Can the GOP recapture the Pataki magic?

Presented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers

Mar 04, 2022 View in browser   By Terry Golway Presented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East As they gathered at their convention earlier this week, New York's Republicans took a moment for a stroll down memory lane — an aging thoroughfare it was, weeds poking through cracks in buckled asphalt — to hear from the only GOP candidate to win statewide office in a generation. George Pataki, whose election for a third term as governor in 2002 remains the high mark of 21st Century New York Republicanism, has outlived the fatuous greetings reserved for the supposedly well-known. At age 76, he is no longer a "man who needs no introduction." Enough time has passed since his glory days that an introduction is indeed required, otherwise the fresher-faced recruits to Republicanism would have to turn to the Google machine to determine his identity. For more-seasoned conventioneers, the spectacle of Pataki standing at a convention podium in 2022 no doubt inspired the gauzy nostalgia that Yankee fans experienced when they watched Joe DiMaggio waving to the Oldtimers Day crowd during the Horace Clarke era. Ah, girls and boys, there once was a time … The memory of Pataki's upset victory over Mario Cuomo nearly 30 years ago remains part of New York Republican lore, even if the party's state chairman was a mere adolescent back then. Somewhere in those red counties upstate, it is always Nov. 8, 1994, and their candidate is on the verge of defying conventional wisdom, sticking it to the media and overturning Democratic dominance of the Empire State. Polls suggest the odds of a Pataki-like upset this year are remote. But then again, Pataki himself was trailing badly — until he wasn't in the only poll that mattered. He was part of the famous GOP insurgency of 1994, which broke the Democrats' hold on the House in Washington and made a speaker out of a viper named Newt. The succession of Republican disappointments since Pataki's last hurrah would suggest the party's claims to relevance in statewide elections ought to be taken no more seriously than a pillow salesman's assertion that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. And yet, Republicans emerged from their conclave with a degree of optimism not seen in recent years. The cycle and circumstances seem a good deal more favorable than in the recent past. And their presumed opponent in the governor's race, Kathy Hochul, is still at the getting-to-know-you stage of her relationship with voters. Then, there is the infamous Price Per Gallon Dictum, which has it that the odds of any incumbent's reelection decrease in proportion to the increased price of gasoline. So, it's reasonable to suppose that Republicans have a chance to end their losing streak this year with Lee Zeldin leading the statewide ticket. But that's assuming they can find a way to sideline Rudy and Andrew Giuliani, the latter of whom sought to convince the GOP that serving as Donald Trump's in-house golf partner for four years has given him the skills required to lead a state of 19 million people. The Giuliani team appeared intent on winning over the convention with all the charm and good cheer that Andrew exhibited when he sued Duke University after getting kicked off its golf team. "Screw the Republicans. A bunch of jerks,"the elder Giuliani saidafter it became clear the party would have the temerity to choose somebody other than his only begotten son as its standard-bearer. Well, at least he wasn't standing in front of a landscaping business. A message from 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East: Home care workers are essential workers – and they have earned a livable wage. The care they provide allows seniors and people with disabilities to live independently and with dignity in their own homes. But because of low wages, New York has a massive shortage of home care workers, a crisis that could impact tens of thousands of families. Tell Albany: the budget must include a permanent wage increase for home care workers.   HAPPY FRIDAY: We're back with your afternoon check-in to spill the day's tea — as we know it thus far — during one of the busiest seasons in New York politics. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend. We'll be back Monday afternoon! From the 3rd Floor ANTI-POVERTY PUSH: Advocates fighting against childhood poverty today pushed for a package of measures in the state budget that they said would reduce child poverty by 50 percent over the next decade. The measures come after a state law in December created the Child Poverty Reduction Act that will include an advisory council to find ways to cut down on child poverty, where in New York one of five children are poor, census data in 2019 showed. The groups held an event in the Bronx, which has among the worst childhood poverty rates in the state, to push lawmakers during the budget to expand the Empire State Child Tax Credit, saying the current tax break excludes about 1.4 million children