Cuomo Approval Has Fallen 30 Points In Quinnipiac Poll From 2012 To 2015

Quinnipiac poll out today showing Governor Cuomo's approval rating underwater:

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday morning found Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s approval rating continues to fall as the state government grapples with multiple ethics and corruption scandals.

Voters, meanwhile, blame the concentration of power in state government in the “three men in a room” — two of whom this year were arrested in separate corruption cases brought by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s office.

The poll found 44 percent of New York voters approve of the job Cuomo is doing as governor, down from 50 percent approval shown in a March 17 survey.

...

The numbers track closely to a Siena College poll showing sagging numbers for Cuomo as well.

The trend for Cuomo is horrific:

December 2012: 74% approval 13% disapproval
May 2014: 59% approval 32% disapproval
December 2014: 58% approval 32% disapproval
March 2015: 50% approval 39% disapproval
June 2015: 44% approval 42% disapproval

Right track/wrong track numbers are pretty bad:

Very or somewhat satisfied with way things are going in New York State: 41%
Somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the way things are going in New York State: 58%

52% say Cuomo is part of the problem of ethics in government, 32% say he's part of the solution.

79% blame the "Three Men In A Room" governing culture in Albany either partly or fully for the corruption in state government, 11% say it's not a cause at all.

Sheriff Andy has tried to ride above the Albany cesspool and he fooled a lot of people for a long time (especially in the Q poll, which tended to have higher approval numbers for Cuomo than the other two polls), but he's not fooling too many people anymore.

What Happens Now That Sheldon Silver's Going To Be Arrested On Corruption Charges

Assembly Speaker Silver and the Assembly Dems had been a check on Cuomo and his agenda previous to this, but with news coming that Silver is to be arrested today on corruption charges, that check will now be gone.

Liz Benjamin at State of Politics gives a preview of what may come next in the Assembly:

There is no clear successor to Silver, who was just re-elected to a second two-year term as speaker and is the longest-serving legislative leader in Albany.

It’s possible the Assembly Democrats will elect a caretaker speaker to get them through this session – someone like Codes Committee Chairman Joe Lentol, of Brooklyn, or Ways and Means Committee Chairman Denny Farrell Jr., of Manhattan – both veteran members of the chamber (and close Silver allies).

There will likely be a significant battle for the speakership, should the position indeed become vacant. Though Silver has had his share of problems – from the spate of sexual harassment scandals to the recent NYT reports on the US attorney’s probe into his unreported work for a small Manhattan law firm – no lawmakers have been seriously trying to put together a coalition of support to oust him.

Members mentioned in the past as potential Silver replacements include:

- Assemblyman Keith Wright, the Housing Committee chairman, current Manhattan Democratic chair and former NYS Democratic chair. (He’s also interested in moving on, and has opened an exploratory committee for a potential 2016 run for the seat veteran Harlem Rep. Charlie Rangel says he’ll vacate at the end of this two-year term).

- Assemblyman Carl Heastie, the Bronx Democratic chairman.

- Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle, of Rochester. (This is unlikely since an upstater would have a tough time getting elected as head of the downstate-domionated conference, and Morelle is also close to Cuomo, which could be perceived as a detriment by his colleagues).

Morelle and Wright are both Cuomo allies (Morelle's ties detailed above, Wright's here.)

I don't know much about Heastie.

But if that's the list of potential permanent Silver replacements, then, we're screwed.

The agenda Cuomo detailed in his speech yesterday is now as good as done - there will be no powerful force in the "Three Men In The Room" negotiations to push back against Cuomo and his ally, State Senate head Skelos.

And if it turns out that Wright or Morelle get elected to run stuff, well, forget it - they're completely in Cuomo's pocket.

In short, with the coming arrest of Sheldon Silver, the power relationships in Albany have just shifted mightily toward the governor and the State Senate Republicans - and their education reform and hedge fundie allies.

If you're a public school teacher wondering what is going to happen to public schools or your profession with this news, rest assured, both will ultimately be destroyed.

Silver may not have been a perfect protector and he certainly was crooked (as is nearly EVERYBODY in Albany!) - but in the den of iniquity that is Albany government, at least he provided a barrier against the worst excesses of Cuomo.

Cuomo hates teachers, hates public schools, and the one powerful check on his wish to destroy both is being carted out in handcuffs on corruption charges today.

One last thing to note: There is a lot of talk on Twitter that Silver's got stuff to offer on others, that Dean Skelos and perhaps even Andrew Cuomo have something to fear if Silver talks to save himself.

There's probably something to that.

But I don't think that's going to come in time to save us from the agenda Cuomo detailed yesterday.

