Monday, February 11, 2013

NYP's Dicker Says Cuomo Lost His Mojo

Dicker: According to insiders, Gov. Cuomo has become so obsessed with maintaining his record-high job approval ratings that he has refused to make tough decisions on several key policy initiatives that might alienate the liberal voting bloc
NYP Pushing Cuomo to Approve Gas Drilling

Cuomo loses his mojo(Dicker, NYP) Cuomo has veered sharply away from the reform and pro-business policies he followed during his first two years in office and is “adrift’’ on a course of murky proposals, frequent indecision, and political obsessions focused on re-election next year and the presidency in 2016, insiders have told The Post.  The insiders, some of whom have known Cuomo for decades, said the governor has become so obsessed with maintaining what until recently were record-high job-approval ratings that he has refused, for fear of alienating politically potent liberal voting blocs.   Dicker says anonymous sources saying the governor is “obsessed” with his poll numbers and “running around like a banshee, blaming his staff and everybody else for the problems of his own making.”* According to Michael Caputo, the long romance between Fred Dicker and Cuomo is kaput.* “(A)sked if he believed he had departed from his pro-Cuomo stance, Dicker rejected the notion he was a Cuomo friendly in the first place.”


  Trouble for Cuomo? Chief cheerleader, Post's Dicker, turns (inevitably) & now trashes him via assorted unnamed "insiders."
  . I wonder if it's Fred who's lost his "mojo" with the Guv?
RT : Dear 2016 watchers - this is an important moment

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    NY Post's Fred Dicker-Cuomo Lapdog turns on master


Dicker Points to Cuomo Weakness and Indecision
“If he makes the political tough decisions to reduce regulations to attract businesses, and approve hydrofracking for natural gas. , his numbers will go down, so what he’s trying to do is avoid anything controversial. That’s why he’s adrift,’’ the source continued. Democrat Cuomo’s unfocused new direction is tied to the Republicans’ loss of control of the state Senate, which the governor openly sought to prevent. For Cuomo’s first two years in office, Senate Republicans joined with him in forcing the Democratic-controlled Assembly to end years of irresponsible state spending, cap runaway local property taxes, and create a new pension system to reduce the cost of future public employees. But with Republicans now forced into a “coalition’’ government with a rump group of “independent’’ liberal Democrats, that alliance is over.* Can Andrea Stewart-Cousins save the Senate Democrats from themselves? In a profile of the new state Senate minority leader, she says she’s up to the task(City and State) * New York’s recently-debuted package of gun control laws is being met with mixed reviews from the Southern Tier’s county sheriffs.* NJ Gov. Chris Christie far outranks Cuomo in WSJ’s power index, though he’s losing ground.* Andrew Cuomo Says Iowa Isn’t on His Mind(NYO)

Paladino Punches Cuomo While He is Down
Cuomo Poll Numbers When Down After New Gun Law Passed
Former Republican gubernatorial nominee Carl Paladino criticized Cuomo and supporters of the state’s new gun control law and will lead a contingent of Western New Yorkers to a rally against the legislation on Tuesday, The Buffalo News writes: *Brodsky: Cuomo kicks cities' fiscal cans (TU) "The Cuomo plan is not only bad economics. It's also bad politics."* Paladino called the SAFE Act, which he’s coming to Albany tomorrow to protest, “an insult to the people of New York State.”. says Cuomo's policy toward cities just kicks the can down the road
 
Business Leaders Pushing for Hydrofracking Talk Wall
Business leaders, meanwhile, see the long-delayed hydrofracking decision — which could come this week — as the definitive test of whether Cuomo is serious about changing New York’s reputation as the least business-friendly state in the nation.“The New York/Pennsylvania border is like the old Berlin Wall, with Pennsylvania being free West Berlin, with prosperity and good jobs thanks to gas drilling,’’ said a top New York business official. “The New York side is communist East Berlin — poor, humbled, and humiliated, with no high-paying jobs to speak of,’’ the official continued.* Might Cuomo be refusing to meet anti-fracktivist Yoko Ono because he blames her for breaking up the Beatles?

