News Copy, New York

Cuomo Owns Recent Polls: Slowly Improving Lazio Waits For Race Against Liberal Democrat

The above is not pop art or a Rorshach.

It's what left of David Paterson after Andrew Cuomo destroys him in a statewide primary, 62-21 percent.

Paterson trails Rudy Giuliani too, 56-34%.  But who cares?  Rudy is no longer in the race.

The Atlantic blog noted last week that Paterson could beat former GOP Rep. Rick Lazio (who has actually announced a bid): Paterson trails Lazio by an average of 43.2% to 41%.

What exactly are Rick Lazio's handlers doing?

Real Clear Politics provided some sobering numbers in recent weeks for the former Long Island Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate.  Head to head against Andrew Cuomo, it's a study in futility.

Rasmussen has Cuomo up by 19 points over Lazio, 54-35%

Rasmussen noted that Cuomo had a 28-point lead in mid-November. In late September, Cuomo led Lazio 65% to 26%.  It has been worse.

"While Lazio is faring better against both his Democratic opponents, it is unclear if he is benefiting from the backlash against the national health care plan that seems to be helping many other GOP candidates in other parts of the country."

The schools, Rick.

In New York, talk about the schools.and school funding -- and property taxes, and the teachers union, and the mandates, and the State legislature ...

Siena shows Cuomo up by 42 points, 66-24%. 

Marist, 37 points, 64-27% between the two men.

Once Cuomo declares, how much does he inherit the negatives weighing down Democrats in Albany?

Quinnipiac polled Andrew Cuomo beating Rick Lazio, 57-25%, 32 points.

When does Rick Lazio break out and come across more as a maverick and less as Arthur Finklestein's candidate?

It's as if everyone is waiting for Andrew.

Urban Elephants Poll: Is Abortion The Next "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" For The Republican Party?

Urban Elephants, a website for New York City Republicans, has been feuding lately over abortion.

So they polled.  I found the wording a bit insulting to true conservatives.

Is there room for a strong faction of pro-choice conservatives in the Republican Party?

Yes, we need to embrace the "big tent" on social issues.

No, we need to maintain a strict litmus test to keep the Party socially conservative.

Pro-choicers can join the Party they just need to keep quiet on social issues.

That last alternative could be as rudely coined the "don't ask, don't tell" option on abortion, with nearly a quarter of those polled (20%) on Urban Elephants supporting an intolerable political muzzle on pro-abortion Republicans.

Madness.

Nearly 60% support supported this rhetorically deceptive "big tent" option and only 21% opposed a strict litmus test on social conservatives.

Why can't these knuckleheads accept calling each other liberals and get over it -- rather than pretending to be conservative?

Only 60 have voted so far at http://www.urbanelephants.com.  It's primarily a five borough crowd on Urban Elephants and its own litmus test does not always resemble the mainstream Republican Party.

What started the feuding was an open discussion on Nan Hayworth in the mid-Hudson Valley's 19th Congressional District -- though not just over abortion or the 19th.  Republicans have felt like orphans under Bloomberg and there are measurable concerns that they will get even less attention in 2010.

Meanwhile, Urban Elephants columnist Raquel Okyay identified a healthcare PAC, the Americican Medical Group Association (AMGA) that involves her husband Dr. Scott Hayworth and many donors from his Mount Kisco based medicial facility.

There is not much unusual about this PAC, except that is giving 81% of its monies to Democrats.  At least one official from the NRCC described such a PAC and such distribution of PAC dollars to the political party controlling Congress as "pretty normal" (it does seem pretty normal for D.C., actually).

Okyay came to her own conclusions.

"... It’s easy to make the assumption that husband Hayworth is more than just supportive of abortion rights but actively works to defend it by raising money to fund pro-abortion candidates – not very different from a Planned Parenthood PAC – and by association links candidate Hayworth with the powerful abortion lobby."

AMGA is based in the state of Washington, with donors who primarily come from New York, who either work for Hayworth's Mount Kisco Medical Group or practice comparable medicine in the tri-state area (including some of Hayworth's inidvidual donors).

Hayworth's husband defended himself last night.

"I am indeed the CEO of the Mount Kisco Medical Group (MKMG). I don’t perform abortions. I have in my years as an OB-GYN delivered more than 2,000 babies. MKMG is not an abortion clinic."

The list of Democrats receiving money from this PAC includes Nita Lowey, Chuck Schumer, Rahm Emanuel, Patty Murray and many other liberal healthcare advocates to make the American Medical Group Association seem like Obama-lite.

Hayworth claimed no control over the PAC.

"While I am honored to be involved with the American Medical Group Association, (AMGA) I do not sit on the PAC Board, which is a separate entity. I have no control over whom the PAC chooses to support. I am not in the business of raising money to support ‘pro-abortion’ candidates."

But as the NRCC diplomatically explained, the whole idea of such a PAC is to influence the Democrats (the party in control) -- particularly powerful liberal Democrats -- and Hayworth's many employees and associates signed on without much difficulty.

While it may not be a purely pro-abortion PAC, a more serious issue might be what healthcare policies have been supported and opposed by AMGA -- particularly in a year where patients and doctors have been thrown about like chess pieces by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Catholic Church Snubs Rudy Giuliani: No Al Smith Invite?

Rudy didn't get invited to the Al Smith Dinner?

Elizabeth Benjamin of the New York Daily News mentioned in her morning news roundup on that newspaper's blog The Daily Politics that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was not invited to the Al Smith Memorial Dinner.

Here's the transcript of Obama's Smith dinner speech, during which his sharpest jab was at Rudy Giuliani (who wasn't invited to the event).

The New York Post said Giuliani was "traveling in Europe" but our experience at News Copy has been that Ms. Benjamin's accuracy as a journalist is seldom off.

He's a former New York City Mayor.  He could be our next governor.  As a prosecutor, he probably went after more patent evil than any crime fighter in the history of the United States.

This is only an individual who led the tri-state area through one of its darkest hours ...

... And he couldn't get invited to the Al Smith Dinner?

Okay, so Rudy is divorced.  So are a lot of other people, for good and bad reasons that are matters of conscience.  Things are not always what they seem.  Meanwhile, the dinner has always been a moment when candidates court the Catholic vote.

Very few of the ambitious in the Waldorf-Astoria last night were political virgins.

Then again, there is a history of Rudy (and Hillary Clinton) snubbing Cardinal Egan -- as New York Magazine reported last year -- so perhaps this was political payback (as much as one would expect more noble gestures from a bishop).

Daily Intel at NY Mag wanted to know what all the fuss was about:

"Okay, we understand why Rudy wouldn't want to show his face — he gets a lot of heat from the Church about his stance on abortion, and also he's been kind of a jerk about New York lately. Plus, he's already had his photo op with the Brits. But Hillary? Cardinal Egan has stood up for her in the past, saying he is her "friend" despite her support of pro-choice federal policies. So what gives? Why the snub? Is it the hat? Oh, God, it's the hat, isn't it?"

Both Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani "turned down" their invitations last year to the charity event.