Politics

Bill de Blasio's Elusive City Council Papers Raise More Questions Than They Answer

Rightbloggers Mad Starbucks Still Lets Them Bring Guns But Isn't Kissing Their Ass Hard Enough

People of the Gun love the Old West, a place where, they like to imagine, "an armed society is a polite society" (as if Deadwood were a good model for modern life). But when the Starbucks' CEO Howard Shultz requested -- not demanded, mind you, but requested -- that people visiting his coffee shops ... More >>

Election Day Hotline Will Run Today To Make Sure Voters Have Access

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced a statewide election day hotline, a way for people encountering any trouble accessing their right to vote to get help. This is the second time the hotline has been used. The first was last November, when the state received hundreds of complai ... More >>

Mayor Bloomberg Takes Some Shots From Al D'Amato, Freddy Ferrer Over New York Mag Interview

Wow, former Republican senator Alphonse D'Amato and three other former high profile pols really let Mike Bloomberg have it tonight over the mayor's criticism of Bill de Blasio's use of his family in his campaign. Bloomberg told New York magazine that de Blasio has been running a campaign that smacks ... More >>

Different Direction, Good; Stop and Frisk and Overturning Term Limits, Bad, Voters Say in Exit Poll

An Edison Research exit poll conducted tonight is saying that 3/4 of New Yorkers want to move in a different direction from the Bloomberg years, even though 51 percent think he did a good job. The pollsters also found that 58 percent thought the stop and frisk campaign was excessive, and 66 percent ... More >>

Rightbloggers Look to "Libertarian Populism" (Minus the Neo-Confederates) as Key to Future Success

Having worked out a lot of their racial anima on the Trayvon Martin case, rightbloggers have returned to their bombed-out bunkers to contemplate the future. Their latest big deal is "libertarian populism." The phrase seems oxymoronic, but the idea is to make conservatives and their agents in the GO ... More >>

Political Corruption Boils Over in Albany

Machine pols and reformers alike are ensnared

Stop-and-Frisk Recap: Things Getting Heated at City Hall

Well, things are certainly getting interesting over at City Hall over stop-and-frisk. Here's a recap: First, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly's signature tactic gets a federal trial in the class-action case Floyd v. City of New York. The city leaks a report critical of the judge in the case, alleging she ... More >>

The Misunderstood Candidacy of Corey Johnson, The Man Who Wants To Replace Christine Quinn

On that fateful day in November, New Yorkers will choose their next Mayor. Whether City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is on the ballot or not, her seat in the 3rd District, which covers Chelsea, the West Village and the Highline, will be in contention. And, as of now, one Democratic candidate name ... More >>

The City Council Passed the Community Safety Act, a Landmark NYPD Bill, Late Last Night

"These bills arraign that we have the best police department we possibly can," Councilman Brad Lander said around 11 last night. At a stated meeting in City Hall, the legislature convened for a vote on the discharged parts of the Community Safety Act, in an attempt to pass measures that would drasti ... More >>

Rightbloggers Find NSA Spying on Americans--And This Time They're Against It!

Last week many Americans discovered that their government is spying on them. We are not sure how many of them had a hunch such a thing was happening, though since 9/11, the signing of the Patriot Act, and various government snooping stories, we would guess the number to be very high. Many rightblog ... More >>

The UFT & PBA's Demand for Payback From New Mayor Faces Budget Realities

October 31st, 2009. For the teachers of New York City, this date marks the last day 94,000 of them had a contract with the Bloomberg administration. Since then, the wages for our city's educators have remained at a standstill, suspended by political tensions over layoffs, attrition and mayoral contr ... More >>

Why Rightbloggers Should Drop Benghazi, IRS, and AP, Focus on Umbrellagate and Bulworth

As the Benghazi prosecution appears to fizzle, rightbloggers have sought to replace it with a pair of new scandalettes involving the IRS and the Associated Press. We think this shows a disappointing lack of imagination. In the far-flung meth labs of the right, fresher outrages are cooking that Amer ... More >>

Rightbloggers Cover Benghazi Hearings with Extreme Prejudice

House Republicans finally got their hearings on Benghazi, and we have learned that the Obama Administration, the CIA, and the FBI massaged their talking points before announcing the attack last September, and that at least a couple of people thought the U.S. military could have gotten to Benghazi qu ... More >>

After Helping The FBI, Former State Senator Shirley Huntley Still Gets Slapped With A Year In Prison

At the end of last August, former State Senator Shirley Huntley called for a press conference in her home district of Jamaica, Queens. There, she informed her supporters that she would be arrested the following day for an extensive criminal investigation into her personal expenses. Turns out, betwe ... More >>

New York's Sen. Gillibrand Prepares to Introduce Military Sexual Assault Bill Next Week

If sexual assault in the military has persisted with a nauseating frequency of terror, shame, and muted protest, this week has amplified that signal to a roar. On Monday, the officer in charge of the Air Force's Sexual Prevention and Response unit was charged with sexual battery for assaulting a wom ... More >>

City Council Meeting: Going Through the Motions

Staging Local Democracy

Cuomo's Women's Equality Act Brings The A-Word To New York State Politics

In the video below, Governor Cuomo lays out his intentions for the Women's Equality Act - a plan that would focus on erasing specific gender biases in New York State law. Akin to the gun control bill passed in December, it's a landmark piece of legislation for the Cuomo administration and, per usual ... More >>

LGBT Purists to Christine Quinn: We'd Love a Gay Mayor. Just Not You.

