For a political player, there is really no free boost like presidential speculation.
Think about it: In the short and shallow conversations that abound in the electoral world, the first association one makes within a half-second of hearing the player's name sets the tone of the chat. Mention the name George Pataki, for example, at a gathering of casually-interested government wags, campaign consultants or media types, and there's a good chance someone will ask just why he's running around Iowa and New Hampshire and does he really think he can win and oh, maybe he's making himself available for veep and blah blah blah.
Now imagine if Pataki spent his time on the chill in Garrison. The half-second semi-thought in the buzz-world might produce: What year did he really leave office and why did spending go up so much on his watch and look how the GOP ran down under him, an gee, hadn't he been sick -- thus spawning a more negative dose of blah-blah-blah. If you were the gov...
which would you prefer? Setting presidential speculation in motion creates a narrative that the player can control. Only the subject of the gossip knows his true intentions; nobody else can speak to the truth of his ambition.
If Rudy Giuliani weren't in the presidential chatter, where might he be? How long could he go on as America's Mayor before they'd be booking him at security-device trade shows in Tampa, or on this millennium's equivalent of the Joe Franklin show?
You don't have to be very serious about it to cruise on that cost-free, might-be-a-candidate buzz. Mario Cuomo stayed on the national radar screen for years before finally announcing, with the legendary plane to New Hampshire reportedly warming up on the runway, that he was a presidential no-go for 1992. He was in what proved to be his final term in Albany.
As for Mike Bloomberg, we know this is his last term as New York mayor; the law says so. Spunky bi-partisan entrepreneur that he is, Bloomberg has managed to cut it both ways - declaring definitively that he will not run for president in 2008 even as a top aide ran around all summer banging the presidential drum, generating that cost-free buzz for whatever it is worth -- and proving that no pol can live by trans-fat alone.
Comments (3)
Eliot Spitzer is going to be the next President from New York. Pataki is battling Bush for the lowest approval ratings of an elected official....Giulani and Bloomberg have one thing in common..both mayors of New York..a proven dead end to any political career....Spitzer all the way http://spitzerdayone.blogspot.com/
Why doesn't Showma's lawyer contact the woman who alleged all Suozzi's County hires do is raise political money for Suozzi? Oh, Newsday never covered Morgenstern's very serios charges. Why bother as they would have damaged Newsday's Golden Boy Tom Suozzi. To hell with the people!
In 2005, Suozzi was silent in response to the charges made by former Nassau County employee Georgi Morgenstern, who alleged that Nassau County workers were illegally raising campaign funds on Nassau County time. Put Morgenstern on the stand!
Suozzi's people, especially Political Strategist Kim Devlin knew to cover any wrong doing. I would ask Ms. Devlin, did you ever ask Shampande to conceal his work?
In 2006, Nassau citizens learned a Nassau County Parks Department employee, Shomwa Shamapande, 32, of Manhattan, was accused of arranging meetings between Suozzi and city Democrats before Suozzi decided to run for governor. Shamapande was eventually indicted on seven felony counts that allege he intentionally falsified time sheets while employed as a $25-an-hour "seasonal clerk" at the parks department between June 2003 and June 2005. Shamapande was paid more than $12,000 for work he never performed, according to prosecutors.
Shampande and Morgenstern could reveal quite story? Put them together and demonstrate it is all part of a larger web of lies!
IF THE GOV RUNS FOR PRESIDENT HE WILL WIM