News Copy, New York

Staten Island Republicans Have No Shame: Fossella Nomination Disgraceful GOP Blindspot

 
For Mike Grimm, seen above, being left to primary as the outsider is a blessing in disguise.

In the 13th Congressional District, Republicans voted to nominate Republican Michael Allegretti -- after they had nominated disgraced former Congressman Vito Fossella by a vote of 23-4.

"It is my firm belief that he [Fossella] is the strongest candidate we can field," Friscia said after the executive committee interviewed candidates for Congress ...

Yes ... Republicans in Staten Island nominated a man who had been forced to resign due to a drunken driving arrest.

Yes ... Republicans in Staten Island nominated a man who had misled family, friends and constituents with a double-life that included a mistress and a child out of wedlock.

Once again, Republicans demonstrate both a moral vacancy and a lack of competence in the endorsement of candidates that defies logic.

To make matters worse, Conservatives in Staten Island endorsed the incumbent Democrat Congressman Michael McHugh.

Fossella finally chose not to run but it is disturbing that he could have started campaigning this week.  He's obviously imagining some kind of "comeback" at a later date -- but seems not to understand the concept of scandal or humiliation.

As the Washington Post reported a little over two years ago, Fossella's problems included a conflict of interest with his mistress as a military liaison -- potentially compromising military and Congressional security -- along with having the taxpayers pay for parts of this extra-marital affair.

"Their relationship is problematic politically for Fossella, not just because of the infidelity factor, but because he and Fay traveled abroad together at taxpayers' expense when Fay was working as a military liaison to the House arranging and traveling on congressional delegations trips abroad."

Atlas Shrugged noted New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's own ambiguity about Fossella.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg played coy yesterday when asked whether he would support Fossella.

“As far as I know, he’s not running. He hasn’t called me and told me that he’s running,” the mayor said during a press conference in Brooklyn.

Bloomberg endorsed McMahon in 2008 after supporting Fossella in previous years.

Bloomberg said it’s up to voters to weigh Fossella’s “private conduct.”

The primary between Allegretti and Grimm was already expected.  What's different now is how Allegretti walked away with an endorsement from a committee that obviously has no shame.

In a letter to GOP chairman John Friscia earlier in the day, Grimm said that he would not participate in the convention because Allegretti's nomination was a "pre-determined outcome."

"The charade is not one in which I want to be a part of or associated with," wrote Grimm, who called the borough GOP "a corrupt organization."

"The people of Staten Island deserve better than the games you insist on playing and they will get it with a Republican Primary," Grimm wrote.

Both Grimm ($497,320) and Allegretti ($415,301) have raised significant monies, though McMahon has nearly $1.2 million on hand.  Grimm has significantly more money on hand than Allegretti, $450,683 to $243,719.

The New York Daily News reported on Grimm's declaration of independence.

Making for added drama is former Congressman and Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari backing Grimm.  Allegretti,worked in the administration of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has endorsed Grimm.

Staten Island Conservatives proceeded to turn that borough on its ear by endorsing the Democrat.

But Brooklyn Conservatives have endorsed Republican Michael Grimm in the race, meaning that Grimm will get the line in November, reported the Staten Island Advance.

Meanwhile, Guy Molinari apparently is still getting heat for the Frankenstein (Fossella) he created.

.... Some long-memoried Republicans said that hearing Guy rail about the Fossellas is nothing more than the pot calling the kettle black.

 

“It was Molinari who brought the Fossellas into the party in the first place,” said one. “And they were Democrats!”

 

To wit: Fossella succeeded Susan Molinari in the House, and once held Susan’s City Council seat, all with Guy’s strong support.

 

And Guy was back advising the Fossella camp in 2008, when Vito dithered for several agonizing months before finally opting out of his re-election bid for good.

 

“I plead guilty,” Molinari said. “I made a mistake. I didn’t think that Vito would do what he did, with this other lady. I don’t know how you live with that.”

How can most of these politicos function normally after the past two weeks?

 

Former Conservative Leader Endorses Democrat in Staten Island Congressional Race: Two Strong GOP Candidates In 13th

Curtis Sliwa was ranting yesterday about Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro endorsing Democrat Mike McMahon over Mike Allegretti and Mike Grimm, two powerhouse Republicans ready to take back the 13th Congressional District from the Democrats.

Sliwa's right to be bent out of shape.

This doesn't make sense.  Just when you think the GOP and the Conservative Party had a sure thing, something contrarian like this happens.

Congressional Quarterly had the story on this reversal of fortune.

Molinaro's endorsement, which McMahon also won during his first congressional run in 2008, helps bolster the Democrat's independent credentials as he seeks re-election in the traditionally Republican 13th district. The district was one of just a few in New York to vote for John McCain over Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

McMahon also won the backing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) in his 2008 race, and irked Democrats by returning the favor and endorsing Bloomberg for mayor last fall.