As Liz Benjamin wrote this morning "If Silver is led away in cuffs today, it will definitely strengthen the position of Gov. Andrew Cuomo is many ways."

Why Did The NY Times Edit Andrew Cuomo Statements Out Of The Libous Criminal Indictment Story? (UPDATED - 7/2 - 3:00 PM)

Here's the way the NY Times story on the indictment of State Senator Tom Libous, the second ranking Republican in the State Senate and a close friend and ally of Governor Cuomo, read this afternoon at 1:50 PM:

The indictment of Senator Libous effectively could deprive the governor of his most powerful and sympathetic ally within the Senate Republican majority. But it comes just weeks after Mr. Cuomo made a break of his own, agreeing for the first time to help Democrats in an aggressive effort to capture control of the chamber.

...

The senator is one of Mr. Cuomo’s closest allies in the Legislature. The two men are so fond of each other that Mr. Cuomo attended Matthew Libous’s wedding reception last year.

In an appearance at Binghamton University last week, Mr. Cuomo praised Mr. Libous at length, complimenting “his leadership and his character.” The governor praised their ability to work together to produce results, even though they are from different political parties, as an example of “the difference between the old Albany and the new Albany.”

“He is one of the really special human beings in the New York State Legislature,” Mr. Cuomo said of Mr. Libous. “And he is one of the natural leaders for the entire legislative body – Democrats and Republicans, both houses. And he’s been a great mentor and a great friend to me.”

Here's how the story reads tonight:

The indictment of Senator Libous could deprive the governor of his most sympathetic negotiating partner in the Senate Republican caucus, which has shared control of the chamber with an independent faction of Democrats. But it comes just weeks after Mr. Cuomo agreed to aid a renewed Democratic effort to capture control of the chamber.

In an appearance near Binghamton last week, Mr. Cuomo praised the senator for “his leadership and his character.” 

Notice the difference?

In the first edition of the story, it's clear just how close Cuomo is to the guy, calling him a "special human being," "a great mentor," and "a great friend".

In the second edition, gone is all the bromance language from Cuomo, replaced with Cuomo praising Libous for his "leadership and character."

Totally changes the takeaway from the story, no?

You have to wonder what happened between 1:50 PM this afternoon and the point when Cuomo's statements were edited out.

Or maybe not wonder - just what pressure did the Times get from Cuomo's people to pull those statements out of the story?

Thankfully, the Times has kept video of Cuomo complimenting Libous numerous times over the years on their site for now - video which you can see here.

Because the big part of this story is not just that the second ranking Republican in the State Senate was indicted for making false statements to the FBI back in 2010 - it's also that Andrew M. Cuomo's bestest buddy, the guy who was the "go-between" for talks between Senate Republicans and Cuomo, the guy who Cuomo called a mentor, a friend, and a special human being, is a crook and is now under indictment.

It's a shame that the Times took those Cuomo statements out of the story, because they tell you an awful lot about who Andrew Cuomo pals around with and what he considers a "special human being."

UPDATE - 7/2 - 3:00 PM: Azi Paybarah has the changes in the Times headlines between the two editions of the stories:

the @nytimes are a changing. #BeforeAndAfter cc @tmcgev @joepompeo @HuffPostMedia @brianstelter @onthemedia pic.twitter.com/dHT4cLXxsw
— Azi (@Azi) July 1, 2014

Would love to know what was said to the Times editors to get these changes in the story and headline.

Second Ranking Republican In NY State Senate Indicted On False Statement Charges

The cesspool that is Albany gets dirtier:

Sen. Tom Libous, the number two ranking Republican in the state Senate, has been indicted on making a false statement to federal law enforcement, according to records unsealed on Tuesday.

In a separate, six-count indictment, the Binghamton lawmaker’s son Matthew Libous was charged with filing false tax returns and obstruction as well as making false statements regarding his income.

The case against Tom Libous, a prominent figure at the state Capitol for decades and the floor leader for the GOP conference, stems from an investigation into whether he used his clout in order to arrange a job for his son at a lobbying firm — a claim first brought to the attention of ethics regulators by then-Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan.

...

According to the indictment, the FBI and the criminal investigation division of the Internal Revenue Service were probing whether Tom Libous had arranged for his son to receive a job at a law firm in exchange for steering business, which resulted in an unnamed lobbying entity to pay the firm $50,000 in order defray costs.

A grand jury was investigating whether Libous told a partner at the law firm that it would be able to “build a new wing” in order accommodate the business that would flow in once his son was hired.

Federal law enforcement officials charge that Libous’ false statements included that he could not recall how his son started to work at the firm, no deals were made to get his son a job at the firm, he was unaware that his son’s salary was drawn in part by a lobbying entity, that he never promised to refer work to the firm and that he had no business or personal relationship with the law firm.