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Political Scandal
 

Something Happening Here: Third AEG Story in Last 2 Week
The never released its promised review of the AEG bidding scandal; no one knows where it is (by )  Follow Up: Senate racino report hasn't surfaced(TU) In October 2010, Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson promised an in-house examination of the involvement of senators in what had become a tainted bidding process to find a developer for the Aqueduct racino in Queens.After a probe, the state Inspector General's Office in 2010 criticized the actions of several Senate Democrats, including Sampson, in the ill-fated selection of Aqueduct Entertainment Group for the Aqueduct racino. Sampson declared that he would "commence an immediate internal review to develop recommendations for better coordinating external communications with advocates and lobbyists." Then-Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos called for hearings into the AEG bid award, because of concerns about favoritism. Skelos did not schedule hearings when the Republicans regained control of the Senate in 2011 two months after the inspector general's report. "The Inspector General produced a blistering report on the role the Senate Democrats played in steering this contract to AEG, and had already referred the matter to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for their review


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Campaign 2013
‘Grave’ tiding$ (NYP) A Manhattan candidate for City Council is fund-raising off his father’s death, critics charge. Mark Levine sent a campaign e-mail blast to supporters noting the passing of his father, Marshal — with a solicitation pitch at the bottom.


Cracks are forming in the Working Families Party's push for paid sick leave, as union supporters of Council Speaker Christine Quinn say the WFP is now pushing the issue in order to help her mayoral rival, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Crain's New York Business reports: * MSNBC host Chris Hayes criticized Quinn for not supporting Paid Sick Leave legislation.

“Mayor’s race is full of candidates with deep ties to labor," says source, on unions delaying endorsements to May (CrainsNY)

 Chris Quinn’s panders on Con Ed rate increases—Editorial -


Quinn Says the NYC Middle Class are Under Attack But Does Not Explain Her She Used Her Role As Speaker to Protect the Middle Class

 Answer: Because the Jerky NY Press Will Cover Anything
it's that time of year when I ask yet again why gets a "state of" address when and @speakerboeher do not.* Quinn to Take on Middle Class Squeeze in Final State of the City Speech(DNAINFO) * Speaker Quinn Delivers State Of The City Address (NY1) . to give speech; laments middle class drain in NYC but sidesteps criticism of via  * Quinn calls for new spending to help middle class(CrainsNY) * NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the frontrunner in the race for mayor, called in her final State of the City address for a slew of ambitious programs to benefit the middle class, but  no new taxes to pay for them.*"[M]ost of her proposals would take many years to accomplish and would benefit greatly from the support of (wink, wink) the city’s next mayor." [Chris Smith]
Bill de Blasio's Twitter criticism included a photo of a child he said would be harmed by Speaker Quinn's agenda. (Photo: @deBlasioNYC)Bill de Blasio Blasts Christine Quinn’s ‘Lofty’ Rhetoric(NYO)
 
In today's , profiles our work w tenants in the Bronx to force out one of the City's worst landlords

Lhota
In other news about GOP mayoral candidate Joe Lhota, it seems he has some very high-profile donors, including supporters who are speculating about setting up a pro-Lhota “super PAC” on his behalf. “All I know is that Joe is not going to want for money,” billionaire Kenneth Langone claimed, for example.

Jackson BP
Robert Jackson's Manhattan Beep Bid Endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers


Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver endorsed Julie Menin for Manhattan BP, while the UFT backed her rival, NYC Councilman Robert Jackson.


Gangemi Race For Brooklyn BP Will Be Over Before It Starts
Meade Esposito Suprise Candidate for Judge Who Was Beaten By Margaret Cammer for Civil Court Judge in 1982 is Announced As A Candidate for Brooklyn BP By City and State


John Gangemi was a Republican Councilman at large. He nearly beat Carey for Congress in '72, was elected Councilman at Large in '73, got tossed off ballot for State Committee in '74, lost a State Committee race in '76. Then he became a Dem. His son Frank Gangemi was jailed for stealing from his father John's law firm. A 88 man who sued the Ganmemi's charged on the witness stand that the father nurtured his son's Gambling addiction.
The son who is in jail represented the Fulton Fish market in court, when Rudy  Giuliani tried to evict them. 
Former Councilman To Challenge Adams For Brooklyn Borough President(City and State) 
John Gangemi: I’m Likely to Challenge Congressman Grimm(1/20/12 NYO)
GANGEMIS SETTLE SUIT - The Brooklyn Paper
Gangemi mob tie? - The Brooklyn Paper
Disbarred Lawyer, Frank Gangemi bilked clients out of $2 million 
WORK AT FULTON SWIMMING ALONG - NY Daily News
Frank Gangemi Talk Show


