Bloomberg grading candidates

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Mayor Bloomberg is surveying candidates:

“… The gun-control group founded by former New York mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I) will begin surveying all federal candidates in the 2014 midterm elections on gun issues Monday as it tries to become a political counterweight to the National Rifle Association …”

Bring it on.

“… Bloomberg’s group, Everytown for Gun Safety, is asking all Senate and House incumbents and candidates to complete a 10-part questionnaire stating publicly where they stand on issues such as expanding background checks for gun buyers, limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines and toughening gun-trafficking statutes …”

They really just need one question:  Will you suck Bloomberg’s dick for money?

“… The survey intends to make candidates state their positions on the record for the first time.  Everytown plans to use their answers — as well as an analysis of any past legislative votes and public statements — to rally voters for or against them in key Senate and House races this fall, similar to how the NRA uses its ratings system to motivate pro-gun-rights voters …”

Here’s where they fail:  The NRA has an actual constituency, Bloomberg has nothing but astroturf.  We have been through this many times before.

“… “We’re going to be very, very data-driven, metrics-driven, making sure that we identify the people who care about this issue,” said Mitch Stewart, formerly the Obama campaign’s battleground-states director and now a political consultant advising Everytown …”

It’s going to be a very small number.

“… “The NRA, they have this aura of being invincible,” Stewart said. “We’re going to show these candidates and these members of Congress that there is a sizable group of people in their districts and states who care about these issues and they’re going to demand some answers.” …”

There is a huge difference between “caring” about an issue and going out and voting based upon that. There is a reason groups like Brady, NYAGV, etc. largely gave up on trying to influence elections.

Keeping Hochul quiet

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The Post reports Gov. Cuomo is hiding his Kathy Hochul from the public:

“… Key state Democrats told The Post that Cuomo has ordered Hochul “kept under wraps,’’ in the words of one, to prevent her more conservative views from upending his re-election campaign among liberal New York City Democrats, especially Hispanics …”

More proof that Cuomo has a huge problem with Democrats which the media is doing their best to downplay.

So, what makes her so horrible?

“… Hochul, who received a top rating from the National Rifle Association when she ran for Congress and strongly opposed former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s efforts to grant driver’s licenses to illegal aliens when she was Erie County clerk …”

If this is so bad for Cuomo, then why did he choose her in the first place?  I assume it was to pander to upstate, but for that strategy to work she would need to have a very visible presence in the campaign at least in that area which thus far she hasn’t.  That makes her pick a lose-lose for the Governor.

I haven’t seen any complaints from feminists about Hochul’s lack of visibility either.  I guess allowing women to speak and have their own opinions isn’t part of the “women’s agenda.”

 

Karma again

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Karma isn’t done with the Senate Republicans.  Deputy GOP Leader Tom Libous has been charged with lying to the FBI in relation to nepotism:

“… The indictment stems from a long-running investigation by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara into whether Libous used his influence to obtain a job for his son, Matthew with a Westchester-based law firm.  According to the indictment, the FBI and IRS were investigating allegations that Libous promised to steer future business to the law firm in exchange for the hiring of his son and that a lobbying firm with ties to the Senate leader paid $50,000 annually to the firm to defray the cost of his son’s hiring …”

It’s good to see so many electeds working hard to keep our Tammany traditions alive.

Grimm intimidation FAIL

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This morning gun control astroturf dropped off postcards at Rep. Michael Grimm’s office as part of a intimidation campaign organized by Mom’s Demand Action/Everytown for Gun Safety.

Given that he is under indictment by the FBI my guess is he isn’t going to be too concerned about this.

What passes for Republican leadership

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Just how big of a tool is Dean Skelos?

Very.

“… Senate insiders describe GOP leader Dean Skelos as initially “stunned’’ by Cuomo’s action in moving the IDC to the regular Democrats’ side, even though the governor vowed to do just that a month ago in exchange for the WFP’s endorsement.  “Skelos didn’t want to believe what Cuomo was doing.  He didn’t want to face an obvious reality, until last week, when he didn’t have a choice any longer,’’ a longtime Senate Republican told The Post …”

Low Democrat voter turnout

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A new poll supports my opinion that there will be low Democrat voter turnout this fall:

“… The Pew Research Center has new numbers out showing what many campaign operatives already know: Republicans are more reliable voters, a major problem for Democrats heading into this fall’s midterms.  Pew breaks down voters into eight different categories, with the most likely to vote being “steadfast conservatives,” “business conservatives” and “solid liberals.” … They’re much more likely to vote than the other Democratic-leaning groups that President Obama built his coalition on …”

This is good news for Rob Astorino, not so much for Governor Cuomo.

Karma visits the Republicans

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You knew the GOP/IDC deal in the State Senate wasn’t going to last forever:

“… In a joint statement released Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Sen. Jeff Klein, Senate co-leader and head of the chamber’s Independent Democratic Conference, announced that the IDC’s five members will end its partnership with Senate Republicans and form a majority coalition with the Senate Democratic Conference after the 2014 elections …”

What’s Dean Skelos’ response?

“… the governor showed a lack of inner strength and character by capitulating to the Working Families Party and the radical left agenda …”

The very same agenda Dean and his LI counterparts were happy to rubber stamp.  This is why one of Rob Astorino’s staffers called Skelos a “prison punk.”

Even better was Mark Grisanti’s response:

“… “I can’t figure it out,” Grisanti said of Cuomo’s off-again, on-again, off-again public rhetoric about Senate Republicans. “It’s kind of a shock to me,” adding he found Cuomo’s involvement in the effort “a bit of a disappointment.” …”

It’s simple: Act like a bitch, get slapped like a bitch.

So, does this mean Republicans are going to run candidates and challenge Democrats?

“… Onondaga County’s Republican Committee is upping its efforts to find a candidate to challenge Sen. David Valesky after news that the breakaway Democrat’s conference plans to partner with Senate Democrats next year …”

No.

“… One of Central New York’s Republican senators said today he thought his party should concentrate on winning other, more competitive state Senate seats rather than the one held by Democratic Sen. David Valesky.  “I’m not interested in doing that,” DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, said today …”

They’re holding out hope they can cut a deal.

Congresswoman Kathleen Rice

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Nassau County D.A. Kathleen Rice won her primary yesterday.  She will face Republican Bruce Blakeman in the fall in the race to succeed Carolyn McCarthy in CD-4.  As with the Senate Republicans, this race stinks of a backroom deal.

In her 9 terms in Congress McCarthy never once had a serious challenger, despite the fact district demographics indicate it should be one of the more competitive in the country.  A couple of stinkers would be understandable, but nine times in a row?

Now with McCarthy retiring, who do the Republicans put up?  A rich guy with more money than brains who has already tried and failed twice to run for public office.  Rice has plenty of problems (ex. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) and failed miserably in her run for Attorney General back in ’10.  I believe the GOP could take this seat if they put up a serious, creditable candidate.  That ain’t Blakeman.

Something is rotten in Nassau.  I see Rice walking away with the seat in the fall.

Senate Republicans support Cuomo

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I have thought about this for awhile, but it is becoming too obvious: Senate Republicans are supporting Gov. Cuomo for re-election, not Rob Astorino.

I’ll go a step further and say I believe they have a backroom deal to keep themselves in power. Thus far I don’t see any serious Democrat challengers to sitting GOP Senators. I do not believe that is a coincidence.