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Alternative leaders offer views on financial bailout

DAN JANISON | dan.janison@newsday.com

September 22, 2008

Shock and awe over the nation's financial crisis - and the enormous taxpayer bailout of failing ventures - are giving alternative candidates and leaders an opportunity to show off differences from major-party figures, and to boast of their prescience.

"Capitalism involves losses as well as profits," said Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr, a former Georgia congressman, who threatens to divert votes from GOP Sen. John McCain, as Ralph Nader allegedly did with Democrat Al Gore eight years ago. "The Fed was not created to take over parts of the U.S. economy," he said. Nader, running again this year, cited his prediction in 2000 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were on track to follow the S&L's of the past "into a big financial heap of trouble." And Texas Rep. Ron Paul, the maverick of the GOP primary debates, recalled warning of distorted incentives in the housing market five years ago.

THE SENATE WAR: Siena College is expected this week to release results of a series of polls in still-unspecified make-or-break State Senate contests. On Long Island, main events have been Republican Barbara Donno's challenge of Democratic Sen. Craig Johnson and Democrat Brian Foley's challenge of Republican Sen. Caesar Trunzo. In Queens, one main event is Joe Addabbo versus Sen. Serphin Maltese.

BEG PARDON: On his "NYPD Confidential" Web site, our ex-colleague Len Levitt suggested that if McCain wins and makes Rudy Giuliani attorney general, Bernie Kerik could win an inside track to a pardon on federal corruption charges. But since McCain's camp whacked Giuliani over Kerik, isn't it more likely President George W. Bush would pardon Kerik on his way out the door? Bush, after all, commuted the sentence of spy-name-leaker I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby - who wasn't even a purported 9/11 "hero." Some wonder, though, if Bush has forgiven Kerik's embarrassing 2004 implosion as security nominee.

DEMS' BUSINESS: Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Nassau Democratic Committee, joins Long Islanders Marsha Laufer, Robert Zimmerman and Gerard Sweeney on the Democratic National Committee. Jacobs replaces Suffolk chairman Richard Schaffer, who looked to give up the slot ... The bi-county Democratic Long Island Caucus of New York State held its first organizational meeting in Manhattan last week.

RIGHT AND LEFT ON THE DIAL: At 12:30 p.m. today, a Ray Bertolino interview with terrorism expert Harvey Kushner, chairman of Long Island University's criminal justice department, airs on WHPC/90.3FM. Kushner, who's advised public agencies, talks presidential politics ... St. Paul, Minn., officials dropped controversial charges against Amy Goodman, host of "Democracy Now!" which runs on NPR, Pacifica and elsewhere. She was among journalists arrested by cops who disregarded press credentials in GOP-convention demonstrations. Separately, Goodman, a 1975 Bay Shore High School graduate, will be inducted Oct. 21 into its Alumni Hall of Fame.