It's Monday morning and the work week ahead seems infinite. It's not though, and you should be glad because infinity isn't just long, it's also confusing. Take for instance this quartet of infinite paradoxes that will blow your groggy mind.
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NEW YORK (AP) ? After weeks of carefully managed political repair work that has lifted Anthony Weiner from sexting scandal punch line to front-runner in the New York City mayoral campaign, he suddenly faces a threat from someone who's not even in the same race: Eliot Spitzer.
The former New York governor's surprise entry into the city comptroller's race now means there are two sex scandal-comeback stories competing for the media's attention, and the constant mention of both in the same breath has once again put Weiner back under the lens of infamy he has worked so hard to escape.
"It's horrible timing, just as Weiner was rising in the polls," said Democratic strategist Dan Gerstein, who is not affiliated with any candidate in the 2013 race. "Now, we've had a weeklong conversation about sex. Character may become a central issue again."
Asked Baruch College political science professor Douglas Muzzio: "One sex scandal is one thing, but do we have enough forgiveness for two redemptions?"
Weiner, a fiery Democrat who used to represent Brooklyn and Queens, resigned his congressional seat in 2011 after an embarrassing scandal that included racy online exchanges with women and lewd Twitter photos of his bulging, underwear-clad crotch. He entered a self-imposed exile from public life only to return with his brash mayoral bid two months ago.
In the first days of his campaign, he patiently answered voters' questions about his wrongdoings and gave a series of lengthy interviews in which he apologized and asked for a second chance. His opponents barely mentioned the scandal, their campaigns believing Weiner's seemingly longshot bid would implode on its own.
But many New Yorkers seemed to respond with an everyone-makes-mistakes shrug. Drawn to Weiner's celebrity status and compelling campaign style, would-be voters largely cheered him at his campaign events and sent him to the top tier of candidates in mayoral polls. The buzz around his surging bid allowed Weiner to largely move past the scandal and instead run an issues-based campaign, all while drawing media attention that dwarfed what was received by his rivals.
Spitzer, who resigned in 2008 after admitting he paid for sex with prostitutes, endangers that, experts believe. Suddenly, two men who did not have much of a relationship while each was in office could effectively be joined at the hip.
"Anytime you talk about Spitzer, you're reminded of his scandal. ... He becomes a constant reminder of Weiner's transgressions too," said Tom Doherty of Mercury Public Affairs, a political consulting firm that does not have a client in either the mayoral or comptroller race.
"The two of them, in two different races, may have the effect of pulling each other down" by giving Republicans an opening to portray Democrats as morally challenged, added retired Hunter College political science professor Kenneth Sherill.
During his time as attorney general and then governor, Spitzer made several powerful enemies in conservative circles, some of whom could decide to spend big to thwart his return. Weiner may end up in that line of fire.
"Anthony could be collateral damage if there is a major ad campaign against Spitzer," Doherty said. "If those ads are all over TV and a constant reminder of scandal, it could bleed into the mayoral conversation."
Spitzer and Weiner may be forced to run similar campaigns. Shunned by the Democratic establishment and bereft of endorsements from unions and political organizations that can provide key ground troops, both men have assembled lean campaign staffs and will need to rely on formidable campaign bank accounts.
Weiner has also benefited from an extraordinary amount of media coverage, some of which he may lose as the spotlight shifts to Spitzer. The former governor's first public appearance as a comptroller candidate drew a scrum of reporters far larger than any that has followed Weiner.
Meantime, the former congressman tried to deflect question after question about Spitzer from reporters who suddenly had little interest in the mayoral hopeful's latest policy proposal. "It is because I'm doing so amazingly well that this happened," a clearly annoyed Weiner snapped about Spitzer's return.
"Spitzer is sucking all of the air out of the mayor's race right now," Muzzio said.
But many political observers feel that won't be a permanent or fatal development for Weiner's campaign, especially if Spitzer opens up a significant lead over his primary opponent, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. In that first poll, Spitzer enjoyed a 9-point lead.
