Posted on 07/30/2005 2:19:24 AM PDT by RWR8189
Note to Republican presidential primary candidates: Don't underestimate George Pataki.
There was a time when the pundits said he couldn't win a freshman's run for mayor of Peekskill. They also said that about him when he ran for the Assembly and then the State Senate. In each instance this quiet, thoughtful man proved himself an astute politician who could read his constituents far better than the pollsters and the political analysts.
Not only did he run and win but he was able to position himself in such a way that an expanding circle of voters genuinely welcomed him as a new and thoughtful voice in government.
Even as he declines to run for a fourth term as governor, many continue to misjudge George Pataki. Ironically, that has been part of his strength. During his tenure, opponents would dismiss him as too distracted or indifferent to pursue some difficult public policy. Yet, they would arrive to work one day only to discover that a particular Pataki initiative was now solidly in place, the governor having stealthily overridden their opposition while moving on to address some other issue. Perhaps, in retrospect, this calm but skillful political chess player should have made far more noise about his accomplishments and legislative agenda since, with his decision not to seek another gubernatorial term, critics are already seeking to minimize his legacy.
This is the governor who, using Theodore Roosevelt as a personal model, preserved some 1 million acres of land throughout the state. It was Pataki who restructured how we pay for electricity on Long Island, recognizing that LILCO's rate structure was crippling the region's economy. And it was Pataki who dismantled many of the state
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
I guess the Al is short for "Alzheimers"
Must have been something in my breakfast cereal... but I tell no lie.
doofus: (n.) a stupid incompetent person [syn: dimwit, nitwit, half-wit]
____________________
Still stand by that characterization?
As it should be :)
Personally I'm supporting Jeb "Walker" for president.
A simple name change could do so much ...
Pataki is a Boob
I wouldn't exactly call him a RINO either.
I wouldn't call him a RINO either as that would be insulting to all the other RINOs.
Pataki is BY FAR the most liberal governor in the country
TAXES
New York has the highest taxes in the country on EVERYTHING!!!!!!!
SPENDING
Under Pataki New York even though it has ~15 million fewer people it still spends more than California. In 2002 Both New York and California spent $90 Billion dollars. In 2003 with both facing hugh deficits Grey Davis at least proposed some cuts while Pataki even with NY facing a $10 Billion dollar deficit actually increased spending by $4 Billion.
And that $90 Billion number is actually way more since unlike California which has Prop. 13 Pataki can and does push massive unfunded mandates onto the counties (most notably Medicaid). Almost every county in NY has had double digit property tax increases consecutively the past couple of years.
BTW Texas with population just little above NY spent $67 Billion in 2002, And their counties do not have anywhere near the big property tax burdens like NY. Let me assure you the difference between NY and California and Texas is not due to the cost of snow removal.
Spending under Pataki
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HEALTH CARE
Pataki has also socialized medicine in NY more than Hillary ever dreamed. Right now 1/6 New Yorkers are on the state medicaid dole with more to come because even with a $10 Billion deficit Pataki still planned on adding 720,000 more people onto the state doles via his Family health Plus and Healthy NY medicaid schemes. http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhplus/index.htm
And lets not forget New York's smoking ban is much more draconian than California's and once again all 38 NY state Senate Republicans unanimously passed it and Pataki signed it.
2nd ADMENDMENT
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1095868/posts
and
GOVERNOR PATAKI SIGNS LEGISLATION TO COMBAT GUN VIOLENCE
Quote
"Governor George E. Pataki today signed into law comprehensive legislation to combat gun violence, including a provision that makes New York the first state to close the so-called gun show loophole by requiring background checks on prospective purchasers for all sales at all gun shows.
The law also requires that firearms be sold with child safety locks; imposes a State ban on assault weapons; raises the minimum age to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun to 21 years old; implements a DNA for Handguns program; establishes a gun trafficking interdiction program; and, directs a study to be conducted on "smart gun" technology."
Environment,
The same thing especially with upstate where there is the Forever Wild clause.
And even though the rest of the country rejected it, Pataki is actually going forward in implementing the Kyoto protocol on global warming.
A little more on the insanity of New York
My point exactly!!!!!
Goomba Scumauto is always good for a bunch of laughs.
Dumb-auto is a walking ethnic stereotype from Lawn Guyland who lost to another walking ethnic stereotype from Brooklyn (Schmucky Chucky).
Q: Do you think there will be more attention paid to New York City mass transit now that repeated attacks in London have made mass transit seem newly vulnerable?
A: The president should be a leader on this. Englishmen are proud of London. And Frenchmen are proud of Paris. But Americans are not proud of New York.
Gee, I wonder why that is?
Tommy Smothers, or maybe Harpo Marx
The only people who want Pataki for president are his many staff and hangers-on, who are salivating over trading in Albany for Washington.
he should run against Hillary for senate. he could beat her, she is the weakest statewide NY democrat.
who knows, he might surprise us.
remember, the media savaged him the last week of that campaign because he called Nadler "fat".
D'Amato was ripped by the press for calling Chuckie Schumer a putz-head.
Especially since they will all be out of a job soon, including Mike Long's daughter, who has no desire to work at Dad's liquor store in Bay Ridge.
Were priceless.
Senator Al deserves credit for introducing the Whitewater hearings that spawned the independent counsel, which netted 17 convictions, including a sitting governor and a presidential impeachment.
Touche. You did an impressive job of documenting Pataki's RINOtude.
The only thing I can say is that I believe he came into office with a sincere desire to reform the state in positive ways, specifically in terms of lowering taxes and the regulatory burden. In his first term, he reduced spending, cut taxes, got through a workers' comp reform bill that substantially reduced the burden on employers, got a death penalty law through, and did some other good things.
However, as things went along, he listened more to aides - although he was ultimately responsible for his own decisions of course - counseling him to move left to ensure his re-elections.
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