....August 4, 2:12 PM
 
 
   
Is The ‘06 NY Governor’s Race Over?

Elliot Spitzer & Michael Schenkler
By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

George Pataki is not running for reelection in 2006 and they’ve been proclaiming Elliot Spitzer a shoo-in for months before the Governor’s announcement.
Not so fast.

I’ve been playing at this political punditry game for quite sometime. It was somewhere in the late ‘70’s that the first iteration of this column of political comment began – called “The Pub,” my view of publishing and politics. A number of years later, it was replaced by “Quips – Queens In Politics.” Finally it reappeared as the last millennium ended (sounds older that way) in as “Not4Pbulication.”

In that span of 25 years, I do not recall a major political race where a non-incumbent was a “sure thing” this far in advance of the election. Attorney General Elliot Spitzer’s campaign for the NYS Governor’s Mansion is as close as it has come in my 25 years of my observing the political scene.

But trust me – one year plus is just too much time for anyone to be confident. Spitzer has time to put his foot in his mouth, blunder and stumble. His enemies and yes he has them – ask anyone on Wall St. – have plenty of time to find and fund an effective opponent. The Republican Party with assets like Rudy Giuliani and Mike (is he really a Republican) Bloomberg has shown they can find stars and surprises and this writer would never count Rudy out and remember Jeninie Pirro. And the Democratic Party – the majority party in New York – has proven itself better at infighting than winning. Finally, a dynamic Nassau County Exec seems unwilling to accept the fact that Spitzer will be his party’s candidate and so Tom Suozzi, a giant killer, plans to set out to topple another windmill.

The NYS Dems have attempted to reinforce their stronghold on the path to the State’s big prize by following up the Pataki announcement with a satirical Help Wanted ad (right) and a press release declaring: “As Republicans gather to audition possible candidates for Governor, we thought we would send the attached as a way of helping their process along. Applicants should keep in mind what Chairman Minarik is looking for in a candidate: ‘[W]hen you look at the landscape I would be willing to consider anyone who could bring $100 million to the table.’ (NY Times, Dec 3, 2004).”

While the Republicans begin a serious search for a candidate that could fund and be competitive, there will be plenty of time to tell the adventure of the quest of Elliot Spitzer and the bumps and surprises along the way.

There will be an equally, if not more important, election this year, as Mike Bloomberg stands strongly for reelection in an absolutely overwhelmingly Democratic City – which hasn’t had a Democratic Mayor for 12 years – facing a group of Dems who have taken turns fumbling their way to insignificant progress in their quest to unseat if not a popular Mayor, one who is credited with doing a credible job.

The political season is upon us as the Primary is only a week after Labor Day. (???)

Stay tuned, the big games aren’t often this much fun.

Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.
The NYS Democratic Committee’s satirical offering of a Help Wanted Ad for a G.O.P. Gubernatoial cnadidiate.

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Pataki Sings Albany Swan Song; He’ll Chase Brass Ring In Iowa

By HENRY STERN

Governor Pataki’s announcement that he will not seek re-election has a number of desirable aspects. For one thing, it spares him a laborious, uphill race, presumably against State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. He will also distinguish himself from three major New York political figures who unsuccessfully sought a fourth term: Mayor Ed Koch (1989), Governor Mario Cuomo (1994), and Senator Al D’Amato (1998).

His entrance into the Presidential race can help him even if he is not nominated, which appears almost certain to be the case. First, the Presidency is the highest office in the country, and it is no disgrace not to be elected.That is, unless you are nominated, run in the John Kerry mode and get blamed for your party’s defeat. It is unlikely that Mr. Pataki will receive the nomination, so whatever attention he gets and the longer he lasts in the race, the better-known he will become. We will see how far a relatively liberal Republican can get?

We listened to the governor’s announcement. It sounded as if his first-term speechwriters had been called back for this special occasion. He spoke well, showing the gift that made him an effective vote getter. As they so often do, the Democrats co-operated by running progressively weaker candidates against him, ending up with Carl McCall, who began his campaign of inclusion by declining Liberal Party support, even though the Liberals had supported him in his races for State Senator and State Comptroller.

McCall’s last public role was as chair of the Compensation Committee of the New York Stock Exchange, which gave Richard Grasso a $180 million package on his departure, most of which was previously authorized and contracted for. When the payments became a public issue, Grasso and Kenneth Langone of Home Depot were severely criticized, but McCall somehow escaped official mention despite his role in the alleged giveaway.

Governor Pataki was good on parks and conservation issues, possibly the result of his admiration for Theodore Roosevelt. On fiscal responsibility, he seesawed, soft in election years, tough in odd numbered years. His supervision of state agencies was intermittent at best, reflecting the ebb and flow of his labile interest in public matters.

Perhaps his biggest flaw was the prevalence of ‘pay to play’ in his administration. Lobbying, favoritism, and campaign contributions influenced many state decisions, including questions of procurement when vendors sought state contracts. Some agencies, particularly the State Department of Labor, were infested with political appointees who were not effective in performing whatever modest duties they may have had.

When he relied on able staff, like Brad Race, Mike Finnegan, and John Cahill, the governor did better.When they left and government devolved to people of lesser ability, the state suffered. He is wise to leave on his own, as Mayors LaGuardia and Wagner did after their three terms in office.The four-termers in New York State politics were iconic figures: Governor Nelson A.
Rockefeller and Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Jacob Javits. We do not believe that Pataki is perceived by anyone as being at that level.

There are other advantages in announcing one’s impending departure a year and a half in advance. First, it clears the field so others can compete for the Republican nomination in 2006. Since the Attorney General is giving up his office to run for Governor, that position will also be an open seat. Comptroller Hevesi will be a heavy favorite for re-election.

Second, it gives the Governor an opportunity to govern for the next year and a half free of political considerations. Except as it may impact his Presidential race he is free to do whatever he believes to be the right thing. It would be superb if the Governor would use his remaining time in office in the public interest.

That is not overly likely for four reasons: 1) To serve the public interest, you must have a fairly clear idea of what it is.2) You must then want to serve it, even at the expense of private interests which may have been good to you.3) You must detect and frustrate the temptation that some of your supporters will salivate over, taking every economic advantage of their positions before leaving office.4) You must be willing to spend political capital to pursue honorable goals. That phrase was used by Bush 43. It still has meaning.

The Governor ought to draw up a list of problems to solve in the remaining 17 months.

Historically, the Pataki years will be compared with the twelve Cuomo years that preceded them. Nelson Rockefeller built the State University, the Albany Mall and many other projects. Hugh Carey saved the City of New York from bankruptcy and replaced its hapless mayor.The legacy of Governors Cuomo and Pataki, who between them served for an entire generation, is more difficult to discern. Pataki, however, still has the chance to burnish his record. We hope he takes advantage of the historic opportunity he fleetingly enjoys.

Not4Publication.com by Dom Nunziato
Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.