Recapping the New York Primaries

Once again, the incumbents in New York managed to hold the day. But before I tackle the Charles Rangel v. Adriano Espaillat race, there's a few other races of note to run through.

Statewide, there was but one race. It was for the GOP nomination to run against Kristen Gillibrand for the US Senate. Wendy Long, a New York City lawyer, handily defeated Rep. Bob Turner and Nassau County Controller Robert Maragos. Turner, one might recall, won the seat vacated by Anthony Weiner. Long will face an uphill battle against Gillibrand, who has a massive war chest available to her. New Yorkers deserve to get at least a competitive race to press Gillibrand on issues ranging from 9/11 first responder compensation, funding for transportation and infrastructure, and economic development upstate.

Grace Meng won the race for NY6 over Rory Lancman, a seat that was vacated by the retirement of Rep. Gary Ackerman.

In one of the most watched races, Charles Barron was handily defeated by Hakeem Jeffries for the NY8 House seat. It wasn't even close, but that's not stopping Barron from demanding a recount.

Guess Barron wasn't satisfied with losing, he wants to double down on the moonbattery.

He thinks he "won" because nearly every politician and their mother in the NYC and NYS Democratic party essentially came out to campaign for Jeffries. Barron thinks he accomplished something by getting Gov. Andrew Cuomo to robo call for Jeffries. Others backing Jeffries included former city Comptroller Bill Thompson, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, whose staffers worked on Jeffries’ behalf.

The thing is that they all understood that Barron wasn't a suitable candidate for Congress (or dog catcher) and wanted to make sure he didn't get a chance. Even though the UFT chose to stay out of the race and DC-37 came out in support of Barron because Barron opposes charter schools, the turnout didn't favor Barron and Jeffries got the job done.

Now, as for Rangel v. Espaillat. It was supposed to be much closer than the final tally. In fact, many were predicting that Espaillat would win because of the changed demographics of the district due to redistricting. Yet, Rangel showed once again that his get-out-the-vote machine can deliver on election day. He's managed to hang on to win 45% to 40%.

Despite being censured by Congress and a litany of tax and ethics violations that should have sent him packing from Congress (and he lost his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee), Rangel continues to be sent back to Washington by the voters.

Rangel will serve as long as he's willing or healthy to do so. Nothing will stop him, not even scandals that would have laid low many other politicians.

Indeed, he continues to garner the support of New York politicians, ranging from Ed Koch to Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Come November, Rangel is all but expected to win the seat he has already held for 21 consecutive terms. For many in Harlem, he's the only Congressional representative they have known.

The President Comes To NYC To Commemorate Bin Laden's Death

President Barack Obama will be in New York City to make his way to Ground Zero to commemorate the death of Osama bin Laden nearly 10 years after the deadly 9/11 attacks. Walking through the gauntlet around Ground Zero this morning, I noticed something unusual, which was that there were a whole lot fewer people than usual milling about and winding their way through the streets to get to work. I guess quite a few people who normally work in the area are staying home (working from home) rather than deal with the President's visit and all the security cordons/frozen zones it brings). Lots of security present around Ground Zero, particularly along Vesey by the PATH.

Media outlets have been pushed back on Church to Barclay, which makes a whole lot of sense from a crowd control standpoint, but if you're over there - there isn't much point to actually being at a live remote. You aren't able to use Ground Zero as a backdrop, especially when they're on the wrong side of the street to have any chance of a view.

The best views aren't actually along Church, but at the World Financial Center, which is where Fox5 was filming this morning for their morning live show. One other vantage point would be the plaza in front of 7WTC or the park on the south side of Ground Zero near Liberty.

Other networks in NYC were simply reporting from their usual locations. That will probably change once the President is in town and starts making his rounds - first to the Broadway firehouse, then to NYPD Precinct 1, and then to Ground Zero to meet with families and to lay wreaths at the memorial.

Reports indicate that Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senators Kristen Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Bloomberg, George Pataki, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (who was a New York Senator at the time of the attacks) will all be in attendance. That necessarily requires a heightened police presence.

UPDATE:
If you're in the NYC metro area today and plan on using PATH to/from WTC, prepare for delays and a suspension of service from about noon onwards. Service is to be suspended for about an hour when the President is in/near Ground Zero, and will resume thereafter. Also expect bus service along Church and Broadway to come to a halt along with other frozen zones around the city as the President moves around Manhattan.

UPDATE:
Still other local leaders joining with the President today include Rep. Peter King (R) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D).

UPDATE:

President Obama is currently visiting FDNY's Broadway firehouse.
On a wall at the firehouse, located at 8th Avenue and 48th Street, are the 15 photos of the brave men who gave their lives to save others on 9/11.
“Every day when I wake up and I see my own family, I think about them. Every day I come to work, I look at the memorial on the wall and I think about them,” Venditto said.
“It’s never far from your thoughts here in this house. I mean, the moment you walk through the door, you see the pictures,” firefighter Andrew Sforza said.
It has been a decade since Maureen Santora buried her son Chris’ remains. That day, she was the very picture of heartbreak, but on Monday she was elated.
“I’m just filled with joy that my son is up in heaven, screaming and yelling and saying ‘we got him, we got him ma,’” she told CBS 2′s Don Dahler.
Firefighter John Fila was more somber, knowing that he could have been killed that day. He was supposed to be working, but switched shifts with Chris Santora.

