Arnold Schwarzenegger

(via The Huffington Post.)

Michael Bloomberg made a hefty contribution towards Arnold Schwarzenegger's effort to get legislative redistricting in California.

But some other notable New Yorkers have opened up their wallets and given to another Schwarzenegger venture: his campaign committee. That's according to a financial report posted yesterday for Governor Schwarzenegger’s California Dream Team:  read more »

Michael Bloomberg is having another run at Albany lawmakers, but this time, he's taking a less direct approach.

At an event in midtown yesterday afternoon, Bloomberg said he was donating money to help Arnold Schwarzenegger’s effort to push nonpartisan redistricting in California and said he hoped the efforts out there would advance the issue here.

If California could do it, Bloomberg said, it might "shame" New York lawmakers into doing likewise.  read more »

Michael Bloomberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke with Charlie Rose about the economic and political issues they're facing at the annual Card Luncheon, which is going on at the Four Seasons in midtown right now.

Bloomberg acknowledged the economy is tough, but said that because the cost of construction is coming down, "if you want to build a building, now is the time to do it."

Schwarzenegger thanked the mayor for donating money to push the governor's plan for redistricting in California.

Bloomberg said he'd like that to happen here, and that if legislators can't be convinced to do it, he could "maybe shame them into doing it."

Here are the priorities listed on this year's New York City Card, according to a release sent out by the mayor's office:  read more »

Here is Michael Bloomberg holding court with a few people at the Four Seasons in midtown before a roundtable discussion to outline the mayor's priorities for the city.

The white-haired guy to the right is (former?) Eliot Spitzer nemesis Ken Langone.

The annual "Card Luncheon" is when Bloomberg tells city elite about what he thinks they should ask for when political folks knock on their door for contributions.

Barbara Walters is there.  read more »

Michael Bloomberg's "soul mate," Arnold Schwarzenegger, is in town today. Here's what they'll be doing, according to mayor's schedule:

*12:30 PM Hosts 2008 New York City Card Luncheon with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Four Seasons Restaurant
99 East 52nd Street between Lexington and Park Avenues
MANHATTAN
*Q & A to follow.

7:00 PM Speaks at National Marfan Foundation Annual HeARTworks Gala
Cipriani  read more »

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Paterson will be a strong governor from an environmental standpoint, but he's no Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to an analysis of his record by Jerome Woody. [grist.org]

Last night, the E.P.A. announced "a modest tightening" of its smog standard, despite the unanimous call of the agency's scientists to adopt a more protective standard. [The New York Times]  read more »

Michael Bloomberg’s office just announced he’s going west to see Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's also a fan of Kevin Sheekey (though the governor never managed to hire the Bloomberg aide).

The two will appear together in Los Angeles on January 19.  read more »

Eliot Spitzer and Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a letter to Washington today urging federal lawmakers to pass a Farm Bill Act currently under consideration.

According to the letter, Spitzer and the other governors want increased funding for farmers who harvest “specialty crops” like fruits, money to fight “invasive species” like the long horned beetle, and an expansion of the crop insurance and conversation programs.

The letter also provides an excuse to consider how these two governors, Spitzer and Schwarzenegger, are alike.

Both talked tough when they came into office. Spitzer steamrolled. Schwarzenegger called people “girlie men.” But soon after taking office, Schwarzenegger lost every ballot initiative he supported, making him vulnerable to a challenge for re-election. Then came the green initiatives, a change in tone (has he called anyone a girlie man recently?) and a landslide re-election victory.

Just something to keep in mind ahead of the inevitable Education of Eliot Spitzer's storyline.

Mercury Public Affairs, the company that helped bring you three terms of George Pataki and is now working on John McCain's presidential campaign, just announced the hiring Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign manager Steve Schmidt.

Interestingly, the formal announcement from Mercury's managing partner Kieran Mahoney doesn't mention McCain at all.

From the statement:

"[Schmidt's] experience in the presidential campaign, the California governor's race and the Supreme Court confirmation process gives him an unmatched understanding of how polling, grassroots mobilization, issue advocacy, government relations and media relations work together to achieve measurable business results."

Full statement after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

A reader draws my attention to the fact that on Eliot Spitzer's official gubernatorial website, there are no links (at least, none that I can find) to the sites of the other elected statewide officials, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

It's a little different on the state's official site: there's no link there to the comptroller's office, but you can get to the AG's office.

For the sake of random comparison, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine -- who gets to appoint the state treasurer and attorney general -- has links to those offices, and has links to the judiciary and legislature on the front page of his site

And in California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has links to all of California's statewide elected officials.

Is Spitzer trying to tell us something?

-- Azi Paybarah

Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks people are too obsessed with Hillary Clinton's Iraq vote. -- Azi Paybarah

Fresh off his "statement of candidacy," Rudy Giuliani will head off to California this weekend to raise some money and address the GOP convention in Sacramento.

What isn't on the public schedule is a private meeting with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, said a source familiar with the trip.

With talk of California possibly moving up its primary schedule, the state takes on added importance for Giuliani, whose moderate positions -- relative to the rest of the prospective 2008 field on the GOP side -- should be an unqualified positive there.

