Republicans Are Still Holding Sebelius' Confirmation Back

Isn't it about time to let the President have the staff he needs to get the job done that the American people elected him to do? In case you have one of these Republicans representing you in the Senate, tell them to stop blocking Kathleen Sebelius from being our next Health and Human Services Secretary.

Franken Expands Lead, Another Ridiculous Coleman Argument Shattered

Today was another positive moment for the future Senator Franken from Minnesota. The loser in the race, incumbent Norm Coleman had been dragging out the race in the courts once the recount had finished and put Franken in the lead. Since then, Franken has continued to hold a slim but steady advantage of a couple hundred votes. Now that Coleman had his "wrongly rejected" ballots counted, his chances became even slimmer.

From The Star-Tribune:

Minutes after the ballots were opened for the first time, state elections director Gary Poser counted them, reading off the votes one by one to a hushed courtroom. When he was done, Franken's lead had grown from 225 to 312 votes.

Coleman's case during the trial has rested mostly on counting absentee ballots that he contends had been wrongly rejected. Barring an unexpected court ruling, he now lacks the ballots needed for a trial victory, and his lawyers repeated vows to appeal an adverse final verdict.

Franken's side hailed the day's developments. "The result confirms what we knew going in, which is that more Minnesotans voted for Al Franken than Norm Coleman," said lawyer Marc Elias. "That was the case when we recounted the ballots the first time, and it's now the case after the election contest."

Whether or not Coleman will call it quits after this is still up in the air. He could go completely haywire and protest the state Supreme Court, but I don't know if they accept cases solely because a candidate for office ended up losing.

Meanwhile, millions of Minnesotans are without a Senator representing them in Washington while a few Republicans surrounding Coleman continue to help drag this out for the sake of cheap political games. Franken has been a financial boon to the leaders of the GOP, as they hold fundraisers that paint him as their new official boogeyman of the Democratic party in that they claim he is stealing an election that he had won.

Atlantic Yards Exacerbates Blight Problem It Claimed To Fix

Irony is a funny thing. At some level the situation it describes is both funny and tragic. In the case of the Atlantic Yards monstrosity development, it is hard to find humor when you have been forced to sell your house and/or see your neighborhood ripped up in front of you for a greedy developer. Bruce Ratner and his partners had claimed that it was necessary to clean the area up and make it Gehry-ified but now it turns out it was Ratner that blighted the area.

From The Gothamist:

Government officials and developer Bruce Ratner have for years tried to seize private property in Prospect Heights to build an arena, office towers and apartments, arguing that the neighborhood was the epitome of urban blight. Opponents, meanwhile, countered that the developer was swooping in just as Prospect Heights was experiencing its first revitalization in decades.

Now, after years of demolition but no construction, the project has brought about the very blighted conditions officials ostensibly sought to remedy. Ironic, huh? Sadly, it's not the fashionable Napoleon Dynamite-type irony; more like the old fashioned irony that led Oedipus to gouge his eyes out after he realized what the hell happened. And with the development foundering, residents fear an increasingly desolate future.

Well it may not be as bad as what happened with Oedipus, but what Ratner has done to the area is extremely tragic to say the least. It should be criminal for what they are doing to this neighborhood, but unfortunately the politicians are all too happy to be supportive of the developers in exchange for campaign contributions and not sticking up for what is best for the people of Brooklyn.

What Is A Payday Loan And Why Do People Get Them?

From a third party perspective, payday loans are simply bad news. Yet so many people, particularly poor people commonly deal with these dubious lenders. Amanda Logan at the Center for American Progress explains it:

Absentee Ballot Numbers Look Good For Murphy

Standard campaign protocol dictates that in a race that is too close to call, even after several days, that each side stop just short of declaring themselves the winner. Confidence is key and it also helps to bring in donations to fund all the election lawyers either candidate needs. However, beneath what the candidate says, is the reality of the polling situation. As of this moment, with a day to go before counting of absentee ballots begins, Scott Murphy in the 20th District seems to have the numbers on his side.

From The Albany Project:

NY-20: Absentee Ballot Distribution Appears to Favor Murphy (D)

One thing that seems fairly clear is that there tend to be a relatively higher proportion of absentee ballots returned in counties where Murphy performed well on election night. For example, Columbia County, where Murphy won 56.3 percent of the of the vote last week, accounted for 9.8 percent of ballots on election night, but accounts for 15.3 percent of absentees. Conversely, Saratoga County, which is a Tedisco stronghold, represented 36 percent of ballots on election night but only 27.2 percent of absentees:

If I simply apportion the absentee ballots based on the distribution of the election day vote in each county, I show Murphy gaining a net of 173 ballots during the absentee counting phase. In addition, as Michael Barone has noted, although a plurality of the absentee ballot returns are Republican, they are somewhat less Republican than registration in the district as a whole.

And some more from Campaign Diaries:

1. 3107 (45,8%) ballots have been returned from registered Republicans and 2383 (35,1%) from registered Democrats. Among the entire electorate, the gap between the share of registered Republicans and of registered Democrats is 15%. That means that the pool of absentee voters is significantly Republican than the electorate at large.

2. Counties where Murphy performed well are dramatically over-represented in the pool of (uncounted) absentee ballots:

* Columbia County, which gave the Democrat 56% of the vote, cast 9.8% of the district's votes last Tuesday; but 15,3% of the absentee ballots come from there!

* Two other counties that gave Murphy 56% are over-represented. Warren County and Washington County represented 10% and 8,1% of last Tuesday's districtwide, respectively; but they make up 15% and 9,2% of the incoming absentee ballots!

* Inversely, Saratoga County, which saved Tedisco's candidacy by giving him 54% of the vote, represented 36% of the districtwide vote last Tuesday. Now, only 27% of absentee ballots come from Saratoga - a sharp drop.

Let's put this otherwise: Murphy is winning Columbia County and Warren County by 12%; he is losing Saratoga by 8%. Last Tuesday, Columbia and Warren combined made up 20% of the districtwide vote, while Saratoga made up 36%. Now, there are more absentee ballots from Warren and Columbia combined than from Saratoga. That does not bode well for Tedisco.