President Obama to Lay Wreath at Ground Zero, Visit 9/11 Families : MyFoxNY.com

UPDATE:
From Ground Zero:

President Obama Lays Wreath at Ground Zero: MyFoxNY.com

UPDATE:

Crowds on Vesey Street before it was closed to traffic

Security atop the Post Office building

Looking down at the memorial and the crowd gathered for the memorial

Crowds gathered along Church Street in front of the Hilton

UPDATE:
The NY Times liveblogged the President's visit to Ground Zero.

UPDATE:
NJ.com reports that someone in the crowd near Ground Zero was arrested after suspected of pulling a gun out of a backpack near Church and Vesey:

Authorities apprehended a man who witnesses say may have pulled a gun out of a backpack as President Barack Obama's motorcade passed today in New York.

The man, who wore a blue hat, had dark curly hair and appeared to be in his 20s, was wearing a backpack. New York Police Department officers and Secret Service agents shouted, "Get down, get down," and tackled the man at the corner of Church and Vessey Streets in lower Manhattan.

Obama had just left the World Trade Center site and his motorcade was turning from Vessey Street to Church Street when the incident occurred in front of the Church Street Station Post Office.

May turn out to be nothing (like someone getting a camera out of their bag and someone overreacting).

All I can say is that it wasn't me (I was in the crowd, but left before the motorcade went past so I missed out on the commotion). The photo was included in a story by Fox5 NY.

Sen. Gillibrand: 9/11 Health Bill Has Votes To Pass

You would think that the James Zadroga 9/11 health care/compensation bill would have had the votes to pass long ago, but this bill has been held up by politics for far too long. Now, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) says that the votes are now available after certain portions of the bill have been scaled back.

Both the House and Senate must approve the bill before the end of the year. If they do not, the matter gets kicked to the new, more Republican Congress in January, where prospects for passage are slimmer.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is vowing to do everything possible to get the new version of the bill passed in her chamber before the lame-duck session ends, though it is not clear there there will be time to do so. (The House passed the $7.4 billion version of the bill in September.) Over the weekend, Schumer urged the House to stay in session to pass the bill.

The bill got 57 votes in a recent Senate test vote, three short of the 60 it needs to break a Republican-led filibuster. One of those no votes, however, was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who switched his vote at the end so that he could bring the bill up again. That means only two votes need to be picked up for passage, assuming no senator switches from yes to no.

The new version of the bill addresses Republican objections that it amounted to a corporate tax increase, the Associated Press reports. They objected to a requirement that multinational corporations pay taxes on income earned in the United States even if they are incorporated in a tax haven.

The new version pays for the costs of the bill with a fee on some foreign companies that get procurement contracts from the U.S. government. It also calls for an extension of some visa-related fees.

The newer version would reduce the cost of the bill from $7.4 billion to $6.2 billion without reducing the benefits that go to the Ground Zero responders by adjusting tax provisions.

The bill would reopen the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund for Ground Zero responders and provide additional funds for those responders and additional medical screening services.

Just What The NYS GOP Does Not Need

You've got a Buffalo-area businessman and Tea Party activist, Carl Paladino, who sends out racist and objectionable emails fast and furious. Heck, Paladino's email conduct was such that the Tea Party wants nothing to do with him and Paladino's spokes-flack complains that the Tea Party is a bunch of out-of-staters who have no vested interests in the state. I'm sure that will win over the crowds. *not*

Current Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who hasn't even declared himself a candidate for governor trounces any and all GOP candidates by a 2-1 or 3-1 margin.

It's at a point where even the lame-duck scandal-ridden Gov. David Paterson, who knows a thing or two about scandals, thinks that this is disgraceful - and he'd be right.


Then, you've got a politician who just switched party affiliations to the GOP, County Executive Steve Levy, and will be seen as a RINO by many upstaters. Other candidates have little name recognition.

That's just in the governor's race.

Then there's the race for the US Senate seat currently held by placeholder Kristen Gillibrand. It seems that there isn't anyone out there who wants to take on this vulnerable seat, despite the fact that Gillibrand has done next to nothing for the state since she took office after being selected by Gov. Paterson.

There isn't even any declared GOP candidate for the Attorney General's race.

It's little wonder that the state GOP is in complete disarray. Besides the inevitable blame game, signs that the state GOP in New York was a mess were omnipresent for years - going back to the Pataki administration and have only gotten worse since then. The situation got so bad that the state GOP completely botched the NY-23 House special election and raised the ire of many in the district, who decided to vote for the Democrat than the GOP-picked candidate Dede Scozzafava, who later dropped out of the race entirely.

So, how does the state GOP fix this mess? Well, the problems are everywhere, but the solution is also going to take time.

It starts with the realization that downstate politics is quite different than upstate needs but there is a common denominator - high costs for doing business in the state. Upstate is far more rural, conservative, and has seen far less development and economic opportunities than downstate, and there are no real industries or economic sectors that can carry upstate the way that the financial and media sectors do for downstate.