Ha. says of NYC Public Advocate candidate Cathy Guerriero: "by design" she's "a little crazy." (Capital)

  
We Won't Give Up, Deal With Us
Where Have You Gone Gloria Steinem, New York Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You (Woo woo woo)

Continued Buzz is the Both Lopez and Weiner Will Wait Until Petitions Handed In to Announce Their Candidacy to Limit Negative Stories About Their Negative Past. Spitzer buzz about next year
 




 
Weiner has $5 Million in his campaign account and Lopez has a popultation that has been served or hired by his multi million dollar non profit social service organization.  Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer has emerged as a potential candidate for state comptroller against incumbent Tom DiNapoli, with DiNapoli seen as doing little to elevate himself politically or policy-wise since taking office, the Daily New

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Return of the Homeless, Why?



NYP Calls Them Vagrants, But In Fact These Are the Victims Of NY's Long Term High Unemployment Rate and the High Cost of Living Here
New York’s mum rap(NYP Ed)  As The Post’s Michael Gartland recently reported, Grand Central Terminal is once again being flooded by droves of homeless people. And police insist there’s little they can do about it. * Older and Out of Work(NYT)
Older and Out of WorkHow can the experience of people in their 50s and 60s who are out of work be put to good use?How to define "middle income" in NYC? Council Speaker Quinn study says you're mid-income if you make $66,400 to $199,200 * NYC taxes vs. other states(Crains
NY)

Foreclosures double in southeastern Queens(Queens Crap)

From the NY Post: A new wave of foreclosures is hammering middle-class homeowners in Queens. Southeastern Queens neighborhoods such as St. Albans have been reeling since 2008, when the first wave of the foreclosure crisis hit, ensnaring many low-income homeowners with subprime loans.



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NY City Government
City’s overtime kings reign again (NYP) It might be time for the city to hand out lifetime-achievement awards for overtime. The newly released list of the city’s top 100 OT earners in 2012 includes veteran employees who have been doubling their base salaries year after year with barely a...

Taking a page from Cuomo’s book? Bloomberg is increasingly bringing private-sector-style competition into the city budget process, with a growing reliance on contests to help allocate funds.

Gun Permits 
Forms for pistol-permits owners to opt out of having their information public should be able starting on Feb. 15, State Police said today.

After His Board of Election Commissioner Take Over
NYC councilman RT : In advance of any rumors, I want to make one thing clear; I am not a candidate for Pope. That is all


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Education



‘Home’ school fury (NYP) Thirteen-year-old Edgar Curiel has spent the past 3 1/2 weeks in one of two places at his home — his wheelchair or his bed. Since a crushing strike by school-bus drivers and matrons began Jan. 16, the Washington Heights teen has been unable to attend PS 183M, near West 168th Street, where he gets therapy and takes classes.* Striking Bus Employees File Across Brooklyn Bridge, Assemble (NY1) * City Opens Bidding For New School Bus Contracts (NY1) * says it's spent $19.2 million so far on metro cards for parents and kids, and approved transportation* Bus companies demand employee protections for drivers, matrons removed from all contracts

The News writes that while teen pregnancies have fallen in New York City over the last decade, thanks in part to contraception offered in schools, there is much work to be done especially in minority communities Bloomy the pill pusher(NYP) Schools are tinkering with young girls’ bodies at an alarming rate.Andrea Peyser Mayor meddles in girls' lives by handing out 'Plan B' at schools

Transgender teacher fired from Catholic school(WABC)
Hearing on Cuomo's education budget set in Albany(Fox 5)
Elementary School Rankings: See How Your Neighborhood Schools Scored(DNAINFO)

 
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Health Care

Montefiore’s President, Influential in Albany, Is Unknown by Design(NYT) Behind the scenes, where he holds court with political and business leaders as a community activist, Dr. Steven M. Safyer has become one of the most powerful figures in the Bronx.Dr. Steven Safyer, the man behind the largest hospital system in the Bronx — one that delivers nearly a third of the babies born in the borough — remains largely unknown, by choice.

. is announcing the results of another Bloomberg-backed advocacy campaign, this one to reduce salt in pre-packaged foods.* [Mayor Bloomberg announced the results of national effort to reduce sodium in pre-packaged foods. * Ed Koch's last lament: "How am I going to survive on a salt-free diet?"