Philip at TAP points out that while the numbers are good, we should all help chip in to make sure Murphy's lawyers get compensated for doing their work. Tedisco has plenty of people on his side trying to make the results more favorable for him, so we need to work twice as hard to ensure that the results come out with a full degree of accuracy so that the actual winner prevails.

TWU Doesn't Realize Shame Won't Work On State Senate GOP

Getting a comprehensive bill passed to help the M.T.A. and the millions that use it is becoming more and more of a longshot. The closer we come to May 31st, the harder it gets. The State Senate is unable to get something done because of a few bad apples in the Democratic caucus that think political grandstanding is worth a 25% fare increase for straphangers. The Transit Workers Union, who will also suffer from lost jobs due to service cuts, is trying to push NYC's three Republican Senators in hope of sparing them the doomsday budget.

From The NY Daily News:

Hoping to shame Republicans into supporting a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bailout, the Transport Workers Union will launch an ad campaign Monday targeting a trio of GOP senators from the city.

"Republican state Sens. Frank Padavan, Marty Golden and Andrew Lanza have a choice to make," the TV advertisement states. "They can vote for an MTA rescue plan that saves fares, services and jobs - or they can join their fellow Republicans and sit on their hands while our transit system grinds to a halt."

This effort, while well-intentioned is not going to do anything but help sustain the advertising revenue of whomever plays the spots. Shame isn't going to work on a minority caucus that is hoping the Senate fails New York in such spectacular fashion that the GOP might be able to take back the majority next year.

The only hope of getting something passed is having the troublesome Democrats (Espada, Kruger, Diaz, etc.) get back on board and support whatever Smith and Silver come up with. While that would be an incredible feat, it is much more likely than the likes Lanza, Golden and Padavan scorning Dean Skelos' message of how Republicans are being treated like dirt by Smith and therefore the minority must hold out together because of it.

Wm. Black Explains How To Solve Banking Problem And What Geithner Refuses To Do

Former regulator and financial expert William Black was on Bill Moyers last week and now he's here at Cenk Uyugr's show on Air America. The more he gets press the better, because everyone needs to know what he's talking about.

Ex-Pols Love Their Vanity Plates

They may not have their special-issue state plates anymore, but a few local politicians who have either left or been kicked out of office still like their cars to seem official. The Daily News caught a number of these former electeds with official-looking vanity plates where it could be argued they're looking for a certain kind of treatment with NYPD's parking enforcement.

From The NY Daily News:

Longtime State Sen. Marty Connor lost his reelection bid last fall, but you wouldn't know that from looking at his Jeep Cherokee.

Connor, an election lawyer in Brooklyn, has license plates reading "25 SD" - presumably referring to the 25th Senate District, which he represented for 30 years.

The former senator, who registered the vanity plates just days before his successor was sworn in, brushed off the suggestion that his plate referred to the seat he lost in November.

"That's your conclusion," he said. "I don't have to tell you why I picked the plate."

Connor isn't the only former politician sporting vanity plates that appear to give an air of authority. Several former City Council members own cars with license plates starting with an official-looking "NYC."

Perhaps Connor just likes the letters "SD" and the number "25" put together for aesthetic reasons. And perhaps the other former pols like putting "NYC" on their plates to show they live in New York as opposed to the ten million or so cars that also have New York license plates. However, this is a more realistic reason:

The advocacy group Transportation Alternatives said that, for some government workers and elected officials, plates that appear official are part of a "culture of entitlement."

"Official-looking plates, to our eyes, are one of the most widespread ways that people skirt the law and manage to avoid parking enforcement," said the group's spokesman, Wiley Norvell.

It may not legally give special powers to these former pols, but on the chance that it will fool a parking enforcement official, then the fee would be worth it. Though I really think that may just be a potential bonus, what it comes down to is that these politicians are into their own vanity, and express it on their cars.

Rangel Fails To Endorse Dems Over Bloomberg

Yet another sign of Democratic disunity in New York was on display yesterday when the ethically-challenged Congressman Charlie Rangel couldn't manage to side with his party for the upcoming mayoral election. Rangel is known for blowing off the press in regards to his own corruptive nature, but this is the first I've heard of him blowing off the Democratic party.

From The Daily Politics:

At separate events today, two Democratic heavyweights - Rep. Charlie Rangel and former President Bill Clinton - were effusive in their praise of Mayor Bloomberg, and although both stopped short of endorsing his re-election outright, they didn't announce support of his opponent, Comptroller Bill Thompson, either.

Rangel, a veteran Harlem pol and dean of the congressional delegation, said he is not ready "at this time" to take sides in the mayor's race, despite the fact that Thompson is vying to become only the second African American to hold the post in the city's history.

The DN's Erin Einhorn reports from a Harlem affordable housing announcement that Rangel said Bloomberg has "done a great job," but also added: "Having the comptroller being prepared to be able to run, I think, is totally unfair and the way that term limits have been removed."

Asked point-blank whether he has decided who he will back, Rangel said: "Not yet, no."

So with Bill Clinton at his side, Rangel took out a figurative pistol and shot Thompson in the foot, while the former President looked on without comment. As much as I would hope that Rangel could endorse Thompson (or even Avella) on his own and show that he cares about his local party, the disloyality goes much deeper than just one Harlem Congressman. What we need is leadership and currently, there is none.

Tedisco's New Ad To Help Poll Absentee Voters

Jimmy Tedisco is on the air again in order to raise money for his "ballot integrity" fund:



Yet when we take a closer look at what Jim's post-campaign machine is up to, integrity is the farthest thing from what is actually going on.

A Dream Come True: The "Bush Six"

I always love hearing a good story about how seemingly crazy, wishful thinking slowly but surely becomes certifiable fact. Case in point is British lawyer Phillippe Sands who wrote a book claiming that several of the top men in the Bush Administration would be tried in court for their crimes against humanity. The subjects of the book responded harshly and most of the traditional media in the U.S. ignored it. Now however, Sands' prediction is starting to stand on more solid ground and the story caught the eye of the New Yorker this week:

Last week, Sands’s accusations suddenly did not seem so outlandish. A Spanish court took the first steps toward starting a criminal investigation of the same six former Bush Administration officials he had named, weighing charges that they had enabled and abetted torture by justifying the abuse of terrorism suspects. Among those whom the court singled out was Feith, the former Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy, along with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; John Yoo, a former Justice Department lawyer; and David Addington, the chief of staff and the principal legal adviser to Vice-President Dick Cheney.

