World Politics

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Mr. Cuomo Goes To Washington (To Beg For Cash)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's got a busy day ahead of him in Washington D.C. -- which includes meetings with White House officials, the House speaker, and the Senate majority leader -- where he'll make the case for New York's need for a $42 billion appropriation to help the state recover from Hur ... More >>

Mitt Was Too Moderate To Win, Say Conservatives

Funny, I thought he was too conservative to win. But the really right-wing Repubs are furious that their candidate let them down and came out with views that were too-soft for them to find him inspiring and triumphant. Says one Tea Party Patriot in the linked blog, "We wanted someone who would fi ... More >>

GOP Super PAC Gunning For Shelly Silver -- And Why It Won't Make A Bit Of Difference

A recently formed GOP Super PAC has Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver in its sights and says it will actively campaign -- and drop an estimated $1.5 million -- to see to it that he's not re-elected as Assembly speaker.The Super PAC -- which is being financially fueled by the group Americans for Real Ch ... More >>

NY GOP: Andrew Cuomo's Election Day Executive Order Disenfranchises Upstate Hurricane Relief Workers

Yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order allowing residents of "federally-declared disaster counties" to vote at any polling place they want.Included in the governor's order are relief workers who "reside in one of the federally declared disaster counties."Problem is, not all the r ... More >>

SWING STATE UPDATE: The Iowa Decision

MSNBC has just called Iowa, with a total of six electoral votes, for Barack Obama. The incumbent is now 14 electoral votes away from winning the 2012 presidential election, up on Romney 256-203.

Presidential Election Night Party

Don't Get On An Obama Email Feed!

It's not that I don't want to hear all the great news about his superior views. It's just that I don't want to be bombarded with them all the livelong day. Between two sources ("Obama For America Press" and Barackobama.com), I seem to get most of my email these days. They are relentless--and when ... More >>

Barack Obama Opened Three New Campaign Offices In New York. But Why?

In the 2008 presidential election, President Barack Obama mopped the floor with Senator John McCain in New York, beating the GOP challenger by more than two million votes.In fact, a Republican presidential candidate hasn't won the Empire State in nearly 30 years, when President Ronald Reagan absolut ... More >>

Rightbloggers Say Romney Won 2nd Debate, And If He Didn't No Fair Because Liberal Media Bias

Don't look now, but the Presidential race seems to be neck-in-neck with just 16 days to go. Nervous? Think how they feel. Both Romney's and Obama's campaigns undoubtedly spent last week gearing up for the final push with phone banks, GOTV, last-minute ad blitzes, election fraud monitor training, etc ... More >>

I Couldn't Watch Last Night's Debate

The presidential one that preceded it was one of the most painful experiences I've ever had. I cringed watching slick Mitt, with all his lies and flip flops, wipe the floor with Obama, who came off like a nice uncle who'd wandered in for some tea and some chit chat. I felt like I was watching my f ... More >>

NOW Outlines Expectations In JCOPE's Probe Of Vito Lopez's Pervy-Ness -- And Silver's Coverup

Assemblyman Vito Lopez is a grade-A pervert. That much we know (for example, he would prefer you not wear a bra to work, ladies). But the lengths to which Assembly leaders -- most notably Lopez's former pal/current Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver -- went to coverup Lopez's multiple gropings of young ... More >>

New York's Not Exactly "Open For Business": Report

Governor Andrew Cuomo earned a big, fat D in a recent grading of his fiscal policies by the Libertarian Cato Institute.This, of course, comes as the governor has declared New York "open for business."Cuomo's D  -- on a scale of A through F -- might have a little bit to do with a different group ... More >>

NY GOP Wants Investigation Into Rep. Steve Israel's Sketchy Mortgage "Bailout"

The New York Post ran an "exclusive" story yesterday suggesting that Long Island Congressman Steve Israel's 2008 support of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) for financially strapped banks is the reason he was granted a "bailout" on the mortgage for his Dix Hills home. The bank that holds Isr ... More >>

Mr. Ahmadinejad Is Coming to NYC; You Know What That Means!

