Odds and Ends

- Racing fans who travel to the Meadowlands on the NJ Transit bus from Secaucus Junction will now have to take a taxi instead. Must have been kinda lonely on that #353 bus. Seems like a step up in class anyway. Passengers with bus tickets can exchange them for vouchers, good for a round trip (hopefully) courtesy of the, um, "Good Fellas Taxi Service." Vouchers will not be accepted by other taxi services. Not sure if that's an advisory, or a threat.

- Here's Governor Paterson in his running outfit, as pictured in an upcoming article in Runners World

Noting that he generally sets a moderate pace in a race, the governor said he likes to sprint the final leg because "for some reason, I find it amusing to catch people at the end." [NY Post]

Ah, so that must be his re-election strategy. The governor is sure going to need that closing kick, and boy, will he be laughing if he pulls it off. A new poll shows Paterson with the 'Lowest Gubernatorial Rating In Marist Poll History.'

Gov. David Paterson's Marist poll rating has plummeted 20 points, landing at 26 percent - an all-time low for any governor whose approval has been surveyed by the Poughkeepsie-based poll over the nearly 30 years it has been in existence.
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One silver lining for Paterson: 77 percent believe he's working hard [ed. note - hey, just like George W. Bush!] as governor and 62 percent think he understands the problems the state faces.

But when it comes to being a good leader, only 39 percent think he fits the bill.

If the 2010 Democratic primary were held today, AG Andrew Cuomo would blow Paterson away, 62-26. Cuomo's approval rating is 71 percent.
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Giuliani would beat Paterson, 53-38 [Daily Politics]

- For some reason, I'm not sure why, I'm on the mailing list of the Tedisco campaign. Guess they're not really reading this thing. NY Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco is the Republican candidate in the special election to replace Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in the 20th Congressional District, which snakes up from south of Albany, eases clear around the state capitol to the east, and up through Saratoga and Glens Falls to the north.

And that's been fine. Honestly, I don't really know much about Tedisco; Assembly Minority Leader in this state doesn't exactly give one much in the way of power, exposure, or legislative accomplishments. I did see him get all red in the face, yelling and pointing at Sheldon Silver at a leaders meeting last year (and he wonders why he rarely gets invited). Other than that rather undignified display, I've had nothing in particular against Tedisco, other than the fact that, his being an off-the-shelf Republican, I respectfully disagree with him on most everything. In fact, he's a fellow Union College graduate, so I cut him some slack for that.

However, the other day, an email with the subject line RUDY GIULIANI TO CAMPAIGN WITH JIM TEDISCO IN DUTCHESS COUNTY ON MONDAY appeared in my inbox. Well, that's a good way to get me agitated and involved in Tedisco's race against Democrat Scott Murphy.

Indeed, the hateful and fear-mongering former mayor of NYC did appear with Tedisco in Dutchess County on Monday. And surprise, surprise, here's a tidbit from the campaign swing that I could have told you about without even having read it.

The men stopped at the Roosevelt Fire Department in Poughkeepsie where they presented a bouquet to Kathy Tegtmeier and her children. Tegtmeier’s husband, Paul, was a Roosevelt fire fighter and died in the twin towers on 9/11. [Capitol Confidential]

Because what would an appearance by Giuliani be without a prominent mention of the tragic event which he has shamelessly exploited to make his fortune? Thankfully at least to this point, and thanks in part to Joe Biden (perhaps the most effective one-line political putdown I've ever seen), Giuliani has not been able to exploit 9/11 to further his political career. That didn't stop Tedisco however from attempting to do just that: “In the aftermath of the most devastating attacks ever launched on American soil, Rudy Giuliani’s steady, calm and confident leadership brought comfort to a grieving nation."

So, when it comes to benign Republicans, Tedisco is off my list. And after this post, I figure I'm off his too.