New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) held a press conference yesterday to discuss the first reported case of the deadly disease ebola in the state. Reported in New York City, the disease also prompted newly minted mayor Bill De Blasio (D) to attend the event. The political allies held the conference to quell public fear about the disease spreading and to ensure medical protocol is being followed on the state, federal, and international levels.
wrvo.org
Governor Cuomo faces reelection in a few short weeks, so perhaps addressing the public will put the final nail in the electoral coffin. This is just one example of incumbents utilizing their office against the opposition. Cuomo's main competitor, Rob Astorino (R), can call a press conference, sure, but he is in no position to actually do something. Governor Cuomo has all the power of his Albany office and his alliance with New York City mayor De Blasio (and his office) to tackle this public issue, meanwhile Rob Astorino watches from the sidelines, commentating and only suggesting solutions; implementing them is out of his reach.
nypost.com
Governor Cuomo still commands a healthy, albeit shrinking, lead over Rob Astorino and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins despite questionable ethical behavior earlier this year, which left his campaign seemingly unscathed. However, in the long-term Cuomo's lead has been cut in half, from a 40% lead down to a 22% lead, owing Hawkins carving out a niche of progressives and Astorino's promised media blitz.
Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for New York State Governor, is threatening a disruption in this gubernatorial showdown. To be fair, there is a very slim chance Hawkins will beat Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo or Republican contender Rob Astorino, but the presence of a third party shifts coalition voting blocs, for better or for worse.
speciesandclass.com
The NY Green Party is a progressive, environment focused party that distances itself from what it claims is a corrupt status quo interested only in self-preservation rather than governing for the greater good. Their platform includes a higher minimum wage, ecological accountability, greater citizen participation in government, among other stark changes to our political system. According to a Siena poll, Hawkins is running a progressive campaign in a progressive state, so why does he only have less than ten percent of the potential vote?
First, he is unknown. Seventy-eight percent of respondents in the Siena poll didn't know or had no opinion towards Hawkins, compared to Cuomo's 3% and Astorino's 27%. Before the recent debate, Quinnipiac's poll had Hawkins closer to 90% unknown.
Second, voter concentration is glued to the two major parties. For those who are aware Hawkins exists, approximately 0% of them think another candidate other than Cuomo or Astorino will be elected, opening another conflict that third parties often claim is the central cog in the two-party political machine.
Third, the poll does not say "Howie Hawkins" for Q13 of the poll, it simply states "other", and this is not the only question. Third parties often feel discriminated against, as if the institutions written by the two major parties are designed to shut out competition. This is the reason, according to third parties, that their campaigns get little media attention and therefore a sliver of a sliver the vote. They claim this is a purposeful and perpetual cyclic design.
Hawkins' campaign is set to expand by way of a media buy in upstate New York, where Cuomo's indomitable lead is softer and more competitive between the three candidates. Could Hawkins late-game and new-found presence in New York politics have lasting effects? Could New York's party system allow third parties to compete?
With less than two weeks away before November 4th’s
election, it was time for Governor Andrew Cuomo and gubernatorial candidate Rob
Astorino to square off in a televised
debate. It has been known that the two candidates disagree on practically
every policy and social issue besides the recreational use of marijuana, and
these differing beliefs were on full display during last night’s debate.
Astorino used the debate to try to ignite some sort of
arousal out of the governor and he would constantly bring up the governor’s
Moreland Commission scandal and even stated that Cuomo “is swimming in cesspool
of corruption” and claimed that Cuomo “could very well be indicted” for his
involvement in it.
He also used to debate to reiterate his central campaign
theme, which is how New York has the highest taxes in the country. Tax cutting
is one of the major policy issues that the two candidates differ on. Astorino
would like to cut taxes across the board in New York and he proposed a 4% income tax
for those making under $200,000 and for married couples making under $300,000.
He also proposed a 6% income tax for those making over that amount. The current
top bracket in New York is 8.8% so that would be a substantial cut if it were
to take place. The debate was also a chance for Astorino to attack Cuomo and
his support of the Common Core, which is another issue that Astorino is very
opposed to.
Governor Cuomo took the attacks by his counterpart especially
well, and seemed to be very composed as he retorted the claims that Astorino
made about him and his policies. He responded to the claims made by Astorino by
saying that the taxes on the middle class and corporations are at their lowest
levels in decades. He
also attacked Astorino’s credibility by saying that he failed to fulfil the
promises he made to cut taxes by 20%. Cuomo
followed that up by saying instead of cutting his county’s taxes by 20%, his
county actually had the highest property taxes in the country. The governor
also threw a jab back at his opponent by saying “rhetoric’s fine; facts are
better.”