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Tenants Dump Landlord

Tenants and Community Group Save Dilapidated Bronx Complex(NYT) A campaign against the landlord by residents of three buildings on College Avenue led to a change of ownership.

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Taxi


NYTimes: Doubting if Tomorrow Will Ever Come for Taxi
Doubting if Tomorrow Will Ever Come for Taxi(NYT) Bloomberg’s plan for a “Taxi of Tomorrow” faces uncertainty after a lawsuit filed by the Greater New York Taxi Association asserts that the new taxi violates a section of the city’s administration code because it is not a hybrid

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MTA

In the Post, Nicole Gelinas, editor of the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, writes that contrary to statements from the Transport Workers Union, New York City subways are pretty safe:

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Environment
Queens lawmaker seeks to curb pollution from LIRR freight(NYDN)
Queens lawmaker seeks to curb pollution from LIRR freight locomotives: A Queens lawmaker is pushing the
Anti-Frackers Target Cuomo In Iowa(YNN)

NYC announces progress in effort to reduce salt(NYP) 
EPA answers Superfund cleanup questions tonight. Some issues to ask about: * Bloomberg announced that 21 companies have voluntarily reduced the salt content in some of their products.

Fracking
The League of Women Voters of NYS urged Cuomo to “push the pause button (on fracking) until a properly sequenced, open and deliberative review of health impacts is concluded.”* A group of New Jersey lawmakers suggests a “yes” on fracking from Cuomo would contribute to more damaging storms like Sandy.

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Sandy
 

City raises taxes on Sandy-hit homes(NYP)

Update  Responding to homeowner complaints that tentative tax assessments rose despite Sandy damage, Mayor Bloomberg said the city will send someone to inspect property before the final assessments are published in May.

Bloomberg Provides More Details For Plans For Federal Sandy(NY1)

DN: "Job one for President Obama's pick to be the next secretary of the interior: Rescue the Statue of Liberty"
Deadline to Fight Assessments on Hurricane-Damaged Homes(NYT)


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Landmark Gone


Another '90s Fixture of Lower East Side Is Gone(NYT) The Pink Pony, a cafe on Ludlow Street near Houston, quietly locked its doors after its owner concluded that the neighborhood had changed too much to support it and the large rent increase sought by his landlord.


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Washington


Obama Plans to Seek Cuts in Nuclear Arms Stockpiles(NYP)* Obama to Push Economic Vision(WSJ)
* Senator Plans 'Hold' on Obama Picks(WSJ)
Pope Benedict XVI's politics with Bush, Obama: (Politico)
A conclave to select Benedict’s replacement is expected in mid-March. Could New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan be a dark horse candidate?
President Obama is considering a host of new executive actions including allowing struggling homeowners to refinance their mortgages, providing new protections for gays and lesbians, making buildings more energy-efficient and toughening regulations for coal-fired power plants.
Gabrielle Giffords stars in gun control ad
High-Stakes for Obama as Sequester Cuts Loom - Eleanor Clift, Daily Beast
Sequester Offers Republicans Shot at Redemption - Judd Gregg, The Hill
The Growth Agenda We Need - Lawrence Summers, Washington Post
Women Shouldn't Fall for Obama's Fantasies - Carrie Lukas, USA Today
Full Text: Pope Benedict's Resignation
Cites Age as Reason for Decision With Few Precedents(NYT)

The Small Presidency: Let's Give It a Another Try - Amity Shlaes, NRO
Obama's State of the Union: Aggressive - Glenn Thrush, Politico
Dems Should Welcome Rove's Latest Project - Nate Cohn, New Republic
Wheels Coming Off ObamaCare - Betsy McCaughey, New York Post
A Hollow Case for Too Big to Fail Banks - Simon Johnson, New York Times
Putin Playing the Long Game Stockpiling Gold - Rose & Tanas, Bloomberg
Americans Were Under Attack. Then: Nothing - Kristol & Wehner, WSJ
The Ignorance Caucus - Paul Krugman, New York Times
Texas Trumps Governor Moonbeam - John Fund, National Review
What Chris Christie Could Learn From Taft - Dan Amira, NY Magazine
Paterno Was a Coward & His Family Doesn't Get It - Cole Muzio, Breitbart
Our Worst Presidents and Their Lessons - Michael Medved, USA Today