This kind of deal-making is fraudulent, but Governor Cuomo wheeling and dealing away criminal investigations conducted by the Moreland Commission in exchange for stuff he wanted in the budget apparently isn't.

Funny how that is.

What It Takes To Be A Member Of The New York State Board Of Regents

From a commenter here at Perdido Street School blog:

All the other members of the board of Regents are unqualified political appointees. It sure helps to be the wife of a billionaire without appropriate experience to become the Regents Chancellor. Skill, competency, educational background are irrelevant in the NY state crony culture of Regents appointments. What matters? Do you have a billion dollars in assets. Are you friendly with Shedon Silver? Are you ready to rubber stamp everything Cuomo wants? Are you in favor of charter school expansion and do you agree that public schools are failing "our" kids? If you are willing to answer yes to all of the above, then you can be appointed to the Board of Regents.

Voe the way the plutocrats want you to vote - that's the number on qualification.

Legislature Appoints "Spiritual Entrepreneur" To Board Of Regents

You can't make this stuff up.

The legislature tossed one Regent overboard yesterday, communicating to him that he did not have the votes to be re-elected to the Board of Regents, and then proceeded to replace him with this:

ALBANY—The newest member of the Board of Regents runs a consulting practice in which she charges thousands of dollars for “spiritual” weight loss sessions.

Josephine Finn, a town justice in Sullivan County and community college professor, was elected to the Board of Regents with 121 votes on Tuesday, more votes than any of the other three candidates elected.

After the Legislature confirmed Finn on Tuesday, two Democratic Assembly members came across Finn's Facebook page, which features spiritual affirmations.

One of the members shook his head, saying, “What did we do? What did we do?”

Finn offers a “spiritual diet” website called “Weight is Lifted,” a limited liability company, where clients can pay $3,600 annually for personal coaching and access to her private number. For $999, clients receive personal coaching a private weekly session. There are cheaper options, for $40 a month, to participate in conference calls.

In a brief interview after her vote, Finn said she is not sure is she will continue her business.

“What I'm doing personally has absolutely nothing to do with the Regents," she said. "It's my relationship with the person, personally."

Still, her website was offering weight loss counseling services on Tuesday.

“To my subscribers, you keep coming here because your soul has been stirred,” she wrote. “It is nudging you. It is whispering a truth that you have long known.”

And just how did Finn make it onto the Regents short list?

Finn's candidacy was rushed. She first interviewed with lawmakers on Monday, 24 hours before the elections, even though at least one Republican assemblywoman pointed out that applicants' resumes were supposed to be submitted for considered by January 31.

She said she was recruited by a friend on Friday but wouldn't say who asked her to interview.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said Finn “seems very qualified.”

“I think you've seen the members, our members, are comfortable with the Regents who represent their districts," Silver said. "They've been around, they listen, they understand and that's the key thing.”

Clearly nobody looked very deeply into Ms. Finn's background or the spiritual entrepreneur thing would have come up.

I'm betting if that had been seen before Tuesday's election, Ms. Finn would not have been a member of the Board of Regents on Wednesday.

It's emblematic of how corrupt things are in Albany, how half-assed and rushed and ill-thought out.

The members of the legislature wanted to make it look like they were listening to the public over the reforms, but they really didn't want to make many changes to the Regents Board (and by extension, the Regents reform agenda.)

So they sacrificed one Regent to satisfy the public's call for change at the Board of Regents and rushed to fill that slot.

Earlier in the process we had heard how the members of the Assembly were not impressed with some of the candidates who were standing for election to the Board of Regents.

I'm going to bet a couple of Danielson artifacts that some of those candidates were as impressive or more so than the one they eventually went with.

The Positive Benefit To The Scandals In Albany And Washington

They can't do any more damage to public education in Albany.

They can't do any more damage to Social Security, Medicare or public education in Washington.

See - these scandals have a plus side to them!

NY Daily News: John Sampson To Be Indicted In State Corruption Probe

First DFER-favorite Malcolm Smith went down on corruption charges - now the Daily News reports that another DFER-favorite, State Senator John Sampson has also been ensnared in the criminal probe:

A prominent Brooklyn state senator is the latest politician snared in a long-running federal corruption probe, with charges expected against him this week, the Daily News has learned.

Sen. John Sampson (D-Brooklyn), once among Albany’s most powerful politicians, is the senator identified in court papers as asking ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Queens) to wield her influence on behalf of a businessman holding a Kennedy Airport lease in March 2012.

The businessman wanted to expand his lease, and Huntley arranged for him to meet with Port Authority officials, according to sources familiar with the case.

