The top Democratic presidential candidates brought out some of their more powerful symbolic stumpers this weekend. To counter Barack Obama’s breathlessly awaited Oprah event in Iowa, Hillary Clinton campaigned with both her generally press-shy daughter Chelsea and her mother, Dorothy Rodham.

Clinton also sent her husband, who arguably has as much star power as Oprah, to South Carolina. In New Hampshire, the Clinton team dispatched the former secretary of the Navy to deliver a speech in Portsmouth.

The New York Times Magazine published a long profile exploring Hillary’s sometimes opaque emotional landscape, while the Washington Post considered her early life.

In a column this morning, Dan Balz wrote of the Clinton candidacy, "all talk of inevitability is gone," and added that no one knows this better than the candidate herself.  read more »

After hisa press conference on Rudy Giuliani and the presidential race in midtown yesterday, I asked former congressman and Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari about the Republican Party here in New York.

“We are struggling for survival--that’s how serious it is,” he told me.

To save it, it’s going to take “strong leadership, people that have access to money. Money is necessary to rebuild the party to where it was, and good candidates. So a lot of recruiting has to go into the future. And it can be brought back.”

But Molinari isn’t too excited about John Catsimatidis, a late addition to the Republican Party and likely 2009 mayoral candidate.

(After the jump.)  read more »

This has a déjà vu quality to it.

On Sunday, there was a story in the Albany Times Union about Joe Bruno’s use of state aircraft. And just a few minutes ago, state Democratic Party Chairwoman June O’Neill issued a statement saying that she is “extremely troubled” by the “gross abuse of the public trust” and demanding “further investigation.”

“We now know that for years Senator Bruno has misused state police aircraft for political fundraising and meetings with special interests seeking the Senator’s assistance,” O’Neill said in a statement.

It’s sort of what happened a few months ago at the start of the Troopergate controversy.

The difference is that the itineraries of Bruno’s travel on which Sunday’s story was based were compiled while George Pataki, a Republican, was governor.

I wonder whether any Republicans will join O’Neill in calling for an investigation into that.  read more »

Michael Bloomberg is doing robo-calls for Republican Assembly candidate Greg Camp, who is running in a special election tomorrow against Democrat Micah Kellner.

Below is a script of the call that voters on the East Side have been receiving all week, according to Camp’s campaign.

“Hi, this is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. There’s an important election in your community this Tuesday, June fifth. And I’m calling to tell you about my choice in the race, Greg Camp. Greg Camp has superb qualifications to represent you in the state Assembly. He’s been a banker, a long-time prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s office and he was Deputy Director of Criminal Justice for New York State. But most of all, Greg Camp is independent, and that’s what I like best about him. I’m supporting Greg Camp this Tuesday, June 5th and I ask that you do too. Thank you.”

Camp’s endorsement from Bloomberg, like his endorsement from the New York Times, will certainly help him in this district.

Speaking of which, note that there’s no mention of the words “Republican” or “Pataki” anywhere in Bloomberg’s message.

Here's a shot of some of the people biding their time at the Sheraton in midtown as they wait for New York GOP chairman Joe Mondello and most of the state party to announce their endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for President.

Republicans notably, and deliberately, steering clear of today's festivities include Mike Bloomberg, Al D'Amato, George Pataki and former state chair Stephen Minarik aren't particpating.

But who's counting?

Emily Pataki, daughter of the former governor, passed the Bar exam, her family announced today.

Emily came up a bit short on her first try. After the announcement, George Pataki told the AP, “Once she set her mind to it, I had no doubt she would pass.”

Congratulations.

One of the last George Pataki holdovers in the Spitzer administration has been replaced by someone from within the Democratic ranks.

Karen Paikin, who was Pataki’s Jewish liaison and was toiling away for Governor Spitzer was replaced today by Ross Wallenstein, an aide to Rep. Gary Ackerman of Queens and Nassau.
 
Somebody with more information about the capitol’s second floor might be able to confirm if Paikin gets the longest-holdover title. Either way, it’s just one example of Spitzer’s employee recruiting operation.

Wallenstein’s email announcing his move is after the jump.

Eliot Spitzer’s plan to introduce a bill legalizing same-sex marriage later today may not become law. But it may succeed, for the first time, in getting many state legislators to stake out clear, yes-or-no positions on the issue.

“You had a governor, under Pataki, it wasn’t even discussed,” said Assemblywoman Joan Millman of Brooklyn. “Now you have a governor that is openly supporting it. But it’s still going to be a long haul.”

The opposition to same-sex marriage -- or at least the reluctance to address it -- isn't just in the Republican-led state Senate.

I asked Millman, who has been in the Assembly for 10 years, if she knew where Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stood on the issue.

“No, I don’t," she said. "I know he’s been quoted as saying he wants to see where his conference is on this. And I think the conference is going to be all over the lot because some people are very conservative or represent very conservative districts.”

Millman, who supports same-sex marriage, isn't optimistic. “It’s going to be a real sticking point. I don’t know if it’s going to be something that gets through this session,” she said.  read more »

In case you were wondering what they're up to.

In electing Tom DiNapoli, the legislature treated Governor Spitzer the same way they treated Governor Pataki.

A rookie Assemblyman who tried complaining about DiNapoli's election was booed.

At least $100 per vote was spent in Tuesday's special election in Nassau.

Some city officials are eyeing their next race.

Errol Louis says more needs to be done to clean up the bench.

The New Republic is still debating whether Israel should preemptively attack Iran.