Results tagged “gop”

Well, one thing is for sure: The Nobel Prize Committee's decision to give President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize is at least giving people something to talk about this weekend! Even as the President himself admitted he didn't think he deserved the award—but said he'd accept it as a "call to action— a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century"—the decision was met with some enthusiasm and a lot more criticism.

Mayor Bloomberg thinks that he could strong-arm local Republican state senators into voting for a gay marriage bill, but he doesn't seem to believe that the Democrats have the cajones to bring Governor Paterson's same-sex marriage legislation to the floor. Asked why he thought he could change the minds of some pretty staunch GOP gay marriage opponents, Bloomberg said, “I’m the main funder. You know, you can’t dictate every piece of legislation, and I don’t want to say that they’re bribable. But they know where I stand, and they want me to be a supporter.”

On the heels of news that Governor Paterson is one (giant leap of a) step not closer to running for reelection, Rick Lazio is finally ready to give us the craved announcement of the 2010 campaign season—throwing his hat into the govenor's race Tuesday even though he basically all but said it months ago. That will likely soon be followed by Rudy "I'll only beat myself" Giuliani once again making Lazio the sacrificial lamb, this time to Andrew Cuomo. [Newsday]

NJ gubernatorial Chris Christie reassured NJ voters that he's not interested in having soon-to-be former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin stump for him this fall. The Republican challenger did offer one familiar name—the Star-Ledger reports that Christie told 101.5 FM, "This is about New Jersey issues and New Jersey, and I don't think having Governor Palin here would do me, or frankly the state, a whole lot of good in the sense that we need to talk and focus on what the New Jersey issues are. I hope Mayor Giuliani will continue to be supportive and be here and work with me, but other than that, I think the people of New Jersey have to hear from me and that's the person they'll be electing. I'll be sitting in the chair, and I want them to spend most of their time getting to know me." Giuliani endorsed Christie back in February. Governor Jon Corzine, who trails Christie in the polls, is optimistic about his chances, "We have a national recession, we have a global recession. The public understands that President Obama and the Democratic policies are not how we got into this mess."

With Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's schedule after July 26 freeing up, some of her associates say that she's ready to help other Republican candidates with their elections. Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele even says, "She is an important and galvanizing voice... I believe she will be very helpful to the party this year as we wage critical campaigns in Virginia and NJ." But those states' GOP officials aren't so sure: NJ Republican Chairman Jay Webber said he hadn't hear from Palin's camp and is totally okay with that, "We don't have any plans on having her in. We're busy working to get Chris Christie elected and telling people about the failed record of Gov. Corzine." Christie leads the incumbent 45 to 39 points in a recent poll and the Obama-Biden ticket beat McCain-Palin by 15 points last year. Someone who would like to see Palin in NJ: Corzine, whose spokesman told the AP, "Her positions are certainly consistent with where Christie's been. They would both deny a woman the right to choose and they oppose new gun control legislation. And like Palin, Christie's staked out conservative right-wing positions on rejecting the federal stimulus money, which would create thousands of jobs."

With "active" members of the State Senate a little indisposed this week, Governor Paterson must have turned up the heat in lobbying Former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to come out and endorse his gay marriage bill. Today the Republican leader hopped in the leather captain's chair of the Brunomobile and potentially put the state's legalization of same-sex marriage into the fast lane. Bruno told the AP, "As a Republican, I believe in personal freedom. I opposed same sex marriage largely because the overwhelming majority of my caucus opposed it. As a relatively conservative Roman Catholic, I instinctively view marriage as the foundation of the family. However, that view really does conflict with the rights that are afforded all of us. This is America and we have inalienable rights ... life is short and we should all be afforded the same opportunities and rights to enjoy it." The AP mentions that Bruno's wife of 57 years Barbara just passed away in 2008. With several Democrats already opposing the bill, Paterson and company hope that Bruno's endorsement could pave the way for undecided GOP senators to come over and support it.

    

It's Albany as usual—and by usual, we mean totally full-tilt boogie dysfunctional. Yesterday, two State Senate Democrats decided to join the Republican minority, which then threw the GOP back in power, with a 32 member majority (30 Republicans, the 2 defected Democrats). The Times Union reports, "The whole posse was backed by billionaire Thomas Golisano, who has been conspiring with a small cadre of lawmakers to accomplish the overthrow." Wow, Golisano was really pissed about paying more in taxes! The Daily News sums it up in an editorial (on the cover, no less): "Yesterday's coup d'etat revealed Albany for the madhouse it has become, with the lunatics firmly in charge of the asylum."

