delicious
diggDemocrat David Weprin had stayed away from embracing President Obama, but Republican Bob Turner effectively tied Obama around Weprin’s neck, and it worked.
We now know at this point President Obama will not have political coattails, and could drag down democrats in next years national and state races.
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ed_kochIs Christine Quinn the Next Mayor of NYC?
And A Good Day to You As Well, Bud
The U.N. is said to be contemplating delaying the vote on the application for Palestinian statehood - http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-un-palestinians-20110921,0,4194458.story - at the same time, former NYC Mayor Edward Koch is praising President Obama for his premptive vote denying them statehood.
Bad night for the White House. Turner takes congressional seat
Today's Special Election: Weprin/Turner and Obama
Forget that ultimately the seat may be gone thanks to redistricting---the battle for ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner's House seat has come down to today and is a real referendum on President Obama.
Shockingly, polling suggests that in this heavily democratic Queens/Brooklyn district, it’s better to be the Republican, one time unknown challenger, Bob Turner today rather than Democrat David Weprin.
John Sampson Would Love to Work With Ed Koch
Senate Conference Leader John Sampson respects former Mayor Koch and his efforts on ethics reform. “I would love to work with former Mayor Koch, because some of the issues he is supporting I am truly in support of,” said Sampson. “We have been trying to do the same things by trying to pass one of the most strict ethics reform bills that has come out of the NYS Senate.”
Sampson has “no problem with an independent commission,” but says, “We have to look at this. We are asking an independent commission to do redistricting.” Explaining his reservations, Sampson said, “These are unelected individuals – bureaucrats – who are going to make these decisions. One of the reasons we are elected by the people is to make such decisions. The question is, are we violating our accountability to the voters? They put us in the position to make those decisions.”
To Hell With Ed KochFor the Record all who sign the pledge of NY Uprising are fools. Where has Ed Koch been, where has he been on the fights that have faced communities in this city for the last 20 years since he left City Hall. Yes he shows up to endorse candidates, and he has made a good living at his law firm. But where has he been on the issues and causes that affect all of us everyday in this City. The answer is no where. Those who live in Ivory Towers, who get angry about the way the game is being played when they stopped playing it themselves years ago, should not be listened to now.
Either you have it or you don't
Just recently I had lunch with former Mayor Ed Koch, and I have to say it was a very pleasurable experience. Some politicians just have “It.” Charisma, personality, charm, the ability to connect with people. Koch has always been one of them.
For the Record
I need to state exactly what I told Liz Benjamin from the NY Daily News this past Tuesday evening because some of the important facts that I told her were not reported: I told Liz I told Liz that the only rat is Ed Koch. I told her that when he was Mayor and was rejected in my community, the only person who stood by him was this rat, and that now this rat is good no more. I told her that I am so angry that because of their calls and editorial boards and because of the insulting Koch statement, there is nothing else that they can do to us or say to us, and that they will see what we can do.
Why is a bankrupt MTA still issuing bonds?Why is a bankrupt MTA still issuing bonds? According to Wednesday's New York Times, the MTA is advertising directly to the public to sell its tax-exempt bonds. Ed Koch is helping with the radio ads. The money is needed to "buy new equipment and maintain the network, which will improve reliability, safety and customer service," says Koch. Actually, the money will be used to pay off existing bondholders! Why would anyone want to invest before Richard Ravitch files his report in a month or two about the MTA's finances? Two people wrote this story and there's not one mention about the credit rating of the bonds?
Ed Koch, Hillary Soprano, & Friends, THE NEVILLE CHAMBERLINS OF OUR TIME.Ed Koch, Hillary Soprano, & Friends, The Neville Chamberlins of our Time. Ed Koch has joined, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, The New York "Traitor" Times. and Hillary Soprano and Obama; they who would be Commander in Chief. They would have us surrender to EVIL in Iraq. They seem to think that if we allow EVIL to prevail, all will be well. Neville Chamberlin told the world that appeasing Hitler we would have peace in our time. He was greeted as a hero on his return from Munich; John Masefield, the poet laureate, took the unprecedented step of writing a poem of praise to the Prime Minister who brought peace in our time.
Gay Voters Want To Know?
[Update: Due to Gatemouth's note of an error that strengthens my argument, references to 1982 have been changed to 1977 and *marked] Every time I read yet another article, blog post or comment that contains the phrase: "Vote for Cuomo, Not the Homo," my blood pressure goes up a bit—Because I don't understand why the hell this is relevant in 2006. First disclaimer: I am a politically active gay man, who was only 6* when these posters were put around Queens.
Cuomo not the homo - revistedLast week in response to an entry of mine about Andrew Cuomo, someone wrote: AGAIN this 1977 thing comes up. Why? THINK FOR A MINUTE: Not one person in this whole wide world has ever kept a copy of any of those so said posters. How come? Wouldn't they be collector's items? And also different people who recollect seeing them have diff descriptions . It's another URBAN POLITICAL LEGEND. I direct all to this Daily News column - "Alas, there is still one big sore spot, and Cuomo raised it yesterday: signs that appeared on Queens lampposts in 1977, saying "Vote for Cuomo, not the homo." The issue threatened to derail Koch, who denied on TV he was gay. Koch believed the Cuomo camp was behind the signs, while Cuomo has always denied it. He said yesterday he thinks he knows who did it, but that there is no point in identifying the person now."
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For 25 years, Koch and I have always had a traditional Newsmaker/Journalistic relationship. I’ve known him as the city’s personable and witty three term mayor, but this time over lunch was different. He was again literally standing as tall as he did when he was mayor. He’s a man in his 80’s, who has had heart problems, but on this day Koch was in his prime. Every weekend, he dines for the most part, with former members of his administration, and it was remarkable to watch Koch hold court without missing a beat. In all these years, I had never seen the private Ed Koch. But this time I did.
