IT should surprise no one that the editorial staff at the New York Times is overwhelmingly Democratic. But now there's proof. A dissident shareholder, Michael Petrelis of San Francisco, went through Federal Election Commission files and found the names of two dozen past and present Times employees who gave to candidates. Petrelis is upset that some, like book critic Janet Maslin, apparently violated the Times code of ethics revised in January 2003 to prohibit political donations. Maslin gave $500 to Dean for America. Other recipients of Times staffers' largesse were Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Al Sharpton, Bill Bradley, Robert Torricelli, Marion Barry, and Al Gore. Only two Republicans received donations from Times staffers: the late Jacob Javits and congressional candidate Ed Bryant.
Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis said almost all the contributions were made before the rules were changed. "In the few instances where this is not the case, the journalists have been reminded of the guidelines." Now the only way to tell how Times reporters will be voting is by reading their stories. (PageSix)
As New York's junior senator, Hillary Clinton has proved herself a paragon of poise - and one of the Democrats' brightest stars. She rivals President Bush in her ability to raise cash and is frequently touted as a future President herself.
But the charismatic Clinton was not always so polished.
New York attorney Joseph Califano Jr. - a longtime Democrat powerbroker who worked for Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter between stints as a corporate lawyer - remembers quite a different Hillary.
In his soon-to-be-published memoir, "Inside: A Public and Private Life," Califano recalls the first time he met the future First Lady, on July 24, 1970, during an era of protest and turmoil.
At a U.S. Senate hearing on the plight of migrant workers, Califano was representing Coca-Cola Chairman Paul Austin, whose corporate division, Minute Maid, was under fire in Florida.
"As [we] entered the Caucus Room on that steamy Washington morning, it was so jammed with spectators that many were standing and sitting on the floor," Califano writes. "Anti-establishment fervor ... was palpable in the hearing room.
"About halfway down the aisle, a young woman with dark hair and thick-rimmed glasses abruptly came in front of me and said, 'You sold out, you motherf-, you sold out!' I kept walking, pretending to ignore her."
The potty-mouthed protester was none other than Hillary Rodham.
Califano didn't take her outburst personally. Nearly three years later, he offered her a job at the bluechip Washington law firm Williams, Connolly & Califano - but she opted instead to join future hubby Bill Clinton in Arkansas.
My request for comment from Clinton was answered this way by her press secretary, Philippe Reines: "That is not consistent with the senator's recollection."
"We still haven't talked about the incident," Califano told me.
I have a feeling that's about to change.
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/174277p-151803c.html