Former Secretary of State—and New York native— Colin Powell was on CBS's Face the Nation and addressed criticism he's received from his Republican party brethren. Earlier this month, former VP Dick Cheney said, "If I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I'd go with Rush Limbaugh. My take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn't know he was still a Republican." This morning, Powell said, "I am still a Republican. I'd like to point out that in the course of my 50 years of voting for presidents, I have voted for the person I thought was best qualified at that time to lead the nation. Last year I thought it was President-now Barack Obama." He also said of the GOP, "I think the Republican party has to take a hard look at itself and decide what kind of party are we? I have always felt that the Republican party should be more inclusive than it generally has been over the years." As for the radio host's influence, Powell noted, "If he is out there, he should be subject to criticism...He shouldn’t have a veto over what someone thinks," referring to how GOP chairman Michael Steele had to apologize after criticizing Limbaugh.

The Grand Old Party is thinking about trotting out an old horse in 2010: Senator "Big Bad" John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is heading up the Republican's Senate campaign efforts, told reporters that he's lining up a challenger to face Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010: "In New York there's sort of a short list. I've talked to Gov. Pataki about it, but I don't know what he will decide." Well, they did have some sort of talk in February—but do New Yorkers really want to see Pataki again? By the end of Pataki's term, in 2006, only 30% of voters approved of the job he was doing! Cornyn was also honest about needing less super-conservative contenders, "I don't expect candidates in the Northeast to be as conservative as I am because frankly I don't think they can win." But he's hopeful, since Hillary Clinton is no longer the incumbent, "Thank President Obama for giving us an opportunity... I'm just not ready to pop the cork yet."

Jack Kemp, a star quarterback on the Buffalo Bills in the 1960s who later became a Republican congressman, died last night at 73 in his Maryland home. His family said, "During the treatment of his cancer, Jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends, a gratitude which the Kemp family shares." While Kemp's football career was impressive, the NY Times reports, "His greatest legacy may stem from his years as a congressman from Buffalo, especially 1978, when his argument for sharp tax cuts to promote economic growth became party policy, one that has endured to this day." Kemp was also an advocate for the Republican party to include more minorities; noting how many of his teammates were black, he told friends, "I can’t help but care about the rights of the people I used to shower with." Kemp, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 1988, was housing secretary under George H.W. Bush and was Bob Dole's running mate in the 1996 election.

Governor Paterson held a press conference today introducing legislation to legalize gay marriage in New York. The governor was not the least bit tepid in his strong support of the issue, saying he has been on record as an advocate for same-sex marriage since 1994. The state's first black governor drew a strong connection between the fight for marital rights and the abolition movement, citing the names of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass. Paterson said:

Mayor Bloomberg has proven once again that even when politicians publicly stray, more often than not they are welcomed back into the arms they ran from. Bloomberg appears to have assured his presence on the Republican line of the ballot in this November's mayoral election, thanks to winning the support of Bronx GOP Chairman Jay Savino, the third of the five borough heads to pledge their support of the mayor. Savino told the Daily News, "Mayor Bloomberg and I have had healthy disagreements over issues at times, but I know he is the right person to lead this city forward." The Bronx and Queens were expected to stand in the way of Bloomberg's attempt at representing the party following his abandonment of the GOP to become an Independent last year. Soon after term limits laws were overturned and Bloomberg declared his bid for a third term, there was speculation that neither the GOP nor Independents would have him on the ballot—now both will.

.Mayor Bloomberg's run for a third term thus far bears a bit of resemblance to with the mayor tearing down obstacles of newspaper opposition, term limits laws and now going through various boroughs' Republican leadership in order to get back on the party line for the November election. After gaining the support of Staten Island's GOPers Saturday night, the mayor is one borough away from a return to the party (the Mayor has the Brooklyn GOP's approval already). Local party chair John Friscia said the mayor's "abandonment" of the GOP shouldn't deter his placement on their line asking rhetorically, "Was he ever really a Republican?" He also said that the borough voted to support the mayor because he has been "a friend to Staten Island," which the Daily News's Elizabth Benjamin translates to, "has provided a pipeline of cash to the borough for a variety of projects." If the mayor gets the support of Manhattan next month, his placement on Row B is official.

Rudy Giuliani popped up once again this week, to chat with Glenn Beck (on April 1) about attorney generals going after financial firms and to chat about the opening of the new Yankee Stadium on Good Day New York.