Cuomo currently leads by 21 points in the latest Siena
College Poll. A 21 point lead looks great on paper but the silver lining
here is that Cuomo’s numbers have dropped 6 points (60-54) since July, while Astorino’s
numbers have gone up by 10 points (23-33) in that same time period. This could be due in large part to
the 9 percent support for Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins who could potentially take a good amount of votes from Governor Cuomo.
On Friday October 17th Governor Cuomo appointed a new Justice to the State Court of Appeals. Leslie Stien a former Upstate Court of Appeals judge. To most peoples surprise he did not re-appoint former Judge Victoria Graffio a Republican who spent 14 years in term.
Graffio was a well respected member of the Court by people on all sides. But apparently the Democrats have been pushing Cuomo to get another Democrat justice in before the upcoming November elections. Senate Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins wanted a more liberal seat, she called the nomination a "thoughtful selection."
Legally Cuomo was supposed to have his nomination in two weeks ago, his reasoning for tardiness was he didn't want the confirmation process to fall so close to the elections. Yet there is no penalty for late nominations.
Stien and Graffio were among seven finalists Cuomo picked from says reporter Ken Lovvet. “Justice Leslie Stein has extensive judicial experience and has worked throughout her career to help ensure that women, families, victims of domestic violence, and vulnerable New Yorkers have a voice in our legal system.,” Cuomo said.
Senate IDC leader Jeffery Klein states "Her diversity is her strength, having served in various capacities on the bench, beginning with the local courts all the way up to the State Appellate Division,", and further goes on to say. "Well-qualified and highly regarded amongst her peers, I look forward to her confirmation by the Senate."
On Friday October 17th, Republican Congressman
Michael Grimm and his Democratic challenger Domenic Recchia engaged in a heated
half-hour debate that covered issued from Grimm’s indictment, to Hurricane
Sandy relief, to Ebola preparations. With less than three weeks till Election
Day, this debate was very crucial for both candidates and at many points turned
from a debate to a shouting match between the two. They both seemed to do well
on some issues and inferior when it came to other issues.
Like most of his campaign efforts thus far, Domenic
Recchia used the debate to hammer home the fact that Grimm has a criminal
indictment pending on charges that he hired undocumented workers in his
health-food restaurant Healthalicious. Grimm responded to this by saying “I believe
that I’m entitled to my day in court just like everyone else.” And after the
debate Grimm
told reporters that Recchia “is a one trick pony. It’s the indictment and
nothing else.”
Grimm used the debate to propose questions that Recchia
could not answer like how much money was appropriated by Congress in 2013 to
help Hurricane Sandy victims. Recchia also talked in circles when he was asked
very controversial questions such as, whether or not he would oppose Mayor de
Blasio’s plan to build
affordable housing units in middle class neighborhoods. Whereas Grimm was
quick to answer saying “I diametrically opposed this plan, I told the Mayor
that.” He also added that “The last thing that Staten Island wants is to upzone
anything because we don’t have the infrastructure to support it.”
Grimmed seemed to outshine Recchia in the debate. His experience made him look more composed and
comfortable during the debate, he also displayed more knowledge about the
issues that affect the 11th district’s constituents. The election is
going to come down to whether or not voters are willing to vote for Grimm
despite his indictment. The most recent poll conducted by Siena College has
Grimm leading by 4 points over Recchia.
With Election Day only a few weeks away, the candidates for
the 21st Congressional District participated in another debate. This
debate was a little bit different from the others as the candidates answered questions
from local high school seniors. The usual topics for debates were addressed like the importance of
minimum wage, women’s rights, and abortion.
One topic that was very important
for many in attendance was the issue of student
loans. Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello argued that it is time for
leaders to make public schools free. His argument was that if public money was
used to build these institutions, why are students being charged twice. On this
issue Democrat Aaron Woolf was in favor of the Know Before You Owe Legislation
created by Senator Dick Durbin. This legislation allowed to students to receive
the necessary information about student loans. Republican representative Elise
Stefanik stressed that the “affordability of schools” needs to be addressed.
She also explained that it is important that jobs are available to students
after they graduate. Stefanik explained the importance of vocational schools in
today’s economy.
(Left to Right: Green Party rep. Funiciello, Reb Rep. Stefanik, Dem. Rep. Woolf.)
