Friday, January 12, 2007
Spitzer On Johnson: A “Common-Sense” Voice--Updated!!!
Liz Benjamin Capitol Confidential
Liz relies on her downstate "sources"..which I found frequently to be off the wall or at best very self serving...for example..Johnson is very well liked in his legislative district...no republican has come close to ousting him...he has name recognition and is very well spoken and liked in the local communities.....republicans are on the decline right now...nationally as well as locally...Bush is totally off the wall..and the republican party is paying for it......Spitzer carrying 70 percent of the senatorial district is further proof..this is not republican country at all...and from what I have seen in the past...all this "union" help frequently does not live up to expectations or promises made.. Spitzer is not losing any sleep over Bruno...they are both doing what they are expected to do..fight for their own side...this is politics.....after it is all over...they will all kiss and make up and get on with the business they were elected to do....sometimes the media likes to create drama where it doesn't exist..........andy
"As the labor unions line up on the GOP side in the 7th SD special election, the Democrats unleashed their most powerful weapon - Gov. Eliot Spitzer - who endorsed Nassau County Legislator Craig Johnson this morning, calling him “the right partner for the great tasks at hand.”
“Together we will help change the culture of Albany, provide property tax relief to the families of Nassau County, reform health care and make government more responsive for all New Yorkers,” Spitzer said in a press release. “Craig is a voice for the common-sense changes we need. He will be a great State Senator.”
Johnson pledged to be Spitzer’s “partner” in lowering property taxes, curbing health care costs and making government more “responsive.” He also intoned Spitzer’s mantra about Albany being too beholden to the well-connected few and the special interests.
In case there was any confusion about whether Johnson is, in fact, a Spitzer surrogate, the newly-minted Democratic candidate said he embraces the new governor’s $6 billion propery tax reduction plan, desire to “aggressively” fight Medicaid fraud, proposal to consolidate multiple layers of local government and call for widespread lobbying and campaign finance reforms.
So, let’s review what each side has going for it in this race:
The Republicans: A well-known and well-liked candidate (Nassau County Clerk Maureen O’Connell), money, desire to hold the GOP Senate majority and halt the Democratic creep into the Long Island suburbs, union support and political pride.
This is the first real test of new state GOP Chairman Joe Mondello, who is also Nassau County GOP chair; Senate Majority Leader Jsoeph Bruno, R-Brunswick, has been wounded by the FBI investigation of his outside business interests and can’t afford to lose another seat; Deputy Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ reputation as leader-in-waiting will be tarnished if he loses a battle on his home turf.
The Democrats: A 6,301-voter enrollment edge, money, Spitzer, who won 59 percent of the vote in Nassau County and 72 percent in the 7th SD itself last November, and political pride.
Spitzer, who already angered Senate Republicans by working in four GOP-held districts last fall, successfully toppling one incumbent (Nick Spano), further irked them by tapping Mike Balboni to serve as his security czar, thereby creating this special election.
The new governor is way out on a limb with this race. If he gets very involved and loses, it will not only be a blow to his clout, but to his message of change. Either way, this race is not going to help Spitzer’s relationship with Bruno, particularly if the GOP manages to pull off a win.' Newsday also carries an AP Story Gov. Spitzer jumps into fight over key LI state Senate vote ......here is a quote from Spitzer "When asked about Bruno, Spitzer veered toward the philosophical on Friday. "He (Bruno) understands, I understand that life has many different segments. There is a part of our existence where we are involved in races such as this. There's a part of our existence where I sit down with him and chat about serious and important issues for the state and we put this completely aside because we have to make the right decisions for the public." He also laughed heartily when a reporter asked him to react to comments he was being intrusive by inserting himself into a local election. "I've been called many things. Intrusive is not the worst of them." andy
Liz relies on her downstate "sources"..which I found frequently to be off the wall or at best very self serving...for example..Johnson is very well liked in his legislative district...no republican has come close to ousting him...he has name recognition and is very well spoken and liked in the local communities.....republicans are on the decline right now...nationally as well as locally...Bush is totally off the wall..and the republican party is paying for it......Spitzer carrying 70 percent of the senatorial district is further proof..this is not republican country at all...and from what I have seen in the past...all this "union" help frequently does not live up to expectations or promises made.. Spitzer is not losing any sleep over Bruno...they are both doing what they are expected to do..fight for their own side...this is politics.....after it is all over...they will all kiss and make up and get on with the business they were elected to do....sometimes the media likes to create drama where it doesn't exist..........andy
"As the labor unions line up on the GOP side in the 7th SD special election, the Democrats unleashed their most powerful weapon - Gov. Eliot Spitzer - who endorsed Nassau County Legislator Craig Johnson this morning, calling him “the right partner for the great tasks at hand.”
“Together we will help change the culture of Albany, provide property tax relief to the families of Nassau County, reform health care and make government more responsive for all New Yorkers,” Spitzer said in a press release. “Craig is a voice for the common-sense changes we need. He will be a great State Senator.”
Johnson pledged to be Spitzer’s “partner” in lowering property taxes, curbing health care costs and making government more “responsive.” He also intoned Spitzer’s mantra about Albany being too beholden to the well-connected few and the special interests.
In case there was any confusion about whether Johnson is, in fact, a Spitzer surrogate, the newly-minted Democratic candidate said he embraces the new governor’s $6 billion propery tax reduction plan, desire to “aggressively” fight Medicaid fraud, proposal to consolidate multiple layers of local government and call for widespread lobbying and campaign finance reforms.
So, let’s review what each side has going for it in this race:
The Republicans: A well-known and well-liked candidate (Nassau County Clerk Maureen O’Connell), money, desire to hold the GOP Senate majority and halt the Democratic creep into the Long Island suburbs, union support and political pride.
This is the first real test of new state GOP Chairman Joe Mondello, who is also Nassau County GOP chair; Senate Majority Leader Jsoeph Bruno, R-Brunswick, has been wounded by the FBI investigation of his outside business interests and can’t afford to lose another seat; Deputy Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ reputation as leader-in-waiting will be tarnished if he loses a battle on his home turf.
The Democrats: A 6,301-voter enrollment edge, money, Spitzer, who won 59 percent of the vote in Nassau County and 72 percent in the 7th SD itself last November, and political pride.
Spitzer, who already angered Senate Republicans by working in four GOP-held districts last fall, successfully toppling one incumbent (Nick Spano), further irked them by tapping Mike Balboni to serve as his security czar, thereby creating this special election.
The new governor is way out on a limb with this race. If he gets very involved and loses, it will not only be a blow to his clout, but to his message of change. Either way, this race is not going to help Spitzer’s relationship with Bruno, particularly if the GOP manages to pull off a win.' Newsday also carries an AP Story Gov. Spitzer jumps into fight over key LI state Senate vote ......here is a quote from Spitzer "When asked about Bruno, Spitzer veered toward the philosophical on Friday. "He (Bruno) understands, I understand that life has many different segments. There is a part of our existence where we are involved in races such as this. There's a part of our existence where I sit down with him and chat about serious and important issues for the state and we put this completely aside because we have to make the right decisions for the public." He also laughed heartily when a reporter asked him to react to comments he was being intrusive by inserting himself into a local election. "I've been called many things. Intrusive is not the worst of them." andy