statewide because they are either too young or live in families that are too poor to currently qualify. Another proposal would allow continuous health insurance coverage for babies age 0 to three years and postpartum women for one year, regardless of immigration status. — Joseph Spector LISTEN: To Bronx Democrat Sen. Jamaal Bailey tell the Capitol Pressroom about his love for the Knicks and his own athletic prospects. DIVESTING FROM RUSSIA: State lawmakers continued their push to have state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli divest the $279 billion state pension fund from Russian companies amid the country's war with Ukraine. A bipartisan group of 31 state senators sent a letter to DiNapoli, urging him to take action. Earlier this week, DiNapoli announced plans to prohibit any new investments in Russian companies and pledged to review the pension fund's existing assets invested in Russian companies, which totals only around $111 million. "Russia's attack on Ukraine is an attack on democracy," Sen. Sean Ryan (D-Buffalo) said in a statement. "We appreciate Comptroller DiNapoli's quick action to prohibit new investments in Russia, and we are asking him to take it one step further – and divest the state retirement system pension from any investment in companies that do business in Russia. — Joseph Spector FROM CITY HALL TERMINATOR TIME: Mayor Eric Adams evoked Arnold Schwarzenegger in his announcement that — as expected — the city will remove the mask mandate for public school and waive the proof of vaccination requirement for restaurants and entertainment venues starting Monday. Adams said the city is finally moving past Covid-19 restrictions that have hampered its economy since the pandemic started two years ago. "This is clearly an Arnold Schwarzenegger moment, 'We'll be back,'" Adams said at the Times Square press conference this morning. Public schools that serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade will no longer require students, teachers and staff to mask up indoors. Students under 5 who are not yet eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are still required to wear masks. Individual businesses still have the option of requiring proof of vaccination from customers. — Joe Anuta SANCTION WATCH: The mayor said today that City Hall would reach out to the White House to see if there is any way to assist with sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. "What happens on the global scale plays out in New York … and we will communicate with the White House and find out how we can help within legal boundaries," Adams said at an unrelated press briefing. Two of the city's pension systems have already divested from Russian assets. And officials including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine have called for the government to seize Manhattan luxury real estate properties owned by Russian oligarchs. Those types of property sales were once the specialty of a former international real estate and legal adviser named Ed Mermelstein. His new gig ? Running the Mayor's Office of International Affairs. — Joe Anuta LGBTQ DUSTUP: Adams incurred a fierce backlash from LGBTQ advocates after naming three people who have a history of anti-gay positions to prominent posts in his administration. But during a meeting with community leaders Thursday, apparently the new hires barely came up. "Just about everyone that spoke talked about my history," he said, referring to his support of LGBTQ causes including marriage equality. "The least discussed topic were the hires. [Community leaders] stated: how do we move forward with a mayor that has always been our friend and that is an ally?" — Joe Anuta   A message from 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East:   ON THE BEATS PRICE GOUGING EYED BY AG: Attorney General Tish James today launched a rulemaking process to look into whether major corporations are using the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation as an excuse to unfairly raise the price of basic goods. James said this will be the first time the Attorney General's Office will examine whether "recent price hikes by big corporations were driven by profit not increased costs." James said the goal is to come up new price gouging rules "that will crack down on pandemic profiteering and corporate greed." "Throughout the pandemic, hardworking New Yorkers have been struggling to make ends meet, but big corporations have been celebrating record breaking profits," she said in a statement. "It doesn't add up." – Joseph Spector CRITICS SAY NOT SO FAST TO LONG MAYORAL CONTROL EXTENSION: State lawmakers criticized Hochul's proposal to extend mayoral control for four years as part of the state budget, arguing instead for a two-year extension so they can evaluate how the system is going. Sen. John Liu, who heads the New York City Education Committee, pointed to frustrations over how the system operated under former Mayor Bill de Blasio and said there were concerns about the inclusion of the extension in the budget. "This issue … does not