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Did anyone have a worse election night than our favorite billionaire Tom Golisano?  Bad election nights are nothing new to Golisano, but this one was pretty bad.  I hope for his sake that his lack of success doesn’t cost him his ambassadorship to Italy.

You use to be able to say that even though no one outside of western New York cared about what Golisano had to say, he still had some clout.  Looking at this year’s results, it appears that he not only lost that Monroe County clout, but that he actually has become a political liability to those associated with him.

In his home base of Monroe County, his hand picked candidates all lost — two of them pretty big.  Rick Dollinger lost in a district with 34,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans (receiving 27% in Greece where one would think Golisano would have clout).  David Nachbar garnered about 38% of the vote, while everyone favorite new voter, Paloma Capanna, received less than than 30% of the vote.

Looking to  the west, Erie County, where one would think the savior of the Sabres would have reached hero status with the sports crazed people of Buffalo, Golisano was win less.  He backed Barbara Kavannaugh over Sam Hoyt in a Democratic Primary and Hoyt won handily. 

Baby Joe Mesi lost his bid for the Senate and Golisano and his political henchman Steve Pigeon were political liabilities and possibly the reason Buffalo’s favorite heavyweight suffered his first professional lose. In a community that has elected former Buffalo Bills Jack Kemp and Ed Rutkowski, former Indiana Pacer Tony Masiello, and former high and college sports school standouts Henry Novack and Bill Stachowski, to name a few, one would have thought that a former top ranked heavy weight  contender would be a lock.

Kathy Konst, another of Golisano’s picks, had a disastrous campaign.  It is impossible to find one race where Golisano made a positive difference.  We posted earlier on his antics on the Friday before the biggest election in the country’s history — holding a press conference outside the Erie County elections boards and threatening to use his political connections to oust a Democrat and a Republican who are looking into the questionable actions of his campaign committees.

Golisano really took it in the chin last Tuesday and it has harmed his reputation.  When President-elect Obama is rewarding his supporters with their patronage positions, he may decide that Golisano is too toxic to reward.  Golisano’s performance isn’t the “change we need.”

Tags: Articles, The Equalizer, Tom Golisano by The Equalizer
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Occam had a great post on the problems for the presumptive Democratic majority in the state Senate. Evidently, some Puerto Rican members are resentful of being taken for granted. They also resent the fact that there is a black President, a black Governor and a black in line to become the the Senate Majority Leader.

You could make the case that this is one of the primary problems with the identity based politics of the Democratic Party. The coalitions that make up the party tend to fracture. Groups become resentful when others get more. Groups get angry when they support a group and that group doesn’t reciprocate.

I must say I was shocked when I saw that the proposition to ban gay marriage in California passed with 52% of the vote. Polls showed that a majority of voter said they supported gay marriage. I did a little research and was shocked to learn that 70% of black voters voted to ban gay marriage. This happened on a day when history was being made — the country elected its first African-American President.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

Even as African-American and Latino voters were a powerful force in boosting America’s first black president to victory, in California they also were crucial to passing Proposition 8, a ballot measure labeled, “Eliminates right of same-sex couples to marry.”

Exit polls showed that 70 percent of black voters, and a majority of Latino voters, voted yes on Proposition 8, one likely reason why the measure won a slim majority in Los Angeles County, where pre-election polls had suggested it would lose, even though it lost by a huge margin in the Bay Area.

The Rev. Amos Brown might have foreseen Proposition 8’s victory. As Brown preached Sunday to his congregation that they should be mindful of everyone’s civil rights when they voted on same-sex marriage this week, a church member tried to wrestle away the microphone, agitated that the preacher was discussing gay marriage in the black church.

Gloria Nieto had a sense of those demographic forces, too. When Nieto, a lead organizer for the No on Proposition 8 campaign in San Jose, wanted to distribute campaign signs in Spanish and Vietnamese this fall, she had to get them made herself because the statewide campaign only had signs in English.

