Spin Cycle
News, views and commentary on Long Island, state and national politics
Deception: A proposed video model for the first anti-Weiner ad
It's not as if his stupid little scandal is ancient history.
It was less than two years ago that Anthony Weiner the former Congressman did this dodge dance on MSNBC, whose interviewer Rachel Maddow can't exactly be called part of the vast right-wing conspiracy that was "out to get him": He obviously thought he could coyly get over with some cute sidesteps and deceptions, which indicates...
Read more »NYC: Is Weiner's 15 percent a movement or a mirage?
Latest reports on the Marist Poll are in: Tony 'the Twitter' Weiner at 15 percent! And he's not even declared ! Better than others who have been campaigning! Runoff involving Christine Quinn, or someone else, if he jumps in! Oh the excitement!
Well, just to get grounded, consider this Associated Press report from May 2, 2001:
Two new polls out Wednesday show any one of the four Democratic...
Read more »Suffolk's missing event invite: Oversight or payback?
Photo credit: John Roca
Suffolk County Legis. Kate Browning chairs lawmakers’ public safety committee, represents Bellport village, and has long been an advocate for reducing gun violence there.
So when she didn’t receive an invite to County Executive Steve Bellone’s “Gun Violence Awareness Month” press conference – scheduled to take place Wednesday in Bellport – she wondered.
Wondered, that is, whether her...
Read more »Cuomo when asked about Weiner: Seeya!
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was asked about ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner making noise about running for mayor. Cuomo laughed and said:
"I have no comment on that. This press conference is over. Thank you very much."...
Read more »Boston Marathon organizers say two bombs went off
All news on the Boston Marathon disaster and its aftermath will be posted on the main Web site here. ...
Read more »Some primary color: Haber vs. Suozzi on menu for Nassau Dems
Photo credit: Anthony Lanzilote
Expect Adam Haber, running for Nassau executive, to drop by Monday night’s spring dinner of the Nassau Democrats, where as many as 1,200 are expected to attend. Since the leadership of the party organization favors his rival Tom Suozzi, however, Haber allies say you can also expect that he won’t stick around and will leave to knock on doors in Hicksville.
If Haber shows, Jay Jacobs, party...
Read more »School-exam backlash on display in NYC mayoral race
Because New York City constitutes one massive school district -- controlled by one powerful mayor -- the race to succeed Michael Bloomberg looms large for its education system, and indirectly, the state's.
In election forums around the city this season, candidates for mayor are reliably rewarded with applause when they rebuke current exam practices -- echoing a similar sense of parental "opt-out"...
Read more »Premature predictions, a political perennial
Photo credit: NYS governor's office
Politics is full of people who were widely supposed to have left by now.
Loose talk of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo somehow shoving Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) out the door comes and goes -- a cycle now in its fourth year.
Senior Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Manhattan) has been written off several times since 2008, having gotten into ethics trouble and lost his committee chairmanship.
Detractors...
Read more »Do out-of-power Nassau Dems have a shot at comptroller slot?
Might the county comptroller's race offer a better chance for out-of-power Nassau Democrats next fall than the county executive election? Some party members seem to think so, noting first-term GOP Comptroller George Maragos' two failed attempts in three years to move up to U.S. senator, and his alliance with the Mangano administration.
Potential challengers Legis. Wayne Wink (D-Roslyn) and...
Read more »Ethics board doesn't go out of its way to announce Cuomo ruling
Photo credit: Charles Eckert
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics issued a ruling that says state taxpayers must continue to pay when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo uses state helicopters to commute to and from his Westchester County home when on official business.
The board never went out of its way to get the word out.
Its opinion is dated March 28. It reportedly was posted on the board’s website Thursday, though there...
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