Bill Clinton, Master Political
Consultant; Losers &
A Great Idea

By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

Bill Clinton is one shrewd political star. First of all, for the record, I like him — just in case you didn’t know. He’s been wonderful for our country. He’s been wonderful for the world. He is a charming and charismatic leader with his head and his heart in the right place. He is bright.

He sure messed up with the Lewinsky affair and his attempt at handling the damage.

But none of that can take away the seven years of prosperity and the progress we’ve made on his watch. The economy has boomed — really boomed! And yes, to those naysayers — he gets the credit. He and Greenspan and his appointees were there — their watch — if it went bad they would have been the goats. They saw the technology boom and allowed it to happen — encouraged it. And it continued and continues today.

The world is at peace and he struggles valiantly and creatively for a mideast lasting solution. The country not only prospers, it is the world leader socially, politically and economically. It is our time in history. Clinton deserves much of the credit.

So we take this remarkable man and place him at or near the decision-making ability of some high-powered political campaigns: Al Gore’s and Hillary’s.

Now Hillary insiders have reiterated time and again that the real Hillary campaign manager is Bill himself. He knows the game and is playing master on behalf of his wife. Who do you think arranged for her Monday night Dem Convention speech?

No one is even whispering how close he is to the top of the Gore campaign hierarchy. But if you have a master in your corner, you might as well hear him out. We’re pretty sure Al relies on Bill, big time.

So who suggested Joe Lieberman and why?

The unorthodox move of picking an Orthodox Jew was a choice of more than political chemistry. They polled; they had to poll. They likely found out that most of the people who wouldn’t vote for Lieberman because he was Jewish weren’t voting for the Democrats anyway. He clearly helps the Dems regain the moral and ethical high ground. He’s bright and articulate. He’s a centrist, he helps to do political battle right in the middle of the swing vote.

Michael Schenkler with Bill’s friend Al.

There is one more thing. He helps Hillary in New York. In this writer’s opinion, Joseph Lieberman is the secret weapon that takes Hillary from "just lose" to "just win." You see, Hillary Clinton does not have the overwhelming support of the large registered Jewish block that can be the swing vote in New York elections. They helped D’Amato stay "in" over Bob Abrams seven years ago and then gave it to Chuck Schumer last year.

The Jewish block used to be loyal Dems. But times have changed and Republican support for Israel and challenges to banks hiding Holocaust survivors’ funds have attracted many former Dems to the GOP, especially the Orthodox.

Hillary, saddled with some bad press over her acceptance of Arafat’s wife’s statements on Israel and her own statements in support of a Palestine state, is struggling to rally Jewish voters behind her in the numbers needed for a Dem to win in New York.

Enter Joe Lieberman...the man who will, if he wins, be the most powerful Jewish leader in the world. He will dwarf the Prime Minister of Israel and be viewed as the international Jewish spokesperson. He will, of course, first be a very effective Vice President.

Take this Joseph Lieberman, put him on the phone to the rabbis in Borough Park and Kew Gardens Hills; put him in the streets of the Jewish neighborhoods in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, have him address a synagogue or two and he will make a difference. He will woo the Jewish voters not only to the Gore ticket but to Senator Hillary.

Now the interesting thing here is that Gore doesn’t need Lieberman’s help in New York. Count the Empire State in the Donkey column with or without Joe Lieberman. So unless he’s fundraising, there is no reason for Lieberman to appear in New York or pick up a phone to any NY Jewish leader. Sit back and watch. If Lieberman is here and Hillary is with him, it’s payback to Bill.

The same Bill Clinton who made Al Gore Presidential Candidate and helped select Veep Candidate Joe Lieberman, is calling the shots for the Senate campaign of his wife. Bill Clinton is a winner.

Sit back and watch the master at work.

Hillary in November by 4 points.

WINNER & LOSERS: Who were the big losers in the Walter McCaffrey fiasco? Besides Walter, that is.

To quickly refresh your memory, if necessary, Councilman McCaffrey, along with Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan and Councilman John Sabini defied the Queens County Dem Organization and County Chair Tom Manton after Manton handed over his Congressional seat to then-Assemblyman Joe Crowley. Manton’s timing was so slick as to prevent anyone from challenging Crowley in a primary. That was two years ago.

For the past two years the threesome — McCaffrey, Nolan and Sabini — have been at war with the rest of the party and vowed to challenge Crowley and the organization in a primary this year. They selected their best and brightest champion – term-limited Walter McCaffrey – a shrewd political operative in his own right.