She allegedly took $1,000 in bribes, court papers state — and then wore a wire to record meetings with seven elected officials while working as a federal informant.

According to the sources, the FBI is examining a $100,000 “loan” to Sampson from one of his legal clients, Queens businessman Edul Ahmad, who is charged with mortgage fraud in an unrelated case.
Ahmad also delivered a $40,000 “loan” to U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) in a deal first exposed by The News.

...

One of Sampson’s allies when the Democrats briefly had control of the Senate is Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), who was busted in April for trying to bribe his way on to the GOP line in the city’s mayoral race.

Smith has denied any wrongdoing
.
Sampson was expected in federal court later this week as the latest big catch in a political corruption probe.

We're going to take a look in just a bit at all the politicians with connections to the Democrats For Education Reform who have been indicted on criminal charges, convicted on criminal charges or had to resign their offices due to scandal.

Sampson, if the Daily News story is true, seems to be the latest.

POSTSCRIPT: I should note that the DFERs once targeted Shirley Huntley, the disgraced former state senator who seems to have helped ensnare Sampson in the probe, in a primary once because she was perceived as being "anti-charter."

Cuomo Dishes To Fred Dicker, Then Takes Back The Dish

Weird.

This morning, Fred Dicker wrote a column that supposedly came from a Cuomo source that said Andy was going to have Silver whacked from the Assembly for failure to get a hold on crooked Albany politicians and replaced with a more pliable lackey from Rochester.

Later in the day, Little Andy denied dishing dirt like that on Silver:

Governor Andrew Cuomo this morning denied that he was seeking to unseat Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as part of some sort of larger anti-corruption crusade in Albany.

"It is wholly up to the legislative bodies to select a leader," said Cuomo (who has been involved with the leadership question in the Senate, approving Republican-gerrymandered lines and tacitly blessing a coalition with breakaway Democrats that has kept the chamber out of Democratic hands). "I would never even for a moment try to influence that decision.”

Then he blamed Bloomberg for all the scandals:

In fact, according to Cuomo, the recent corruption allegations, which have directly involved two members of the state legislature, one councilman and two city Republican officials, actually have more to do with city malfeasance than the state's.

"In terms of Speaker Silver, remember again the context," he said. "First of all ... the majority of the actions and the players, it was about a New York City mayoral scandal. It was not an Albany scandal."

He also said, in an apparent allusion to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, "It’s not that we don’t know the problems of getting on the ballot, the New York City mayoral problems. It’s not that we haven't had cases where people have been proven to be paying large sums of money to political parties and county chairs to try to get on the ballot in New York City. No, we know the problems and we know the solutions. We haven’t had the political will."

I find it hard to believe that the Dicker column came out of the ether.

Nice to see Little Andy take a new tack and try and tie the scandal to Mike "How Much Do You Want To Put Me On The Ballot" Bloomberg though.

Anything but taking responsibility for somebody close to him talking smack to Dicker.

What A Dicker That Fred Is!

Fred Dicker in the NY Post laments the "extraordinary power" the UFT has in Albany to get the Assembly and the State Senate to not agree to pass the Bloomberg/Paterson "Have As Many Charter Schools As You Want" bill:

It was crystal clear yesterday that New York's teachers unions aren't just joined at the hip with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and the Democratic legislative leadership, they ARE part of the leadership.

The tragic evidence of their extraordinary power was out in the open for all to see minutes before the death knell tolled for Gov. Paterson's and Mayor Bloomberg's effort to win $700 million in federal "Race to the Top" education assistance.

Shortly before the Assembly planned to convene to at least consider the RTTT legislation, Education Committee Chairwoman Catherine Nolan (D-Queens) was huddled -- in full view of the public -- 30 feet from Silver's office with Carol Gerstl, counsel to the all-powerful United Federation of Teachers.

And who does Dicker get a quote from to show just how disgusting all this UFT lobbying in Albany is?

Why - a lobbyist, of course.

"The teachers have always been there helping incumbents that help them get elected, saying they 'do it for the children' when in fact they're pursuing their own union agenda at the expense of the children," one of the Legislature's most sophisticated lobbyists said late yesterday.

"Maybe they went too far this time with Race to the Top and charter schools. Maybe people will finally catch on," the lobbyist continued.

Can you explain to me why teachers unions aren't allowed to lobby, but other groups are?

Seriously, Fred's quoting "one of the Legislature's most sophisticated lobbyists" on why the UFT shouldn't be allowed to lobby on the charter school issue.

Might have to name an award of the day after Fred Dicker.

Atrios has the WANKER OF THE DAY award.

I think I am going to start the FRED DICKER OF THE DAY award.

Today's winners - Fred Dicker and the unnamed lobbyist with the balls to complain about other lobbyists.