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This interview goes to Harlem in NYC and asks people on the street who they support in the Presidential election. The interesting twist is that the interviewer asks if they support certain positions, but gives John McCain's positions. In some cases, they are asked if they support Obama's selection of Sarah Palin for the VP slot. They all said: "Yes". While is isn't politically correct to say so, I'd say there are a few racists in Harlem.

New York state lawmakers are bracing constituents for a third round of major budget cuts this year, a ripple effect of the crisis on Wall Street. The financial crisis that has felled Wall Street titans is now before Democratic Gov. David Paterson, a new governor who inherited the state's top job when Eliot Spitzer resigned earlier this year in a prostitution scandal. A longtime lawmaker before becoming lieutenant governor, Mr. Paterson must now shepherd the state through its worst financial downturn in years. Mr. Paterson has culled a team of economic experts and sought advice from the likes of Joseph...

ALASKA's trooper guys and polar bears may think Sarah Palin's as cold as a glacier, but she sure heats up a room. *snip* "It was Rupert and Bono who got Sarah Palin to come. Rupert made the call to Sarah's people, and then she met Bono earlier today." And it was Rupert who piloted Sarah around.

― New York's Independence Party has endorsed Republican John McCain, its first major-party pick for president. Chairman Frank MacKay announced the endorsement yesterday. He said the party -- the state's third-largest -- sees the Republican senator as an independent thinker because of his work on such issues as campaign finance reform. Supporters of independent presidential candidate Ross Perot founded the state's Independence Party in 1996. It now counts about 355,000 registered voters statewide, compared to more than 5.4 million Democrats and nearly 3 million Republicans.

Name ‘em and shame ‘em. Seriously. Fox News and the Journal should be all over this. Judging from the number of Democrats quoted in the piece as being upset about it, there’s no shortage of people willing to leak. Let’s find out who, precisely, decided that inviting a prominent Republican to a nonpartisan rally might warrant a visit from the IRS. And then, in the words of a famous cult leader, let’s get in their faces. Sources tell CBS 2 HD that a decision to disinvite Palin from the high profile rally after Clinton pulled out in a huff came...

BAY RIDGE – Adding to the hotly contested battles to replace outgoing Congressman Vito Fossella is a political “crazy-quilt” pattern to Democrat Mike McMahon’s campaign after his endorsement by Staten Island’s top Conservative, while not so favorite GOP son Robert Straniere is upset over apparent dissentient inter-party “dirty tricks.” In one of Campaign ‘08’s bizarre political twists, Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, Richmond County’s Conservative Party executive vice chair, endorsed McMahon. This was accepted by the moderate Staten Island councilman as a logical move, given his working relationship with Molinaro since 2002. Molinaro, who was elected twice as borough...

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - John McCain's New York campaign chairman said the western New York vote is critical if McCain is to do well in the Empire State. Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg has more on Ed Cox' visit Friday. Ed Cox, McCain New York State Campaign Chairman said, "We have an opportunity here to carry the state for John McCain." John McCain's New York campaign organization, hoping to close the gap in the state, is reaching out to undecided voters in particular. "The huge undecided is here in upstate, New York. Upstate will make the difference," said Cox. Two months...

THIS was supposed to be the year Democrats could not lose. But that was before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - in a standoff with Charlie Rangel, one of her most powerful and scandal-scarred chairmen - blinked. That was before Rangel launched his "Monument to Me - The Rangel Center at CUNY" - with your money and greedily grabbed four rent-stabilized apartments, using a system designed to help less fortunate New Yorkers from getting squeezed out onto the street. That was before the most powerful committee chairman in the country got caught hiding from Congress and the public the $75,000 in...

The Siena poll, one of the two key polls of New York state voters, has come out with its monthly snapshot of the presidential race in the Empire State. And it’s stunning. It is remarkable, though not eye-opening, that John McCain is now only 5 points behind Barack Obama, 46-41 – not shocking because polls have narrowed to similar margins in New Jersey. (It should be noted, however, that according to a Rasmussen poll released yesterday, Obama is leading in New York by 55-42.) No, the shocking detail has to do with a wild, 35-point swing toward McCain among Jewish...