Those may have been two hints that Proposition 8 was headed for Tuesday’s clear 5-point victory. The measure was one of the most popular on Tuesday’s ballot, its 5.4 million yes votes helped — not hindered, as many had predicted — by the large turnout to vote for Barack Obama.

Good luck to the Democratic Party leaders as they try to keep this coalition of interest groups together and govern! 

Tags: Articles, The Equalizer by The Equalizer
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Our friends over at mustardstreet.blogspot.com, one of the best blogs out there, is reporting that they’ve heard unconfirmed rumors that our favorite billionaire, Tom Golisano, is angling to be named Ambassador to Italy, by President in waiting, Barack H. Obama.

Suddenly, everything that didn’t make sense, suddenly does!

From Philbrick:

Our sources in Albany are speculating that political paisan Tom Golisano is angling for the job of U.S. Ambassador to Italy in an Obama administration.

This would explain his $10 million donation to the Bill Clinton Global Initiative back when Hillary was expected to win the Democratic nomination.   It would explain his $1 million donation to the Democratic National Convention.

Of particular interest to us locally, it would explain the otherwise incomprehensible schizophrenia of his “Responsible New York” PAC.   Golisano funded it with $5 million to push for a set of principles, then put the PAC’s money behind Democratic candidates committed to the opposite of all of those principles.   The PAC has endorsed some Republican candidates for state senate and assembly, but it has funded its endorsed Democratic candidates almost exclusively.

To cite just one of the internal contradictions of “Responsible New York,” if any of the Democrats funded by the PAC endorsed the proposed 4% property tax cap — let alone Golisano’s public criticism that a 4% cap isn’t good enough and it should be at zero percent — they’d be kicked right out of their own party.

But in cozying up to the Clintons, Tom backed the wrong horse.   To spend the next four years in Roma, if that’s the plan, he’d have to do things to make not just Obama happy, but also the Democratic Party establishment in New York.   Helping to tip the State Senate to the Democrats should get someone like Chuck Schumer, for example, to put a good word in, shouldn’t it?

This is starting to add up.  One other point Philbrick makes is that Golisano is now dating former tennis star Monica Seles.  We’ll be looking into this in future post.  If it is true, that would mean running for Governor isn’t the only thing he tried three times and spent a lot of money on.  It seems like only recently Golisano announced his third marriage.

If he is “dating” Monica Seles, who would be almost 30 years his junior, that would mean that the third marriage, like his three runs for Governor, ended in failure!

We will be following this story closely and get back to you with details as events unfold. 

Tags: Barack Obama, The Equalizer, Tom Golisano by The Equalizer
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Wow!  That’s all I can say.  Our friends at mustardstreet.com had a commercial someone put together of Dave Garretson.  I know from experience that people tend not to watch these youtube clips and I know I said this before, but it has never been more true — you absolutely have to watch this.

The last 5 seconds has Garretson running towards a camera in the goofiest way one can imagine.  I’ve never seen anything like his run in my life.  If everyone in Bill Reilich’s district saw this, there is no way Garretson would get any votes.  Please wach this — it is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

Tags: Bill Reilich, David Garretson, The Equalizer by The Equalizer
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A reader sent us to this video link from wgrz tv in Buffalo — it’s Tom Golisano grandstanding before the media and attempting to intimidate one of the Erie County Election Commissioners looking into possible violations on Golisano’s part.

This is incredible.  Golisano enters the political arena, throws mud at dozens of people and now gets mad that his reputation is being damaged!  Wow!  I know this clip is a little long — about 5 minutes, but it is worth the watch.  Four days before the busiest election Golisano shows up unannounced because his feelings are hurt and demands a meeting.  When a meeting is offered he declines and threatens the people who are charged with enforcing NYS election law — all in the name of reform!  Sounds like our former Governor doesn’t it?

Enjoy the video!

Tags: Articles, The Equalizer, Tom Golisano by The Equalizer
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We’ve commented before about how out of touch the Democrat and Chronicle is.  Sunday’s article on Tom Golisano — our favorite wacky billionairre is a prime example. The title is Golisano wields political clout.

Wields clout?  Shows the world he is bored, egotistical and incompetent when it comes to politics, would have been more appropriate!