Finding candidates that are willing to go toe to toe over out-of-control state spending should be a top priority. State spending is completely out of control and the state budgets are a complete mess - both in terms of process (no on time budgets passed in all but six years since 1975) and that it has huge structural deficits due to overly optimistic revenue projections and reliance on Wall Street revenues to carry the day. The state's Democrats are pushing soda/sugar taxes, even though the purpose would be to raise revenue for new programs and when those taxes fail to meet their projected levels, drops those programs into deficit situations. Each new tax adds to an already crushing tax burden that sends people fleeing from the state and stifles new economic development.

The federal stimulus package masked massive deficits last year, and allowed legislators and the governor to avoid making serious decisions to cut state spending to bring spending in line with revenues. This year, there's no stimulus package to save the day - so the state is facing billions of dollars in deficits, and all manner of financial trickery is being considered that eventually translates into a higher cost of doing business in the state.

The GOP needs to focus on this situation and cultivate candidates who are going to tackle these problems from all levels of government. It has failed miserable for the better part of the last decade, which has all but ceded the Albany landscape to tax and spend Democrats who have run hard into scandals and financial ruin. Even though such a scenario ought to result in sweeping changes in Albany, Democrats remain poised to hold control over top statewide positions because the GOP can't even get out of its own way.

Harold Ford Jr. Opts Not To Run Against Kristen Gillibrand

Harold Ford Jr, a former Tennessee Congressman who contemplated running for the US Senate in New York has opted not to run against sitting US Senator Kristen Gillibrand because he fears that while he might win the primary race, it would cause damage for the Democratic party in the state.



Really? Primaries cause damage to the state? Gillibrand was picked by the imploding accidental governor David Paterson in a selection process that was a complete joke. Why should she run unopposed in the primary election when that's where the real action is in New York politics?

Unopposed primaries are a danger to the state and to its citizens because it means that political parties become entrenched and power accumulates in the hands of a few power brokers who get to determine who runs for office instead of letting the best candidates run for office.

I suspect that Ford got wind of the fact that the major domos in the Democratic party in the state wouldn't want to upset the apple cart and back his candidacy, particularly at a time when major Democrats are facing big problems on ethics and legal grounds (Rangel, Paterson, Meeks, and Smith).

What this does is pave the way for an easy primary season for Gillibrand who will likely triumph over any potential Republican challenger in the general election.

Bucking the Establishment

Since when does a newly minted US Senator have to run unopposed in their party's primary? That is apparently the belief of the Democratic party establishment in New York, where top Democrats from Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer on down thinks that Harold Ford Jr should not run a primary campaign against Kristen Gillibrand, who was installed by Governor David Paterson to replace Hillary Clinton when she was confirmed as US Secretary of State.

Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, are busy trying to avert a potentially bruising primary race for the US Senate in New York because of the ongoing concerns over the economy and the likelihood that the GOP will score big nationally - and that money that would be spent on a primary run in New York could be used elsewhere to prop up sagging campaigns in key districts.

Yet, that still doesn't explain why primary race between qualified candidates shouldn't be held. We only have the motivation to avoid a primary battle - and that's not a reason to prevent Ford from running.

Is this Gillibrand's seat? Would it not be in the state's best interest to have the best candidate running for office, and not just one who the establishment and party bosses want to see run?

That's all the more reason to see Ford run a campaign. Ford, who came to New York after losing a reelection battle for his House seat in Tennessee, thinks he can be an independent voice among Democrats. That remains to be seen, but going toe to toe with the party elites shows he has some moxie and spirit:

“If I am elected senator from New York, Harry Reid will not instruct me how to vote,” he said, referring to Mr. Reid’s efforts to keep him out of the campaign.

Mr. Ford agreed to the interview with The New York Times as he tests the response to his possible candidacy. His interest in the race, reported a week ago, has set off intense reaction and furious strategizing among Senate Democratic leaders and White House officials, as they try to discourage his campaign and avoid an ugly and expensive primary in September that could risk losing a crucial Senate seat.

A Ford campaign could become a delicate subject for the Obama administration, however, which is more reluctant to assert itself in New York politics after failing last year in its effort to elbow Gov. David A. Paterson out of his election bid.

Mr. Ford said he had been emboldened by the response he had received from the public in recent days. Everyone — from the cabdrivers who shuttle him around the city to the executives with whom he rubs elbows on Wall Street — has urged him to run, he said.

During a trip from New York to Palm Beach on Thursday, flight attendants and passengers stopped in the aisle to cheer him on, he said. “I didn’t hear anyone say, you better not run against that Kirsten Gillibrand,” he said.

Again and again, during the interview, he returned to the subject of the economy, saying Ms. Gillibrand, an upstate lawmaker who was appointed by Mr. Paterson to fill the seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, has failed to aggressively focus on creating jobs. He called for a major reduction in the corporate tax rate and a payroll tax holiday to encourage hiring.

Zeroing in on a perception that Ms. Gillibrand too readily defers to Senate leaders, especially Senator Charles E. Schumer, he added: “We have a fundamental difference on independence. We have a difference on the level, the kind and the stature of advocacy New Yorkers deserve. And we have some honest differences on issues.”