September 17, 2008, 7:00 a.m. If He Can Make It There . . .McCain shows strength in New York. By David Freddoso ‘Within striking distance in New York . . . � These words come from a New York Republican party press release, so take them with a grain of salt. But with a new independent poll showing McCain just five points behind Democrat Barack Obama in New York State, the idea is not necessarily as unrealistic as it first sounds. A Siena poll of likely voters, conducted on September 8 and 9, shows Obama with an anemic 46...

The race for New York is the closest it’s been in six months, but Barack Obama still leads John McCain by 13 points, 55% to 42%, in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state. Obama has the support of 79% of Democrats and 21% of Republicans, while McCain is backed by 77% of GOP voters and 19% of Democrats. Unaffiliated voters favor McCain 50% to 44% (see crosstabs). Last month, Obama led by 20, and in late June, he held a 31-point lead on his Republican opponent. This is the first survey in the state since...

ALBANY - Republican Sen. John McCain got an 8-point bounce on Long Island after the Republican convention, taking a narrow 44 to 39 percent lead over Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, according to the latest Dowling Polling Institute data. (...) In the Dowling poll, both candidates solidified support among their party bases, but McCain's biggest gain came among those describing themselves as moderates, jumping from 31 percent to 43 percent. In that group, Obama dropped from 48 percent to 36 percent. Long Islanders also had strong feelings about vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin -- 44 percent of them favorable and 34 percent...

NY Post jumps gun to endorse McCain The newspaper waited until October to endorse Bush in 2000 and 2004. Some say its September endorsement of presidential hopeful John McCain is just a marketing ploy. Breaking with newspaper tradition—and its own past practices—the New York Post endorsed Sen. John McCain for president on Monday, becoming the first major newspaper to enter the editorial sweepstakes that are a traditional part of the campaign season. Most editorial pages still adhere to the tradition of hearing out the candidates during the period after Labor Day, when the general public is believed to start giving...

NY and other Dem States are possibly in play? Can McCain win in these states? He can if you help distribute anti-Obama fliers at your local Churches starting this weekend and into November. Why will these fliers make a difference? Polls show that as the faithful learn about Obama's record on abortion and infanticide, their support for him drops! The information in these fliers will make a tremendous difference - and could be the deciding factor in close races across the country, even in NY! Here's how to get involved today - sign up at pro-lifewitness.com, download the fliers below...

Obama’s Lead Falls to 5 Points; Down From 18 Points in June Obama Seen As Stronger Than McCain on 4 of 6 Issues; Voters See McCain As Better Than Obama on 4 of 6 of AttributesLoudonville, NY. Seven weeks until Election Day, the race for President has tightened in New York, with Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) leading Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) 46-41 percent among likely voters, according to a new Siena (College) Research Institute poll released today. Obama’s five point lead is down from eight points in August, 13 points in July and 18 points in June, when he led...

The race for the White House is a statistical dead heat, according to a new poll. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, leads Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee, 46 percent to 41 percent in a survey of 626 registered voters by the Siena Research Institute in upstate Loudonville. The survey, conducted last week, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. "Although New York has long been regarded as a 'safe' state for Democrats in presidential politics, likely voters in the Empire State are currently only giving Sen. Obama a five-point cushion," said pollster Steven...

New York could become a surprise battleground in this year's presidential election, with Senator McCain rapidly dissolving Senator Obama's lead in the Empire State, according to a new poll. The poll by Siena Research Institute, conducted September 8-10, found that Mr. Obama holds a narrow 46-41% lead among likely voters, barely outside the survey's 3.9% margin of error. These numbers represent a decline for Mr. Obama, who led by 8% in the same poll in August, 13% in July, and 18% in June.

Some readers have asked me why it was that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was without spouse at the 9/11 commemoration ceremony today in New York City. After all, they point out, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was accompanied by his wife Cindy. Where was Michelle?

On Monday, Gov. David Paterson angered some state lawmakers by comparing them to vampires, calling them a bunch of "blood suckers." On Tuesday, he raised eyebrows again, and tempers, by accusing the John McCain campaign of veiled racism. At the Crain's Business Forum this morning, Paterson drew attention to a phrase used numerous times by speakers at the Republican National Convention to describe Barack Obama's leadership experience: community organizer. "I think the Republican Party is too smart to call Barack Obama 'black' in a sense that it would be a negative. But you can take something about his life, which...

