Carl Paladino's Campaign Manager Michael Caputo reportedly said that Jimmy McMillian (Rent Is Too Damn High) won tonight's gubernatorial debate. I would say it was a tie between all of the 3rd-party candidates. By no means am I endorsing any of the candidates, but if anyone watched the debate, all of the 3rd-party candidates provided great one-liners and gave innovative, new ideas. For example, Kristen Davis (Anti-Prohibition) thinks the state's fiscal crisis will be solved by legalizing marijuana and casinos; Charles Barron (Freedom) wants the Governor to control the MTA; Warren Redlich (Libertarian) wants the MTA to be made a private corporation.
I watched the debate recap by NY1 and WABC and the overwhelming response is that the 3rd party candidates won. I have to agree. The debate rules provided that each of the 7 candidates had equal time to state their cases. Paladino and Cuomo have dominated the airwaves and chose to hold their lines. The other candidates, I felt, said the things and the ideas, no one else wanted to say. Since they suddenly had the free airtime to promote their ideas, they put in the one-liners people would remember.
However, as each person responded to questions, the Cuomo campaign actually tweeted responses to all attacks and supplemented all ideas said during the debate in real time. In terms of new media, then, Andrew Cuomo won the debate.
Every candidate, I will admit, had good ideas. Each of them would pursue their plans in different fashions. Frankly, I like the fact that the debate wasn't limited to being just Cuomo vs. Paladino because political campaigns are supposed to be about the exchange of ideas and when candidates hear minority opinions, they have no choice but to answer to the public about the issues affecting the average Joe or Jane. Having open debates, I feel, keeps our democracy open and accountable to us in that no issue is off the table and every opinion is available to be discussed, debated, and scrutinized.
On a semi-un-related note: I was watching the debate with my parents. The camera came to Paladino and my mom saw how he was wearing a few plastic bracelets and asked about it. My father responded, jokingly, "He is out on parole." I found the line funny and I tweeted it (I have since deleted the tweet). After the debate, I saw this @ reply to me from Caputo "@seamuscampbell Paladino's bracelets were made by his daughter to remind him of her and his late son who died last year. Thanks, tho. #cuomo." I gotta admit, Caputo put me in my place and I do apologize for my insensitivity.
Showing posts with label Carl Paladino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carl Paladino. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
Best Quotes from the NY Govenor Debate
"Businesses will leave this state quicker than Carl Paladino at a gay bar." - Kristin Davis
"The difference between the escort service I ran and the MTA is that I had one set of books and provided on-time, reliable service" - Kristin Davis
"The career politicians in Albany are the biggest whores in this state, I may be the only person on the stage able to deal with them" - Kristin Davis
"The Rent Is Too Damn High believes if you want to marry a shoe, I'll marry it" -Jimmy McMillian
NY used to have great government, it can comeback. I have most experience. Go Yankees in the meantime. -Andrew Cuomo
I'm not a career Albany politician, I'm a builder - I scare them, that's why they call me crazy. - Carl Paladino
"The difference between the escort service I ran and the MTA is that I had one set of books and provided on-time, reliable service" - Kristin Davis
"The career politicians in Albany are the biggest whores in this state, I may be the only person on the stage able to deal with them" - Kristin Davis
"The Rent Is Too Damn High believes if you want to marry a shoe, I'll marry it" -Jimmy McMillian
NY used to have great government, it can comeback. I have most experience. Go Yankees in the meantime. -Andrew Cuomo
I'm not a career Albany politician, I'm a builder - I scare them, that's why they call me crazy. - Carl Paladino
Monday, September 27, 2010
Lazio Out
The rumors are true. Rick Lazio will be dropping out of the race for Governor today. However, he may still appear on the ballot in November.
According to election law in the State of New York, there are three ways for his name to be removed as the Conservative Party's nominee for Governor: he dies, he moves out of New York State, or he gets nominated for a judgeship (the deadline, for which, I should add, is today).
Due to Paladino's use of "hateful rhetoric," Mike Long, the Chairman of the New York Conservative Party, does not want a Paladino win (source: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/09/rick-lazio-out-of-governors-ra.html).
Provided that Lazio's name was removed from the Conservative Party line today, Paladino has 1 day (deadline: tomorrow 9/28/2010) to get the Conservative Party's nomination (source: http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/law/2010OfficialPoliticalCalendar.pdf). I mention this because no Republican has won any statewide office without the endorsement of the Conservative Party of New York.
To all of you, I suggest you follow the news closely for the next 36 hours to see if there will be any political game changers.
Update (12:29 PM): The Bronx County Republican Chairman Jay Savino has announced that Rick Lazio will be nominated for a judgeship tonight. In other words, Lazio will be out of the race for Governor following tonight's proceedings.