Another issue that highlighted the debate
on Monday was the issue of military spending. The Department of Defense laid
out a new budget that decreased the number of active-duty soldiers from 520,000 to about
440,000. This is important in the North Country as it affects the numbers
of soldiers stationed in Fort Drum. Republican Elise Stefanik heavily
criticized President Obama for the threat of cutting the numbers of active
soldiers and said that it is important that the amount of money pushed into the
military should stay the same. Green Party Candidate Matthew Funiciello said at
the debate on Monday that there should be a decrease in military spending. He
explained that the D.O.D should focus more of their spending on the welfare of
our veterans. Funiciello also criticized the president role in declaring military
action. Aaron Woolf, the Democratic candidate agreed with Green Party
candidate Funiciello’s points about improving the welfare of veterans. However
Woolf also added that the military should be used as an equipment of diplomacy
rather than an equipment of destruction.
In her recent TV ad she is driving through the north country and spouting off ideas on how she is a new fresh face for Washington. Is she really that new though? Not entirely, after working in the West Wing "in 2009, Stefanik stayed in Washington for years. She bought a part-share in a Washington, D.C. townhouse and kept working for think-tanks and politicians that supported many of the same conservative ideas that defined the Bush years." Stefanik is not a new girl in town when it comes to Washington and it seems as if Stefanik has distanced herself from "many of the ideas held by her former employers." Stefanik is also saying how she is also running for the Democrats too and she wants to create bipartisanship in Congress. Well, the article also found no evidence for Stefanik's argument that her campaign reflects a significant break from past Republican and conservative thinking. Really it's just the opposite." So is Stefanik really a new face for Republican's?
If you also want to look more into Stefanik's political timeline look here. It shows her Harvard Education all the way to today where she just is accepting money from Super-Pacs.
Charles Schumer has now endorsed Aaron Woolf for Congress. Aaron Woolf had this to say after the recent endorsement, “If elected to Congress, I would fight to protect the rights of our workers and give our citizens and small businesses the tools they need to succeed. I also believe strongly in protecting the rights of women by promoting one of Senator Schumer’s most important bills, the Violence Against Women Act. In Congress, I hope to work with Senator Schumer to strengthen New York, both Upstate and in the North Country.” Schumer has been in the senate since the 20th century.
At a recent debate in West Hampton, NY, Tim Bishop and Lee Zeldin went head to head. Both of the politicians noticed how harsh they have been to each other in their attack ads and that both the things they are saying may not entirely be factual. When Zeldin said I would not mind if you attacked me with factual evidence instead of the TV ads that are being played. They are putting him on the wrong side of environmental and women issues. Tim Bishop remarked "You run your campaign, I'll run mine." At the end of the debate "Mr. Bishop received a polite and enthusiastic round of applause from attendees, while Mr. Zeldin’s cheering squad jumped up, hooting and cheering in their campaign t-shirts, waving banners, before the night quickly wrapped up and Zeldin supporters boarded a desert-camo decorated school bus decked out with their candidate’s campaign signs and headed off on what promises to be a two-week blitz of campaigneering as this election cycle heads into its final weeks."
The Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden is
expected to headline a campaign
rally for U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei on Monday. This will be Joe Biden’s only
stop in New York in 2014. Recent polling
has shown that are several democrats in
highly contested battles with Republicans for seats in the State Senate. In the
24th congressional district race Republican John Katko has a slim
lead over Democrat Dan Maffei. Biden was
a graduate from Syracuse University’s law school in 1968 and has decided to
help Maffei as he feels that this seat is a must-win for Democrats to control
the state senate. Back in 2009, Biden did the same thing as he helped
raise campaign money for Rep. Dan Maffei. The campaign rally that is scheduled
for Monday is called the "Get
Out The Vote rally.” It is free to attend and it will be on television on
the Time Warner Cable News Network. The narrow race between the two candidates
will host its first
televised debate on Monday, October 27th on the Time Warner
Cable News Network.
For the 24th congressional
district race, Syracuse.com created a campaign
contributions database where you can find out the names of people and
special interest groups that have contributed money towards the campaigns of
the two candidates. Rep. Dan Maffei who just finished his second term in the
House of Representatives has raised about $2.3 million for his campaign. Around
54 percent of that money came from Political Action Committees that are special
interest groups. Rep. John Katko has raised around $726,000 for his campaign.
The FEC reports that $98,550 was raised from Political Action Committees that
are not in Syracuse.
