Can't Mondello catch a break? I mean he isn't directly responsible for Bloomberg leaving the GOP to be "unaffiliated," but as state party chairman it happened under his watch.
Bloomberg is gaining national attention and bolts the party that needs the most help in New York State.
Of course, this is exactly what Bloomberg did back in 2001 when he didn't want to fight in a Democratic Mayoral Primary so he switched to the Republicans. Now Bloomie wants to run for president and running in the crowded GOP field isn't something he wants.
From the NYTimes "The announcement was released during a campaign-style swing through California, during which Mr. Bloomberg, 65, a billionaire businessman, used increasingly sharp language to criticize both parties in Washington as too timid to take on big problems and too locked into petty squabbling to work together.
“I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead my city,” Mr. Bloomberg’s statement read. “Any successful elected executive knows that real results are more important than partisan battles, and that good ideas should take precedence over rigid adherence to any particular political ideology.”
Even as Mr. Bloomberg continues to say that he has no plans to run for president, his announcement has set off a storm of interest in political circles across the country, where it is being viewed as a signal of his serious contemplation of a campaign. His ability to self-finance a campaign presents him with obvious advantages, including the option of delaying even until next year a decision on whether to run.
Mr. Bloomberg’s aides are working intensely behind the scenes promoting the idea of the mayor’s candidacy and exploring the mechanics of starting an independent campaign.
The aides have said he would travel the country to see whether the message of centrist problem-solving he delivered in California resonates. They would seek to identify states where his positions on major issues — global warming, immigration, a crackdown on illegal guns — could resonate. If he is well received, the travels could begin to lay a foundation for his candidacy....
"On Friday, he filed papers with the city Board of Elections to change his affiliation, as the public focus on his future intensified. In the space of a few days, he appeared on the cover of Time and in a BusinessWeek special report, and he told an audience of Google employees that the country is “really in trouble.” He stood with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California as the governor told a crowd of reporters on Tuesday that Mr. Bloomberg “would be a great candidate,” in an appearance at Ceasefire, a conference on bridging the partisan divide, organized by the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. “It’s all about fixing problems and creating a great vision for the future,” he said....
"Mr. Giuliani’s office did not respond to a request for reaction to the decision. Still, Mr. Giuliani is likely to view even this level of flirtation as a serious betrayal: His support for Mr. Bloomberg in 2001, after the attacks of Sept. 11, was critical to Mr. Bloomberg’s success and accounts for why he is where he is today."
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
On Hiatus - Enjoy The Video
Taking a few days R&R.. Enjoy the BEST street performers EVER.
The song choice is classic.
UPDATE: The band is 'The Wrong Trousers.' Visit them on MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/thewrongtrousers
The song choice is classic.
UPDATE: The band is 'The Wrong Trousers.' Visit them on MYSPACE http://www.myspace.com/thewrongtrousers
Friday, June 08, 2007
Who's Running Pt.1: From TOBAY to Nassau Legislature
It seems that the republicans have nominated Town of Oyster Bay Councilwoman Elizabeth Faughnan to run in the 18th Legislative District against Democrat Diane Yaturo.
In the past two years on the TOBAY council, Faughnan has excelled in photo-ops. She knows the call of the camera. Other than that, there isn't much to say about her. Faughnan told the Anton Newspapers in 2005 when she first ran that "I don't necessarily see myself as an object of great change, but to maintain the quality of life that is there and improve it,"
The status-quo candidate. Just what we need.
In the past two years on the TOBAY council, Faughnan has excelled in photo-ops. She knows the call of the camera. Other than that, there isn't much to say about her. Faughnan told the Anton Newspapers in 2005 when she first ran that "I don't necessarily see myself as an object of great change, but to maintain the quality of life that is there and improve it,"
The status-quo candidate. Just what we need.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
War Supporter at Urban Elephants Asks a Question
And I believe I have one too..
QuickJustice a writer at NYC-based republican blog Urban Elephants asks after his post on the thwarted JFK attack "Hey Democrat deniers! The terrorists are here in New York City, and they're trying to kill us! Any questions?"
Sure, here is the question... What ever happened to the republican mantra that we are "fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here?"
QuickJustice a writer at NYC-based republican blog Urban Elephants asks after his post on the thwarted JFK attack "Hey Democrat deniers! The terrorists are here in New York City, and they're trying to kill us! Any questions?"
Sure, here is the question... What ever happened to the republican mantra that we are "fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here?"
Monday, June 04, 2007
No Nassau Poet Laureate
After a committee recommended Maxwell Corydon Wheat Jr to be the Nassau Poet Laureate, Schmitt instructs his people to vote against him. Why? Schmitt says "I've recommended to the GOP delegation that we vote no on this guy... His writings condemn the troops fighting for America in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that's absolutely tragic . .. I don't care what his politics are, but you don't condemn the men and women who answer this nation's call and put on the uniform. That committee could have come up with somebody better than that."
Sadly Schmitt doesn't cite what Wheat has written that attacks US soldiers and Newsday doesn't provide anything either.
Reading his "American Mourning Poem," I see a man who cares about the soldiers and mourns thier loss. Or his Poem 'Iraq' which asks who are the real victims in Iraq.
In the NYTimes, we get comments from other republicans using pseudo-patriotism to bash Wheat with Dennis Dunne saying “He does not represent me, he does not represent veterans... I won’t put up with it. My son left just yesterday for Iraq.”
And what does that have to do with Wheats opposition to the war in Iraq? Nothing.
And maybe Dunne should visit votevets.org or operationtruth.org. Both are Iraq War Vets sites and they oppose what is going on in Iraq. But then, what does this have to do with a Poet Laureate for Nassau County? I'll get to that.