He blasted her support for the proposed health care overhaul, which is expected to cost New York an extra $1 billion a year, and for opposing the taxpayer bailout of the financial industry.

“It was a mistake,” he said, noting that most Wall Street firms had already paid back the money. “How can you be against ensuring that the lifeblood of your city and of your state survives?”

The Changing Political Landscape

2010 is shaping up to be quite an interesting election year after all. While many experts would agree that Democrats would expect to lose seats in the House and Senate and perhaps some statehouses, the numbers weren't expected to be a deluge.

That's why yesterday's surprise announcements that Sen. Bryan Dorgan (D-ND) and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT/Friend of Mozilo) would not seek reelection are so surprising. They were considered safe seats this year, and now their retirements open the door for challengers. Democrats had expected to lose some seats, but the prospects of holding together a filibuster proof majority in the US Senate now appear dim.

Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut's Democratic attorney general, said Wednesday he would run for Dodd's seat. The ripple effect means that elections down the line will be affected by the incumbent retirements and provide opportunities for fresh blood to come into the political process.

Further, another Democrat, Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado, will not seek a second term.

Then there's word that Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN) may attempt to unseat New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

Even David Paterson, the embattled Democratic governor of New York, isn't safe from attacks by the White House on down and that's even with potential Republican challenger Rudy Giuliani saying he wont run.

All this opens the possibility that Republicans can eliminate the filibuster proof majority in the Senate and cut into the Democrats overwhelming numbers in the House as well as improve their numbers at the state and local level.

Yet, all is not well for Republicans. Michael Steele, the RNC chairman, didn't exactly have kind words for the GOP yesterday, and pretty much called Republicans on the carpet for their poor performance over the past 20 years, a rebuke of both Bush Administrations and a squandering of their Congressional fortunes. Scandals, corruption, and a willful disregard for fiscal responsibility all play a role in the GOP fortunes, and that many Republicans are enthralled with creationism and anti-science agendas isn't going to attract new voters and support among those who have found that the Democrats tax and spend agenda is unsustainable.

Democrat overreach in trying to ram through the widely unpopular health care overhaul isn't going to help the Democrats, but knowing that the Democrats are bound to lose seats will only encourage Democrat leaders in Congress to push harder to get a deal done.

The same political calculus is pushing the gay marriage agenda in New Jersey; Gov. Corzine's term ends in just about two weeks, and his successor, Chris Christie has said that he would veto a gay marriage bill. Supporters don't know if they have the numbers to pass the bills in the Democrat controlled legislature, so if they can't get it done now, they'll have to wait at least four years before trying again. The State Senate has scheduled a vote for today.

Now They Notice?

The New York Times has spent years supporting Democratic control in Albany, maintaining a status quo for Democrats who have held the Assembly chamber for decades and gained control over the Senate this past year. Now, they suddenly realize that Albany is a cesspool in need of a vast cleansing?

New Yorkers have been complaining for many years about their abysmal state government, but it has simply grown worse. The state has become a national embarrassment, a swamp of intrigue and corruption, a $131 billion monster controlled by a crowd of smug officials whose main concern is keeping their soft jobs. By now, most New Yorkers have given up hope that these officials are capable of cleaning up their own mess.

The clock is ticking. In one year, unless the Albany crowd pulls off some miracle, which we doubt will happen, it will be up to the voters to get them out, all of them.

To recap some recent outrages:

Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who promised to reform Albany on Day One, was forced to resign on Day 441 after his bizarre antics with a prostitute. His replacement, David Paterson, has been weak and ineffective. The state comptroller was forced to resign after confessing to a felony involving his misuse of state resources. Three of his close associates have been arrested on charges of bribery and grand larceny.

A dozen legislators in the last few years have been convicted of serious crimes including bribery, mail fraud, extortion and racketeering. Joseph Bruno, the Senate majority leader who resigned last year, is fighting federal charges that he collected more than $3 million in fees from companies trying to do business with the state.

After failing to do the people’s business for years, the Senate was shut down for a month this summer by two Democratic senators. Pedro Espada Jr., one of them, is under investigation for not filing campaign finance forms and over allegations that he funneled state money into his own business. The other, Hiram Monserrate, was convicted last week of assaulting his girlfriend.

How do we let such people anywhere near a legislature? The answer is in voters’ hands. It is time to change the culture.

Maybe there's a real good reason that the Times had to can another 100 people in their newsroom today. Maybe it has something to do with myopia and a failure to report the massive failure of the state government for years on end that now culminate in a $50 billion deficit due to the state spending billions more than it could ever hope to take in due to unfunded mandates, a bad state economy (and even worse upstate economy that has been reeling for years due to a collapse of the state's manufacturing base and key companies like IBM, Xerox and Kodak).


For starters, voters must realize that the politicians that they've repeatedly reelected to office are incompetent and incapable of making any decision tougher than rubber stamping a decision by the Senate Majority Leader, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Governor to produce an annual state budget that empties taxpayer pockets and leaves the state budget in tatters.

They also have a way of electing politicians who assault their girlfriends and engage in all manner of illicit activities. To their credit, Sen. Charles Schumer and Sen. Kristen Gillinbrand (both Democrats) called on Monserrate to step down (but don't expect that to happen, or expect voters in his district to even notice).

