Charlie Rangel | The New York Observer

Rangel: Senate Flip Is a 'Real Embarrassment' to New York

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:15:00 -0400

The Republican takeover of the State Senate does not make Charlie Rangel feel good about himself, his fellow New York congressmembers, or his state. "It's been a real embarrassment to the New York delegation—both Republican and Democrat—to believe that people who have been indicted can be welcomed into the Republican Party," said Rangel, referring to Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr. "This is a coup that is not based on principles of politics but merely...

Paterson Blows a Whistle on the Stealth Candidacy of Andrew Cuomo

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:43:00 -0400

RYE, N.Y.—Andrew Cuomo was on his way out. It was 9:30 on the morning of a state Democratic Party gathering at the Rye Hilton on May 31, and Mr. Cuomo, whose official job is attorney general, had delivered another confident speech about his plan to overhaul state government. It was the latest and most ambitious component of his undeclared, unacknowledged campaign for governor of New York. As he left, a couple of reporters asked him about...

Murphy Explains His Vote to Investigate a Democratic-Linked Lobbying Firm

Fri, 15 May 2009 17:37:00 -0400

ALBANY—Republicans in the House of Representatives have been trying to force a probe by the chamber's ethics committee into a lobbying firm, the PMA Group, and into how Democratic leaders have tried to block it. One of a few Democrats who bucked the party leadership was Scott Murphy, who replaced Kirsten Gillibrand in Congress. I asked him whether he was aware of the direction from his conference leaders to vote no on the Republican resolution...