"I think he's done a good job, he's represented the people of the district," Molinaro told local NY1 News. "And that's what he has to do and he went down there to do that. So I think he should be rewarded with another term."

NY1 had the videotape about Grimm and Allegretti.

Rudy Giuliani just endorsed Mike Grimm.  Former Staten Island Borough President and Congressman Guy Molinari is aggressively supporting Grimm.  Allegretti worked for New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg but to his credit is not relying on that connection.  Both Allegretti and Grimm had nearly $300,000 at the first of the year -- and have more now.

Finally, Staten Island and parts of South Brooklyn are more conservative and Republican than most spots in the Northeast (certainly than most regions of New York).  This is a Republican seat.

Two well-funded Republican candidates running for Congress in its only true conservative Republican area -- and Molinaro endorses the Democrat?  And Molinaro has served as a Conservative leader in Staten Island.  He was once vice chairman of the New York State Conservative Party!

Keep ranting, Curtis.  Something's very wrong in Richmond County.

News Copy will be getting the inside word on this race soon enough. 

GOP Primary Certain In New York's 19th: Nan Hayworth Continues Attacking McFadden

A five candidate Republican primary is forming in New York's 19th Congressional District.

It's not too different from the four candidate candidate in Long Island's 1st and and the two man wrestling match in Brooklyn-Staten Island's 13th.

Congressional candidate Nan Hayworth has a lot of company in this race.

The Mount Kisco native also has a lot to say about one of her opponents, Republican David McFadden from Orange County.

"Mr. McFadden has never voted in a Republican primary, and according to the
New York State Board of Elections, is not a registered Republican.  New York
State law requires that candidates be a member of the party in order to vote
for themselves in a primary.

Mr. McFadden anouncement today leaves me wondering if he is aware of New
York State Election law, and I am also curious if Mr. McFadden has paid the
most recent of several tax liens filed against him by the State of New
York."

-Jay Townsend, spokesperson for Dr. Nan Hayworth

So it looks as if Nan Hayworth isn't angling for the independent vote in this election.

Jay Townsend is her man behind the curtain.  He's an able and successful political consultant.  I have worked with him, for him and he has shown up to help my friends put out a few fires over the years.  Townsend's also good at starting them, both when he worked for Democrats and Republicans, so the body politic here is fascinating.

McFadden's campaign has been patient and so are the other candidates who have felt stung by Hayworth supporters in recent days.  It also seems more than apparent that Hayworth, Inc. is taking aim at taking down News Copy -- killing the messenger -- but we're sorry to report that Bob Fois is not running for Congress.

And I am not working for any candidate in this race, at least not yet (and will disclose if that happens).

It wouldn't make a difference anyway.  This is a free country and I'm free to help or support or ponder or criticize or comment on any candidate I want ... within reason.  No fires being set here though.  Gosh ... I just finished criticizing my friend Rob Astorino in the prior column.  News Copy will never be a mutual admiration society.

News Copy finally caught up with Tom DeChiaro yesterday and enjoyed his candor.  DeChiaro an articulate and civic-minded type who could surprise the Hudson Valley this summer.  Also, Kristia Cavere has begun to aggressively campaign (and raise money) -- and Neil Di Carlo struck most of our counterparts as a gentleman.  All appear ready with access to money.  All appear articulate and willing to put forth a campaign.

I guess the point I am making is that the 19th is steeped in quality candidates.  May the best man or woman win.  There's no need to rush the timetable and voters should be given an adequate chance to meet and hear all of them.  Perhaps it is Hayworth's anxiety to slam the political barn door shut so early that has so many observers nervous.

It would be a shame if negative energy turned what otherwise would be a rousing triumph for Republicans into a gutter battle in the 19th.  But the same scenario is being repeated all over New York, and undoubtedly all over the United States.

Five well-funded Republicans, four pro-life, two from Orange County, two from Putnam County and one from Westchester all want to challenge two-term incumbent Democrat John Hall.

Frankly, it all has started to resemble the pile-on in New York's 20th last year -- that weakened Jim Tedisco's candidacy against Scott Murphy.  It won't be too different from the three-way shooting match in 23rd last year that found a liberal Republican endorsing a Democrat over a Conservative.

Putnam County Tony Scannapieco acknowledged that all political committee chairs have never seen so many eager Republicans stepping to the plate as candidates.  Scannapieco is a wise and weathered chair who knows all about competition in his home county, one of the fastest growing places in New York.

The Putnam chair reminded a crowded in Putnam Valley at that GOP committee's St. Patrick's celebration what happened last year in the 20th and the 23rd.  Scannapieco wasn't shooting down the idea of a primary but he cautioned how critically important it would be for all Republicans to pull behind the nominated and/or eventual candidate in any election -- whether it be for State Senate, Assembly or Congress.