In Washington the other night, over a cup of camomile tea, Sands described the behind-the-scenes role he played in spurring the Spanish court to action. He paced his hotel room, seeming by turns proud and stunned at what he had done. “This is the end of these people’s professional reputations!” he said. “This is no joke. We’re talking about the serious potential deprivation of liberty.”

A deprivation of liberty is exactly what those men need, and you can add Dick Cheney and George Bush to that list as well. Yet one has to wonder, how did this Brit get so involved in the illegalities of American politicos?

The current torture case began in the spring of 2004, when photographs of abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib surfaced. Sands said that he read the protestations of innocence from Bush Administration officials, who blamed a few “bad apples” for the incidents, with the eye of a barrister. He recalled, “I could spot right away that they were speaking as advocates of a cause. So I decided to find out what really happened.” While keeping up his busy law practice, he travelled to America to interview the key players in what he described as “a writing project I am engaged in on international law and the war on terror.” Many Bush officials, including Feith and William J. Haynes II, the former Pentagon general counsel, who was also named in the Spanish lawsuit, agreed to meet with Sands, perhaps expecting a friendly chat. “I spent two years trekking around the country, finding out that they were manifestly untruthful,” Sands said. “I’ve got a particular bugbear about lawyers,” he added. “If not for lawyers, none of these abuses would have ever occurred.”

Like Sands, I've got a serious bugbear with all of the White House goons that were involved with the condoning of torture. There were some serious crimes committed under Bush's watch and hardly anyone tried to stop the perpetrators. Without much scrutiny, the masterminds were able to blame the little people and expected to get away with their terrible deeds. Now that we have at least one court in trying them, hopefully justice will prevail as Sands predicts.

NY To Paterson, Stay Home Next Year!

Governor Paterson continues to get bad news from the polls. His latest rating has him disapproved by more than two-thirds of New Yorkers and a solid majority want him to simply leave after what is left of Eliot Spitzer's term is up. He may have only been on the job for a little more than a year, but what people have seen so far is basically not good enough.

From PolitckerNY:

Sixty-three percent of voters said Paterson should not be elected to a full term in office, compared with only 22 percent that said he should, according to a new Quinnipiac poll released this morning.

Paterson’s job approval rating sunk to 28-60 percent.

Democrats, by a margin of 49-45 percent, say Paterson should announce now that he won’t seek election to the governor’s office next year. Democrats also said that if the election were held today, they’d vote for Andrew Cuomo instead of Paterson, by a margin of 61 to 18 percent. That’s a slightly larger margin than Cuomo had over Paterson in Quinnipiac’s poll in February, where he led 55-23 percent. (Coincidentally, I'm sure, the attorney general has begun openly campaigning against Paterson, authorizing a critical statement about the budget to Fred Dicker in today's Post.)

Cuomo is in the best position to run for governor by simply doing his job as Attorney General and letting Paterson sink himself. Not only has Paterson let himself be sucked into all that is dysfunctional with Albany, he couldn't even get anything done with his extraordinary powers. Instead, weak leadership and no real vision has left most voters sour with the accidental executive and wanting for someone that can actually take charge...hopefully with some real reform for the system as well.

Sen. Schneiderman Argues To Remedy The Damages Done By Rockefeller Drug Laws

Senator Schneiderman addresses his critics concerns, then goes full throttle in his defense of the smartest thing the Senate has done since Democrats took over. Watch it here:

Congress Considers Regressive Campaign Finance Reform

Generally when a legislative body considers reform of some sort, the intent is to help society progress in some fashion. However, that is not the case with the latest bill that addresses the tenuous issue of campaign finance. The battle over money in politics has gone on for decades, but the current Congress (particularly those that wrote these bills) is trying to hoodwink the public into thinking something is being done when the "big donor" and "special interest" money is merely being diverted. Dan Jacoby dug through the language of the legislation and found what was being done.

From The Albany Project:

Looking at the House bill, the key sentence is found on in Section 513, on page 17. (House bill text available at the GPO website.) It reads, "For purposes of this subsection, a payment made by a political party in coordination with a participating candidate shall not be treated as a contribution to or as an expenditure made by the participating candidate." In other words, political parties, and their various committees, can continue to raise and spend all the money they can get their greedy hands on.

Under this bill, it becomes obvious to anyone who has been involved in campaign fundraising that instead of a candidate trying to raise $4,600 directly, the candidate will ask for $100 for his or her campaign, and have the other $4,500 donated to the candidate's political party committee. The money won't disappear; it will merely shift from a candidate's campaign committee to the party's campaign committee.

Meanwhile, in a complete waste of taxpayer money, the government will be dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into campaigns to replace money that will still be raised and spent on campaigns and elsewhere.

This all means that everything bad about money and politics will remain the same, with the addition of federal money to back it up. The critics get plenty of ammunition to shut this flawed bill down and allows for another year, or two or more to go by with no real solution to our campaign finance problem. Meanwhile, there is a blueprint to go by that works, but the authors of this bill think they can trick us.

Being A Drunk-Driving Ex-Congressman Really Doesn't Work

Ex-Congressman John Sweeney needs help. The former legislator got pulled over for his second DWI in 17 months, qualifying him as a felon. Apparently he didn't learn his lesson in 2007 that drinking and driving don't mix. Though from his professional qualifications, you'd think he would know this stuff already.

From The Times-Union:

At 3:30 a.m., Sweeney, 53, was stopped for speeding on Route 9 in Clifton Park, State Police said. He refused sobriety tests and was charged with felony DWI, police said.

Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy said Sweeney will automatically lose his license for a year because he refused the breath and blood alcohol tests.[...]

Sweeney, a former STOP-DWI coordinator in Rensselaer County, has made headlines a number of times in recent years after brushes with the law. In addition to his DWI arrests, in September it was revealed that federal investigators are exploring Sweeney's dealings with an Albany lobbying firm after the four-term congressman was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee in 2001.

