Tom's Ties
Things are looking down for Tom Suozzi, who, after officially announcing his candidacy last week is being questioned about campaign donations he received from individuals tied to First American Title Insurance, now under investigation by Eliot Spitzer.
The Wall Street Journal broke the story about the investigation yesterday, saying that FATI allegedly "illegally paid secret rebates to some favored customers and referral fees to their agents."
—Nicole Brydson
I'm no Suozzi fan, but has Suozzi done or promised to do anything for FATI? This is such a non-issue.
Good thing Citizen Action is signed on to campaign for Spitzer...
http://www.citizenactionforspitzer.com/
Be serious...
You are fishing Nicole. No bites in this there pond .
It just adds to the argument that Tom is a hypocrite>
Not so, HoMo. Questionable campaign donations to a gubernatorial (or any)canidate is an issue to many voters.
Interesting...that's the group that Michael Stoler from the NY Sun real estate column always tries to sell deals with and it's somehow tied to Atlantic Development and Peter Fine who got beat up in the Times recently for get sweetheart deals from Pataki and Gargano for raising money for them. Ouch for Suozzi.
Bad call, Mr. Paul. Nobody cares this will blow over.
Is it really a non-issue that the only people that seem to be supporting Tom Suozzi are those that are angry with Spitzer for prosecuting them. This seems to me a desperate effort by criminals to exact a grudge, a very real story.
If these weren't white collar criminals, and this was a DA, would we all consider it a non-issue? No, then it would be threatening a district attorney. Face it, attempting to influence the actions of prosecutors through coercion is bad, whether that is through violence or threatened violence or through political donations. It is the means one has available to them.
3:18 is absolutely right. It seems like all of the substantial financial backing for Suozzi is coming from alleged criminals who are being prosecuted by Spitzer. There has not been much evidence of Spitzer going after people who have turned out to be innocent of the charges. It is sour grapes by rich interests who want to be left alone in their criminality. Suozzi's donors motivations are very much at issue. Remember, banks and insurance are regulated by the State. Is Suozzi going to be as agressive in getting at wrongdoing in these industries as Spitzer will be?
(Is Suozzi going to be as agressive in getting at wrongdoing in these industries as Spitzer will be?)
For the most part, that's not the Governor's job, although he does name the banking and insurance commissioners.
The Governor has to be able to stand up to producers of public services trying to charge more for less, and those seeking tax breaks to shift the burden to others. I'd be more worried if one of the candidates received support from such interests than from someone ticked off because he was indicted.
What is these guy's motivation for donating to Suozzi? Revenge, probably. But remember, all the insiders in the Democratic Party are united against Suozzi because he dared to create a primary election against an incumbent. Let's just say that isn't the best motivation either.
So, Suozzi is supposed to turn away contributions from Spitzer haters? If had $30 million in the bank, maybe he would. Let's deal with reality: without money, he has no campaign. And if he's not promising anything in return for contributions, it's legal.
So, who isn't Eliot Spitzer investigating? I'm sure they'll get shaken down for some money and this will all go away like usual.
Having to raise money isn't something I would wish on anyone.
While normal people might make contributions for Presidential campaigns, the rest are left with a very narrow group of people with narrow interests or compromised character.
Aside from being gamed by those who do not actually face election, I think the city's system is better. If only we could get such a system, ballot access reform, and term limits at the state level.
Bloomberg went after the endorsement of the Northwest Bronx Democratic Alliance and got it. Do you think that Souzzi will try to do the same?
Don't be silly. The Northwest Bronx Democratic Alliance backed a winner in the NYC mayoral race. That club is riding high right now. So why would a local powerhouse like the NBDA need to back a loser like Suozzi? Any Bronx Democratic who endorses Suozzi needs a lobotomy.
So called reporters with agendas suck, Enkquist. Suozzi has little to no support and the media is trying their hardest to make him viable. I love democracy as much as the next girl, but Suozzi is trying too hard and going nowhere.
Let me first say that Suozzi could well surprise everyone and win this thing.
That being said, what Suozzi is banking on is that "he can do it because he's done it." But winning a primary for NC executive against DiNapoli doesn't mean he's going to win the Gubernatorial against Spitzer. It doesn't make sense to say "I've beat the odds once so of course it'll work out this time." He may almost be a victim of his own success.