And the problems aren't just in Albany. The same exact problems occur in Washington; Speaker Pelosi promised to drain the swamp of corruption, and yet she ignores multimillion dollar multiple ethical, legal and tax problems with none other than senior New York Congressman Democrat Charles Rangel. The Times called on him to step down from the post, but that's met with deaf ears.

The problems are also severe in New Jersey, where dozens of politicians have been indicted and convicted on corruption charges. Yet, we've got Republicans pushing candidates who apparently have unsavory connections to the porn industry, while Democrats have to run away from their "achievements" like Jon Corzine, because the economy is in tatters, state taxes have risen, and the only growth has been in the size of the state workforce.

It's time that the taxpayers cut through the crap spewed by the politicians. That means journalists doing more actual reporting of the news and less editorializing in hard news stories.

House Set To Cut Funding To ACORN

A day after the Senate voted 83-7 to cut funding to ACORN, the House is set to do the same today. Why the sudden turnabout and fortune change?

It has everything to do with James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, who posed as a pimp and prostitute and got at least three ACORN offices to provide all kinds of advice on how to carry out prostitution, political activities, tax evasion, and other criminal acts while seeking to obtain a home through the organization. They've released a series of videos showing Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Brooklyn offices providing very similar advice to the couple.

ACORN had tried to claim that the Baltimore office was an isolated incident. That's when the second video was released. When ACORN again tried to claim it was an isolated incident and that they fired the two Baltimore workers, the second set of videos were released showing the DC office. When ACORN attempted yet again to claim it was a setup and that the New York offices didn't respond to O'Keefe and Giles, the third video was released showing the Brooklyn office providing the same kind of information as the other two.

There is also word that there are more videos to come.

Biggovernment.com, which released the videos (and is part of Breitbart.com), hopes that RICO charges be filed against ACORN.

The reality is, there are at least a half-dozen state and federal laws that could have been broken here. Even though the undercover girl is not a prostitute and there are no El Salvadoran girls either, this could still meet the legal standard for conspiracy to commit these various crimes. At a bare minimum, depending on the state, it likely fulfills the elements for the crime of attempted conspiracy, which usually carries the exact same penalty as the underlying crimes themselves (prostitution, tax fraud, etc.).

What’s important about prostitution and human trafficking is that they are specific triggers for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO. The RICO law is designed to enable the Justice Department to go after criminal enterprises. It defines “racketeering activity” as including importing illegal aliens for immoral purposes, falsifying identification documents and immigration papers, mail and wire fraud, and the sexual exploitation of children, among others.

These are all implicated on the video tapes. The ACORN workers rattle off their how-to instructions on carrying out these crimes without needing to do more than skim a couple books that they have on hand. The clear implication is that these workers are seasoned pros on how to carry out these crimes, subsidized by federal taxpayer money.

The Brooklyn District Attorney's office is looking into the ACORN office there.

As to the Senate vote yesterday, Sen. Gillibrand voted against the provision to cut funding, whereas even Sen. Chuck Schumer voted to cut funding.

Gillibrand's office said she found the actions of certain ACORN employees "reprehensible" but added, "The truth remains that thousands of New York families who are facing foreclosure depend on charitable organizations like ACORN for assistance."

Those families have no one to blame but the actions of ACORN and the failure to properly oversee and train offices to act in a legal fashion. Providing information that can be used to hide illegal activities is not an activity that can or should be carried out at any of the ACORN offices, and yet it was all too easy to get virtually identical advice from at least three offices. That's the kind of mess that starts at the top and rots its way down to the core of the group.

There are other more worthy community groups that can provide the kind of assistance to families without the criminality or the appearance of criminality. That includes all manner of church groups, which serve many of the areas in which ACORN operates. Housing advice could be farmed out to Nehemiah and its partners, affiliates, or similar organizations.

That the group's shutdown may adversely affect families going forward should not prevent the group from being stripped of funding if it is breaking the law as is the case on those three videos. Moreover, stripping the funding will not necessarily shut down the group altogether as it takes in private donations as well. It would continue to serve but at a much reduced level.

The only thing left to consider is just how far law enforcement wants to take matters and whether they'll pursue the RICO charges or other criminal charges against not only those in the videos but their superiors. That remains to be seen.

UPDATE:
Instapundit links. Thanks! Now, there is a possibility that the House will not vote the cutoff since the Democrats still control the House, but that they're allowing the GOP to make this move shows just how far the ACORN has fallen. ACORN's credibility is shot, and the possibility of more videos being released will only further savage ACORN's last remaining bit of credibility and support in Congress.

UPDATE:
Via Instapundit, Biggovernment.com has found that ACORN was not licensed to do business in Maryland since November 2006 (ACORN Housing, a separate entity, was operating illegally since November 2008). So, while the Maryland Attorney General is making headlines for threatening to prosecute O'Keefe and Giles, he should have been focusing on ACORN's right to do business in the state - a far more egregious and damaging issue.

According to Maryland law, the following penalties are imposed on business entities that operate without a license: (1) Officers and agents are guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined up to $1,000; and (2) the corporation subject to $200 fine.

What isn't clear is why the ACORN entities forfeited their right to do business in the state. It is possible that they failed to make a required annual filing.

