Tingle Mines the Humor in Politics
By Ashley Welch
Though the presidential election is over a year away, one man has his eyes on the prize this summer. His name is Jimmy Tingle and he is a comedian who has taken his one-man show, Jimmy Tingle for President: The Funniest Campaign in History, to the Triad this July. Though the show was created in 2008, Tingle has updated it to reflect the current national zeitgeist. Whether describing his idea to save energy by placing a small windmill on every traffic light in America or the components of the Tingle Tax Plan, he approaches the day’s pressing issues with a sense of humor.
A comic for over 30 years, Tingle has appeared on The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, been a commentator on 60 Minutes II in the Andy Rooney spot and starred in his own HBO comedy special.
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Bringing the Upper West Side to Albany
Schneiderman, Cuomo hold first joint appearance
By Dan Rivoli and Allen Houston
While Republicans made a political comeback around the country, New York State Democrats fared relatively well. Andrew Cuomo is now Governor-elect, Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand trounced their GOP opponents and Tom DiNapoli held on to the State Comptroller seat. Read more
Minority Report
After GOP’s House takeover, Nadler lays out agenda
By Dan Rivoli
Rep. Jerrold Nadler may have won re-election to his Upper West Side-based district with a lopsided 75 percent of the vote. But the “shellacking”—in the words of President Barack Obama—Democrats took on Election Day throughout the country sent Nadler back to a familiar place: the House minority. Read more
State Dems Have Only Themselves to Blame
Unfortunately, Republicans aren’t going to make it any better
If there is a single thing we saw in this year’s election cycle, it is the futility of incredibly long campaigns that last, sometimes, for years. Some may argue the point, saying that you have to “stage” an election and that the millions of dollars and huge numbers of hours that are devoted to the campaigns pay dividends. To counter that idea, consider the possibility that voters are really not all that stupid and sometimes actually know what they want. In this case, they didn’t make up their minds until the very last week of the campaign. They are even able to decide which of the lesser of two evils they are willing to put up with. Andrew Cuomo was a central figure throughout the process. Carl Paladino self-destructed and lost his angry edge when he went too far. Still, despite his gaffes and considering all the tabloid attacks in the New York Post and the Daily News, he did extraordinarily well, proving that homophobia and racism still sell. Read more
West Siders Go to the Polls
By Dan Rivoli
Most of the races West Siders will be voting for are foregone conclusions.
Democrats are expected to trounce their Republican opponents in the two Senate races and Andrew Cuomo is a lock for governor. Locally, state legislators will walk into a new two-year term. Read more
CUNY LAUNCHES VOTE DRIVE
By Dan Rivoli
CUNY launched a voting drive aimed at battling apathy among young voters and students.
CUNY students are encouraged to wear their school’s colors and apparel to the polls. The university system got Barnes & Noble to give students a 25 percent discount on collegiate apparel to help. Campus stores are giving out “CUNY VOTES” buttons every day until the election. Faculty members have been recruited to encourage students to vote Nov. 2.
Upper West Side Democrats Help in Statewide Races
Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell has no Republican challenger for his Upper West Side seat for the Nov. 2 election. But he nonetheless opened campaign headquarters in his district to help fellow Democrats in competitive statewide races.
On one of the final Sundays before the election, O’Donnell held an open house at the 940 Amsterdam Ave. storefront to attract new activists to drive voter turnout in what is expected to be a tough year for his party. Read more
Those Pesky Campaign Posters
Section 10-119 of the NYC Administrative Code states, in part, “It [is] unlawful for any person to paste, post, paint, print, nail or attach or affix…any handbill, poster, notice, sign, ad, sticker or other printed material upon any…tree, lamppost…telephone pole, public utility pole…bus shelter…parking meter, mail box, traffic control device…[or] public pay telephone…or to direct, suffer or permit any servant, agent, employee or other person under his or her control to engage in such activity…” Note that there is no exemption for political candidates. Read more
General Election Picks
Mayor: Michael Bloomberg
As we mentioned back in September, the key to governing the city at this critical juncture is nursing a more diverse economy back to health while maintaining and building on the gains of recent years in education, business, public safety and the vibrant culture that defines New York City. We think Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is running as a Republican and Independent, is best qualified for this job.
Throughout the past eight years, Bloomberg has advanced ambitious plans to overhaul the largest public school system in the country, mitigate traffic and congestion, increase and improve green space, foster arts and culture and rezone the city to fit the residential and business needs of tomorrow—all while driving crime to record lows and keeping a vigilant eye on a terrorist threat that still lingers. Read more
Primary Day Is Over, But Races Continue
The primary election was in some ways a sleepy affair, with only 10 percent of the city’s voters turning out. Comptroller Bill Thompson, as expected, won the Democratic Party’s nomination for mayor handily, with 70 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns. But two citywide races will now have run-off elections between the top two candidates, and voters gave Cy Vance a decisive win in the hotly contested Manhattan district attorney race.
Moments after the polls closed, the general election between Thompson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg began, with both candidates lobbing blistering attacks at each other. Read more
