: What Happen to the Council Slush Fund Investigation? Now there a push to cut the crumbs, what a joke Push to nix pay perks in council

FACEBOOK Post Michael Niebauer Councilman Eric Ulrich's Inauguration was great until he invited two cultists Molly and Jerry from Fred Newman's Social Therapy hate cult on stage with us. This is a rogue group that operates within the Independence Party. Check www.ex-iwp.org and www.lyndonlarouche.org and books writen by author Dennis King. NY1 news... did a six part award winning series called "Physio-Politics" about this hate group


Gov of La Mancha Albany Dave's lunch fox Paterson's 'date' is a little hottie *** Insider to spill Spitzer's story *** Paterson proposes NY state budget for 2010-2011 *** Paterson State Budget Address (Fox 5) *** Paterson: "None of us should run away from continuing to work to be a leader, even when times are difficult." *** Paterson's budget will include less money for schools, and revenue raisers *** Paterson’s proposed budget will cut aid to education and health care programs, lengthen Quick Draw hours and authorize the sale of wine in supermarkets. (GNS) *** Paterson called the portrayal of his lunch with Jennifer Jones as romantic "an outrageous lie" *** Paterson's wife, First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson, stood by his side as he refused to give the "nuzzling lunch" story "any more oxygen than it already has." *** The 30-year friendship between Lloyd Constantine and Eliot Spitzer apparently hasn't survived Constantine's tell-all book about the former governor *** Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said Paterson "will have to step up his efforts in raising funds in order to show viability as a candidate." *** Paterson's 2010-2011 Budget Proposal - Overview *** Taxes, Taxes, Taxes *** Gov's budget to include $25M for student fares *** In Budget, Paterson Looks to Smokes, Soda and Big Cuts *** Gov. Paterson proposes record $134 billion state budget with major education, health care cuts *** Paterson Going After Indian Cigarette Taxes *** Leave No Sin Untaxed

Election 2010 The Empire Page examines the 2010 battle for the state Senate. (Empire Page)

Pay to Play Bruno Democrats will protest outside an event to raise money for Joe Bruno’s legal defense fund. (Post-Star)


Inside City Hall New Public Advocate Assails Bloomberg’s Performance on Homelessness *** Fairness at the FDNY: City needs to get the Fire Dept. admission test right once for all *** The Last Lesson: A Look Inside Paul Robeson High School *** City Hall to Start Shuffling Top Deputies

New York's Economic Melt Down Bx. field now city's $14M blunder land *** Advertising firm files for bankruptcy *** With competitors vacating, retailers eyeing real estate *** Problems Mount at a Bronx Building Bought in a Bubble *** Even More Room at the Inn *** Crumbling streets cost Bronx drivers $2G a year *** MTA will OK $100M pay hikes, but will appeal increases *** Sorry, wrong number: MTA chief recites sad litany of money-wasting spending practices *** Port Authority Police Radio Concerns *** Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

More 'City News Power Line Accident Prompts Evacuation and Subway Halt