UPDATE:
Via Hot Air, not only are Senate Republicans demanding an investigation, but there's going to be another video released this afternoon (4pm) :

Or, make that four. Big Government plans to release another video this afternoon at 4 pm ET, apparently taken at an ACORN office in Southern California. According to Twitter chatter, this one has some politicians named, as well as a surprising admission from the ACORN staffer on tape.

UPDATE:
San Bernardino, here we come:



UPDATE:
Is anyone at the San Bernardino District Attorney's office following along with all this? It looks like the woman in the video, Tresa Kaelke, admits to at laundry list of crimes, including prostitution, failure to report income, and those are the tame issues. I'm sure the IRS would love to hear more about this too.

UPDATE:
The ACORN website notes that it trains its employees on how to "to recruit members, build an organizing committee, turn people out to meetings and events, develop campaign strategy, work with leaders, do grassroots fundraising, write press releases, and much more." Apparently, engaging in child prostitution, tax evasion, and other sundry activities falls into the "much more" category.

UPDATE:
To quote a favorite movie of my wife, ACORN seems to employ people with a certain moral flexibility. Is it not so unreasonable to believe that their hiring practices across the country attract the same kind of people, and if presented with facts (the child prostitution ring and political aspirations and the need to hide such information on the down low), that they'll revert to type?

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 71

Over the past few days, Governor Paterson has announced that he's going to force Larry Silverstein to accept whatever half-baked deal that the Port Authority comes up with rather than make sure that Silverstein gets the financing he needs to build at Ground Zero. He's basically threatening that Silverstein will be pushed aside to allow the Port Authority to go ahead with its own agenda. That includes the Port Authority drawing up plans to finish the 9/11 memorial and the PATH transit hub, and nothing else.

If you want a reason why Ground Zero remains largely a hole in a ground, there's your answer.

The 9/11 WTC Memorial and Museum is being built - largely because public pressure to have a gaping maw present come time for the 10th anniversary would be political poison to everyone even remotely associated with Ground Zero. However, all the other projects are behind schedule and subject to delays, modifications, or cancellations.

In fact, the Freedom Tower (aka 1WTC), which now peeks out over the northwestern portion of Ground Zero is hopelessly stalled, and a new report indicates that it will not be completed before 2018, at least 4 years after the Port Authority claimed just a few months ago. Anyone looking at the Tower can see that it's stalled out, as the northern core remains barely visible from ground level.

Moreover, that report indicates that the 9/11 memorial and museum wont be completed until 2013, two years after the 10th anniversary, and well after the dates provided by the Port Authority:

A 2018 opening for the iconic, 1,776-foot building would come more than four years after the opening date the Port Authority trumpeted just 10 months ago, the government report found.

The July 14 "confidential draft...risk analysis" by the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) found that every blockbuster project at Ground Zero has fallen years behind time lines the PA unveiled in October.

The report says the grandiose transportation hub may not be ready until 2018, while the Sept. 11 Memorial, the site's emotional centerpiece, could be two years behind its 2011 deadline.

The report contradicts the "aggressive yet realistic schedules" PA boss Chris Ward gave Gov. Paterson.

Every one of those delays adds to the costs of rebuilding, and which makes an already expensive rebuilding project, even more expensive.

First and foremost, the Port Authority continues dragging its feet on the preparation of the site for Silverstein's office towers that were part of a previously negotiated settlement over how to rebuild at the site. The Port Authority continues to have to pay daily fines for failing to have the site ready.

The credit market collapse last fall has meant that financing remains a key stumbling block, and Silverstein's attempts to get the Port Authority to provide the financing has fallen on deaf ears. So too apparently has it fallen on the deaf ears of the New York Congressional delegation, from Senator Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillinbrand, to the members of the House.

At a time when the Obama Administration wants to get shovel ready projects going that would provide jobs and economic incentives, the rebuilding at Ground Zero is clearly the highest profile project, and one that would get support from a wide cross section of New Yorkers and all Americans in general.

Instead, we get treated to an ongoing battle, where Silverstein gets painted by the politicians as the bad guy, when the Port Authority and the other state agencies involved in rebuilding in and around Ground Zero can't get their own acts together to rebuild in a timely fashion.

If you want proof that this situation, look no further than Fiterman Hall and the former Deutsche Bank buildings. Both were heavily damaged during the 9/11 attacks, and both should have been demolished long ago. Yet, they're only now beginning to get around to it.

Silverstein long ago rebuilt 7WTC, showing that there is still someone who can get the job of rebuilding done.

Silverstein needs the financing to move ahead, and he needs the Port Authority to quit dragging its heels on site preparation. Everything is getting delayed because the former Deutsche Bank building hasn't been deconstructed, and is crucial to the infrastructure at the site since it is the site for the vehicle security center for vehicles entering the site.

Silverstein has threatened to take the matter to arbitration, and I suspect that he'd win on his claims, since there is more than adequate proof that the Port Authority is purposefully dragging its feet in the site reconstruction and efforts to prepare the site for Silverstein's office towers.

Curiously, for the first time in a while, Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver has noted that Gov. Paterson's nonsensical statements are a guarantee that there will be years more delays.