Update (12:37 PM): Rick Lazio has announced that he will not endorse Carl Paladino for Governor
Update (1:08 PM): Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long has said he will recommend to party leaders that Carl Paladino receive the party's nomination.
According to election law in the State of New York, there are three ways for his name to be removed as the Conservative Party's nominee for Governor: he dies, he moves out of New York State, or he gets nominated for a judgeship (the deadline, for which, I should add, is today).
Due to Paladino's use of "hateful rhetoric," Mike Long, the Chairman of the New York Conservative Party, does not want a Paladino win (source: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/09/rick-lazio-out-of-governors-ra.html).
Provided that Lazio's name was removed from the Conservative Party line today, Paladino has 1 day (deadline: tomorrow 9/28/2010) to get the Conservative Party's nomination (source: http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/law/2010OfficialPoliticalCalendar.pdf). I mention this because no Republican has won any statewide office without the endorsement of the Conservative Party of New York.
To all of you, I suggest you follow the news closely for the next 36 hours to see if there will be any political game changers.
Update (12:29 PM): The Bronx County Republican Chairman Jay Savino has announced that Rick Lazio will be nominated for a judgeship tonight. In other words, Lazio will be out of the race for Governor following tonight's proceedings.
Update (12:37 PM): Rick Lazio has announced that he will not endorse Carl Paladino for Governor
Update (1:08 PM): Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long has said he will recommend to party leaders that Carl Paladino receive the party's nomination.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Some Numbers May Actually Lie
We all heard about how Carl Paladino is a mere 6 percentage points behind Andrew Cuomo in the race to be the next Governor of New York. Well, that was just one poll. Cuomo said that Paladino was up because of the media coverage regarding his from-behind win to becoming the the Republican nominee for Governor. Well, that was one poll.
Since the first one, by Quinnipiac University, two more have come out. One by SurveyUSA and another from Siena College. I don't know how the polling for SurveyUSA was conducted, but I do for the other two. The Quinnipiac poll surveyed "likely voters" and only gave two options (Andrew Cuomo or Carl Paladino). The Siena poll surveyed "registered voters" and gave three options (Cuomo, Paladino and Rick Lazio). What is the difference between "likely voters" and "registered voters?" Likely voters do not include first-time voters (and, may, exclude voters that did not vote in recent elections).
Below is a break-down of the results of the polling data for all of the state-wide races:
Since the first one, by Quinnipiac University, two more have come out. One by SurveyUSA and another from Siena College. I don't know how the polling for SurveyUSA was conducted, but I do for the other two. The Quinnipiac poll surveyed "likely voters" and only gave two options (Andrew Cuomo or Carl Paladino). The Siena poll surveyed "registered voters" and gave three options (Cuomo, Paladino and Rick Lazio). What is the difference between "likely voters" and "registered voters?" Likely voters do not include first-time voters (and, may, exclude voters that did not vote in recent elections).
Below is a break-down of the results of the polling data for all of the state-wide races:
| Governor | Quinnipiac | SurveyUSA | Siena |
| Andrew Cuomo | 49% | 49% | 57% |
| Carl Paladino | 43% | 40% | 24% |
| Rick Lazio | 8% (listed as "other") | 8% | |
| Undecided | 3% | 10% | |
| Attorney General | Quinnipiac | SurveyUSA | Siena |
| Eric Schniederman | 37% | 45% | |
| Dan Donovan | 36% | 32% | |
| Undecided | 27% | 23% | |
| Comptroller | Quinnipiac | SurveyUSA | Siena |
| Tom DiNapoli | 46% | 51% | |
| Harry Wilson | 30% | 25% | |
| Undecided | 24% | 25% | |
| Senate (Full Term) | Quinnipiac | SurveyUSA | Siena |
| Charles Schumer | 54% | 54% | 63% |
| Jay Townsend | 38% | 53% | 30% |
| Undecided | 3% | 6% | |
| Senate (Special) | Quinnipiac | SurveyUSA | Siena |
| Kirsten Gillibrand | 48% | 45% | 57% |
| Joe DioGuardi | 42% | 44% | 31% |
| Undecided | 4% | 12% | |
| Democratic Republican Conservative | |||
Thursday, September 16, 2010
What A Night It Had Been
Editor's Note: The times, percentage points, and number of precincts listed are estimates based on the writer's recollection of the evening.
What an insane night it was last night. Here is my story.
My evening did not get interesting until 9pm last night when my class was dismissed. I took the Ram Van down to Lincoln Center. I was told the night before that the Eric Schneiderman and Carolyn Maloney parties would both be at the Grand Hyatt.
