this FPOS spitzer, will make Mario Homo, look like Pataki... we are doomed.
Posted on 09/14/2006 12:32:55 PM PDT by neverdem
That didn't take long.
On Day 1 of the general election campaign for governor, Eliot Spitzer and his GOP challenger, John Faso, traded nasty barbs over how they earn their money - a rift that exposed deep, class-based differences in their backgrounds.
It began early, when Spitzer dismissed the former assemblyman as a "big-time lobbyist and lawyer" when asked at a morning press conference about Faso's support for some of Spitzer's legal targets, among them former New York Stock Exchange head Dick Grasso.
"It's kind of amazing that John Faso lines up with the defendants, who have essentially taken improperly so much money from a not-for-profit," Spitzer said of Grasso, whose $187 million pay package from NYSE, a not-for-profit, Spitzer is challenging.
The slap apparently struck a nerve with Faso, who shot back by casting Spitzer as a daddy's boy who benefits mightily from his family's real estate fortune.
"I am the son of a Catholic school janitor, and he's the son of a rich real estate operator who still gets a million dollars a year from his father," Faso said of Spitzer as he stumped through all five boroughs.
The upstate conservative was referring to the $949,581 in rental income that Spitzer reported receiving last year from his family's real estate holdings, tax records show. Earlier years show similar sums.
"Attacking someone's parents is utterly reprehensible," shot back Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson.
Spitzer's father, Bernard - who was born poor on the lower East Side and slowly built his real estate fortune - was "the embodiment of the American Dream," Anderson added.
The back-and-forth came as Team Faso complained that Spitzer had declined invitations to two New York City debates - leaving only two upstate.
The move suggests that Spitzer's general election strategy will look a lot like his primary strategy - limit the opponent's TV face-time, spend heavily on ads, and let others lob the grenades.
Yesterday's assaults came from state Democratic Party spokesman Blake Zeff, who blasted Faso for votes he cast as a state lawmaker in a bid to portray him as too conservative.
They included Faso's 1996 opposition to a law that bars cops from asking alleged rape victims to take a lie-detector test. Faso believed women should be allowed to decide themselves, aides said yesterday.
"This is nothing new from the Democratic Party leaders," said Faso spokeswoman Susan Del Percio, "except this time, they don't have Denny 'Tax-Cuts-Are-Not-a-Priority' Farrell delivering the message."
The reference was to state Democratic Party chairman Herman Farrell, who caused a ruckus in June when he said tax cuts were not the party's top priority - comments Spitzer has repeatedly disavowed.
"I will not raise taxes," Spitzer said again yesterday. "We will cut them."
NY GUN LAWS & THE GRANNY (John Lott)
What World Trade Center Illness?
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
gee, I thought sptiz made money shaking down CEOs.....and such.
Just wait until that vile POS Cuomo gets into it against Pirro.
Has Spitzer already been annoited by the media?
Spitzer announced last week that one of the things he would do to balance the state budget would be to close small (rural) hospitals. His name is mud around here.
You think Faso-Spitzer is bad....I get home and I have several calls from orgs I have never heard of telling me how the Republican in my district has sold his soul to the devil...these calls are from untraceble shadowy groups (aka dirty trick unions) who want this guy to become congressman - God help us:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Davis_(industrialist)
this FPOS spitzer, will make Mario Homo, look like Pataki... we are doomed.
he can't touch us......we are so rural we do not have a hospital.........
I saw that little weasal cuomo was running for office again.
Cuomo won his primary election against Mark Green. He is as crooked as can be. slimy scummy
I remember the cuoma years in NY well......what a depressing period of time. I can't believe anyone would vote for a cuomo. Spitzer scares me more though.
He sounds exactly like his odious tedious father. Wonder if NYers are having flashbacks.
Everytime I go to the dollar store and wander to the book section.....there sits a stack of daddy cuomo's book......collecting dust in the dollar store. I think a lot of NYers are sick of the cuomos.
His son resembles a Simian, with the brains to match...
One brother, Chris Cuomo is actually a good broadcaster. He doesn't have that same tone and speech inflection that the others have. Cringemaking.
I don't think Jack Davis has anything to do with those calls. I think that's more liberal interests trying to force Tom Reynolds (after all, he is one of the more powerful people in Congress) out of office than putting Jack Davis in.
Davis is more of an independent than a Democrat (think Golisano).
Thanks for the ping!
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