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 70

Has there been a thaw in the cold war between Silverstein Properties and the Port Authority? Silverstein had demanded arbitration to get the Port Authority to meet its obligations to prepare the site and insure that the preconditions to building the office towers on the site were in place.

Now comes word that the Port Authority will be in a position to offer Silverstein the financing he needs to fully build the office towers if he's able to raise $625 million. It's not going to solve the mess completely, but it does indicate that some progress has been made to get development rolling.

For the first time, the authority, which owns the site, agreed to guarantee financing for both of Mr. Silverstein’s office towers, which are to be built along Church Street, at an estimated cost of $4.2 billion, according to a letter on Monday from the Port Authority to the Bloomberg administration and the office of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

But up to $1.2 billion in financing for the second tower would come only after Mr. Silverstein raised $625 million from investors or lenders, according to the proposal.

The letter, from Christopher O. Ward, the authority’s executive director, was sent to City Hall on the same day that Mr. Silverstein sought to start an arbitration process, angrily claiming that the Port Authority had violated the development agreement at ground zero.

A spokesman for Mr. Silverstein declined to comment on Thursday. He does not view the proposal as a credible offer, according to an official who spoke with him

“I don’t believe it moves the ball forward,” said Mr. Silver, whose district includes Lower Manhattan. “I don’t believe it gets us closer to a deal.”

Mr. Silver, a consistent supporter of Mr. Silverstein, and Mayor Bloomberg organized a summit meeting in May in a so-far unsuccessful effort to broker a resolution.

Andrew Brent, a spokesman for Deputy Mayor Robert C. Lieber, who leads the city’s negotiating team, declined to comment on the proposal, citing an agreement among the parties not to negotiate in public. But two officials who had been briefed on the new proposal said that it was a step in the right direction, although they noted what they called some serious flaws.

One flaw, one of the officials said, is that the financial structure would make it nearly impossible for Mr. Silverstein to raise $625 million in the credit markets, where there is little money available for real estate projects.

It's the credit crunch that has been a recent stumbling block, and it's in this arena that the state's US Senators, Gillinbrand and Schumer, should be pushing President Obama to provide Silverstein with the access to credit needed to rebuild at Ground Zero.

Considering the thousands of jobs at stake and that this is truly a shovel-ready project, it would appear to be a no-brainer, but this is the Obama Administration we're talking about. They'd be in a position to rescue the development at Ground Zero, but are incapable or unwilling to do so.

Continued delays can and would put the completion of the 9/11 Memorial in doubt in time for the 10th anniversary commemoration.

New York Gov. Paterson Picks Kristen Gillibrand For Clinton Senate Seat

The long wait is over. Governor David Paterson, who had courted with the idea of passing the seat on to Caroline Kennedy, has settled upon upstate Democrat Kristen Gillibrand.

Gov. Paterson, defying the liberal wing of his Democratic Party, has chosen little-known, NRA-backed, upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as New York's junior senator, it was learned last night.

The surprising - and, for many Democrats shocking - decision to pick the conservative Gillibrand, 42, from Hudson in Columbia County, was disclosed by the governor in calls to party officials and some members of the state's congressional delegation, many of whom said they were unhappy with the selection, sources said.

There are more Democrats in New York than Republicans, and not all Democrats in the state are as liberal as the downstate contingent who are already represented by the likes of Charles Schumer. Gillibrand was actually supported by Schumer in this move precisely because of the need to increase the voice of upstate Democrats. This is a sign that Paterson is attempting to provide a greater voice to upstate New Yorkers. Like him or hate him, Schumer is a very savvy politician who has steered the Democrats to a comfortable advantage in the Senate.

However, that isn't sitting well with some of the leading contenders for the position, including Carolyn Maloney, who is a staunch gun control advocate. Expect top Democrats to come out and challenge Gov. Paterson when he comes up for reelection, as well as Gillibrand when her term is up in 2010.

Musical Chairs

While much of the focus on open Senate seats is on Sen. Barack Obama's Illinois seat that Gov. Rod Blagojevich attempted to sell for personal profit and the criminal probe is sure to snare many a prominent Illinois Democrat, it's not the only one.

New York Governor David Paterson will have to consider a replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton. Caroline Kennedy, who ran Obama's VP search committee, is throwing her name in the ring to get Paterson's attention.

Apparently, that might be all that is required to be Senator these days. Experience isn't exactly necessary, let alone required. Apparently, having the last name of Kennedy is sufficient.

Of course, all this will have to wait until Clinton actually vacates the seat. She wont step down until she's confirmed by her fellow Senators as the next Secretary of State.

Mrs. Clinton has said she will not vacate the seat until she is confirmed as secretary of state, which is expected to occur in January or February, and the governor has said he would wait until then to make the appointment. But he has also said he may make his selection known before then, to allow whoever is chosen to prepare for the new role.

Ms. Kennedy, 51, a resident of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, took an unusually public role in President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign, and the two became friends. Mr. Obama appointed Ms. Kennedy to the panel that vetted potential vice-presidential candidates for him.

But, before that, Ms. Kennedy had devoted much of her time to charitable works and institutions linked to her family, such as the Kennedy Library Foundation, where she is president.