Navy SEAL Who Says He Killed Bin Laden Speaks Out For First Time, Says Military Abandoned Him
Obama Keeps Newspaper Reporters at Arm's Length - Paul Farhi, WaPost
Rick Perry Does California a Favor - Orange County Register
Getting Real on Guns - Washington Post
Gov. Hickenlooper Must Douse Labor Bill - Denver Post
Bezos Versus Bernanke - New York Sun
Menendez story is officially in the "drip drip" stage. 
"NY Cardinal Dolan: Startled by pope's announcement"
Obama To Bypass Congress With Executive Actions(Huff Post)
Lindsey Graham Goes Ballistic On Obama Over Benghazi, Pledges To Block Nominees Until Gets Answers
Obama reads the big national newspapers but stiffs them on interviews.(Wash Post)
Nancy Pelosi To Fox’s Chris Wallace: It’s A ‘False Argument To Say We Have A Spending Problem’
Report: Navy SEAL kills Osama bin Laden, loses health care:(Politico)
The Man Who Shot Osama Bin Laden Prefers to Call Him ‘Poopyface’(NY Mag)
McCain says ‘maybe’ to new taxes to avert sequestration(Wash Post)
54% of congress was elected in last 6 years. The old bulls have been replaced by more ideological zealots
Medal of Honor bestowed upon Army Afghanistan hero(NYP)FiveThirtyEight: New Rove Group Could Backfire on G.O.P.
Jack Lew Senate Hearing Will Question His Budget Policies, Citigroup Bonus 
The Caucus: Giffords Group Releases Gun Safety Ad (NYT)
Sen. Levin To Call For Hagel Vote Tuesday
Why is Lindsey Graham leading a crusade against fellow Republican Chuck Hagel? 

Chicago Police Supt.: ‘Stop Adopting The Rhetoric Of Gun Advocates, Chicago Does Not Have Strict Gun Laws’
McCain won't participate in Hagel walk out(NBC)
Ted Nugent, an outspoken critic of the president, will attend the State of the Union address as a guest of Republican Texas Rep. Steve Stockman.
 A Bloomberg-funded super PAC is about to surpass $1 million in ads in a House  special primary election in Illinois, lambasting former Democratic Rep. Debbie  Halvorson over her high marks from the NRA.


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Media


SNL SNL's Cut Cold Open Savages GOP For Their Excessive Praise Of Israel At Hagel Hearing


Rupert Murdoch: Topless Pictures On The Sun's Page 3 May Be Outdated(Huff Post)
 


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Law and Order
Weekly Police Briefing Offers Snapshot of Department and Its Leader(NYT) Kelly receives extensively detailed weekly briefings prepared by the NYPD’s Office of Management and Planning that are filled with statistics and talking points and highlight Kelly’s areas of interest


Bail Reforms
The Times-Union argues that economic circumstances, public safety, and profit motive need to be taken into account as the state explores reforming its bail system for criminal defendants:*
Bail Process Varies by Borough, Analysis Shows(NYT)

Espaillat ‘Offended’ By Treatment Of Rivera(YNN) * Despite Objections, Rivera Confirmed(YNN)


Faces 25 to life in prison for murder conviction in 2011 cop slay(NYP)

Two New York Prisons for Female Inmates Facing Final Lockup(WNYC)
Mayor's New Guns Plan Includes More Jail Time - NBC Chicago (blog) 

NY Rape Law Changes
Victim of NYPD Rapist Comes Forward to Change New York’s Rape Laws(NY Mag)The victim of a brutal sexual assault at the hands of an NYPD officer is traveling to Albany tomorrow to speak out in favor of a bill by Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas that would add forced oral and anal sex to the state’s rape statutes.Rape Cop Victim Going Public To Lobby Albany For Rape Law Changes(NYDN) "Going 2 Albany this week 2 fight 4 a stronger rape law is another way of putting her life back together"


SI hubby’s Insta plea (NYP) The husband of slain Staten Island mom Sarai Sierra posted a cryptic message about infidelity just weeks before his wife left for her fatal trip to Turkey.
 illage 'bomb ma' pleads not guilty to explosives, drugs charges(NYP)


Middle Village man found strangled in his room at Queens(NYDN)
3-year-old girl dies after falling from window in Queen (NYP)
Alleged gang member arrested after threatening cop on precinct's Facebook page (NY Mag)