The irony doesn't fail to deliver here. Perhaps he was frustrated that his former Congressional seat might be lost to yet another Democrat, or that his own legal troubles (non-alcoholic) are getting the best of him. Whatever the case, Sweeney should know better, and now he'll have to pay for it.

Honoring The Fallen In Iraq By Acknowledging Them

For the entirety of the war in Iraq, George Bush banned cameras from Dover Air Force Base when our dead soldiers came home. To him, it was better that we not think about the consequences of his action and go on with our lives as if the war was something that happened "over there," not here at home. Now with a new President, we as a nation can finally start to honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.

It's An Incumbent's World In NY

The politicians were patting themselves on the back last week for allowing one of their comrades in the state senate to vote for the budget after she had fallen ill, going so far as to hit back against the press that has slammed them for their corruption and greed. Yet when you take a good look at what is going on in Albany whatever the Malcolm Smiths say in response to their critics is mostly fabricated.

So we should vote these corrupt bastards out, right? Well not so fast, the DN's Henry Stern tells us why that is highly unlikely to happen, even if the politician needs to be kicked to the curb.

From The NY Daily News:

The first is gerrymandering. The boundaries of existing districts have been carefully drawn to include areas where the incumbent is popular and exclude areas where potential opponents may reside. The Legislature has repeatedly rejected efforts to provide nonpartisan districting, because the current system gives incumbents districts that have been made-to-order for their political convenience. There's no sign of this changing anytime soon.

The second major advantage office-holders enjoy is free mailing privileges. For most of the year, incumbents send out illustrated brochures, styled as reports to constituents, but largely consisting of self-serving prose about the incumbent's accomplishments and photographs of himself, alone, with children or with grateful senior citizens.

Although these "reports" may not be mailed for a 90-day period before an election, the incumbent will have been sending these advertisements for the preceding year and nine months of his two-year term.

When you factor in that most incumbents have served for many terms - the average tenure exceeds 10 years - the public gains familiarity with the incumbent, even if they have no clear idea of who he is or exactly what he does.

Then you have to navigate New York's antiquated petition-signature process, get around the pork legislators are allowed to bring to their district and of course the cost of dealing with the expense of advertising in the #1 media market in the country. That is why over 90% of incumbents never leave their office until they are good and ready.

And that doesn't just apply to our state government. That is the way it works in the city as well. Term limits was supposed to help curb the powers of incumbency, but we all saw how the powerful politicians (see Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn and 28 others) were able to skirt the laws that the public had put in place to prevent such abuse.

Either one of two things must happen to right this ship we are all on. Reinstituting term limits for the city...and a new law for the state would help to some degree. It was starting to work in NYC and that is exactly why Bloomberg and Quinn got rid of it. Or, we could completely overhaul our government so that gerrymandering isn't allowed, pork is cut and the election process is majorly overhauled. Yeah, that is a tall order, so maybe we should start with term limits and go from there...preferably in a quick fashion so that clean elections follows soon after.

Rep. Conyers Does What Sen. Leahy Was Too Afraid Of

This past week a group of Vermont citizens found out that their senior senator had failed them in seeking out justice and accountability for the crimes committed by the Bush Administration. Not only did Leahy not demand those accused to be tried in court, he couldn't muster the courage to call for a phony "Truth Commission" that would air out all the dirty laundry of the past eight years. Thankfully though we have a fighter in House that is willing to go above and beyond Vermont's weak-kneed senator.

From The Public Record:

On Thursday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers quietly released the final draft of an extensive report he first unveiled in January documenting the Bush administration’s “unreviewable war powers” and the possible crimes committed in implementing those policies.

In order to determine whether Bush officials broke laws, Conyers has recommended that Attorney General Eric Holder appoint a special prosecutor to launch a criminal inquiry to investigate, among other things, whether “enhanced interrogation techniques” used against alleged terrorist detainees violated international and federal laws against torture.

“The Attorney General should appoint a Special Counsel to determine whether there were criminal violations committed pursuant to Bush Administration policies that were undertaken under unreviewable war powers, including enhanced interrogation, extraordinary rendition, and warrantless domestic surveillance,” Conyers’s report says. “In this regard, the report firmly rejects the notion that we should move on from these matters.” An earlier draft of the report contained a similar recommendation, but the final version includes additional evidence that has surfaced since January to support Conyers's reasoning s for a special prosecutor. The updated version “highlights significant source materials and Judiciary Committee accomplishments, and accounts for the final days of the Bush Administration.”

Now the ball is in Attorney General Holder's court. Far from the Bush sycophant that former A.G. Mukasey was, Holder has a much higher regard for the rule of law. Of course he still actually has to go through with appointing a prosecutor, so he has to prove he's worthy in the eyes of the law. Hopefully Obama and his top man at the Justice Department will have the agency live up to its' name for the first time in over eight year.

Obama's Weekly Address: Oh So Many Challenges

This week's edition comes to you from the Presidential desk on Air Force One:



As Obama notes, we have a lot of problems, but there are solutions to them all....as long as we are willing to seize upon those solutions and not let petty politics get in the way.

Steve King Reaffirms His Homophobe Cred In Spite Of His State

When it comes to right-wing nuttiness, Congressman Steve King of Iowa is right up there on the top of the list. His home state made headlines yesterday when the state's Supreme Court followed the lead of several Northeastern states and California in that bans on same-sex marriage is a violation (.pdf file) of the equal protection clause. It was a tremendous judicial victory for equal rights in a part of the country that is still behind the more progressive parts. Unfortunately, King had to sully the occasion with his own ignorant and hateful screed.

From ThinkProgress:

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) reacted with fury to the Court’s decision, calling the ruling “unconstitutional” and denigrating the “activist judges” who decided it. He called for an constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and pressed for immediate action to prevent Iowa from becoming a “Mecca” for gay couples:

Now it is the Iowa legislature’s responsibility to pass the Marriage Amendment to the Iowa Constitution, clarifying that marriage is between one man and one woman, to give the power that the Supreme Court has arrogated to itself back to the people of Iowa. Along with a constitutional amendment, the legislature must also enact marriage license residency requirements so that Iowa does not become the gay marriage Mecca due to the Supreme Court’s latest experiment in social engineering.