Then everything blew apart when the Queens Tribune and NY1 disclosed that McCaffrey may have been dipping into his campaign till.

Within days of the questions, McCaffrey withdrew from the race reaching out to Manton, perhaps for help with his very sticky problem. Not only was his political future in question, there were still questions of potential criminal action.

Loser #1, Walter McCaffrey.

Now, if Cathy Nolan is on your lips as loser #2, you’re wrong. She just may turn out to be a winner. Watch this week as Cathy throws in with the Queens Dem organization by endorsing their choice in the 34th Assembly District Primary, Mike Genaris over Kimon Thermos – who twice almost took the seat away from the organization’s Denis Butler, who is retiring.

Watch the organization abandon any support of Patrick O’Malley, brother of Baltimore Mayor Martin O’, who is challenging Nolan for her Assembly seat.

Now O’Malley never had overt support of any of Manton’s guys, but trust me, they were there. O’Malley was counting on them. Sorry Pat, your help is going to dry up. You are the #2 loser in the McCaffrey fiasco as Nolan gets unified support from all the Dems.

Nolan is back in the fold and will be quickly welcomed back by old friend Gerry Sweeny, one of the guiding forces behind the Manton operation. She’ll have an easy primary.

Loser #3, Kimon Thermos could have expected help from the McCaffrey operation in his challenge to the County Organization. Sorry Kimon, there is no operation and watch as Nolan is reunited with Manton and joined by Alan Hevesi and Pete Vallone and just about every elected Dem in Queens (and anywhere else for that matter) with the unqualified support of Speaker Shelly Silver.

Genaris has also, so far outmonied Thermos. Without McCaffrey-Crowley, this is the race to watch between now and Primary Day. However, the scrappy Thermos looks like he’s in for a chilling experience.

The big winners: Joe Crowley, Tom Manton.

RUMORS: In spite of his recent victory and truce with Speaker Silver, rumors continue that Tom Manton is considering stepping down as County Leader. We expect to hear nothing until well after the November elctions.

A second rumor circulating inside the Dem Party grapevine is that Peter Vallone may be talking judgeship. If so, that would end the potential war that could splinter Queens between Mayoral wannabes Vallone and Comptroller Alan Hevesi.

Reporter Denise DeJesus

MEET DENISE DEJESUS: Denise is a reporter who joined us about a month ago.

As a matter of fact, she wasn’t a reporter, she was a waitress, I’m told, who wanted to be a reporter. She was and is bright, spunky, energetic and curious. She’s spent the past month writing for our new paper the PRESS.

She’s real good at it. But, she’s not sure whether this is for her. She thinks maybe she’d prefer videotaping a story in some far-off land instead of writing it here in Queens.

Now, I’ve told you just about all I know about her, except that she’s a Queens girl — lives in East Elmhurst. Much of what I’ve shared with you, I’ve gotten from her editors. The spunky part is mine.

While Denise explores her journalistic options, she should realize that community print journalism is a real quick way to make a difference. Change on a small scale is easier to effect than change on a grand scale. Advocacy journalism is the stuff stars in our industry understand and thrive on.

Denise has it. Let me explain.

Friday night at a space allocation meeting with our Editor Tamara Hartman and the PRESS Managing Editor David Harris, David proposed a follow-up to his PRESS front-page story on voter registration in Southeast Queens. It wasn’t his proposal – although perhaps he helped her refine it – it was the creation of novice journalist Denise DeJesus — the spunky, curious one.

Since voter registration in Queens is slipping, Denise wanted to do something about it. As a result of a conversation she had with Board of Elections spokesperson Naomi Bernstein, Denise proposed inserting or printing a voter registration form in our paper. She got the specs and approval and David pitched it to Tamara and me.

It’s simple. It’s brilliant!

It is our responsibility, our mandate.

I’m somewhat embarrassed we haven’t done it before this.

There is no more meaningful use of space inside a community newspaper than to urge the community to action. There is no more worthy action than to take part in our participatory democracy.

Registering to vote has no downside — they assure me they do not use the voter rolls for jury duty, in case that worried you. Registering to vote empowers you.

This year, you will have the opportunity to vote for President, US Senator and local Congressional, State Senate and Assembly races. C’mon, it’s a Presidential year. Clip the form on the next page, take five minutes, mail it in. It’s simple.

Then, drop Denise a line and tell her she made a difference.

I think she belongs right here.

You can reach Denise by email: dejesus@queenstribune.com or by fax or letter at the address on the edit page.

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Michael Schenkler can be reached at: MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com

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