After Boston Bombing, Rightbloggers Turn on Immigration (Mexican or Whatever)

There's a bill working its way through Congress that would offer a "path to citizenship" to the sort of immigrants currently known in some circles as illegal. Though its application is general, it's obviously aimed at U.S. guests of the Mexican persuasion, and it only has a chance of passing because ... More >>

Bloomberg: Britain & Teen Smoking Rate Were Causes For Cigarette Age Proposal

As we reported yesterday morning, City Health Commissioner Tom Farley and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined forces Monday to announce a proposal to raise the age to buy cigarettes to 21. And then we went into the electoral blowback this could have for Quinn in the upcoming mayoral campaign ... More >>

Poll Confirms That A Weiner Campaign Would Shake Up Mayoral Race

When word spread last week that former Representative Anthony Weiner was contemplating a mayoral run, the questions of what it meant for the electoral future immediately arose. How would his candidacy affect the race? Would the Democratic primary become a showdown between Weiner and Quinn? Could peo ... More >>

Bloomberg's Gun Control Group Undeterred by Congressional Inaction

With Rep. Gabrielle Gifford alongside him, President Obama called it a "pretty shameful day for Washington." Nearly five months after the massacre at Sandy Hook, the gun control package making its way through Congress shut down in the Senate yesterday. Democratic politicians were unable to muster th ... More >>

Along With Anti-Bribery Measures, Gov. Cuomo Proposes Election Reform

Might as well use this recent scenario to hit two birds with one stone. Last week, Governor Cuomo announced the Public Trust Act. The bill, which came in the wake of the scandals that rocked New York politics this month, would expand the powers given to state bribers to locate and detain those invo ... More >>

Cuomo Introduces "The Public Trust Act" After Last Week's Scandal Fest

Last week, New York government, on both a city and state level, bore witness to corruption in its purest form. In a matter of days, a mayoral rigging scheme was uncovered that involved City Council, the State Assembly and business interests. And then we found out about yet another hatched plan in ... More >>

Halloran/Smith Scandal Quickly Becomes Latest Mayoral Drama For Quinn

As you may have heard yesterday, City Councilman Dan "America's Top Heathen" Holleran is in a whole lot of trouble. Along with State Senator Malcolm Smith, the two were involved in a rigging scheme that planned to posit Smith as a Democrat switching over to the Republican side to run for Mayor of ... More >>

The Community Safety Act Puts Mayoral Candidates' NYPD Views on Display

We're almost close to labeling 'NYPD actions' as the hot button issue for this mayoral race. Two weeks ago, the Voice reported that the NYPD had committed its 5 millionth stop-and-frisk. Then, a few days later, hearings began downtown on Floyd v. New York, which challenges the practice all together ... More >>

Democrats Worried About Other Democrats With Bloomberg's $12M Ad Blitz

Yesterday, we reported on Mayor Bloomberg's announcement to spend $12 million on a campaign set forth by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns to counter the NRA in battleground states. The move is the largest yet from the Hizzoner to translate ideology into action on the topic of gun control and, in effe ... More >>

Supreme Court Hears Arguments Against California's Same-Sex Marriage Ban, Punts

At approximately 10:15 this morning, the U.S. Supreme Court started hearing arguments on Proposition 8, the 2008 California initiative that banned same-sex marriage in the state. It was the court's first major hearing of gay rights in 10 years, and will be followed by consideration of the Defense of ... More >>

With His $12M Ad Blitz, Bloomberg Is Finally The Opponent The NRA Needed

The substance of this story was almost fit to print. We all know Mayor Bloomberg's stance on guns. He is a co-founder and head of Mayors Against Illegal Guns - a group of America's most powerful metropolitan leaders that all share a very strong stance on gun control. And he's backed his message wit ... More >>

Bloomberg to Pass New Law to Keep NYC the Most "Immigrant-Friendly" City in the U.S.

Today Mayor Bloomberg will sign off on two hefty pieces of immigration legislation that will maintain New York's reputation as one of the most immigrant-friendly cities in the nation. The two laws, which passed 40-7 in City Council at the end of February, are a reaction to Secure Communities, the h ... More >>

It's Official: Christine Quinn Wants To Be Your Next Mayor

Yesterday, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn released this video to the Internet. And her campaign tweeted the below out, too. Both were an affirmative nod to New Yorkers that, yes, she is officially running for Mayor and, yes, she is fighting for the middle class. If elected, Ms. Quinn will be t ... More >>

SCOTUS-Backed Surveillance Law Built on a Bush-Era Lie

New Yorkers Not So Hot For Stop and Frisk Campaign, But Still Like Ray Kelly

New Yorkers aren't so pleased with the NYPD's stop and frisk campaign, though at the same time, they give Police Commissioner Ray Kelly high marks, according to a new poll from the folks at Quinnipiac University. Only 39 percent of folks approve of the stop and frisk campaign, including just 19 per ... More >>

