Results tagged “republicanparty”

Former Secretary of State—and New York native— Colin Powell was on CBS's Face the Nation and addressed criticism he's received from his Republican party brethren. Earlier this month, former VP Dick Cheney said, "If I had to choose in terms of being a Republican, I'd go with Rush Limbaugh. My take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn't know he was still a Republican." This morning, Powell said, "I am still a Republican. I'd like to point out that in the course of my 50 years of voting for presidents, I have voted for the person I thought was best qualified at that time to lead the nation. Last year I thought it was President-now Barack Obama." He also said of the GOP, "I think the Republican party has to take a hard look at itself and decide what kind of party are we? I have always felt that the Republican party should be more inclusive than it generally has been over the years." As for the radio host's influence, Powell noted, "If he is out there, he should be subject to criticism...He shouldn’t have a veto over what someone thinks," referring to how GOP chairman Michael Steele had to apologize after criticizing Limbaugh.

.Mayor Bloomberg's run for a third term thus far bears a bit of resemblance to with the mayor tearing down obstacles of newspaper opposition, term limits laws and now going through various boroughs' Republican leadership in order to get back on the party line for the November election. After gaining the support of Staten Island's GOPers Saturday night, the mayor is one borough away from a return to the party (the Mayor has the Brooklyn GOP's approval already). Local party chair John Friscia said the mayor's "abandonment" of the GOP shouldn't deter his placement on their line asking rhetorically, "Was he ever really a Republican?" He also said that the borough voted to support the mayor because he has been "a friend to Staten Island," which the Daily News's Elizabth Benjamin translates to, "has provided a pipeline of cash to the borough for a variety of projects." If the mayor gets the support of Manhattan next month, his placement on Row B is official.

Recently the five GOP borough heads in New York have been throwing their weight around with veiled threats that they might shut the lights off and pretend that nobody's home when Mayor Mike shows up at their party and tries to get back inside for his mayoral run after ditching out on them last year. They feel scorned by Bloomberg's years of neglecting them even before leaving last year. So who's stepping in to try and smooth things over? GOP brothers (and foes!) from years past, Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki, may be reminding local Repubs that there isn't much of a party these days without the mayor. Pataki said the GOP needs Bloomberg as "someone who's shown his ability to lead the city... [in] tough economic times." And Giuliani told the Post, "There are two big things in running a city: safety and security, and the other is economic stability. And on those two issues, Mike makes (the borough heads) very comfortable. These are practical people who want to make sure that the city has a really good mayor."

While he may have won the right to run for a third term, it seems like Mayor Bloomberg has burned so many bridges with the powers that be in the city's political parties that he may have to build his own tunnel (of money) to find a comfy spot on November's ballot. Just a couple of weeks ago, Bloomberg began calling some of his old bedfellows in the Republican Party to see if they'd take him back after needing a little "me time" for the last year. Bloomberg needs permission from a majority of the GOP heads representing each of the five boroughs. According to the Daily News, three out of five of them are so upset with Bloomberg's abandonment that they might not give it to him, but instead pave the way for Gristedes owner John Catsidmatidis, who is considering a run as a Republican and says, "A majority of them are urging me to run." A GOP source even told the News, "If we could all agree on a Democratic candidate, we might even back him." How much does an Independent Party cost again?

Mayor Bloomberg loves to party... hop! Background: Bloomberg, a lifelong Democrat, became a Republican in 2001 to win the 2001—and 2005— mayoral elections, but in June 2007, he became an independent, perhaps setting up a third-party run for president. Well, we now we know that since Bloomberg didn't run for president, he had to get a short at a third mayoral term, so trying to get onto the Republican Party line is just the next logical step! The Post reports that "Bloomberg's political aides have started reaching out to GOP chairs in the five boroughs." Gristedes billionaire John Catsimatidis, who sees himself as the next billionaire mayor of NYC, says, "I've heard from Republican leaders he's been making phone calls." A GOP source tells the Post, "A lot of them [GOP leaders] told me they will not carry petitions for Mayor Bloomberg. They feel he bought us and sold us," but then again, "Let's be real. He's got $20 billion." Getting on the Republican Party could be important, since third-party candidates are listed lower on ballots.

The Today show aired another part of Matt Lauer's interview with Alaska Governor and Sarah Palin. This one includes Lauer asking about Palin's infamous interview with Katie Couric and whether she think President-elect Obama can handle the crisis in Iraq. Yesterday's interview (video after the jump) had Palin discussing the rumors about the $150,000 wardrobe and why the McCain-Palin ticket lost, "I think the economic collapse had a heckuva lot more to do with the campaign's collapse than me personally."

Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin didn't rule out running in 2012 when asked about her future in politics earlier today. She said, "2012 sounds like years away. 2012 ... what will we be doing there, guys. Enrolling Trig in kindergarten and watching Willow get ready to go off to college. There are a lot of good things that will happen in 2012." And she told the town of Wasilla after her concession, "We're going to be just fine. It is a shining moment tonight in history. We do congratulate Barack Obama. It's a great night in history. But I'll tell ya, Wasilla - and everybody there in Alaska - I am just proud to be able to represent Wasilla. I am neither bitter nor vanquished, but very confident in the knowledge that there will be another day. "

It was an exciting night of Super Tuesday primary returns. In the Democratic contest, Hillary Clinton won eight states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California, but Obama won twelve - Illinois, Connecticut, Alabama, and Missouri - among them (New Mexico is still undecided as the two candidates are in a tie). The NY Times notes that since there were no decisive victories, "an electoral fight...will unfold for weeks to come." Or, as the Post puts it in more visceral terms, "Neither Clinton nor Obama was able to deliver a knockout punch on a night that had once been expected to crown a winner."

Photograph of Mayor Bloomberg speaking at the State of the City address by Mary Altaffer/AP

The Parks Dept. decided to throw in the towel on litigation that's been going on for three years and conceded to reevaluate its requirement that no more than 50,000 people could gather on Central Park's Great Lawn at one time.

Mayor Bloomberg is back from London, just in time to deliver an address at Cooper Union while the world's media is milling about NYC for the U.N.'s General Assembly. Bloomberg will be appearing as part of a panel near Astor Place to discuss national policy matters. According to The New York Sun, an online site is attracting a growing number of supporters to draft Mayor Bloomberg as a third party candidate in the 2008 Presidential election. Bloomberg resigned from the Republican Party in June, ending a five-year affiliation that allowed him to win consecutive elections for mayoral office without slogging through a Democratic primary race.

The Kid From Brooklyn sees famine, war, and despair in the world's future. " I've got foresight," he says, but even he could never have predicted his own popularity. Michael Caracciolo started his website TheKidFromBrooklyn.com to entertain friends and family, uploading videos of himself ranting wildly about whatever he happened to feel passionately about that moment, whether it be border control, the President, or even Starbucks. It's led to television appearances, a memoir about his childhood in Brooklyn called "Go F Yourself" due out in December from Kensington Books, and even stand up performances, including one at The Gotham Comedy Club on August 29th. Gothamist sat down with The Big Man to get a taste of what he's all about.

Mayor Bloomberg has been an independent all of a couple days, but there is tons of ink being devoted to his chances. The most interesting story is from the NY Sun, which offers various scenarios where Bloomberg could win the 2008 presidential election (not that he wants to run for president). For instance, he'd need the Northeast, West Coast, Florida, and Heartland states like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, etc. And if "extreme" candidates run in the parties, like Romney or Thompson on the Republican ticket and Obama or Edwards for the Democrats, Bloomberg could be a player.

A lot is being made of Mayor Bloomberg leaving the Republican Party - Could it be a prelude for a run for the White House? Officially, Bloomberg is saying that he won't be running for President and that he is serving out his term as mayor. Our reader poll yesterday was pretty divided, one question that needs to be asked is how Bloomberg would measure up in height if he ran for, and became President.

PARTY: The L Magazine celebrates their fourth year and 100th issue tonight at their Fourth-Annual Centennial Party. There will be complimentary tequila and goodies from Brooklyn Industries and Crumpler. Come, drink, celebrate and don't think about the hangover you'll have tomorrow.

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani visited South Carolina and said, "There's a real good chance" he'll run for President. While this doesn't sound like new news, it's apparently his "most succinct" comments (per the Times) to date about his 2008 ambitions.

"Probably a lot of Republicans would want Hillary, but I think they'd be making a mistake," he said, pointing out that Democrats licked their chops over Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, who lost the NY State Republican party's support to be the Republican nominee for the governor's race this fall, is being pressured to drop out of the race. Weld, who can still force a primary after earning more than a third of the NYS Republican party's votes, has lost support from both the current and former NY State Republican Party chairmen, who are urging him to quit, probably in order for John Faso to focus his efforts on defeating the looming favorite, Democratic nominee and current Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

- And this picture is from trying not to offend, where ranex's friends were stuck in the Fifth Avenue Apple Store elevator...at least it's clear, so the store knew they were stuck (we were at the Apple Store in SoHo back in 2002 during the lower Manhattan blackout and people were stuck in that elevator then!)... anyway, the folks got out after 45 minutes and gave the NYPD high marks for their help

Mayor Bloomberg was in Baltimore yesterday to pick up an honorary doctorate from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Dr. Bloomberg!) and give a speech. And what a speech: He criticized political efforts to belittle science and medicine. The NY Times's headline says he "diverges from GOP line" but it's just reminder that's he's only a Republican because he wanted to be elected Mayor (okay, he's donated to Republicans and made NYC host the RNC). And the speech was good - here's an excerpt:

Today, we are seeing hundreds of years of scientific discovery being challenged by people who simply disregard facts that don't happen to agree with their agendas. Some call it "pseudo-science," others call it "faith-based science," but when you notice where this negligence tends to take place, you might as well call it "political science."