I am paraphrasing but Scannapieco basically said it would be a good idea if GOP candidates played well with others and worked as team players when all was said and done.

Primaries are good and primaries are bad, if handled the wrong way.

The warnings of the 20th and 23rd are still with us -- and must be heeded.

Wanted In New York: Real Republicans And True Conservatives To Run For Congress

Congressional Quarterly mistates the situation in New York with its "surplus" of candidates running for Congress.

In the 19th, for example, the problem is simple.  Nan Hayworth has the money ($519,000) but also the "potential baggage" drawn from extreme pro-abortion ties.

Urban Elephants was a bit more blunt:

NRCC Gives UP ON NY-19 -- Candidate "Unimpressive"

Dan Peterson, the outgoing Manhattan Young Republican Chairman, had heard similiar whispers out of Washington, D.C. that News Copy's sources have been sharing for three weeks now.

Actually, we had heard MUCH worse, not from the NRCC but more direct commentary on the following:

"The NRCC sees Hayworth as a tremendously unimpressive and uninspiring candidate who has not warmed to local party support and is considered too liberal to get the grassroots base excited. The NRCC is now realizing that she was really only taken into consideration because of her wealth and not her ability to network throughout the district..."

The point being that New York better wake up about what constitutes a true Republican candidate, let alone a true conservative candidate.  Peterson was attacked by pro-abortion Republicans in New York City, a common theme these days between Republicans in New York, and precisely what plagued the 23rd last year.

Politico indicated that another rift looms in the 23rd, where Doug Hoffman is not getting Republican support after nearly winning last year as a Conservative!

New York Republican operatives want Will Barclay, who has the credentials and the location and probably looks more like a candidate than Hoffman.  But there's a problem, a systemic one.

"The drawback is that he lost a Republican-held seat in a closely watched 2008 state Senate special election. And the two most recent congressional GOP nominees with backgrounds in the New York Legislature — Scozzafava and state Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, who lost to Democratic Rep. Scott Murphy in another special election last year — have fared poorly."

There is a breed of Republican strategist in New York who suffers from fear and loathing about parts of the Republican platform.  And they keep losing elections (and make a lot of money in the process).

If they were horses, it would be time to shoot some of these RHINO-like consultants.

One can only hope/pray/beg that the usual suspects running campaigns into a politically correct Bermuda Triangle are not given permission again by Dean Skelos to ruin Republican chances in the State Senate.

Congressional Quarterly described the line in the sand as the jockeying for New York's third party endorsements.

Orange County Chairman Bill DeProspo said that for a Republican, running without the Conservative Party endorsement is akin to political suicide. “In the state of New York, if you think you can run for a congressional seat without the Conservative line and without the Independent line, you’re just not paying attention,” he said.

DeProspo himself is indicating a run against Hayworth -- but there are whispers of at least three strong (and well-financed) pro-life Republicans possibly challenging Nan Hayworth to a primary.

For pro-life Republicans, this is not complicated.  For conservative Republicans, this is a relief.  For Republicans who know a real Republican and a true conservative will win in their locales, this is common sense.

In a column entitled, Dede Deja Vu?, Raquel Okyay of Ulster County remembered that it was a liberal State Senator in the 23rd who ambushed Republicans over gay marriage and abortion by endorsing the Democrat over Hoffman in the closing week of the campaign.

"No one could have predicted that the Republican-endorsed candidate Dede Scozzafava would drop out of the race just three days before the election, endorse the Democrat and burn the Republicans, but what happened is more than just a bad turn of events, it is a result of choosing the wrong candidate to begin with. And it appears they are about to make the same mistake in New York’s 19th Congressional District race this year."

It's not just the 19th and the 23rd headed for a primary.

Congressional Quarterly noted how Republicans Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, and Michael Allegretti, a former aide to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) are both running for Rep. Michael McMahon’s (D) Staten Island-based 13th district.

Bloomberg aide versus a a Guy Molinari backed F.B.I. agent?  Allegretti is well-liked but in residential Staten Island, Bloomberg versus the former Borough President is a no brainer.  In New York, it's instead going to be a costly primary.

The NRCC has only elevated one New York candidate to contender, Randy Altschuler in the 1st against tea party plagued Democrat Tim Bishop.  But even Altschuler apparently faces a primary against as many as three candidates.

Raquel Okyay's advice to State GOP Chairman Ed Cox in the 19th is simple enough:

a) Look for a candidate that is not a wealthy liberal;
b) Is likable enough to get the support of the tea party and conservative movement; and
c) Is serious about real change in New York and in Washington.

"Mr. Cox – it’s a pop-up, put your glove out and catch the ball!"

Of course, there is the train of thought that competitive Republican primaries will rouse the G.O.P.'s base in this year of tea parties.

