Month: August 2018

Wednesday’s Newsbits:

Elections:

• Molinaro rips Cuomo in Carlisle campaign stop
• Republican Attorneys General Association eyeing New York race, but not yet ready to invest
• Morelle has lead in race to fill Rep. Slaughter’s former seat
• Biaggi and Klein Debate Gun Violence in Yonkers
• Smullen surrenders two pistols

Politics:

• Long Island lawmaker blasts NRA fund-raiser featuring guns to the highest bidder
• Long Island parents fired up over plans for NRA fund-raiser in local catering hall

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Governor Cuomo has made a couple of noticeable political mistakes the last few days.

First, he tried to block an ad by Marc Molinaro from airing:

“… Given the false, misleading and defamatory content of the Molinaro advertisement, we respectfully request that you cease and desist from any further broadcast or publication,” the letter said in part …”

Here is the video in question:

Next, the Governor agreed to a debate with Cynthia Nixon. As George Marlin points out in his Newsmax commentary:

“… It was a dumb move because Cuomo has no upside. He will lose if he looks like a mean or condescending bully and Nixon will win if she comes across as pleasant and stands up to the governor …”

Prediction: Nixon is going to “win” the debate by being pleasant. I don’t think she will win the Democrat primary, but I could see her getting 40% of the vote.

Cuomo faces another challenge from the Left in the general election. Former Democrat Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner has filed to run for Governor on the Serve America Movement ballot line.

Miner has a history of supporting gun control:

• Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner joins call for better gun control
• Mayors to Congress: ‘Get a Backbone’ and Pass Gun Control
• Miner: Loose Gun Laws In Other States Impact NY

I have not seen any polls that included Miner, but if she starts polling in double digits expect more dumb moves by Cuomo.

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CD-24 challenger Dana Balter had a town hall meeting with residents over the weekend.  The topic of guns came up:

“… She also faced questions about what she supports to reduce gun violence. One proposal she supports would be to pass legislation requiring universal background checks for gun purchases. The measure would aim to close existing loopholes that allow gun sales without background checks. Balter supports the repeal of the Dickey Amendment, which is a provision that was included in a 1990s spending bill to prevent the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from conducting gun violence research. A spending bill passed earlier this year clarified that the CDC could conduct gun violence research, but the Dickey Amendment remains in effect. “We need to repeal that amendment, give the CDC the power back to study gun violence and then Congress needs to fund those studies,” she said …”

This looks like canned antigun talking points.

The Cook Political Report lists the district as Likely Republican.

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