Others likely to be considered are members of Congress, including Kirsten Gillibrand, a rising star in the Democratic party who represents an upstate district, Tom Suozzi, the former gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County chief executive, and the state attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo.

Notably absent from that short list is Nydia Velaquez. Cuomo has held major positions at the federal level, including as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The problem there is that he'd compete with Sen. Chuck Schumer for face time before media crews, and I don't know if Schumer would approve. Gillibrand might be a choice that Paterson favors because it would be someone who would have to owe Paterson down the road.

Meanwhile, across the river, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine is trying to figure out who would replace Lisa Jackson, who is being touted for the EPA position. Corzine is already playing musical chairs:

Jackson became Corzine's chief of staff Dec. 1, after serving as the state Department of Environmental Protection commissioner since 2006.

Taking over her Statehouse post as chief of staff will be Ed McBride, Corzine's chief counsel. McBride is "very bright" and has an exceptional work ethic, Corzine said.

"I trust him and look forward to working with him," the governor said. "I feel very strongly about his integrity and ability to get things done."

In the days since Jackson's nomination was disclosed, she has won praise for her pragmatic approach and work on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, among other efforts. But critics have called her unqualified, citing a recent report by EPA's inspector general saying New Jersey has moved too slowly in cleaning up several toxic waste sites.

Spitzer to Resign Wednesday

According to WCBS in New York, Spitzer's resignation could come as early as Wednesday.

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Gov. Eliot Spitzer is set to resign Wednesday, sources tell CBS 2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer, but insiders say he's going to use the resignation as a bargaining chip to cut a deal with federal prosecutors and he won't step down until that happens. The talks have been going on since Tuesday morning.

The governor's fate rests in the hands of two people: U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia and Michele Hirshman, the head of his legal defense team. The deal they cut will determine Spitzer's future.

Criminal law experts say Spitzer will definitely have to resign the governorship and that what's involved in the deal is key.

So what's the best that could happen to him?

"No charges, absolute resignation, and contrition. I think the worst that could happen is a felony plea on one of a number of charges that they could lodge against him," said noted criminal attorney Ronald Fischetti, who has often had to negotiate with feds on behalf of clients.

Still, Fischetti said Spitzer stands no hope of ever regaining political respect again.

"I think his career politically is at an end," he said.

The very real problem for Spitzer, as he well knows having been a prosector and the former Attorney General is that he could be charged with a number of things that carry jail time: tax evasion, money laundering, bringing a prostitute across state lines from New York to Washington.

He also has another problem in the negotiations with Garcia, who could be feeling pressure to throw the book at him.

"It's very important that [Garcia] expresses to the public that everyone is treated alike and if he doesn't charge someone who was the Attorney General and prosecuted crimes, he will be subject to a lot of public criticism that he let [Spitzer] go because he was the governor," said Fischetti.

Lawhawk, the answer is No -- as in NO, the article did not mention Spitzer's political affiliation, which is democrat. I am sure that surprises you and everyone else.

Also, this tidbit from the New York Post which Lawhawk reported on earlier:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been soliciting high-priced hookers for at least six years and possibly for more than a decade, sources tell The Post.

The revelation yesterday that the crusading governor was in fact "Client 9" named in a federal prostitution indictment did not shock insiders in the city's sex industry.

Sources tell The Post that Spitzer had frequented high-priced hookers as far back as 2002 and possibly earlier.

(HT: http://www.polijam.com)

And lastly, you have to LOVE this interview with Ken Langone, former NYSE board member about Spitzer. You can say that Wall Street has no love for the governor.

UPDATE [lawhawk]:
No surprises here, but bear this in mind about the talk of New York Republicans impeaching Governor Spitzer. It's never going to happen. They simply don't have the numbers in the Assembly to get it done. You need majority of the Assembly to vote for impeachment in order for it to move to the Senate who must also vote in favor of impeachment to remove a governor legislatively. Republicans are outnumbered in the Assembly 107-42 [updated and corrected the Democrat tally]. Do the math.

It's an idle threat at best.

UPDATE [lawhawk]:
Here's another reason for the delay in Spitzer proffering his resignation. I suspect he's trying to preserve his law license. A felony conviction would mean that he'd be done as a lawyer in New York. Some of the state charges might be misdemeanors, but the federal charges may include multiple felonies.

UPDATE [lawhawk]:
The Times Union has an interesting bit about Paterson, including some prior health concerns:

Paterson stayed out of the public limelight, but his aides took a few questions, including one about his health.

A fainting spell last summer during a flight, the aide said, was checked out by experts who said Paterson is in good health but has a condition that is easily remedied if he discontinues sleeping when his collar is buttoned.

The Harlem Democrat, poised to become New York's first African American governor, is readying to take over his boss' job under provisions of succession in the state constitution. "He'd be foolish not to," a close aide to Spitzer said.

They also interviewed Democratic Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, who has been in trouble with the law before and most recently was arrested for DUI, and it sounds like he's sympathetic to Spitzer. He wasn't alone:

Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie, D-Bronx, was among several Democrats who said some lawmakers are unfairly judging Spitzer.

That isn't to say that some Democrats are also starting to put out the call for him to resign, including Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Greenport.