Side Bar: Four years ago when the County was sponsoring the Horse of a Differnet Color program where large fiberglass horse statues were painted by local artists. One horse was designed by a 9 year old girl and painted by a local artist. The horse had a stylized american flag painted on it. Dunne got all hot and bothered and decried the horse and presumably the artist and 9 year old designer by saying "I want that horse out of Nassau County." Schmitt got into the act with faux-patriotism and screamed "I am ashamed to see the disrespect that the administration has shown to the thousands of veterans of Nassau County and to all Americans by allowing our nation's colors to be painted on the rear end of a fiberglass horse."
Too bad for Schmitt that the flag was NOT on the "rear end" of the horse and the only horses ass in the whole thing was Schmitt... and of course Dunne. This was all politics. A chance to bash Suozzi.
And this incident with Max Wheat is also all about politics.
Gonsalves chimed in that it wasn't about politics "but we want to support our troops.”
And that is what Wheat does. He opposes the war but he does support the troops.
This smells more of a headline generator than anything real about Wheat.
Why did the republicans wait until the hearing and the vote to make their case against Wheat?
Becker didn't have a copy of Wheats book before he entered the room?
What was supposed to be a simple vote was turned into a three-ring circus.
I've called Schmitt to ask what exactly was the poem or verse that "condemn the troops fighting for America in Afghanistan and Iraq" as he says.
Wheat strongly opposes Schmitt's characterization of his work and rightly so.
Wheat has a long and distinguished, award-winning career as a poet and for Schmitt to slander him is just out of bounds. But you can expect nothing less from Schmitt.
UPDATE: The Community Alliance has a take on this too...
"There was something in Wheat's poems that the Legislature's Minority Leader, Peter Schmitt -- who, we suppose, spends much of his time in literary pursuits, reading novellas and waxing poetic -- found offensive to our troops.
Gee. We didn't realize that Peter Schmitt could even read. The other dumkopfs on the Committee who voted against Wheat's honorary appointment (including its Chair, Diane Yatauro, who, according to Newsday, felt "uncomfortable" with someone who wrote about an elected official), must have read the poems to him.
We took a look at Wheat's poems at issue -- which condemn war, not those who bear its burdens on the front lines -- and could find nothing offensive, demeaning, or, as Heir Schmitt puts it, that which "condemn(s) the troops fighting for America in Afghanistan and Iraq. . ."
Sadly Schmitt doesn't cite what Wheat has written that attacks US soldiers and Newsday doesn't provide anything either.
Reading his "American Mourning Poem," I see a man who cares about the soldiers and mourns thier loss. Or his Poem 'Iraq' which asks who are the real victims in Iraq.
In the NYTimes, we get comments from other republicans using pseudo-patriotism to bash Wheat with Dennis Dunne saying “He does not represent me, he does not represent veterans... I won’t put up with it. My son left just yesterday for Iraq.”
And what does that have to do with Wheats opposition to the war in Iraq? Nothing.
And maybe Dunne should visit votevets.org or operationtruth.org. Both are Iraq War Vets sites and they oppose what is going on in Iraq. But then, what does this have to do with a Poet Laureate for Nassau County? I'll get to that.
Side Bar: Four years ago when the County was sponsoring the Horse of a Differnet Color program where large fiberglass horse statues were painted by local artists. One horse was designed by a 9 year old girl and painted by a local artist. The horse had a stylized american flag painted on it. Dunne got all hot and bothered and decried the horse and presumably the artist and 9 year old designer by saying "I want that horse out of Nassau County." Schmitt got into the act with faux-patriotism and screamed "I am ashamed to see the disrespect that the administration has shown to the thousands of veterans of Nassau County and to all Americans by allowing our nation's colors to be painted on the rear end of a fiberglass horse."
Too bad for Schmitt that the flag was NOT on the "rear end" of the horse and the only horses ass in the whole thing was Schmitt... and of course Dunne. This was all politics. A chance to bash Suozzi.
And this incident with Max Wheat is also all about politics.
Gonsalves chimed in that it wasn't about politics "but we want to support our troops.”
And that is what Wheat does. He opposes the war but he does support the troops.
This smells more of a headline generator than anything real about Wheat.
Why did the republicans wait until the hearing and the vote to make their case against Wheat?
Becker didn't have a copy of Wheats book before he entered the room?
What was supposed to be a simple vote was turned into a three-ring circus.
I've called Schmitt to ask what exactly was the poem or verse that "condemn the troops fighting for America in Afghanistan and Iraq" as he says.
Wheat strongly opposes Schmitt's characterization of his work and rightly so.
Wheat has a long and distinguished, award-winning career as a poet and for Schmitt to slander him is just out of bounds. But you can expect nothing less from Schmitt.
UPDATE: The Community Alliance has a take on this too...
"There was something in Wheat's poems that the Legislature's Minority Leader, Peter Schmitt -- who, we suppose, spends much of his time in literary pursuits, reading novellas and waxing poetic -- found offensive to our troops.
Gee. We didn't realize that Peter Schmitt could even read. The other dumkopfs on the Committee who voted against Wheat's honorary appointment (including its Chair, Diane Yatauro, who, according to Newsday, felt "uncomfortable" with someone who wrote about an elected official), must have read the poems to him.
We took a look at Wheat's poems at issue -- which condemn war, not those who bear its burdens on the front lines -- and could find nothing offensive, demeaning, or, as Heir Schmitt puts it, that which "condemn(s) the troops fighting for America in Afghanistan and Iraq. . ."
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