On May 20, 2008, the news media began issuing reports about 3 “targeted attacks” at the office of State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, located in Yonkers, NY. While it seemed that the facts changed on an hourly basis, there were reports that the Senator’s office had been ransacked and that bullets were fired into the office during daytime hours, evoking the image of staffers ducking under their desks for cover.

Inferences were made that there may be a connection between these alleged attacks and ‘anti-abortion’ demonstrators who held rallies outside Stewart-Cousins’ office in protest of the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act (RHAPP). Local News 12 ran footage from a recent rally at the end of their report exhibiting a truly grandiose lapse in editorial judgment. Rally sponsors, who have an established history of peaceful pro-life activity, were not contacted for comment before reports aired and appeared in print.

It's quiet.

But listen very, very carefully, and you can hear the counting of dollar bills.

The budget's passed. Congestion pricing is dead. State legislators are up for re-election in seven months. For the most industrious of them, it's time to start selling their integrity.

I mean, fundraising.

Tonight was the Take Back the Senate fundraiser, hosted by the Bronx Democratic Committee. A $400-a-plate City Island soiree intended to kick up money for the Democrats' stated goal of taking the Senate, it's just the most notable of the political horse-trading that comes with the summer before an election.

This is the inaugural edition of the BenWatch, a blog devoted to tracking the Pro-Hillary and Anti-Obama slant to Ben Smith's coverage of the Democratic primary at Politico.  

As anyone who's been paying attention will know, Ben clearly has a bias.  This blog aims to: a.) expose that bias for what it is; b.) give other disaffected Politico (an allegedly neutral politcal news outlet that has sponsored a Democratic debate and which has had inredible access to the candidates) readers a place to record grievances; c.) explore the agenda of the center-right Politico.com.

Attentive readers will know that Ben's pieces have the feel of soft-core porn for Hillary (where Larry Johnson and Taylor Marsh would be hard-core).  They will know that Ben broke the incendiary "story" that even Larry Johnson wouldn't break about tenuous connections between Obama and Ayers in Hyde Park.