The election for governor is less than a year away, and the primary for the Democratic nomination is even closer, and Andrew Cuomo has still not decided to run. Many of my Demoratic friends are worried this means an easy Republican victory against Gov. Paterson. Not so. The only announced Republican candidate, is former congressman Rick Lazio, who in politics is compared to someone who subsitutes a Saturday talk show host. Paterson could theoretically beat him based on name recognition. Whether Paterson's victory will be good for the state of New York is a different question.

 Overall I give Paterson a 'B'. All the problems that are happening in Albany, is because of the bickering stupidity of the state legislator. Gov. Paterson is the only one in Albany who is working hard to solve our budget crisis. I'll be the first to tell you, I don't want him to run. The poll numbers are not his fault. To paraphrase Eliot Spitzer, "When a governor is so unpopular, the people are angry at the wrong person". New Yorkers should be angry at the last presidential administration, not at Gov. Paterson.

“To meddle for a half a second, I think if we had Mayor Giuliani for governor, and we had Governor Pataki for senator, we would be a large step toward a tidal wave, which would make 2010 comparable to 1994,” Mr. Gingrich said.

Newt's nuts.

George Pataki is politically dead in New York and has been for years. Rudy Giuliani was popular in 2001 (when he last held elected office), but 2010 is nine years removed from that. Giuliani's presidential campaign was a disaster to his name. Giuliani is making a mint doing consulting and will probably stay there.

If the Republican Party was serious about developing the Republican brand it New York, it could have done several things. It could have said "no" to allowing Michael Bloomberg back on its ticket. It could have pulled out a victory for Jim Tedisco in a Congressional special election for the current senator's old seat. That election was in a Republican stronghold, after all. But it's loss one and loss two.

Monday's "El Rushbo to New York: Drop Dead" should be read in its entirety. Limbaugh is based in both Florida and New York City, but he's thinking of eliminating his NYC operations and moving to a no-income-tax state like...Texas!

"When I am there working I pay whatever, you know, my rate is based on income for that day in New York.  And I try to go as little as possible. If it weren't for hurricanes down here, I would never go up there.  New York is the escape valve in case hurricanes are showing up in our area, because of the loss of electricity.  So I'll tell you what I'm going to do.  I'm going to look for an alternative studio somewhere outside New York, perhaps Texas -- another no-income-tax state -- and I'm going to get the hell over there, when a hurricane starts coming our way, 'cause I told Mayor Bloomberg: I'll be the first to lead the way.  You know, this is just... I'll sell my apartment. I'll sell my condominium. I'm going to get out of there totally, 'cause this is just absurd, and it's ridiculous -- and it isn't going to work. It's punishing the achievers for the mistakes and the lack of discipline on the part of a bunch of corrupt politicians that have run that city and state into the ground for I don't know how many years -- and I, for one, am not going to take the blame for it."

...and the Mayor for Political Aspirations want David Paterson to hurry up and get with their non-partisan, good-government program for selecting Caroline Kennedy a US Senator:

"The governor should make a decision reasonably quickly because this is just getting out of control," Bloomberg said. "Everybody's focusing on the wrong things."

I'm sure the governor appreciates the advice, Kevin.

Today's Clinton-for-SecState trial balloon should revive a lightning round of speculation (and maybe even some early premature lobbying as storylines collide) about whom Gov. Paterson might appoint to succeed her.

Let the reindeer games begin!

In today's LunchBox, host Adam Green on: Comptroller Alan Hevesi, Eliot Sptizer, J. Christopher Callaghan, Capitol Confidential, the Pope, Muslims, Buddhists and more...