The article does show his failures in the political arena if you read it — but how many people will read the headline and figure Golisano is trying to help the community?

The article points out:

He also was instrumental in creation of the Independence Party, which remains New York’s third-largest party in terms of enrollment but has fractured leadership and very limited influence statewide.

He spent $93 million of his own money running for governor under the Independence banner in 1994, 1998 and 2002. Golisano’s best showing was 1994, when he earned 14 percent of the vote.

Golisano also was a prime advocate of holding a state constitutional convention as a way of reforming the government. The idea went before voters in 1997, where it failed by an overwhelming margin.

More recently, he crusaded against wind energy companies that install turbines over neighbors’ objections and started his own company that would do turbine projects in communities where they were welcomed by residents and local leaders.

This summer, he spent tens of thousands of dollars on newspaper ads urging homeowners to file challenges to their property tax assessment — an outgrowth of his own battle with the Mendon town assessor over the taxable value placed on his new 9,600-square-foot house on 38 acres in that town.

Creates political party, becomes bored, moves on to pushing for a constitutional convention — voters ignore his opinion, fights green energy initiatives because it would effect the view from his property and fights the Mendon Assessor because he feels his house’s assessment it too high.

I rarely find myself in agreement with Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, but she is right on about Golisano:

Golisano, though, is an example of someone who is “not really answerable to a constituency, not answerable to members. He can change his mind — take one approach and drop it, take another approach and drop it. The problem is, he’s not building a constituency,” she said. “It’s just throwing money after the solution that he’s most excited about right now. As a consequence, it seems to me that he is not as effective as he’d like to be.”

Not effective has he would like to be?  Try not at all.  He backed Marty Connor, a state senator involved in a primary and he lost big.  He has endorsed Paloma Cappana who hasn’t even been a regular voter over the past ten years, he’s back David Nachbar, the greedy corporate executive who is being sued by former employees of B&L and trailing Jim Alesi by about 30 points, and don’t forget about that great reformer Richard Dollinger who is trailing Joe Robach by 13 points in a senate seat with 30,000 more democrats than republicans.

Oh yea, and the latest Siena Poll has Baby Joe Mesi trailing his opponent by 5 points — Golisano’s gutter campaign tactics are a major issue in that race.

This lack of success doesn’t  seem to phase our favorite billionaire.  According to the article:

He also is considering going forward with a parallel group called Responsible America that would seek to bring about reform in Congress. An ally has already registered the appropriate Web site names, although Golisano called the concept “preliminary.” If pursued, a reform-Congress movement could be too costly even for his personal fortune, which Forbes magazine estimated in September at $1.7 billion.

“We would seek other people to get involved. That’s a much larger deal,” Golisano said.

Yes, given his record, I’m sure people will be lining up to help with that effort.  Keep up the good work Tom!

Tags: Articles, The Equalizer, Tom Golisano by The Equalizer
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We received an e-mail from a read that asked a fair question:

What’s the deal with the cheesy democrats sneaking around during the middle of the night like creepy crawlers sticking their signs in every vacant corner spot around. Do they think they are above the law? And are these same cheesy dems going to leave their trash for a republican to clean up as usual? Oh yeah, like they will rush out next week to get them down. I remember it wasn’t too long ago that I still saw the dems signs from last year still out on highways. Seems the like Republicans are always cleaning up after them. Ridiculous.

It is a disgrace to sneak around like that. No class or what?

On the other hand, maybe they just don’t have enough support out there - real people giving real permission to place signs on their property.

I have noticed a lot of Democrat lawn signs in vacant lots — where I’m pretty sure they don’t have the property owner’s permission. Alice Kryzan and Rick Dollinger seem to be the main offenders.  Dollinger has a sign in the right of way near that Kodak building on Ridge Road near Lake Avenue — I wonder who they talked to at Kodak for permission?

I’m sure his campaign staff will get all of those signs down before they head back to New York City!

