There are so many possibilities it’s hard to pick just one.
Vote Row C
Republicans targeting Cuomo
Some Republicans are going on the offensive against Governor Cuomo. Too bad they don’t actually live in New York:
“A new outside spending group whose treasurer has ties to some of the nation’s most prominent Republicans is poised to target Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Papers have been filed with the state Board of Elections to form “Rescue New York, Inc.” … According to a spokesman for the state Board of Elections, the group’s paperwork states that it was formed to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, and to oppose Mr. Cuomo …”
Good. The people running the group have some experience as well. This shows that the Rockefeller RINOs are the only ones who think Cuomo cannot be beaten, not the rank-and-file GOP voters.
“… Another group, Balance New York, is set to help Republicans in their efforts to keep the state Senate, while another pro-GOP group, Protect NYS PAC, has been spending money on polling in the race for attorney general between Democratic incumbent Eric Schneiderman and Republican John Cahill. Both groups have gotten funding from the influential national Republican State Leadership Committee …”
Even better.
Crazy Cuomo
The first post-Moreland poll shows Governor Cuomo with a 53% approval rating.
I doubt it is really that high. There is just no enthusiasm for him. Nevertheless, it does indicate Moreland-gate is having a negative effect on the Governor’s image.
This drop has not, however, prompted Governor Chrisitie to endorse Rob Astorino. Chrisitie is head of the Republican Governor’s Association and could direct resources towards Astorino’s campaign. In an ideal situation, Moreland-gate knocks Cuomo out this year and Christie out for ’16 presidential consideration.
The bad news is starting to stick
The Post has some good news on the Moreland scandal:
“Gov. Cuomo, “crazed with anger” and increasingly abusive to those around him, fears the first round of public polling since the “Morelandgate” scandal will take a major toll on his — until-now — sky-high popularity, administration insiders say … Administration insiders, aware of private polling data already collected by Cuomo’s campaign, say the public poll likely will show the governor’s approval rating plummeting …”
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Sooner or later Cuomo is going to need a fall guy, the most likely choice being Larry Schwartz. What has Larry been up to lately?
“… Larry Schwartz, who holds the title of secretary to the governor, agreed in recent weeks to meet with prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, the person said, a development that suggests investigators are interested in learning more about the administration’s actions before and after the commission was shut down in March. Mr. Schwartz was Mr. Cuomo’s conduit to the Moreland Commission, and it is his alleged actions that have served as the basis for accusations that the administration improperly interfered with the commission’s investigations, directing them away from any entities with ties to the governor. Mr. Schwartz didn’t respond to email or phone messages on Sunday evening …”
Schwartz would do well in prison where his “pull it back” statement would have a whole new meaning.
Battle over CCW could be headed for SCOTUS
Good move
Rudy Giuliani will not endorse Rob Astorino:
“Add former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to the list of high-profile Republicans to snub GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino. Giuliani is not expected to back the Westchester County executive in his run against Gov. Cuomo, but will instead remain on the sidelines, a source close to the former mayor said …”
Good!
Rudy, along with Ed Cox and the RINO Senate Republicans are responsible for running the party and the state into the ground. They aren’t an asset and Astorino should do a presser publicly thanking Rudy for staying as far away from him as possible.
Preet is pissed
Preet Bharara is not happy with the Governor:
“In an escalation of the confrontation between the United States attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over the governor’s cancellation of his own anticorruption commission, Mr. Bharara has threatened to investigate the Cuomo administration for possible obstruction of justice or witness tampering. The warning, in a sharply worded letter from Mr. Bharara’s office, came after several members of the panel issued public statements defending the governor’s handling of the panel, known as the Moreland Commission, which Mr. Cuomo created last year with promises of cleaning up corruption in state politics but shut down abruptly in March …”
I get the feeling he’s going to drop a bomb on Cuomo.
Somewhere outside of Albany …
More Moreland
Governor Cuomo’s problems are getting worse:
“Gov. Cuomo’s reputation has been severely damaged and his chances of running for president destroyed by revelations that he interfered with the Moreland Commission’s efforts to probe political corruption, influential Democrats have told The Post …”
I think he did himself in, at least on the national stage, with the SAFE Act. What Moreland has done is made very public how Andrew (and Albany) operates in private.
“… The Democrats, who called the disclosures in last week’s New York Times “a political game changer” and a “Cuomo nightmare,’’ said the scandal would also provide the first real boost to the campaign of Cuomo’s long-shot Republican rival, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino. Aides to Astorino said over the weekend that they’ve seen a “significant uptick’’ in offers of support and campaign fund-raising as a result of the scandal — with $500,000 contributed over the past few days …”
Does this mean Chris Christie is now going to back Astorino, like other Republican Governors are? I think Christie hurt his own ’16 presidential ambitions by not supporting Astorino, and not just by decling to support a fellow Republican, but because it shows Christie wasn’t paying much attentional to the politics surrounding a potential opponent.
” … Insiders described Cuomo as “humiliated’’ and “paralyzed’’ and unable to develop a strategy to respond. “If Cuomo had a good argument to make he’d make it, but he doesn’t know what to do,’’ said a source close to the governor …”
I’m going with him continuing to be an asshole. It’s gotten him this far in politics.
“… The collateral damage from Cuomo’s actions to his fellow Democrats is considerable. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who, like Cuomo, has remained silent, was a central figure in the commission’s probe since he named several of its members and then granted them law-enforcement status. Yet Schneiderman, who said he was being kept regularly informed about the commission’s activities, said not a word about Cuomo’s actions. Either the hyper-political Schneiderman violated his promise to keep in touch with what was occurring — an unlikely situation — or he simply kept his mouth shut, insiders at the Capitol agree …”
I am included to believe it is the former. Schneiderman and Cuomo hate each other. It is my understand they hardly ever talk.
“… Meanwhile, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, a Moreland co-chair and Cuomo political ally who is running for a congressional seat on Long Island, also kept her mouth shut as Cuomo meddled with the commission and has yet to explain why …”
That’s great if it knocks out her Congressional campaign, but unlike Cuomo and Schneiderman, she would still have her job as Nassau D.A. until ’17.