When Mayor Bloomberg met with the NYC GOP chairs yesterday to court his way onto the Republican line in November, he apparently didn't hesitate to remind them of the goodwill shared between him and his predecessor, Rudy Giuliani. One of the Republican reps at the meeting told the Post, "He said he'd spoken to Rudy a while ago and said [Rudy] was thinking about [running for governor] but hadn't made up his mind yet." Bloomberg was also "very, very critical of Paterson" and thought "Rudy would beat Paterson." The source added, "He said he thinks if Paterson's the nominee, Giuliani would have to run." The Times makes it sound like the room got a little tense yesterday as the mayor tried to sell himself as a Republican and someone brought up his not so GOP-friendly congestion pricing plan. Bloomberg responded, “You can’t just be against everything. You have to propose new solutions.” One of the borough heads told them, “Nobody left feeling warm and fuzzy...He kind of sounded like a Republican."

The next step in Mayor Bloomberg's quest to find his way back on the ballot as a Republican this fall will be a meeting Wednesday morning with the GOP chairs from each of the five boroughs. Since the group has the power to block the mayor from running on the Republican line if three heads vote against it, they certainly have been enjoying a rare moment in the sun. One told the News that even after Wednesday they are likely to continue to make Bloomberg "sweat it out." As for talk that GOP big shots Giuliani and Pataki have been throwing their weight around to help Bloomberg's cause, one of the heads told Elizabeth Benjamin, "I don't see how this is such tremendous pressure - what did Pataki and Giuliani ever do for the party?" The News says that now there is talk of former City Council Minority Leader Tom Ognibene, who, as a conservative, got 3% of the 2005 vote, being recruited to head the Republican ticket.

Rick Lazio, who waged a battle against Hillary Clinton in 2000 for a Senate seat, is telling fellow Republicans to look on the bright side. According to the Daily News, Lazio referred to the GOP's losses around the state at a Conservative Party benefit, "This gives us an opportunity to rebuild ourselves, to not compromise ourselves... We can look at this and we can be discouraged, or we can look at this and we can say this may be our moment." Since Lazio's name has been mentioned alongside Rudy Giuliani's as a possible gubernatorial candidate in 2010, Newsday notes that Lazio admitted to thinking about 2010; he also said, "This isn't a stump speech... But I think the state is moving in the wrong direction."

Recently the five GOP borough heads in New York have been throwing their weight around with veiled threats that they might shut the lights off and pretend that nobody's home when Mayor Mike shows up at their party and tries to get back inside for his mayoral run after ditching out on them last year. They feel scorned by Bloomberg's years of neglecting them even before leaving last year. So who's stepping in to try and smooth things over? GOP brothers (and foes!) from years past, Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki, may be reminding local Repubs that there isn't much of a party these days without the mayor. Pataki said the GOP needs Bloomberg as "someone who's shown his ability to lead the city... [in] tough economic times." And Giuliani told the Post, "There are two big things in running a city: safety and security, and the other is economic stability. And on those two issues, Mike makes (the borough heads) very comfortable. These are practical people who want to make sure that the city has a really good mayor."

Randy Mastro, friend—and former deputy mayor—of Rudy Giuliani, responded to the Observer's question about whether Rudy would run for governor, "If ever New York State needed strong leadership in this fiscal crisis, it's today. And the one thing we know for sure is that Rudy Giuliani is a strong leader who led our city through its fiscal crisis in the early '90s. So New York State could use him now more than ever." The Observer says that other possibilities for the Republican tickets are Rick Lazio and Edward Cox, but Giuliani is "widely acknowledged as the 800-pound G.O.P. gorilla in the room." In recent days, Giuliani has been criticizing Obama and just staying in the media radar. Still, Running Scared writes Rudy & Co. may think the "name Giuliani will be magic for New York State voters who have not yet been directly ruled by him. Of course, as the Gillibrand appointment shows, the smarter money is on someone unassociated with the city."

While he may have won the right to run for a third term, it seems like Mayor Bloomberg has burned so many bridges with the powers that be in the city's political parties that he may have to build his own tunnel (of money) to find a comfy spot on November's ballot. Just a couple of weeks ago, Bloomberg began calling some of his old bedfellows in the Republican Party to see if they'd take him back after needing a little "me time" for the last year. Bloomberg needs permission from a majority of the GOP heads representing each of the five boroughs. According to the Daily News, three out of five of them are so upset with Bloomberg's abandonment that they might not give it to him, but instead pave the way for Gristedes owner John Catsidmatidis, who is considering a run as a Republican and says, "A majority of them are urging me to run." A GOP source even told the News, "If we could all agree on a Democratic candidate, we might even back him." How much does an Independent Party cost again?

