 |
  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Gunning For Schneiderman Pity poor first-term legislator Eric Schneiderman. He’s in the cross hairs of the NRA. The upper West Side Dem has pissed off the powerful gun lobby because he pushed Governor Pataki to veto legislation that would have allowed the NRA’s gun safety mascot, Eddie Eagle, to be used to teach in all State elementary schools. Some have called NRA’s Eddie "Joe Camel with feathers," because he is used as an innocuous symbol by the gun lobby to teach safety to children. Found your dad’s .44 in the attic? In NRA literature, Eddie Eagle swoops in to show you how to fasten the safety latch and put that dangerous piece away. Sounds innocent enough. But it’s not, says Schneiderman. "The NRA should not be allowed to use our schools as recruiting grounds for the next generation of gun users," Schneiderman said. Pataki agreed and now SCOPE (Shooter’s Committee on Political Education), a pro-gun website, has targeted Schneiderman. Rumor has it that the NRA is willing to pour thousands of dollars into a campaign against the liberal State Senator to see that he remains a one-termer. Hillary & Nita Some people are wondering where Nita Lowey is, the first on her block as a Senatorial candidate and the first to drop out? Well, we hear that the relationship between Hillary and Nita is anything but warm these days in spite of the fact that Howard Wolfson, Lowey’s former chief of staff , is running the Clinton Senatorial media train. It seems that the White House is a little miffed at Lowey because she dropped out of the race too early (last May). It was the grand design that Lowey would occupy the Senate slot through the fall of 1999, thus giving Clinton a free hand to adjust to New York politics and get comfortable with the issues and interest groups that have descended upon her. Her pronounced "listening tours" were to be just that. But with Lowey as the front, the pressure to know it all would have been lessened and the start up of her eventual campaign would not have stumbled as often as it did. So, when was the last time you saw Congresswoman Lowey escorting candidate Hillary around the State? Cyberoops! Hillary Clinton maybe unfamiliar with more than New York geography. Her campaign has trouble with the political landscape, too, according to City Councilman Jim Oddo. The conservative Republican councilman was surprised and amused to find an unsolicited email from Clinton in his official Council internet inbox last week. "I want you to be my voice in your local community," Clinton wrote. The internet is a wonderful thing, Oddo replied. "Everything one could possibly need is at his or her fingertips, including maps," he wrote. "So if you get lost driving in Delaware County, you can simply log on." The mailbox is one Oddo uses to keep in close contact with his constituents, said his spokeswoman, Elizabeth Harris. They have no idea how Clinton got the address or why she decided to spam Oddo. Chuck Would? What length would Chuck go to elude Hillary if Chuck could? Seems like a lot, say political insiders, who tell us that the Freshman Senator dissed the First Lady’s people late last week when they reached out to him to be her escort when she visited Al Sharpton’s House of Justice in Harlem on Martin Luther King Day. Is it simply that the top dog Democrat is ticked off at Hillary’s tepid Senatorial campaign so far? No, says one member of New York’s Democratic delegation — it’s Schumer’s professional jealousy boiling over. "He just doesn’t want to be the junior guy," he said. "He’s the young stud on the block. It’s his first year in office and he can’t get his name in the papers with all the Hillary & Rudy stuff going on." Schumer did go to Sharpton headquarters on Monday — but he purposely avoided attending with his potential future colleague. So, who was the First Lady’s fallback date? Good ol’ Ed Koch. Minneapolis? You won’t find the latest popular work of modern art at an uptown museum or a downtown loft; instead, you have to go to a warehouse in Brooklyn. That is where the scaffolding surrounding the Washington Monument for a recent renovation will be stored until a permanent location can be found for it. Retail giant Target Stores is reportedly seeking to purchase the 575-foot high scaffolding for $1 million, and place it in a park in downtown Minneapolis. The scaffolding, which was designed by architect Michael Graves, is made of aluminum pipes and covered by nylon fabric. It was put up in 1998 so that the 111-year-old obelisk could be cleaned and repaired. Target was the main corporate sponsor of the $6.5 million restoration project. Whispers Whispered in rooms that used to be smoke-filled: Alan Hevesi facing an incumbent Mark Green, decides to sit it out and run for State Comptroller. He is currently in third place in the polls with the fourth place Bronx Beep closing in. Green and Peter Vallone are more than 15 points ahead of him. Hevesi never runs if it is risky, said one political consultant. Remember the last mayoral election, his camp was saying they’re running for Mayor. Then he’s not. The same pattern is predicted by our pundit who has requested anonymity.
E-MAIL your items to: NYConf@NewsCommunications.com
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