Albany, N.Y. (AP) -- New York Gov. David Paterson said Tuesday that there were racial overtones in the Republican presidential ticket's criticism of Democrat Barack Obama's work as a community organizer. "There are overtones of potential racial coding in the campaign," Paterson said at an event in New York City.

Gov. Paterson Accuses McCain Campaign Of Racism Feels Use Of 'Community Organizer' References Is Republican Code For 'Black' Don Dahler ALBANY (CBS) ― On Monday, Gov. David Paterson angered some state lawmakers by comparing them to vampires, calling them a bunch of "blood suckers." On Tuesday, he raised eyebrows again, and tempers, by accusing the John McCain campaign of veiled racism. At the Crain's Business Forum this morning, Paterson drew attention to a phrase used numerous times by speakers at the Republican National Convention to describe Barack Obama's leadership experience: community organizer. "I think the Republican Party is too smart...

4/25/07 Jim Robinson thread Free Republic This is the start of a series of threads that will be used to expose the truth about Rudy Giuliani in his own words and deeds. Please post all of the quotes, speeches, interview transcripts, video clips, photos, newspaper/magazine articles, reports, records, statistics regarding: ---NYC budgets, NYC spending, political appointments, gun grabs, connections to the gun control lobby, lawsuits against gun manufacturers, ---the truth about crime reduction in NYC, ---private property grabs, asset forfeitures, abuses of office, individual rights trampling, constitution trampling, ---violations of public trust, violations of the rule of law, national security...

Almost exactly one year ago during a Republican presidential debate in Durham, New Hampshire, I said that if I weren't running for President myself, I'd be supporting John McCain. Well, I'm not, and I do. Every four years, we are told that this Presidential election is the most important election of our lifetime. This year - 2008 - IS the most important.This has already been historic. It is the longest Presidential campaign in history. And it sometimes felt even longer.The American people realize this election represents a turning point. In two months they will decide the future direction of our...

NEW YORK (AP) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton marched for labor and stumped with Democrats on Saturday, but sidestepped questions about the woman who has taken her place as the nation's most-talked-about female leader. Clinton brushed aside questions about Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin during appearances at New York City's annual Labor Day parade and later during a stop on Staten Island. "This election is about issues, and that's what's going to matter to people at the end of the day," she told reporters who asked her about the Alaska governor at a rally for a Democratic congressional candidate...

When Rudy Giuliani addresses the Republican National Convention as expected Wednesday night, it might be his last big moment in the political spotlight. It doesn't have to be. With New York State's gubernatorial race coming up in 2010, Giuliani has a rare chance to make up for his mistakes since leaving office. Instead of just making money, Giuliani can make a difference by helping to revive the GOP as a truly national party. More importantly, he has the chops and the experience to reform Albany and deliver New Yorkers the smarter, more responsive, more effective government they deserve. Before we...

WASHINGTON - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will give the keynote address at the Republican National Convention next month and Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman also will take center stage at the GOP gathering. John McCain's vanquished Republican primary rivals — and a slew of potential McCain running mates — also have speaking roles at the four-day gathering in St. Paul, Minn. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, first lady Laura Bush, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lieberman, who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000 and is said to be under consideration for the same role with McCain,...

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will give the keynote address at the Republican National Convention next month and Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman also will take center stage at the GOP gathering.

If Senator McCain wants an opening to make a run at New York's 31 electoral votes — something we encouraged him to do in an editorial yesterday — he has just been handed the issue to run on. The Assembly Democrats yesterday voted to pass their millionaire's tax, which, if it becomes law, would send the top marginal rate soaring in New York City and the state and threaten the very sector of our economy that is producing the most tax revenues for a state in the midst of a spending crisis. It doesn't look like the local Republicans are...

So many e-mailers this morning are predicting that the McCain trial balloon is really about Giuliani. I'm not there, but here's one: I don't think it's being floated for Liebermann or Ridge. I think he's considering Giuliani. - Might put NY in enough play to make Obama spend a lot of money there. - Has name recognition and gets plenty of respect on law enforcement/national security - Might be more palatable to pro-lifers if he were to make clear that it's McCain's pro-life administration The McCain campaign has already hired a Giuliani staffer as the unnamed veep's communications director... 08/19...