ThinkProgress also made a list of other bigoted statements that show this last one is not isolated at all:

– King compared gay people to unicorns and leprechauns. “Unicorns, leprechauns, gay marriages in Iowa — these are all things you will never find because they just don’t exist.”

– King sought to uphold anti-gay employment discrimination. “The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would force employers to hire homosexual employees.”

– King insisted homosexuality was just a “behavior.” Declaring that “homosexual marriage is not a civil right,” King said sexual orientation “is a self-identified behavior, not an immutable characteristic.”

If there's anything positive to take from this, it is that the hatred King holds for other human beings due to their sexual orientation is something that is waning in this country. That is not to say that the upcoming battles for equality will be a walk in the park, but that over time, more people will realize that they have nothing to fear from gay people and will see that they deserve all the rights and privileges afforded to straight people.

Immigration Rage Turns Tragic In Binghamton

The entire nation has been transfixed on the small upstate town of Binghamton today due to the brutal violence inside a community immigration assistance office. A man that goes by the alias of Jiverly Voong took his own life after killing at least a dozen others. The news is absolutely tragic to say the least.

From The Albany Times-Union:

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- A gunman opened fire on a room where immigrants were taking a citizenship exam in downtown Binghamton on Friday, killing as many as 13 people before committing suicide, officials said.[...]

The suspect's body was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office of the American Civic Association building, the official said. The gunman barricaded the rear door of the building with his car before entering through the front door, firing his weapon, the official said.

The gunman had recently been let go from IBM in nearby Johnson City, said Rep. Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton. The gunman opened fire on a citizenship class, he said.

"People were there in the process of being tested for their citizenship," Hinchey said in a telephone interview. "It was in the middle of a test. He just went in and opened fire."

The pundits will be going non-stop today and for the next few days on how terrible this was and for the most part, that it was an isolated innocent and nothing more. The reality however, is that this type of violence is fomented by the bigots who spout their hatred of immigrants on Fox News and conservative radio. Bill O'Reilly, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity and all those that like him all play a part in this terrible incident. This isn't a one-time only tragedy, it is a result of the immigrant bashing (whether overt or covert) that all of them love to do in order to boost their ratings.

Update (4/4/09-11am): In light of this, it is probably unlikely the attacker watched Bill O'Reilly or any of the right-wing hatemongers on radio and/or TV. However, that does not mean there is a culture of violence in their speech and does not fuel events similar to what happened yesterday. Immigrants are routinely lambasted for taking "American" jobs and discriminated against for not being as assimilated as many wingers would like. Whether or not "Mr. Voong" felt threatened by other immigrants (according to his sister he has been in America for 28 years) is something we won't know for sure, yet the hostility and divisiveness of this debate should not be dismissed lightly.

Thompson Speaks Out Against Dramatic Raise In Water Rates

The mayor's appointees on the city's water board have decided to raise rates an astounding 14% this week. That increase, coupled with the other raises in the mayor's current term amount to a 60% rise according to mayoral candidate and Comptroller Bill Thompson.

Leahy's "Truth Commission" Fails (As Expected)

Not that this is too surprising, but Senator Leahy's much-touted "Truth Commission" has failed to get off the ground. The senator from Vermont had promised us some sort of closure for the many injustices committed by members of the Bush Administration since 2001 but apparently that isn't going to happen. Many people on the left had called for prosecutions of the various criminals (from Bush and Cheney on down) but Leahy couldn't even get that far. Now his "compromise" solution won't even go anywhere.

From ThinkProgress:

In a meeting on Monday with Vermont citizens, Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) admitted that the truth commission he has advocated to examine Bush administration crimes like torture most likely won’t happen. Reporter Charlotte Dennett writes that Leahy said political opposition was too strong to overcome:

Halfway through the allotted 30 minute meeting (with him taking up much of the time explaining why he was not generally opposed to prosecution, since he had been a DA for eight years and had the highest conviction rate in Vermont), he told us that his truth commission had failed to get the broad support it needed in Congress, and since he couldn’t get one Republican to come behind the plan, “it’s not going to happen.”

But Leahy didn't like that there was so much negative press following his statement, so he retorted with this:

Emphasizing that Leahy takes seriously his commitment to defend the Constitution, Leahy’s aide Chip Ross told the group, “He’s all you’ve got.” However, Leahy’s office sent an e-mail to reporters today objecting to “reports circulating on the internet” and claiming Leahy is “continuing to explore” the idea of a truth commission:

In contrast to reports circulating on the Internet, Leahy said he is continuing to explore the proposal.

“I am not interested in a panel comprised of partisans intent on advancing partisan conclusions,” Leahy said. “I regret that Senate Republicans have approached this matter to date as partisans. That was not my intent or focus. Indeed, it will take bipartisan support in order to move this forward. I continue to talk about this prospect with others in Congress, and with outside groups and experts. I continue to call on Republicans to recognize that this is not about partisan politics. It is about being honest with ourselves as a country. We need to move forward together.”

This sounds like a standard cop out for being yet another weak-kneed Democrat. Leahy fails (willingly or not) to recognize that he will never get a Republican to support him on anything that would resemble any form of accountability or dare I mention justice for the criminals inside the Bush Administration. Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

The only way we move forward together is if we put the rule of law above individual people who just so happen to be Republicans. It really is simple as that. And if Leahy doesn't want a group of partisans to exact justice on the accused, then he should have all of them brought before an international court. Don't worry Senator, the courts outside our borders would love to try them for all the damage they've done to the world.

Tedisco Quits Before Being Fired As Minority Leader

The ridiculously close vote margin between Jim Tedisco and Scott Murphy is the big story coming from upstate New York but there are many interesting side stories to the race. One of those is Tedisco's ouster as Assembly Minority Leader. Members of his caucus wanted him out of there for making them look so bad in his campaign. So to counter them, he's simply stepping down as to make himself look confident in his race with Murphy.