Protests. Tons of them.It has become a common trend now in New York City news that when the sixth President of the Islamic Republic of Iran comes to town for a United Nations gathering, it can only be expected that hundreds of people will meet him half-way with angry remarks and on-the-ground disapp ... More >>

Obama Back in New York To Hobnob With Jay-Z; GOP Pissy (Redux)

President Barack Obama will be back in the Big Apple to hobnob with celebrities, and -- per usual -- the state's Republicans are pissy about it.The "fundraiser in chief" will be in Manhattan tonight, where he will party with Jay-Z and Beyoncé at a $40,000-a-person fundraiser at the rappers 40/40 Cl ... More >>

Rightbloggers Turn Benghazi Truthers, Spin Egypt, Libya Riots As Obama Treason

Last week, upon learning that an anti-Islamic film existed, extremists in several Arab cities rampaged, and in Benghazi killed four Americans, including the U.S. Ambassador. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton denounced both the violence and the film, and Libyan authorities apprehended so ... More >>

Rightbloggers Declare Democratic Convention a Failure -- Which May Be Why It Succeeded

A week after the party of Kang had their national convention, the party of Kodoshad theirs in Charlotte, NC. It was a lively affair, with a floor fight strong-armed by party bosses, and big speeches by Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Sandra Fluke, and some guy running a crap economy who nonetheless no ... More >>

Senate Candidate/Former Assembly Staffer: "Nobody Listens" To Complaints Of Sexual Harassment In Silver's "Boys Club"

New York Post scribe Fred Dicker supposedly is the "dean of the Albany press corp." When he's not puckering up to the rump of Governor Andrew Cuomo, Dicker is pegged with the task of weeding out scandals and corruption at the highest levels of state government. That said, you'd think that if a forme ... More >>

Obama Mentioned Gays Three Times Last Night!

President Obama's speech was strong and confident, not only in the digs at Romney (who's still convinced Russia is our number one enemy, zanily enough), but in its nods to LGBT people, who are usually invisible when it comes to vote-for-me orations. Obama noted that gays aren't responsible for our ... More >>

New York GOP Owes Assemblyman Vito "Gropez" Lopez A Thank You For His Alleged Pervy-ness

New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox has issued three statements in the past 24 hours -- which is three more than he's issued in the past two weeks -- each of which references shamed Democratic Assemblyman Vito Lopez's pervy-ness.In each statement, Cox seems outraged that Lopez allegedly is a d ... More >>

Defying Silver: Assembly Wannabe Frank Commisso's Cojones Could Spell Political Suicide

Frank Commisso Jr. currently serves on the Albany Common Council representing the city's 15th Ward. He's also running for Assembly as a Democrat -- and may have just committed political suicide.Enter Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the most powerful politicians in New York, who currently is ... More >>

Gloria Alred, NOW Have Shelly Silver In Sights Over Hush Money For Pervy Pal Vito Lopez

Isn't there an old saying about how it's seldom the crime but "always the coverup" that lands politicians in the hottest of water?Well, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver may want to revisit that adage, because it's his "coverup" of sexual harassment allegations against his old pal/current Assemblyman ... More >>

Congressman Michael Grimm (Et al) In "Congressmen Gone Wild: Sea Of Galilee Edition"

Nearly three dozen GOP lawmakers are in a PR nightmare this a.m. after reports surfaced that -- after a night of drinking in Israel last year -- they took a boozy, late-night swim in the Sea of Galilee. We're compelled to inform you that a hometown boy is on the list.Congressman Michael Grimm joined ... More >>

Joe Biden Talks About Chains; Rightbloggers Hardest Hit

Vice President Joe Biden said in a speech last week that the GOP's calls to "unchain Wall Street" really mean "they gonna put y'all back in chains." Having just launched their own Vice-Presidential candidate to less than earth-shaking effect, rightbloggers flipped out over Biden's remarks, expressi ... More >>

Rightbloggers Rejoice as Ryan Revives Romney, Reaganesquely

The ideologically fluid Mitt Romney surprised a lot of people this weekend by choosing as his Vice-Presidential running mate Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, a hardcore conservative best known for frightening off independent voters. Democrats portrayed the choice as a gift. So did rightbloggers, often for ... More >>

Andrew Cuomo Cheerleader Fred Dicker Rushes To Gov's Rescue As Criticism Mounts Over Blackberry Use

Governor Andrew Cuomo has found a somewhat creative way around New York's public records laws: his Blackberry.Cuomo's use of Blackberry's BBN message system (and his refusal to use official state email) to communicate with staffers and other pols has come under fire by many (read: just about everyon ... More >>

Will Barack Obama Veto Tax Cuts?