Mayor Bloomberg loves to party... hop! Background: Bloomberg, a lifelong Democrat, became a Republican in 2001 to win the 2001—and 2005— mayoral elections, but in June 2007, he became an independent, perhaps setting up a third-party run for president. Well, we now we know that since Bloomberg didn't run for president, he had to get a short at a third mayoral term, so trying to get onto the Republican Party line is just the next logical step! The Post reports that "Bloomberg's political aides have started reaching out to GOP chairs in the five boroughs." Gristedes billionaire John Catsimatidis, who sees himself as the next billionaire mayor of NYC, says, "I've heard from Republican leaders he's been making phone calls." A GOP source tells the Post, "A lot of them [GOP leaders] told me they will not carry petitions for Mayor Bloomberg. They feel he bought us and sold us," but then again, "Let's be real. He's got $20 billion." Getting on the Republican Party could be important, since third-party candidates are listed lower on ballots.

The Today show aired another part of Matt Lauer's interview with Alaska Governor and Sarah Palin. This one includes Lauer asking about Palin's infamous interview with Katie Couric and whether she think President-elect Obama can handle the crisis in Iraq. Yesterday's interview (video after the jump) had Palin discussing the rumors about the $150,000 wardrobe and why the McCain-Palin ticket lost, "I think the economic collapse had a heckuva lot more to do with the campaign's collapse than me personally."

Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin didn't rule out running in 2012 when asked about her future in politics earlier today. She said, "2012 sounds like years away. 2012 ... what will we be doing there, guys. Enrolling Trig in kindergarten and watching Willow get ready to go off to college. There are a lot of good things that will happen in 2012." And she told the town of Wasilla after her concession, "We're going to be just fine. It is a shining moment tonight in history. We do congratulate Barack Obama. It's a great night in history. But I'll tell ya, Wasilla - and everybody there in Alaska - I am just proud to be able to represent Wasilla. I am neither bitter nor vanquished, but very confident in the knowledge that there will be another day. "

With their hold over the state house in jeopardy for one of the first times in the last seventy years, senate Republicans are pulling out all the stops to hold onto their narrow majority this election. Only a single seat separates Republicans and Democrats in the senate and there are more close races this election than in years past. GOPers are banding together and having those in safer races pouring their resources into candidates more at risk of losing a seat. The party has also taken to the airwaves in spots warning New Yorkers of the agenda being pushed by national groups who are pushing Democrats in hopes of legalizing gay marriage in the state. And locally the GOP has gotten a boost from Mayor Bloomberg joining the campaign trail. Ironically, LI Senator Charles Fuschillo told the Times, “The biggest fear is that if we lose the majority, all funding goes to New York City.”

Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart and guest, essayist Sarah Vowell, wondered about the GOP's relationship with NYC. (Jezebel calls it's a frenemy relationship), since the Big Apple is both the center of the East Coast liberal elite/media elite/elitist media and where 2,751 people died on September 11, 2001.

The NY Times has a feature on billionaire Robert Wood Johnson IV's loyalty to the Republican party and his willingness to fork over millions. In fact, a hospitality suite at the RNC was named after him ("Woody Johnson Minneapolis-St. Paul 2008 Host Committee Private Lounge"). Apparently Johnson has a "willingness to engage in the hard slog of making hundreds of calls" to ask people like billionaire David Koch and Donald Trump, "to persuade [them] raise $100,000 each, or failing that, $25,000, marking his progress after each call." And do you want to know how committed he is to McCain's cause? He even called Cablevision's Charles Dolan--who did donate. Gang Green indeed.

Republican presidential John McCain surprised most everyone by selecting Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, as his running mate. He said to the 44-year-old mother of five who joined him at an event in Dayton, Ohio, "I’m very happy today to spend my birthday with you, and to make a historic announcement in Dayton.” Palin is the first female vice presidential candidate in the Republican party.

After some lobbyists told the Post and Daily News that State Senator Malcolm Smith, the Democratic minority leader, seemed to imply they should pay up now to gain Democrats' help (before the Dems win control of the State Senate this fall), Smith now says he was joking. Smith told the Daily News since the event for lobbyists was rained out, "like any good host" he thought it was "important to entertain all guests...That is simply what occurred; and nothing else." As for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos's accusation of "thuggery," Smith said, "I think that demeans his position and has questionable overtones. I call on him to apologize."

While Mayor Bloomberg has denied any interest in running for Governor, the Post finds his desire to steer the NY State GOP...suggestive. Apparently Bloomberg's political adviser Kevin Sheekey, who hinted about the mayor's presidential aspirations, met with a former State Senator, Ray Meier, abou taking over the state GOP. Of course, there may be some other jockeying over power of the state GOP--coming from former mayor Rudy Giuliani who might want to get back into public office.

A lively, discontented rabble marched through the East Village Friday night, protesting what they see as the neighborhood’s ongoing desiccation, caused by “real estate developers, landlords, yuppie wine bars and Republicans.” Organized by longtime gadfly John Penley, the group swelled to approximately 100 protesters, who jeered, sang, read poetry and generally condemned others for enjoying fine wine and luxury apartments.