From The Saratogian:

"I’ll continue to serve and will be in the leadership role until Monday, when there will be a vote for new leadership. Then I’ll be working on my transition and serving my Assembly district for the next few weeks," Tedisco said. "Then I believe we’ll be off to Congress."

Tedisco has served in the Assembly since 1982 and was first elected leader in November 2005 by a unanimous vote. He has twice been re-elected to the post.

He said he would suggest a choice for the next Assembly minority leader but that his opinion would not have any more weight than that of any other member.

Though of course his suggestion could carry less weight than the other members.

Tedisco simply saw the blood in the water and now he's stepping down so he doesn't have to be shamed with being kicked out with a vote amongst his fellow Republican Assembly members. The fact is that Tedisco ran a terrible campaign against Murphy and the slime managed to spread to his caucus. For that he blew a twenty point lead in six weeks and now might just end up as a regular Assemblymember because of it, while Scott Murphy goes to Congress.

Taking It To Climate Change Skeptics On The House Floor

Congressman Rob Andrews went up against Republican Paul Ryan and the other members of the minority who consistently twist facts and distort the truth in order to help the fossil fuel industry. Instead of letting them get away with misleading the public, Andrews corrected the record for all to see.

Bloomberg Courts GOP Leaders While Mentioning Obama In Robocalls

Not surprisingly, Michael Bloomberg is making nice with leaders of the local Republican party so that he gets a nice spot on the ballot this fall. That is an important part of the early campaign, especially being that the mayor has no party at the moment. What is surprising is his early use of robocalls. I personally find them distasteful and one of the least effective ways to build repoire with voters. The style doesn't matter here so much though, it is what he's saying on them that do.

From PolitickerNY:

Here’s the robocall Michael Bloomberg’s campaign is putting out, telling people how “the mayor endorsed President Obama’s health care reform.”

The call – which was provided to me by Bloomberg’s campaign - goes on to say, “Like President Obama, Mayor Bloomberg says it’s time to put politics aside” and reform health care. It then directs people to an official federal web site dealing with the issue.

Bloomberg is nothing like Barack Obama. One is a solid Democrat and the other is an "independent" aristocrat. Of course that won't stop the party-playing mayor from trying to connect himself to the President. Yet to pull that type of maneuver while trying to gain the favor of the GOP for their ballot line is just a bit ballsy.

One in Ten Americans On Food Stamps

The debate between this fiscal crisis being a recession and a depression has been increasing as do the length of the rolls displaying the recently unemployed. Nobody wants the economy to be in bad shape, but acknowledging the extent of the damage is the first step in dealing with it. For the unrealistic optimists still out there, take heed of this sobering fact, one in ten Americans are now on food stamps. Yes, one in ten.

From Yahoo News:

A record 32.2 million people -- one in every 10 Americans -- received food stamps at latest count, the government said on Thursday, a reflection of the recession now in its 16th month.

Food stamps are the major U.S. antihunger program and help poor people buy groceries. The average benefit was $112.82 per person in January.

The January figure marks the third time in five months that enrollment set a record.[...]

Food stamp enrollment rose in all but four of the 50 states during January, said Agriculture Department figures. Vermont, Alaska and South Dakota had increases of more than 5 percent. Texas had the largest enrollment, 2.984 million, down 65,000, followed by California at 2.545 million, up 43,000, and New York with 2.211 million, up 37,000.

Here in New York, a figure of 2.211 million means that even more than one in ten residents receives food stamps. Those numbers only reflect the people that actually go out and seek assistance. Thousands, if not millions more across the nation make much tougher decisions, such as going hungry because they have to pay rent or for overly-expensive prescriptions.

Imagine now if the GOP would have gone through with their attempt to eliminate the food stamp program. It is good to know Obama won't let that happen on his watch.

Jon Stewart Tells Rush To Get The F@*& Out Of New York

Jon Stewart details all the ways New York has tried to get Rush Limbaugh to leave the city and the state, though he still hasn't left. So Rush, is this an empty threat or will you take that hate-filled, bigoted energy elsewhere?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Rush Limbaugh Leaves New York
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Conservatives In Both Parties Look To Help The Rich By Cutting Estate Taxes

If I were Keith Olbermann, I'd put Sens. Kyl (R-AZ) and Lincoln (D-AR) as two of the worst persons in the world for today's show. These two Senators and their fellow supporters should be publicly shamed for what they consider a priority in their duties as Senators. Instead of backing the President and supporting sound, progressive policies, Kyl and others are focusing on reducing the estate taxes for the very wealthy.

From ThinkProgress:

Sens. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) have offered a $250 billion proposal to cut estate taxes for the children of multi-millionaires. The proposal is attracting a disturbing amount of support. In an editorial this morning, The New York Times writes that, while the nation is focused on ending the deep recession, Kyl and Lincoln’s “most pressing issue is clear: America’s wealthiest families need help. Now.” The Wonk Room’s Ben Furnas noted yesterday:

While opponents of the estate tax claim rolling it back protects small farms and businesses, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities points out that “only 0.2 percent of the additional cost of the proposal, relative to [the Obama proposal], would go toward tax cuts for small businesses and farms.”

The rest of the cost, approximately $249.5 billion, would go to the inheritors of estates worth over $7 million. Paris Hilton, get excited.

Now of course Blanche Lincoln is from Arkansas, home of the wealthiest family in the world and I presume supporters of her and her conservative outlook on matters such as this. I expect this type of pandering to the rich from Republicans, but I loathe to see it in Democrats, even blue dogs like Blanche. Democrats need to stand up for the people, and I sincerely doubt that a majority of Arkansans want to see the Walton family getting preferential treatment before every other family in the state.

Malcolm Smith Stands Up To Senate's Critics

Malcolm Smith took a moment this morning to praise the entirety of the Senate (Republicans included) for allowing Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson to come back and vote despite her extremely unfortunate rushes to the hospital this week. Both parties agreed to hold off on voting and not play partisan politics over this very human moment. However, Malcolm Smith tried to make the situation into something it is not.

From The Daily Politics:

On the Senate floor this morning, Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and Minority Leader Dean Skelos put their partisanship aside for a moment of mutual admiration, praising one another for the deal struck to allow Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson to vote on budget deals.