Bloomberg Squares Off Against Quinn Over Street Vendor Fees

This is either a clear sign that City Council is starting to realize that New York is becoming a street food metropolis more and more every day or that a mayoral race is quickly approaching. You may have noticed over the past few months a particular sign plastered on street vendor carts across the ... More >>

The Mayoral Third Is Here: Adolfo Carrion Accepts Independence Party Nom

Enter the independent candidate for Mayor. And, for the first time in a while, it is not Mr. Bloomberg. Last night in SoHo, the Post reported that the Independence Party voted unanimously to elect Mr. Carrion as their nominee of the upcoming race for the keys to City Hall. He will go against whoeve ... More >>

Benjamin Netanyahu's Annual Ice Cream Budget is $2,700

Outrage erupted in Jerusalem over the weekend when a financial newspaper announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allocated $2,700 per year for ice cream. According to the report in Yediot Aharonot, Metudela, a local shop near the PM's residence, served as the official dessert parl ... More >>

Obama's Drones Turn Rightbloggers Into Civil Libertarians, If Only Temporarily

NBC recently brought to light the Obama Administration's policy of conducting drone attacks on civilians "even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S." so long as "an informed, high-level" official thinks they're warranted. This is apparently ap ... More >>

Alan Dershowitz to Brooklyn College: Academic Freedom For Me But Not For Thee

It has become a safe assumption that otherwise liberal and open-minded New York politicians will make an exception for Israel. Case in point: 10 members of the New York City Council have declared that they support academic freedom, just not the freedom of public universities to host events that do n ... More >>

Who's Bros With Who? City Council Candidates Rep Their Friends Lists

As City Council contenders gear up for the race to City Hall, they want to make sure we know that they have lots and lots of friends. Because only popular kids are allowed to eat at the City Council table, right? Ari Kagan, currently the district leader of Brooklyn, recited names from his Facebook ... More >>

A Look Inside Mayor Bloomberg's Last Budget

Before he leaves, he'll have to go out with a bang. Yesterday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg released his final preliminary budget plan for 2014, worth $70.1 billion -- a proposal that will close a $1.1 billion deficit facing the City. In it, we see remnants of this past year's controversies as well a ... More >>

Union Insists Mayor Holds Ultimate Power to End School Bus Strike

Leaders of the Amalgamated Transit Union hosted a town hall teleconference last night to clarify facts surrounding the school bus strike--facts that they argue have been distorted by the Bloomberg administration and the media. Last night's telephone town hall was held for the constituents of City ... More >>

Joe Lhota & Christine Quinn Lead The Polls For Next Mayor

Could this be the race we're half-heartedly doomed to cover?According to a recent way-too-soon survey conducted by Quinnipiac University, the frontrunners (so far) are clear for this year's 'Who Will Run City Hall After Bloomberg?' On the Republican side, former MTA chairman Joe Lhota has captured 2 ... More >>

Poll: New Yorkers Heart Police Commissioner

Everybody loves Raymond. A Quinnipiac University survey of 1,332 residents of New York City made public today gives the commissioner a record high 75% approval rating. This is Kelly's highest rating to date. A large majority of voters--across gender, race and party lines--would prefer that Ray Kel ... More >>

New York Becomes First State To Pass Gun Control Bill After Newtown

Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo's State of the State address was entitled 'New York Rising.' What happened yesterday in Albany might explain why. In a 104-to-43 vote, the New York State Assembly officially passed the NY Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act on Tuesday afternoon. Th ... More >>

Obama Announces Gun Control Proposals, Signs 23 Executive Orders

Just before noon, President Barack Obama addressed the nation to propose wide-ranging reform to curb gun violence in the country. "While there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy, every act of ... More >>

John Catsimatides, Supermarket Mogul, Latest Name in Swelling Mayoral Race

Day by day, the wide open upcoming race to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg is getting more entertaining, and morphing into a new year's gift for reporters, political junkies, and maybe the public. Last week, Mayor Giuliani's former deputy mayor, Joseph Lhota, a man not known for conversational sub ... More >>

The Gawker/Christine Quinn Gun Owner Database Debacle

We were a bit afraid that this would become a "thing." Two weeks ago, we reported on the Journal News, a newspaper based in White Plains, published the names and addresses of all the gun owners in and around New York City. As a result, readers and media folk alike flipped out, leading one blogger ... More >>

With Compromise In Sight, Gov. Cuomo Talks Gun Control In State Of The State Address

In recent weeks, we've been following the Governor's actions regarding gun control quite closely. After the Newtown tragedy, Cuomo proposed a handful of measures to hopefully curb gun-related violence; one of which would be the strictest magazine clip ban in the nation. However, the momentum hit a w ... More >>

UPDATE: City Council Committee Votes in Favor of Revised Minority Business Law

The amended Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise bill is headed to the Mayor's Office after the city council voted 45 to 2 yesterday in favor of the measure. Among several improvements, the amended Intro-911-A bill lifts the $1 million cap on M/WBE contracts and implements additional accoun ... More >>