Well, this is a mess... Remember yesterday, when Barack Obama called on Congress to extend Bush-era tax cuts for families making up to $250,000? Remember how Obama made the politically risky move of describing the economy as disappointing under his watch, using that as proof the country needs tax ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Assembly -- But Don't Get Your Hopes Up, New York

A bill that would legalize medical marijuana in New York passed in the Assembly yesterday, but don't go making up any ailments that qualify you for a weed prescription just yet; Governor Buzz Kill ain't gonna sign it -- even if it does find its way to his desk.The bill would legalize prescription we ... More >>

Is Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Supersized Soda Ban Unconstitutional?

Talk about throwing around the c-word! The Constitution, that is. (Don't give us that look! What word did you think we meant?) Anyway, opponents of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's supersized soda ban might argue in court that the proposed measure is unconstitutional, citing the commerce clause as proof ... More >>

Why Is Albany So Corrupt? Harvard Study Blames Capital's Long-Distance Relationship With NYC

New York politics is corrupt for the same reason long distance relationships often don't work: The population is concentrated too far from the capital to keep an eye on it, so Albany cheats. At least that's according to Filipe R. Campante of Harvard and Quoc-Anh Do of the school of economics at Sin ... More >>

Cuomo's Plan To Decriminalize Weed In "Public View" Has Support Of Pretty Much Everyone

As we reported earlier, Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to make possession of marijuana even less illegal than it already is -- a move that apparently has the support of just about everyone.The governor's office put out a press release this afternoon announcing Cuomo's plan to make possessing weed in "p ... More >>

Shocking Homophobic Incident In Michigan! Fight Back!

This just came in from this blog's own, beloved Gregory Moore: "Yesterday, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the YWCA of Kalamazoo presented their annual 'Women of Achievement' awards to five very deserving, accomplished women, all of whom were presented with a framed proclamation from the State of Michigan ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries In Rhode Island Could Be Open By Fall. New York Still Weighing The "Risks"

The Rhode Island House of Representatives passed a revised bill yesterday that paves the way for the opening of three medical marijuana dispensaries that likely will be open by fall. Governor Andrew Cuomo's "progressive" New York, however, is still assessing the "risks" of legalizing prescription po ... More >>

Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story

Medical Marijuana Bill Headed For Another Assembly Vote (Calm Down, Stoners -- You're Not Getting Prescription Pot)

A bill that would legalize medical marijuana in New York has cleared the Health Committee and is headed to the Codes Committee where it will likely be approved and sent to the full Assembly for a vote.Don't get too excited, though, stoners -- even if the bill does pass in the Assembly (which it like ... More >>

Obama Earns Coveted Ricky Martin Endorsement; New York GOP Irked By Prez Partying With Celebs

For anyone who takes their political cues from pop star Ricky Martin, the former Menudo member has thrown his support behind President Barack Obama in this year's election -- he's even throwing the president a pretty pricey fundraiser in New York tonight, which the state's Republican Party seems to ... More >>

Happy New York Republican Primary Day; GOPers Still Pretending Primary Matters, Which Is Adorable

Happy Republican primary day, New York! Now make sure and get out there and vote because your vote really (ahem) matters -- according to the New York State Republican Party, anyway. In reality, however, your vote means precisely nothing.The New York State Republican Party issued a press release last ... More >>

David Paterson Nominated For MTA Gig; Paul McCartney To Blame

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that he's nominating disastrous former Governor David Paterson to serve on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- and we have the "cute" Beatle to blame for Patterson's return to public life.Paterson will replace former Board member Nancy Shev ... More >>

Assembly Members Want To Criminalize Fake Weed (Real Weed Still De-Criminalized In New York)

Members of the New York state Assembly want to criminalize fake marijuana that's often sold at head shops and tobacco stores -- which seems hilarious considering real marijuana has been de-criminalized in the Empire State since 1977.Governor Andrew Cuomo already has banned synthetic marijuana (meani ... More >>

Andrew Cuomo's PR Flack Kept "File" On "Generally Snarky" Reporter

Andrew Cuomo cheerleader/New York Post state capitol bureau chief Fred Dicker may have the right idea with his incessant butt-smooching of his main-man Cuomo -- if you don't want the gov's office to keep a "file" on you, that is. An aide to the governor reportedly kept a "file" on a reporter who he ... More >>

Andrew Cuomo Apologist Fred Dicker Rushes To Defend Gov's Flack's "File" On "Snarky" Reporter; Calls the Voice "Nasty"

Governor Andrew Cuomo's PR flack is under fire for a "file" he kept on a reporter who's often critical of Cuomo -- and now the gov's PR squad is running damage control.First stop -- as always -- Andrew Cuomo apologist/New York Post state capitol bureau chief Fred Dicker's radio show.It should be not ... More >>