"I want to express my appreciation to Sen. Skelos and to all my colleagues," Smith said. "This is a day that I think the 19 million people of New York have come to recognize this is a fine chamber, irrespective of all that the papers have written, the editorial boards have said."

"Today we have proven to all of New York that we are a distinguished body that we are also a body that has a heart and understands the challenges that face this state and we rise above that."

Now I'm not discounting the graciousness of Skelos and Smith in letting Hassell-Thompson vote. What I am criticizing is Smith's blatant attempt at using Hassell-Thompson's illness and the Senate Leadership's reaction as a way to hit back against all the negative press that Smith and the Senate rightly deserves.

The 19 million people of New York want to see that their Senators are working to address their needs and will take care of business that concerns the General will, not each Senator's particular will (I'm sure Rousseau would be amused by Smith's statement today).

The papers, editorials and blogs write what they do because there is plenty to criticize. Whether it be about budget inaction, ignoring the real problems that the M.T.A. faces or refusing to enact real reform in the "distinguished body" that shows Smith and his caucus is ready to change the way Albany does business. Instead, the budget process has been behind closed doors for the most part and hidden from the public. If Smith and his colleagues had 'heart' then nearly everything that has happened this year in our capitol would have gone down differently.

Who Does It Better, Jon Stewart Or Stephen Colbert?

Cenk Uyugr of the Young Turks asks the question:



Personally I'm torn on this, both are funny guys and have a lot to offer the comedic world of news. Each has their own talents and honestly, I can't decide....so I guess I'll just continue to watch both.

Chris Quinn Still Will Not Support A Dem Vs. Bloomberg

Where Mayor Bloomberg goes, Chris Quinn is soon to follow. Except on a few occasions, the Speaker has done all she can and then some for our plutocratic mayor. If one didn't believe of the connection before October of last year, they got it when she forced passage of the controversial term limits extension bill. And now thanks to that bill, Quinn is running for a third term...in a very Democratic district I might add (not that there are many Republican districts in the city).

So naturally, the smart move for a Democrat like Chris Quinn aiming to be re-elected would be to support the Democrat in the race. I know she has her squabbles with one candidate and Council Member Tony Avella, but whether it is him or Thompson that emerge from September's primary, she should stand with her party on this crucial matter. Unfortunately, Quinn is a bit more politically calculating than that.

At the Downtown Independent Democrats meeting this week Quinn was asked if she'd support the Democrat, whomever that may be. Her answer? That it was too early to make a decision on who to support and that eventually she'd go with the best candidate. Of course, she didn't specify which party that "best candidate" would come from.

Dissatisfaction in the third district has been growing in the face of Quinn's close ties with Bloomberg. This position isn't going to win her any favor in the community that has a list of grievances with the mayor. Whether it be term limits, development or vice-squads, the district wants change and Quinn has become a part of the status quo.

Norman Siegel Skewers Betsy Gotbaum

Generally politicians will say nice things about their predecessors (unless they're George Bush), especially when they are of the same party and not running against each other. That was what all the Public Advocate candidates did last night, except for one. Norman Siegel gave his audience a heaping dish of what he actually thought of Betsy Gotbaum's performance as New York City's Public Advocate.

From The Daily Politics:

“If you think Betsy Gotbaum did a good job as public advocate, you should vote for one of the other three people," he said. "I think she was not a good public advocate. She was not visible, she was not vocal and most people in the city do not know who the public advocate is."

"This office has had atrophy since Mark was there and that is unacceptable," Siegel continued. "The office now is up for debate on whether it will continue. So for everyone to continue in this Alice in Wonderland world and talk about how she is a good advocate, I respectfully disagree."

Say what you want, but Siegel was 100% honest about how he truly feels. That might be a quality New Yorkers should consider when deciding who will advocate for their best interests in the course of the next four years.

Contessa Brewer Slams Shadegg For Nonsensical Republican Budget

It's no joke:

MIT Professor Tells House GOP To Stop Lying About His Cap And Trade Study

Don't you just hate it when Republicans take your thorough academic work and twist it for their own diabolical ends? M.I.T. Professor John Reilly certainly feels that way now as the House Republicans led by John Boehner continue to blatant lie about what is in his report on what cap and trade costs to the public. Though he isn't taking it lightly, in fact he wrote a blistering open letter so that they'll stop misrepresenting the truth.

From ThinkProgress:

PolitiFact interviewed John Reilly, an MIT professor and one of the authors of the study, who explained he had spoken with a representative from the House Republicans on March 20, and that he had clearly told them, “why the estimate they had was probably incorrect and what they should do to correct it.” Nonetheless, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) decided to use the $3,100 figure to attack cap-and-trade, while the National Republican Campaign Committee blasted dozens of press releases like the following on March 31:

As Congress takes the President’s federal budget under consideration, North Carolina families deserve to know if Rep. Larry Kissell (D-NC) would support such a devastating energy tax proposal. […] MIT researchers released an “Assessment of U.S. Cap-and-Trade Proposals,” which shows that the increase would be an increase of more than $3,000 a year for each household.

Today, Professor Reilly sent a forceful letter to Boehner and the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to denounce this blatant distortion being told by Congressional Republicans. Reilly noted that $3,100 was actually “10 times the correct estimate which is approximately $340″ and that the costs on lower and middle income households can be “completely offset by returning allowance revenue to these households”:

It has come to my attention that an analysis we conducted examining proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Report No., 146, Assessment of U.S. Cap-and-Trade Proposals, has been misrepresented in recent press releases distributed by the National Republican Congressional Committee. The press release claims our report estimates an average cost per family of a carbon cap and trade program that would meet targets now being discussed in Congress to be over $3,000, but that is nearly 10 times the correct estimate which is approximately $340. […] Our Report 160 shows that the costs on lower and middle income households can be completely offset by returning allowance revenue to these households.

Of course Congressman Boehner can't be troubled with actual facts. Only unmitigated spin and propaganda is allowed through his office. Whatever it takes to appease his fossil fuel lobbyist friends, John Boehner is happy to acquiesce. If the ecosystem has to go down for it, so be it.