Tags: Alice Kryzan, Articles, Richard Dollinger, The Equalizer by The Equalizer
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I just went to the mailbox and I received my mailing from Joe Robach with Bob Duffy.  Regular readers of this blog will know I’m a little biased, but the Robach mailer is more impressive than the one Duffy did with Dollinger.

The Robach mailer touches on all of the things he has done for the city. The Dollinger mailing repeated Dollinger’s entire campaign — I’m a Democrat — you have to vote for me.

This mailing is the final nail in Dollinger’s political coffin.  If Dollinger can’t pull it off this year in this race, it will confirm what we’ve said from day one — he was a flawed candidate  and the wrong candidate from the start.

One final thought — we’ve mentioned our friends over at Mustardstreet created the Tobin Challenge — pointing out cases of liberal media bias.  I’ll take this all back if there is an editorial in Sunday’s paper, but how does Mayor Duffy get away with appearing in campaign literature for both Dollinger and Robach?

Would the D&C have the same reaction if Maggie Brooks did something like this.  I know it’s far fetched — I can’t think of a Democrat who has put the community good above their party interests the way that Robach has, but if there was one and Maggie appeared in both of their mailings, Jim Lawrence would be all over her.

Tags: Bob Duffy, Joe Robach, Maggie Brooks, Richard Dollinger, The Equalizer by The Equalizer
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Democratic Senate Candidate Jim Generro, running against long time incumbent Frank Padavan, is imploring voters to elect a Democratic Majority.  He promises they will focus on New York City. He is quoted as saying:

it’s also a contest between keeping the old, failed Republican leadership that caters to upstate and the suburbs at the expense of New York City and a new Democratic leadership that will be New York City?based. That’s why this race is so exciting.”

Let’s hope that failed Republican leadership maintains its’ majority so there will be someone in this state that cares about us!

Tags: Articles, New York State, The Equalizer by The Equalizer
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I used to have a lot of respect for Tom Golisano.  Who wouldn’t?  Successful businessman, top benefactor of our community, the guy who saved the Sabres, and our main hope to keep the Bills in western New York when Ralph Wilson no longer owns the team.

But, I’ve lost a lot of that respect this political season.  He has come under a lot of scrutiny over his political involvement this year.  I think relying on Steve Pigeon is proving to be a big mistake.

We’ve reported on the various request for investigations into his tactics, which if they aren’t illegal, certainly are gutter level.  Not to mention his judgement –does he expect us to believe that he really thinks Rick Dollinger  is the guy to reform Albany? I’m move convinced than ever that Golisano’s bankrolling of the Senate Dems is a part of a larger deal — but that’s a post for another day.

The Buffalo News is reporting that Golisano and Pigeon are calling on Governor Paterson to remove the two Erie County Election Commissioners who are looking into allegations that his committees have illegally coordinated with candidates (a charge leveled by several organizations) and that his committees have circumvented campaign finance disclosure reporting forms.

From the Buffalo News:

Golisano today accused the Republican and Democratic elections chiefs of violating New York State Elections Law by overstepping their investigative and subpoena powers. Earlier this week Mohr asked Golisano to answer questions under oath about his dealings with three political action committees controlled by G. Steven Pigeon.

(snip)

Golisano called on Gov. David A. Paterson to remove Mohr and Ward from their positions. He also said he has filed a complaint with the state elections board, and is asking the Erie County District Attorney’s Office to investigate the local board chiefs’ actions.

“The very people who represent us and are tasked with protecting and policing elections are using the public trust to launch their own political attacks,” Golisano said.

Mohr and Ward were not immediately available for comment, but planned to speak with the media later this morning.

Wow, can you say thin skinned hypocrite? This is unbelievable.  People investigate his activity and he calls on his political cronies to remove them from power?

This sounds like something a third world dictator would do — not something we should expect from a self proclaimed government reformer.  Reformers operate in an ethical way and answer questions — they don’t use fear and intimidation to squelch people looking for answers.

We tried to warn Golisano that given his track record, involving himself in this year’s campaign could do a lot of damage to his reputation. Unfortunately, it looks like we were right! 

Tags: Articles, The Equalizer, Tom Golisano by The Equalizer
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