"Weiner is still going to get attention because his race is going to be competitive throughout and because mayor trumps comptroller," Doherty said.
Weiner himself insists that his chances aren't affected by Spitzer's comeback.
"I'm focused entirely on my campaign and I think that I'm being rewarded because I'm waging the fights that people want," he said. "The voters are going to decide what subjects they want to have a conversation about."
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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Jon Gerberg contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/could-spitzer-drag-down-weiners-nyc-mayoral-run-141748484.html
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Source: www.ibtimes.com --- Sunday, July 14, 2013
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WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is driving his chamber toward rule changes that would help President Barack Obama win confirmation for some of his nominees for posts overseeing workers' and consumers' rights. But the changes might strip future senators of their prized ability to delay action.
Reid, D-Nev., planned to continue his push to let nominees win approval with a simple majority of senators' backing instead of the 60-vote threshold that has stalled many nominations. All 100 senators have been invited to a closed-to-the-public meeting Monday evening to seek a compromise on how to approach those nominated to serve in senior positions in Obama's administration.
"We're not touching judges," Reid said Sunday. "This is not judges. This is not legislation. This is allowing the people of America to have a president who can have his team ... in place."
Reid was expected to address the issue during a morning speech at an advocacy organization linked to the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with close ties to the White House.
Critics of Reid's proposal, including the Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, called Reid's move one that would "change the core of the Senate."
Reid and McConnell, along with their rank-and-file members, have traded barbs over just what the proposed changes would mean, both for Obama's current slate of nominees awaiting confirmation and for future senators who can delay or derail agendas.
Democrats, who are the majority in the Senate, are pushing to erode the rights of minority Republicans to block confirmation of Obama's picks for posts on a labor rights board and a consumer protection bureau. Republicans previously stalled confirmation votes for Obama's pick for labor secretary and chiefs of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Export-Import Bank, but last week, GOP lawmakers stepped aside and said they would allow those nominations to move forward.
"Is there anyone out there in the world ? the real world ? that believes that what's going on in the Congress of the United States is good?" Reid said. "Our approval rating is lower than North Korea's."
McConnell called Democrats' proposed changes contrary to Senate tradition, which typically requires 60 votes to end debate and move forward on nominations or legislation.
"I hope that we'll come to our senses and not change the core of the Senate. We've never changed the rules of the Senate by breaking the rules of the Senate," McConnell said.
But Democrats control the Senate, and Republicans could be at their mercy.
"We need to start talking to each other instead of at each other," McConnell said.
It's not clear a conversation would produce any agreement. Reid calls the changes minor and narrow. McConnell calls them unprecedented and overbroad.
Reid said the proposal applies only to those tapped to serve in the administration, not for lifetime posts as judges. McConnell said it would fundamentally deny senators their prerogative to query potential officials.
Reid said the nominees would protect consumers, workers and the environment. McConnell and his GOP allies argue the picks are payback to Obama's political base.
"They're driven by the unions," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
Countered Reid: "They have nothing against the qualifications. They don't like the jobs these people have."
In particular, Republicans have objected to a pair of union-backed members of the National Labor Relations Board, Richard Griffin and Sharon Block. They were appointed by Obama when he said the Senate was in recess. An appeals court has ruled that Obama exceeded his authority, and the board's actions since they took their seats are in legal limbo.
Republicans also have objected to Obama's pick to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created as part of Wall Street overhaul legislation that was opposed by the GOP. Obama nominated his pick, former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, more than two years ago.
"I think a president should have the right to put their team out there," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
"Why we can't just do 51 votes is beyond me," she added.
Reid and McConnell spoke during separate interviews with NBC's "Meet the Press." Hatch and Klobuchar were on ABC's "This Week."
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Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/democratic-leader-heads-senate-rule-showdown-071955166.html
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