The presidential race is tightening in New York, where Senator Obama's lead has slipped by 10 points since June. Mr. Obama is currently ahead of Senator McCain at 47 to 39%, according to a poll released today, a healthy advantage that has nevertheless deteriorated significantly over the course of the summer. The poll, conducted by the Siena Research Institute, also indicated that Governor Paterson's "call to action" on the state's budget crisis is resonating with voters. Nearly half of them describe the New York's fiscal condition as poor, yet the governor's approval ratings are increasing. Mr. Obama is currently 8...

August 18, 2008POLL: Siena New York (8/11-14)By Eric Dienstfrey Siena College 8/11-14/08; 627 RV, 3.9% Mode: Live Telephone Interviews New York State Obama 47, McCain 39 (July: Obama 50, McCain 37)

Republican presidential candidate John McCain left Buffalo Monday with no new hope of carrying New York in November but still got what he came for — lots of campaign cash. The Arizona senator established a Western New York political fundraising record at two separate events — raking in more than $1 million — all in the course of about three hours.

One-time GOP rivals John McCain and Rudy Giuliani bonded over hot dogs and twizzlers in front row seats by the New York Yankees dugout Sunday, providing a snapshot of a possible Republican ticket. A reporter disguised as a fan shouted to McCain, "How about Rudy for vice president?" The presumptive Republican nominee, casually dressed in sunglasses, a collared shirt with rolled sleeves and his Navy baseball cap, just smiled and waved.

Rudy Giuliani is launching a new fund-raising committee to dole out cash to New York GOP candidates - a move that could help him collect political chits as he weighs a run for governor, The Post has learned. It's the first major political move by the former mayor since his run for president flamed out in January. The Giuliani camp is expected to announce the creation of the committee as early as Monday. The same day, he'll hold a small fund-raiser at the Grand Havana Room on Fifth Avenue for his existing federal political action committee, Solutions America. Sources close...

New York tax filers reporting more than $375,000 a year in earned income may end up paying nearly 60% of their wages in taxes to the government under a Barack Obama presidency, economists who have analyzed his plan said. The Democratic presidential candidate is proposing not only raising the federal income tax, but also adding a Social Security tax for those Americans earning more than $250,000 a year. For New Yorkers, that could mean that if the current Social Security rate is applied, the marginal tax rate, or rate on every extra dollar earned, could rise to 58%. "This is...

In a dramatic reversal of fortunes, former Assemblyman Robert A. Straniere was endorsed for Congress last night by the Staten Island Republican Party. That backing comes just four years after Mr. Straniere, then a 24-year incumbent, was defeated in a tense Republican primary and shunned by many of the island’s officials. Mr. Straniere is running for the seat in Congress now held by Representative Vito J. Fossella, a Republican who announced in May that he will not run for re-election this year. “Bob Straniere is now the candidate of the Richmond County Republican Committee,” said John S. Friscia, the chairman...

John McCain is expected to have New York's Conservative Party line in the November presidential election, which could provide him with symbolic value nationally but not enough votes to win in a Democratic-leaning state where recent polls show Barack Obama with a comfortable lead. New York Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long said in an interview today that the expected September endorsement of McCain would be "a plus" for the Arizona senator among conservative voters around the country because New York is the only place with a statewide ballot line for the Conservative Party. McCain has clear conservative credentials - leadership...

New immigrants accounted for at least one-third of the increase in the number of New York City voters since 2004, while the number of Irish, Italian and Jewish voters, who together represent the traditional core of the city’s political establishment, decreased slightly, according to an analysis of voter registration records. The transformation of the voter rolls portends a momentous shift in the ethnic makeup of the city’s electorate that threatens to upend the balance of power that has governed local politics for decades. With so many seats coming open next year — term limits will force the mayor, comptroller, public...

At an Obama/Clinton unity rally in New York City, the only thing missing was...unity. Here's a clip of Barack doing his thing, getting tied up in the limelight, and completely forgetting to mention that his supporters should help Hillary get out of debt...

Why blame John McCain for basing his regional headquarters in Woodbridge, N.J., instead of the news capital of the nation, New York City? Some consider this pass a snub. I think it's the smart thing to do. Why waste time in this liberal-dominated town where voters support Democrats who do nothing but raise taxes to fund worthless programs? When did we become so gullible? I'm using the editorial "we" out of politeness, but I'm a native New Yorker who never voted for President Carter, Governor Spitzer, or any of the Democrats gumming up the New York State Assembly. I'm not...

