Sometimes spin is so ridiculous — so obviously wrong that political reporters have to laugh. Or blog about it.
So here’s a great press release sent out Wednesday regarding the New York City Comptroller runoff election results from Tuesday night. Remember this is from an organization based in upstate Troy that probably had never heard of John Liu or David Yassky until today.
News from New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc.
New York City Primary Voters Reject Gun Grabber
TROY, NY (09/30/2009)(readMedia)– For the second time in two weeks, the citizens of …

So the cat is out of the bag and now the even the White House is worried about New York Governor David Paterson’s incredible deflating poll problem. But the way it’s playing out is not how the President, nor the people who put him up to this, expected.
Back up to this past winter when Paterson’s amateur-hour handling of his pick to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate left just about everyone slack-jawed. He managed to piss of anyone connected to the Kennedys (not an insignificant body of people especially in …

 
Is there an echo in Pennsylvania? You better you bet.
Republicans and especially hard-core conservatives are foaming at the mouth over the defection of Pennsylvania Republican Senator Arlen Specter, decrying him as another Benedict Arnold. One of the most fevered cries is that Specter put politics ahead of principle. Whether you believe that or not (if the principle Specter is upholding is to win then I guess he’s being principled…) it has brought the battle for the soul of the GOP to the forefront. And the front page of the New …

From the moment she was appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has been discounted. The papers — especially the New York Post but others as well — have consistently called into question her election prospects in 2010. But this morning’s New York Times has a piece that inadvertently makes the case that Gillibrand is on her way to winning in 2010 as the next Chuck Schumer.
The Times notes that many of Hillary Clinton’s inner and not-so-inner circle of advisers, fundraisers, and hangers-on have gone to work for Senator Gillibrand. The paper also …

Even with the Feds potentially spending about $15 billion on mass transit in the next 18 months, the MTA’s proposed big fare hikes and service cuts would still have to happen according to MTA insiders.
That’s because while the amount of money in the stimulus bill for mass transit seems to grow every day, the money is for capital programs — building stuff — not operating systems already up and running.
Last week transit money in the stimulus jumped from $9 billion to $12 billion just before the House passed it’s version. …

While we all wait to see exactly what the US Senate comes up with for it’s version of the stimulus package it seems certain that the total amount will easily blow way past the $819 billion House plan which passed Wednesday. So what will it mean for New York? Especially the state government which is facing a $15.4 billion budget gap?And what about New York City where Mayor Bloomberg is unveiling his doomsday budget today?
Monetarily Sen. Chuck Schumer calculates the state and cities will get roughly $15 billion over the …

Another poll — this one from Marist — proves an earlier point we’ve made here. New York’s new Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand is in an enviable position for a newbie.
Marist asked New York voters if they thought she was the right choice — remember this is after voters were led to believe top-shelf names like Caroline Kennedy or maybe Andrew Cuomo would get the nod. Marist says 46% say ‘yes’ to 24% who say ‘no.’ Note that 30% are ‘unsure.’
Next the poll asked about her favorability — 41% like her, 11% …

Oh how quickly the news has moved on from Kirsten Gillibrand the “accidental Senator” to David Paterson the “doomed Governor.” Newspapers across the state from Buffalo to Gotham wrote up Paterson’s big problems this morning after the botched selection process to replace Hillary Clinton.
Now two new polls, one from Quinnipiac and the other from Siena, make several things abundantly clear:
1. Pundits be damned, the public is NOT blaming Paterson for the Caroline Kennedy fiasco (despite Liz Benjamin’s excellent report this morning indicating the public might want to think again).
2. Paterson …

All the huffing and puffing about New York’s newest (almost) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is as amusing as it is beside the point.
Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy threatens to run against Gillibrand in a Democratic primary because the new Senator has perfect record with the National Rifle Association. Assemblyman Peter Rivera lashed out, “I find no compelling reason for the Governor to select a conservative Democrat to carry on the progressive work of now Secretary of State Clinton.”

And then there is Caroline Kennedy supporter Lawrence O’Donnell who is quoted in Monday’s New Yoker …

While it’s a relief that the month-long drama over who New York Governor David Paterson would pick to fill Hillary Clinton’s US Senate seat, at lease one of his claims at a news conference in Albany Friday was absurd and impossible on it’s face.
In his lengthy explanation of how he arrived at upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand as “the best choice”, Paterson said, “This was not based on gender, on geographic location, on race, religion or sexual orientation. This decision was made on who the best candidate would actually be.”

Not based …