Giuliani already enjoys the diehard backing of Bill Simon, the 2002 Republican candidate for governor of California, who held a fund-raiser for Giuliani at his Pacific Palisades home on Jan. 29th. With all the necessary caveats about the overstated importance of endorsements, the addition of Schwarzenegger would be big.

--Jason Horowitz

Picking a new comptroller is dividing Democrats in Albany.

Foreign policy questions are dividing Democrats who are running for president.

Chuck Schumer thinks domestic issues will drive the agenda in 2008.

Arnold Schwarzenegger wants Mike Michael Bloomberg to run.

Charlie Rangel encouraged Barack Obama to run.

Christine Quinn is apparently gearing up for a mayoral run by bringing aboard Hilary Keller, a key fundraiser for Eliot Spitzer.

And Bloomberg told the Financial Times "those who worked their way up the legislative branch of government have absolutely no skills to do the job" of mayor.

-- Azi Paybarah

Liz notes that one of John Faso's colleagues is among Eliot Spitzer's latest appointments.

Rudy Giuliani hired Arnold Schwarzenegger's former director of communications, and two other people.

Maureen O'Connell will run for Michael Balboni's state Senate seat.

Chuck Bennett wonders why nobody from the MTA was in City Hall to honor the Subway Superhero.

The Caucus has a great picture of Dick Cheney swearing in Hillary Clinton, with Bill looking on happily.

Barack Obama doesn't just want to change the players, but the whole game.

Jeffrey Skilling's lawyer told the Wall Street Journal he's optimistic about appealing his client's convictions.

New York magazine tweaks the New Yorker for not knowing when the mayor's term is up.

An outsider wonders if a longtime insider like Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long is really calling for change in Albany.

A White House reporter blogs about his weight loss.

And pictured above is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will change Congress in 100 hours, and change the Speaker's official website sometime soon. (We're still waiting.)

-- Azi Paybarah

His name wasn't on the ballot, but it's worth noting what a great day Mike Bloomberg had. Six out-of-state candidates he (or his aides) supported won:

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) Governor Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) Mayor Adrian Fenty (D-DC)

-- Azi Paybarah

Mayor Bloomberg will make "a major announcement on New York City sustainability policy," when he joins Gov. Schwarzenegger at 3 p.m., according to Streetsblog.

While details are a bit sketchy, some new hires in Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff's office may offer some clues.

Dr. Rachel Weinberger of U. Penn, who wrote "Transportation for Livable Cities," was recently hired as a new "Senior Policy Advisor for Transportation." Supervising her is newly hired Rohit Thomas Aggarwala, who has a PhD. in history and is described as "a brilliant politician."

Streetsblog notes, "Aggarwala has a big job ahead of him and Mayor Bloomberg hasn't left him much time to get it done -- unless, of course, he gets to continue doing it during a Doctoroff Administration."

-- Azi Paybarah

You get a lot of strange reactions when you say you like Los Angeles in New York.  read more »

You get a lot of strange reactions when you say you like Los Angeles in New York.  read more »

For anyone interested, The Real Estate just posted the letter that Nicholas Bartha apparently emailed to George Pataki, Arlen Specter and Arnold Schwarzenegger (among many others) shortly before allegedly blowing up his Upper East Side townhouse. -- Josh Benson

Hillary Clinton is on a Western fundraising swing today, scheduled to appear this morning at a benefit for Arnold Schwarzenegger's opponent in San Francisco and, tonight, at a cocktail reception for her Senate campaign at the Denver home of Laura and Bob Hill.

The graphic shown above is Gregg Birnbaum's scrupulously understated take on the real reason for the trip.  read more »

(Hint: It has very little to do with John Spencer.)

-- Josh Benson

In October of 2003, when he was still just an overpaid action hero and a Kennedy-by-marriage, gubern  read more »

In October of 2003, when he was still just an overpaid action hero and a Kennedy-by-marriage, gubern  read more »

Just End Already!Of course, some folks always figured Hollywood and Evolution were in cahoots.  read more »

New York Apartments: Private Views, by Jamee Gregory. Rizzoli, 208 pages, $50.  read more »

They say trends start in the West.  read more »

What can The Wall Street Journal be thinking?  read more »

An election update from The Observer 's West Coast bureau:With a little over a month left until vote  read more »

So it's been a really crappy summer for the New York Mets, but at least catcher Mike Piazza has made  read more »

What do conservatives demand from a citizen aspiring to high office?  read more »

Don't you hate my profession?  read more »

You couldn't make this stuff up.  read more »

California's current freak show, also known as the recall campaign, has rightly been disparaged as a  read more »

Last July, Christian Curry told a New York Post reporter: "I don't owe money to a single living ass!  read more »

Even hard-core Vanity Fair readers come up blank when pressed to remember the last time the monthly  read more »

The testosterone level on movie screens this week is so high that you may feel like a proverbial 90-  read more »

Hollywood has always been fond of satire–except when the satire comes at the expense of one its ow  read more »

I'm beginning to think there may be something to the idea that Hollywood films contain satanic messa  read more »