On the ride down to Lincoln Center, I was anxiously checking my Twitter feeds for results (Twitter, I find, is one of the best and fastest source available for breaking news). The first surprise of the night came in: Christine O'Donnell, a Tea Party and Sarah Palin-backed Republican, beat moderate Republican Congressman Mike Castle in the Delaware Republican primary. For a candidate of whom I didn't even know until two weeks ago, I was amazed. It was obvious to everyone that the Democrats had just won the Senate seat previously held by Joe Biden. Within minutes, the story on Twitter changed to how Delaware Attorney General, Beau Biden (son of the Vice President) must have been feeling at that moment since he chose not to run for that Senate seat.
I asked a friend for confirmation that the Schneiderman party would be at the Hyatt. I was told it would be, but my friend said that she was at the primary election night party for Assemblyman Jonathan Bing. I responded that I wanted to be at the party with all of the cool kids.
After getting to Lincoln Center, I hailed a cab and I was taken cross-town
By 10 PM, there were some early reportings on NY1. Tea Party-backed Carl Paladino, with about 1% of the precincts reporting, already had a sizable margin of about 35 points over the establishment-backed candidate Rick Lazio. As these numbers showed up on the screen, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer walked past me. Stringer has had a few not-so-nice words to say about Paladino (see: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/08/manhattan-bp-scott-stringer-ca.html and http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/09/manhattan-bp-scott-stringer-ca-1.html). I found the timing of this scene to be interesting.
The races we all were watching were the 14th Congressional District (Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney versus Reshma Saujani -we cared about the margin of victory; Maloney won with 81% of the vote), the 33rd State Senate District (Gustavo Rivera versus Pedro Espada), and the 39th Assembly District (Francisco Moya versus Hiram Monserrate).
With the early sets of returns, Rivera was leading Espada by about 30 points. Still, there were allegations of dirty tacits by the Espada camp (see: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/09/gustavo-rivera-accuses-team-pe.html). Meanwhile, Monserrate, in the course of 20 minutes, at one point in the evening, went from being 30 points down, to up 30, and down 30 again over Moya.
Of course, the race we all were watching was Attorney General. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice was taking an early lead of about 10 points over Manhattan State Senator Eric Schniderman with Sean Coffey in 3rd place by only a few percentage points.
By 10:30, it was becoming obvious that Carl Paladino was about to win the Republican Party nomination for Governor. A few minutes later, NY1 announced that Espada had conceded the race. At 11pm, the Associated Press called it for Paladino. That left just one race: Attorney General.
A little after 12am, my group of friends and I decided that we would head to the Schneiderman party. By this point, Schneiderman was up by 3% points over Rice with about 70% of the preciencts reporting. We hailed a cab and headed over the the Grand Hyatt. In attendance at the Schneiderman party were many notable local politicians including Governor David Paterson, Congressman Jerold Nadler, State Senators Daniel Squadron and Eric Adams, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
As the minutes passed, the number of precincts reporting steadily rose. A rumor began to spread that once 90% of the precincts were reporting and Schneiderman was still in the lead, the Senator was going to declare victory. The projector in the ballroom where the party was being held was tuned to Fox5 and then, later, NY1. One of the networks (I can't remember which one) showed the Rice election night party in Carle Place, Long Island. It was completely bare. Not a sole was there. It was empty. The room became very optimistic.
By 1am, my BlackBerry's battery was on its last legs. I grabbed my backpack and sat on the floor in the hallway at an outlet to let it charge. Around 1:10, I heard a chanting coming from the ballroom of "Er-ic! Er-ic! Er-ic!" I knew that either the Senator was up at least one more percentage point, we had reached the magin 90% number, or, maybe, just maybe, someone was ready to declare a victor. I pulled my charger out of the wall socket, shoved it and my BlackBerry into my pants' front right pocket, hoisted my backpack onto a shoulder and dashed into the ballroom.
I arrived exactly when the President of NARAL Pro-Choice NY, Kelli Conlin, began to speak. I didn't have to look at any screen or ask anyone what had happened. The energy of the room said it all. Eric Schneiderman was officially the Democratic Nominee to be the next Attorney General of the State of New York. At the end of his speech, the Senator introduced the next senator from the 33rd Senate District: Gustavo Rivera. Two great winners of the night together. Words cannot describe the feeling we all had/
I didn't get home until 3:00am this morning. I didn't fall asleep until about 4:15 and, even then, it seemed more like dozing than anything else. My voice, as of this writing, still has not recovered. The energy and enthusiasm you get when your candidate wins makes up for it all. If you all want to remember how I felt last night, recall November 4, 2008.
Photos from last night coming soon
What an insane night it was last night. Here is my story.
My evening did not get interesting until 9pm last night when my class was dismissed. I took the Ram Van down to Lincoln Center. I was told the night before that the Eric Schneiderman and Carolyn Maloney parties would both be at the Grand Hyatt.
