Connor to Squadron: 'Get Ready'
State Senator Marty Connor responded to his opponent, Dan Squadron, after Squadron made an early campaign attack this morning by recalling Connor’s 2004 tax lien.
Connor said, “I think it’s really pathetic they begin a campaign in April with such a negative attack.” Squadron, Connor says, "has no record in the community, never served on a community board, and all he does is attack, attack, attack.”
Told that Squadron won’t release his tax returns until Connor does, the senator said, “Get ready. When the campaign starts in June, I’ll release the last five years. I have no problem with that.” If Squadron releases a similar amount of tax information, it’ll cover the years he worked as an aide to Chuck Schumer, co-authored a book with Schumer, and worked for Knickerbocker SKD (headed by former Schumer aide Josh Isay).
Connor also called up the vague answers Squadron has given in response to questions about who he supports for the Democratic presidential nomination, and whether he was in favor of congestion pricing (he was asked it during his appearance with Schumer this weekend).
Politically, those questions put Squadron in a tough spot. Squadron is riding a wave of support among young professionals and progressives in the district, who have largely supported Barack Obama. But New York is still Hillary Clinton's turf, and it would be awkward to stand next to one of her supporters, Schumer, while praising her opponent. Similarly, many Manhattanites supported congestion pricing, but Squadron's would-be colleagues in the state senate had problems with it.
Connor said he was for congestion pricing, and Hillary Clinton.
“Why is he hiding?” Connor asked.
In response to a request for comment, Squadron's campaign manager emailed to say, "In classic Albany fashion, Marty Connor literally hid in a room to avoid voting on congestion pricing, which Daniel supports. Give me a break."
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 46.4
- 41.6
- Obama +4.8
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 55.7
- 32.7
- +23.0
- McCain
- 52.4
- 34.7
- +17.7
so now squadron supports it, funny, the other day, he gave new meaning to the term triangulation on congestion pricing. this guy couldn't answer who he was supporting for president. he had the audacity to say that neither clinton or obama had asked for his endorsement. who the hell is he that they have to ask his endorsement. give me a break, perhaps the question should have been who did he vote for on super tuesday, did he vote at all. interesting. someone should ask him. the letter he sent today to marty connor is a cheap shot, and if it is any indication of what kind of campaigner he will be, it will be very interesting to see all the "progressive reformers" try and justify these tactics which are more like joe bruno than marty connor.
2:52, how is pointing out that your opponent underpaid his taxes by hundreds of thousands of dollars a cheap shot?
when you run for office, you are supposed to talk about yourself and your positions as they relate to the office you are seeking. this is a hell of an introduction for dan squadron. so far, what i know about him is he is capable of
snide, cheap shots that have nothing to do with the office of the state senate. if his entire platform is attacking marty connor personally he is not fit to serve. this is not reform, this is gutter politics.
Here's what Squadron's campaign has to say about Connor:
"Since you've been up in Albany, hiding from a vote on congestion pricing and voting to keep empty, upstate prisons open..."
Today the Village Voice posted an article making a hash of the accusation that Senate Democrats prevented the Senate from voting on congestion pricing. Even Senate Republicans admitted that Bruno had no intent on bringing it to a vote. The Dem walkout was over budget issues.
Leave it to Squadron to give credence to Joe Bruno's lie. He's now doing Joe Bruno's work for him.
Dan Squadron, the new Carl Kruger
I think the bigger picture in all of this is who is Dan Squadron? What experience does he have working in Brooklyn, or anywhere else for that matter?
It seems to me, that we have someone who has spent a couple of years working for a US Senator, helped research a book, but has not done anything outside of that. He hasn't given much of his time to help local residents of his neighborhood, he hasn't done much of anything.
What he is, and I believe this more now after reading this attack piece, is an entitled rich kid. He has lots of inherited money, and he knows how to spend it.
Great, another young wealthy guy looking to spend some money in New York City. Big wup.