Yeah ... tell that to all the donors who will be asked for money ...

 

New York Getting More Attention In Six Congressional Races: Seven Candidates Upgraded By NRCC

The Hotline had listed 28 candidates upgraded by the NRCC to "Young Gun" status a few days ago -- but the expanded list actually has 63 candidates.

The National Republican Congressional Committee's list includes seven challengers from New York in five congressional races expected to be competitive.

News Copy spoke too soon, as did a few of our sources.  Nan Hayworth remains "on the radar" but not elevated to contender.  Hayworth appears on hold for other reasons that sources describe as "potential baggage" and continued negative feedback from party leaders.

Real Clear Politics explained the criteria for the NRCC's "Young Guns" program, who are expected to develop well-organized campaigns to defeat Democratic incumbents.

"These candidates are putting the pieces of a winning campaign in place by meeting the rigorous goals laid out by the Young Guns program and aggressively paving their way toward victory on Election Day," said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions. "The progress of these candidates is not only a testament to the Young Guns program, it is a sign of the hostile political environment that Democrats have created for themselves."

New York State by the NRCC's evaluation process has no "Young Guns" yet, and only one "contender" (Randy Altschuler in the 1st).

Not to sound sarcastic but the "Young Guns" pecking order seems like a sign of the hostile political environment that Republicans have created for themselves.

Still not upgraded to contender is Staten Island's Mike Grimm, whose robust fundraising and aggressively campaign among Conservatives has turned many a head.  Grimm is "on the radar" in the 13th with Michael Allegretti, joined by Hayworth in the 19th, George Demos in the 1st (still no sign of Christopher Cox), Richard Hanna in Central New York's 24th and Tom Reed in Western New York's winnable 29th.

As for Hayworth's fate, News Copy has identified what sources in D.C. and New York have described as cause for a measurable "conservative backlash" --  but the NRCC is yet to call back with any verification on how real the "potential baggage" might be for the Mount Kisco Republican.

Sadly, sources are hinting that the NRCC may give up on the 19th -- but News Copy suspects New York was never going to get that much help from D.C. in the first place (and many tea party activists helping these candidates have privately expressed that they don't want the NRCC's help).

Still missing from the NRCC's list is the 23rd's Doug Hoffman, who narrowly lost in a three-way race as the Conservative candidate where the Republican candidate became a destructive spoiler in the closing days of that race.

G.O.P. Coming Up Short In New York With Congressional Challengers: NRCC Sees Only One "Contender"

Republicans have at least seven congressional districts in New York that they should target aggressively in 2010, including two seats where John McCain beat Barack Obama in 2008.

Swing State broke out all the Obama-McCain numbers throughout each congressional district nationally, including numbers from the Bush-Kerry and Bush-Gore races.

With only 3-4 point margins of victory by Democrats in 2008, districts 24, 23, 20, 19 and 1 can be taken by Republican candidates.

The only problem is that the NRCC has upgraded only one of them to contender status, Randy Altschuler, a Republican challengers to Democrat Tim Bishop in District 1. 

Hotline reported the NRCC upgrading 28 candidates nationwide to either "Contender" or "On The Radar" but passed on upgrading Nan Hayworth in the Hudson Valley's highly competitive 19th against Democrat John Hall (she stays "on the radar").  Also missing the cut were Doug Hoffman in the 23rd, who narrowly lost to Bill Owens in a three way race in a district where Barack Obama only received 52 percent of the vote.

Strangely ignored though not going away is Christopher Cox (the son of State GOP Chairman Ed Cox) who has launched a formidable campaign against Tim Bishop in District 1, so out of the gate the NRCC already finds itself mired in a GOP primary.  The NRCC put George Demos "on the radar" and something tells me this race on the eastern end of Long Island is getting a lot of volunteers this summer.

In two other districts, the 29th in Western New York and the 13th on Staten Island and a portion of Brooklyn, John McCain won.  With Republican Mike Grimm in the 13th reported to be closing in on $300,000 or more in fundraising, it seems particularly baffling why the NRCC is missing this race where Republicans had ruled for nearly 30 years.  Grimm should be a contender, though maybe the NRCC is afraid of another primary.

As for the 19th, a sure winner for the right Republican, Nan Hayworth is boasting of over $500,000 raised (over $350,000 in personal loans to her committee) but Republican insiders have suggested that no amount of money can buy a populist edge in this distinctly conservative tea party district. 

Apparently, the NRCC agrees that Hayworth is missing something but so is most of New York's Republican establishment if they can't win back these seats.

Update on this post:  We spoke too soon.  NRCC now has "on the radar" candidate in the 29th, 24th and two in the 13th -- but News Copy believes most of them are contenders.

New York Getting More Attention In Six Congressional Races: Seven Candidates Upgraded By NRCC