Continue reading "Bloomberg Thinks Science is Good!"

Yesterday, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani testified at the death penalty trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, telling jurors about what he saw, thought and felt on September 11, 2001. He described seeing people jump from the World Trade Center towers and said, "By the time the second plane hit, we knew it was a terrorist attack. This was war. This was a battle." Giuliani didn't look at Moussaoui much, but Moussaoui did watch Giuliani. Family members of September 11 victims also spoke during the day. Moussaoui's lawyer described his client as a minor player in Al Qaeda suffering from mental illness; Moussaoui did yell, "Burn in the USA!" during a break.

The mayoral election started to heat up yesterday as Freddy Ferrer released his first attack ad against Bloomberg. The 60-second radio spot set to country music emphasizes Bloombergs relationship with George Bush and according to the Times is running largely on radio stations with mostly African-American audiences (because they, studies find, dislike Dubya more than any other group). The ad also rolls out Freddy's new slogan: "Elect Freddy Ferrer mayor. He's not like Mike, he's more like you."

The latest WNBC/Marist Poll says that Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a 27 point lead over challenger Fernando Ferrer, which is 12 whopping points more than he had in a poll two weeks ago. Interesting points from the polls: Democrats preferred Bloomberg to Ferrer, 50% to 42%; over 80% think Bloomberg will win; 64% weren't bothered by the Mayor's decision not to debate at the Apollo; and 84% thought the Mayor was right to tell everyone about the subway security threat. Now, if you're wondering whether the revelation that the threat was actually a hoax (the latest reports says the informant was trying to get money from the government) and that the city may have jumped the gun, so to speak, would have affected those polled, the survey was conducted this past Sunday through yesterday, which means rumbling and suspicions would already be in the sample.

Yesterday in Manhattan, Westchester D.A. Jeanine Pirro made her first lengthy remarks outlining her goals - and attacking Senator Hillary Clinton - and also got fouled up in the middle of her speech when she spent 32 seconds searching for page 10 of her speech and couldn't discuss tax deficit issues. That intern who collated the speech is totally fired! And at a speech in Albany, a Pirro campaign aide apparently didn't plug in a device that fed sound to TV and radio coverage. D'oh! The Daily News says the campaign of Ed Cox, son-in-law of Richard Nixon and another person eyeying the Republican Senate nomination, called her a flip-flopper because Pirro suddenly announced she was against late-term abortions. Hey, did Cox's folks need to consult the Republican Party Style Guide, because we thought flip-flopper was only a word Republicans called Democrats. Anyway, the a new Marist poll shows that the appearance of Pirro turns Clinton's 64% in pre-Pirro days to 50%, but Pirro would still trail by a ton, with only 22%.

City Council Speaker Gifford Miller is staging an event in Brooklyn to "receive" support from various politicians there today. The Post reports the Brooklyn locale was a deliberate choice to one-up fellow Democratic candidate wannabe Congressman Anthony Weiner, a Brooklyn boy.

The story also notes that Miller doesn't have any ammo against City Councilman Charles Barron and Manhattan BEEP (Borough President) C. Virginia Fields; Gothamist imagines it's because they haven't raised much for their campaigns, relative to Miller, Ferrer and Weiner. And in other mayoral news, the Mayor unveiled his new tax plan that would benefit working class New Yorkers - always a good thing to do in an election year - but it turns out the NYC GOP is annoyed at Bloomberg for veering away from the Republican Party. Oh, give Gothamist a break - the man brought the convention here and he's trying to win a re-election - he's a politician, yo!

The Republican National Convention opened yesterday with two of its more liberal politicians, Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain, taking the stage. Senator McCain, whose dalliances with the other side have confused the more right-leaning conservatives, won the affection of delegates by "mauling" Michael Moore, who was at the convention under the auspices of writing for USA Today. On the Today Show Tim Russert called Moore the GOP's favorite pinata; Moore, for his part, seemed to revel in the attention. Related: Analysis of Day 1 from NY Times and Washington Post says it's all about terror and September 11. And then there's the Republican Party platform (PDF) that's driven by the social conservatives in the party.

This morning, a protest group, Operation Sybil, had members rappel down the side of the Plaza Hotel and display a huge anti-Bush banner. Gothamist received some photos that the intrepid Lucie Eber took before the protesters were arrested. Hopefully more details will emerge on how this was orchestrated, because we're curious if they needed to reserve rooms or just walked into the hotel and made their way to the roof. It's just really stunning.