have a fiscal impact so there are some people here who question why this proposal is in the budget itself," Liu said during a state Legislature hearing on the issue this morning. Lawmakers also called for changes to the structure and operations of some bodies like the Panel for Educational Policy, the Department of Education's governing body, including having more parent members on the panel. Chancellor David Banks said he's not heard specific proposals to change mayoral control, but argued substantive changes could dilute the oversight and added that half of the panel's members are parents. But he said he wants to change the format of the group's meetings. "I consider the process a disrespect to parents that the whole meeting is spent with parents waiting hours to get two minutes to ask one question and they don't even get a response to a question," he said. Adams pointed to his experiences as a public school student, noting his learning disability went untreated until he went to college. "A four-year extension of this transformational policy will allow me four years to do what I know what needs to be done based on my time as a student, as a law enforcement officer, as a senator and as the borough president," Adams said. "This is no time to go back to a broken system." — Madina Touré TRASH: The City Council held a hearing today to go over the Department of Sanitation's $1.7 billion preliminary budget. The department cut $48 million as part of Adams initiative to cut spending across most city agencies. The savings were achieved by nixing plans to expand curbside composting to the rest of the city, reducing staff levels through attrition and earning money through the city's five cent fee on plastic bags. Sanitation Chair Edward Grayson used the hearing to provide some updateson major sanitation initiatives. He said the city is actively pushing the state to mandate the recycling of e-mobility batteries, after a spate oftroubling fires at recycling facilities. Beginning in April, new large residential buildings must also submit waste management plans. The department is also testing new "smart bins" to collect food scraps and launching a pilot to containerize trash bags so it's not taking up sidewalk space. Grayson didn't give a major update on the city's ongoing efforts to better regulate the private carting industry. But he did tell Council Member Sandy Nurse the budget cuts won't affect the program. Grayson also said he believes the city should pursue a mandatory program for repurposing food scraps, amid budget cuts to the existing program. "Do I think that this department and, me personally, do I think we need a mandatory organics recycling law? Absolutely," he said. — Danielle Muoio Dunn The Campaign Trail WFP FOR NIOU: The Working Families Party has endorsed Manhattan Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou in her primary challenge against incumbent Sen. Brian Kavanaugh. JACOBS WEIGHS IN ON 4TH: State Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs sent an email blast to Democratic donors asking them to "hold off" on making contributions to any of the Democratic candidates running to replace Rep. Kathleen Rice in the 4th Congressional District "until we have had an opportunity to discuss the complexities of this race." "My goal is for our party to nominate a candidate who can win," Jacobs wrote. "Not every one of the contenders right now, in my opinion, is able to do so... most important, however, is the need to win." — Anna Gronewold AROUND NEW YORK — The University at Albany announced that starting March 29, masks will be optional to wear around campus. — What's going on with Adams' subway safety plan? Find out more here. — The Buffalo Niagara Marriott is going up for auction next month after the state ordered a foreclosure sale for its $22.2 million debt. — Queens businesses say they're still struggling from the pandemic and are looking forward to less Covid-19 regulations. A message from 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East: New York faces a home care crisis. Researchers estimate that we'll need to fill more than 980,000 home care positions by 2028. But due to low wages, many home care workers are forced to leave the profession in order to support themselves and their families. Despite being essential workers, Medicaid does not pay them a living wage. It's common for workers to travel daily between two, three, and sometimes four clients. The cost of traveling between jobs eats into already limited paychecks. A permanent raise would mean a steady income to support their own families and a way to attract new people to join the home care workforce to keep up with the turnover. New York leaders can avert the home care crisis and help our families by ensuring that a permanent wage increase for home care workers is included in the 2022-2023 state budget. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Anna Gronewold @annagronewold Joseph Spector @JoeSpectorNY   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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