On the ride down to Lincoln Center, I was anxiously checking my Twitter feeds for results (Twitter, I find, is one of the best and fastest source available for breaking news). The first surprise of the night came in: Christine O'Donnell, a Tea Party and Sarah Palin-backed Republican, beat moderate Republican Congressman Mike Castle in the Delaware Republican primary. For a candidate of whom I didn't even know until two weeks ago, I was amazed. It was obvious to everyone that the Democrats had just won the Senate seat previously held by Joe Biden. Within minutes, the story on Twitter changed to how Delaware Attorney General, Beau Biden (son of the Vice President) must have been feeling at that moment since he chose not to run for that Senate seat.
I asked a friend for confirmation that the Schneiderman party would be at the Hyatt. I was told it would be, but my friend said that she was at the primary election night party for Assemblyman Jonathan Bing. I responded that I wanted to be at the party with all of the cool kids.
After getting to Lincoln Center, I hailed a cab and I was taken cross-town
By 10 PM, there were some early reportings on NY1. Tea Party-backed Carl Paladino, with about 1% of the precincts reporting, already had a sizable margin of about 35 points over the establishment-backed candidate Rick Lazio. As these numbers showed up on the screen, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer walked past me. Stringer has had a few not-so-nice words to say about Paladino (see: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/08/manhattan-bp-scott-stringer-ca.html and http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/09/manhattan-bp-scott-stringer-ca-1.html). I found the timing of this scene to be interesting.
The races we all were watching were the 14th Congressional District (Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney versus Reshma Saujani -we cared about the margin of victory; Maloney won with 81% of the vote), the 33rd State Senate District (Gustavo Rivera versus Pedro Espada), and the 39th Assembly District (Francisco Moya versus Hiram Monserrate).
With the early sets of returns, Rivera was leading Espada by about 30 points. Still, there were allegations of dirty tacits by the Espada camp (see: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/09/gustavo-rivera-accuses-team-pe.html). Meanwhile, Monserrate, in the course of 20 minutes, at one point in the evening, went from being 30 points down, to up 30, and down 30 again over Moya.
Of course, the race we all were watching was Attorney General. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice was taking an early lead of about 10 points over Manhattan State Senator Eric Schniderman with Sean Coffey in 3rd place by only a few percentage points.
By 10:30, it was becoming obvious that Carl Paladino was about to win the Republican Party nomination for Governor. A few minutes later, NY1 announced that Espada had conceded the race. At 11pm, the Associated Press called it for Paladino. That left just one race: Attorney General.
A little after 12am, my group of friends and I decided that we would head to the Schneiderman party. By this point, Schneiderman was up by 3% points over Rice with about 70% of the preciencts reporting. We hailed a cab and headed over the the Grand Hyatt. In attendance at the Schneiderman party were many notable local politicians including Governor David Paterson, Congressman Jerold Nadler, State Senators Daniel Squadron and Eric Adams, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
As the minutes passed, the number of precincts reporting steadily rose. A rumor began to spread that once 90% of the precincts were reporting and Schneiderman was still in the lead, the Senator was going to declare victory. The projector in the ballroom where the party was being held was tuned to Fox5 and then, later, NY1. One of the networks (I can't remember which one) showed the Rice election night party in Carle Place, Long Island. It was completely bare. Not a sole was there. It was empty. The room became very optimistic.
By 1am, my BlackBerry's battery was on its last legs. I grabbed my backpack and sat on the floor in the hallway at an outlet to let it charge. Around 1:10, I heard a chanting coming from the ballroom of "Er-ic! Er-ic! Er-ic!" I knew that either the Senator was up at least one more percentage point, we had reached the magin 90% number, or, maybe, just maybe, someone was ready to declare a victor. I pulled my charger out of the wall socket, shoved it and my BlackBerry into my pants' front right pocket, hoisted my backpack onto a shoulder and dashed into the ballroom.
I arrived exactly when the President of NARAL Pro-Choice NY, Kelli Conlin, began to speak. I didn't have to look at any screen or ask anyone what had happened. The energy of the room said it all. Eric Schneiderman was officially the Democratic Nominee to be the next Attorney General of the State of New York. At the end of his speech, the Senator introduced the next senator from the 33rd Senate District: Gustavo Rivera. Two great winners of the night together. Words cannot describe the feeling we all had/
I didn't get home until 3:00am this morning. I didn't fall asleep until about 4:15 and, even then, it seemed more like dozing than anything else. My voice, as of this writing, still has not recovered. The energy and enthusiasm you get when your candidate wins makes up for it all. If you all want to remember how I felt last night, recall November 4, 2008.
Photos from last night coming soon
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