Brooklyn Conservatives have wasted no time, picking retired banker and former Marine Corps captain Paul Atanasio, 59, as their candidate for Congress. "He is my congressional candidate," said Brooklyn Conservative chairman Jerry Kassar. "I'm going forward with that." Atanasio, an attorney, will replace the late Frank Powers as the Brooklyn Conservative pick in the race. A formal party candidate has yet to be chosen because Brooklyn Conservatives and those on Staten Island disagree over the choice. Brooklyn wanted Powers, who was the GOP designee, while Island Conservatives prefer City Councilman Michael McMahon (D-North Shore). If the two sides can't come...

Michelle Obama speaks to gay Democrats NEW YORK - Michelle Obama won a standing ovation on Thursday when she paid a campaign visit to gay and lesbian Democratic activists to promote her husband Barack Obama’s presidential quest. Obama, appearing at a dinner meeting of the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee, cited her husband’s efforts to fight discrimination and promote equal rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. She said he supported a complete repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which only recognizes marriages between men and women and upholds states’...

Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, pledged to the city’s gay community Thursday night that her husband will campaign for gay equality. The Illinois senator's wife addressed a fundraising dinner in Turtle Bay, Manhattan for the Democratic National Committee's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council. She cited her husband’s push for anti-discrimination legislation in Illinois. Michelle Obama also added that her husband wants equal treatment for any relationship recognized under state law. Meanwhile, the presidential candidates weighed in on the Supreme Court's Thursday decision to overturn Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban. Stumping in Cincinnati Thursday, John McCain expressed support...

Here’s the statement Joe Bruno just issued regarding his decision not to seek re-election in November: ”Today, I met with my Republican colleagues in the Senate and informed them that I will not be running for re-election this November. “After 32 years in office, I have decided that it is time to move on with my life and to give my constituents an opportunity for new representation and my colleagues in the Senate who have supported me, an opportunity for new leadership. “Public service has been a blessing for which I will be ever grateful. I have had the opportunity...

ALBANY, N.Y. _ Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who has run the Republican chamber for more than a dozen years, confirmed Monday that he won't seek re-election in the fall.

Bloomberg, Clinton, And Giuliani Shut Out Of White House WASHINGTON (AP) ― Damn Yankees. After 19 months of primary campaigning, that seems to be the attitude of the nation's voters. A year ago, three New Yorkers -- Republican Rudy Giuliani, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and independent Michael Bloomberg -- loomed large in the presidential sweepstakes. With Clinton's departure from the race, they officially have gone 0-for-3 -- a shocking bagel hole for the Big Apple. In January 2008, Clinton and former New York Mayor Giuliani were seen as the clear front-runners of their respective parties. They had the big...

Bloomberg Warns Voters Against Confusing Charisma With Substance By RUSSELL BERMAN, Staff Reporter of the Sun June 11, 2008 http://www.nysun.com/national/bloomberg-warns-voters-against-confusing-charisma/79709/ Mayor Bloomberg yesterday warned voters against confusing "charisma and presentation with substance" in choosing their leaders — a remark that could be seen as a jab at Senator Obama, whose soaring oratory and packed rallies have fueled his success in the presidential campaign. The mayor made an abrupt detour into politics at an event in Lower Manhattan yesterday to unveil a plaque dedicated to the Super Bowl champion New York Giants at the site of their ticker-tape parade earlier this...

WASHINGTON — The presidential campaigns of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain on Sunday rejected an invitation for a town-hall-style meeting in Manhattan that had been proposed by ABC News and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York. The invitation came in the form of a joint letter on Sunday to the campaigns from Mr. Bloomberg and David Westin, president of ABC News. The two had proposed a 90-minute session at Federal Hall National Memorial in Lower Manhattan that would be moderated by Diane Sawyer, one of the hosts of “Good Morning America” on ABC.

Barack Obama had some face time with top ultra-Orthodox Jewish community members during his fund-raising swing through Midtown, which came on the heels of Hillary Rodham Clinton's decision to leave the race. Obama chatted with three members of the Satmar sect, including representatives from rival factions, as they attended a campaign fund-raiser at a private home on Park Avenue.