Ray Kelly Wants Midtown On Lockdown

Slowly but surely, the powers that be are working on instituting a full-on police state that would make the fictional 'Gattaca' and 'Minority Report' a reality. Of course we aren't there yet, not even close, but things like this have to be introduced gradually. Liberty is not always given up so easily, so promising security is the way this gets done. Now it may be April Fools Day, but this plan is no joke.

From The NY Times:

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Tuesday that he wanted to create a security network in Midtown Manhattan that would involve license plate readers, heavily armed officers and a web of private and public surveillance cameras.

The plan, which would resemble a counterterrorism network already being installed in Lower Manhattan between Canal Street and Battery Park, would keep a hyper-vigilant eye on the corridor from 34th to 59th Streets, from the Hudson River to the East River, the commissioner told City Council members at a budget hearing Tuesday.

Like its sister system, the Midtown zone would have at its core the collection of data, including license plate numbers and video of people on the streets. It would rely on a web of public and private security cameras feeding to a joint coordination center at 55 Broadway that became functional last fall.

The counterterrorism program is a lot like the way the TSA operates at the airport. The "benefit" to the people is psychological, in that it is supposed to make people feel safe. Yet its' ultimate goal is to take liberty away from New Yorkers (or wherever programs like this are put in place) in order to concentrate more power with law enforcement simply for the sake of power. The NYCLU is already on the case, and we should certainly pay attention or else it is only a matter of time until the next "necessary" police surveillance program is instituted under the guise of our security from terror.

Chris Matthews Likens Rep. Ryan To Hebert Hoover

Chris Matthews pwns Congressman Paul Ryan when he attempted to spin Republican propaganda yesterday.



I hope you all don't mind the new YouTube format...especially since it fits the GOP's thinking so well.

Governor Paterson, You Are Not Scott Murphy

The fate of the Murphy-Tedisco race remains undetermined this morning (and for the next few weeks most likely) with just 60-some votes separating the two candidates. The fact that Murphy is where he's at compared to the slim chance he had six weeks ago is truly outstanding and a testament to the candidate he has been (also many thanks to Tedisco's horrific campaigning skills). With that said, we have seen very little of Governor Paterson in the 20th District since his toxicity was to be kept far away from the first time candidate. Then all of a sudden, he showed up at Murphy's party unexpectedly and tried comparing himself to the man in the lead.

From The Daily Politics:

But now that Murphy is running neck and neck with his Republican opponent, Jim Tedisco, overcoming his virtually nonexistent name recognition political inexperience and a 12 percentage-point deficit in the process, it was safe for Paterson to come out of hiding. He even made a speech, I'm told.

"We were in the neighborhood, looking for a place that was open to have a little drink," Paterson joked when I noted his surprise appearance.

Asked during a brief Q&A with reporters if he thought Murphy's strong showing might bode well for his own future, Paterson replied:

"Well there's nothing like comebacks by underdogs, so if it works for Scott Murphy, there's no reason it shouldn't be able to work for me if I have the right message and I conduct myself with the professionalism and with the heartfelt concern for the neighborhoods around the state the way he has the neighborhoods around the 20th Congressional District."

"...I've had a lot more difficult times than I'm having right now," Paterson continued. "But it's the resilience that tests people, not where they are at a particular moment. We've all had difficult times. The question is: Who recovers from them? Because the definition of success is that you got up one more time than you got knocked down.

Paterson knows how to make an attempt at humor, but there's just too much baloney in that highlighted paragraph up above.

First of all, Murphy didn't make a comeback, he started at the bottom and made his way up to the top in a short span of time. Paterson on the other hand, started off quite well a year ago and put himself in the tank by showing us his poor leadership skills. Oh and "professionalism" is clearly not a word that Paterson knows how to translate into action.

Now as for being heartfelt, Murphy has shown the district that he cares, but Paterson's fumbling of the budget and pushing aside the needs of New Yorkers shows his concerns rest in wishes of the well-funded lobbyists that visit him in Albany. If he would have championed the fair tax and not items such as the soda tax, he might not have slipped as much as he did.

Politically speaking, this is the worst time Paterson has ever experienced. As for the future (meaning from now until the primary next year) there is still time for the governor to get back up, but the question is if he can...or even knows how. There really is no comparison between him and Scott Murphy, unless you count the "D" after their name of course.

Taxi Surcharge To Boost M.T.A.?

The "service change" poster is brought to you from the Working Families Party but actual changes to the M.T.A.'s doomsday budget will hopefully come from our state legislature. Althought there is no consensus as of yet, what we do know is that Smith is having a rough time corralling his caucus and getting a feasible plan out the door, though there are plenty of thoughts on what to do. The latest idea circulating in Albany is bound to cull a "WTF?" not from straphangers or those that drive into the city everyday, but from the relatively few of us that depend on taxi service.

From The Gothamist:

Much of the deadlock surrounded the bridge tolls, which are now off the table according to Governor Paterson. Previously, Assembly Speaker Silver and Paterson supported a plan to raise subway/ bus fares by 8%, toll on East River and Harlem River Bridges and implement a payroll tax while Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith's proposal offers a 4% fare hike, no bridge tolls, and a smaller payroll tax (it's suggested that the Senate's math is "flawed" and that they would actually need to raise fares by 13% to make up the money).

Regarding the taxi charge, the Post says that it's just one of many ideas being considering (another is a fee on "anyone renting a car or parking in a garage"): "Sources were weary to say how seriously lawmakers are considering the taxi fee." We can't wait to hear what the taxi union says!

Tacking on 50 cents to Yellow Cabs will probably get the taxi drivers upset again, but as we saw a couple years ago their ability to organize effectively is worse than Paterson's ability to get a favorable poll rating. I personally don't mind the extra two quarters if I need a cab and neither should those people (generally wealthier than the average New Yorker) that take them regularly. It should be part of a comprehensive plan that will help the M.T.A. get out of debt but since the state Senate is currently in the business of quick fixes, this is probably as good as it gets.

Gov. Sanford Has A Severe Case Of GOP Insanity

Sanford's delusions were on full display yesterday as he tried claiming that accepting federal money to fund South Carolina's public school system is some sort of child abuse:



And the craziest thing? This man wants to run for President in three years.