JS

"Christie, Cuomo, & De Blasio"

Jan 29, 2014

BZ
Stage· 315 messages
Jan 29, 2014

"Christie, Cuomo, & De Blasio: Power & Strategy in New York & National Politics"

BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:00 PM

Hi Jeff, ready when you are
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:00 PM

Blake?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:01 PM

hey man
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:01 PM

Thanks so much for joining us
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:01 PM

Today's we're gonna be talking about 3 politicians in the context of power and political strategy
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:02 PM

great
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:02 PM

so let's start w Christie
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:02 PM

first question:
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:02 PM

does he make it thru Birdgegate? why or why not?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:02 PM

Ha, well that is THE question
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:03 PM

Here's the problem for him, I think. I'd argue that "bridgegate" is bad enough. But this is far beyond bridgegate at this point.
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:03 PM

cornelia, thanks for those questions, promise we'll get to em
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:03 PM

There's, of course, the mayor of Hoboken's charge that he withheld Sandy $ because she wouldn't support an associate's development project
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:03 PM

that's a lot like what i wrote in a recent politico piece - it won't be bridgegate that brings him down, but this opens the floodgates (sorry for the bad pun)
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:03 PM

And now there's a series of old Christie-as-bully stories that are getting new life and context
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:04 PM

gimme an example
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:04 PM

i think a new christie as bully story just broke
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:04 PM

So, I just saw this story before we began the chat: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/ousted_prosecutor_accuses_christie_administration_of_corruption_in_nj_court.html#incart_river_default
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:04 PM

which also included his LG who was also the "enforcer" on the Hoboken story
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:04 PM

man, that's not good
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:04 PM

that story Blake just linked to
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:04 PM

Here's the lede: "A veteran prosecutor ousted by Gov. Chris Christie’s administration waged a fierce battle in a state appeals court Tuesday, accusing top administration officials of corruption and asking the judges to unseal confidential documents "
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:05 PM

I mean, people close to NJ politics tell me there are many grievances and stories like this with Christie that date back to even before he was governor
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:05 PM

involves possible Christie admin interference in a corruption case againat a sheriff who was a big christie supporter
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:05 PM

live by the sword, die byt he sword i guess
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:05 PM

Given the national attention that "Bridgegate" and Hoboken have created, all those old stories will get new attention, credence, and scrutiny
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:05 PM

and they are, every day
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:06 PM

question blake
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:06 PM

And so that's a big problem
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:06 PM

sure
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:06 PM

when you were in college, did you ever find a roach in your kitchen?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:06 PM

Sounds familiar. How did you know!
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:06 PM

lol
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:06 PM

and do you think there was just one?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:07 PM

Ha, no. Like Christie stories and investigations, there is something called infestation.
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:07 PM

yep
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:07 PM

And so this ties into what I was saying before
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:07 PM

There will be many stories of old that now will be revived
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:07 PM

and it also ties into what you wrote in Politico
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:07 PM

and that's what it's starting to sound like: this mentality of "the law doesn't apply to us" seems to have pervaded the admin
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:07 PM

which is that investigations may start one place but lead in many other directions
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:07 PM

★ Spotlighted from Barbara Adams

Does it not strain credulity to think that Christie did not know about Bridgegate in September 2013?

JS

Jeff Smith · 9:08 PM

yep - as i wrote in that piece, al capone wasn't indicted for bootlegging, bribery, or murder, but for tax evasion
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:08 PM

To Barbara's question.... I worked in a number of govt and political offices
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:08 PM

once the Feds start looking, they're liable to find *something*
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:08 PM

as a good friend of mine likes to say, "no man's life can withstand a FULL investigation"
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:08 PM

And find it really hard to believe that a) there was a culture in this office where people felt bridgegate was "OK"
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:09 PM

and/or b) Christie was so incompetent, incurious, and disrespected by his staff that he couldn't possibly have known something was up until those emails were published a few weeks ago
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:09 PM

either way, it's not a good reflection of that operation, to say the least
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:09 PM

my sense is that he knew well before the press conference, but not in september
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:10 PM

And the more of these stories that come out, the more it's clear that this was precisely the kind of culture and operation he was running for a long time
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:10 PM

One other point, that Jeff can probably speak to better than I
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:10 PM

there is one really bad fact for him, as a lawyer would say, in terms of him maintaining he didn't know until the presser
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:10 PM

go ahead, Jeff
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:10 PM

the phone call to cuomo
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:10 PM

Well, Cuomo's role in all this is also fascinating
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:10 PM

which the WSJ reported and stood by in the face of cuom's denial
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:10 PM

totaly
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:11 PM

One last point on Christie before I say something about Cuomo
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:11 PM

why is he calling cuomo to get cuomo to call the dogs off of the internal port authority investigation?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:11 PM

The subpoenas are due in the next 2 weeks or so
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:11 PM

yes, sorry i interrupted
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:11 PM

that means we may be seeing a fresh new round of stories and revelations around that time
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:11 PM

It may be that these panels are leak-free, which would help Christie
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:11 PM

but if not, more and more drips and drops may still be coming out
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:12 PM

here's the problem as i see it
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:12 PM

It may be very hard for him to continue to stay on as head of the Republican Governors Association
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:12 PM

so as a few astute Tawkers may know
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:12 PM

and if he drops out of that, then he's got big problems from a '16 perspective
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:13 PM

go ahead
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:13 PM

my best pal wore a wire on me for a couple months about 5 years ago and the outcome wasn't good. so that may color my opnion. but i gotta think that somebody here with some dirt is gonna wanna stay outta prison badly enough to talk
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:13 PM

Well, that's certainly the investigators' hope
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:13 PM

They will scare the you know what out of people like David Wildstein and Bridget Kelly
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:13 PM

brudget kelly, she of the "time for some traffic in ft lee" email, is a dingle mom with 4 young kids
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:13 PM

in the hopes of getting them to give up the big fish
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:13 PM

not to be glib about it, but those kids won't raise themselves
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:14 PM

I think that's certainly the approach investigators will take
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:14 PM

and given the blood in the water around christie, how much confience can she have that ifg she stays loyal to him and doesn't talk, her kids will be taken care of?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:14 PM

and don't forget, Wildstein seemed to float the idea of immunity in his appearance before the legislative panel
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:14 PM

if there were no media stories out there and the feds approached her, and he were still riding high after his landslide win, easier for her to keep quiet and assume he'll be there to help her put her life back together
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:14 PM

I agree with you, Jeff. There are a lot more twists and turns that can happen here.
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:15 PM

Chris Christie will be very distracted and potentially damaged over the next few months
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:15 PM

totally
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:15 PM

wildstein comes off like he's just itching to sing
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:15 PM

I don't really see him as a presidential contender at all, at this point. I think he has to worry about holding onto his job right now.
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:15 PM

and remaining a free man
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:15 PM

And he seems to agree
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:15 PM

so i think we're in agreement there
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:15 PM

He told a group of donors he can't even think about 2016 for another year
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:16 PM

a couple weeks ago on chris hayes show i said that his political and legal interests had begun to diverge
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:16 PM

and while pols often say stuff like that for numerous reasons, I think he really means it in this case
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:16 PM

or should
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:16 PM

and based on his trashing of bridget kelly, he seemed to be choosing politics
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:16 PM

but that's now changed
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:16 PM

he now seems to have grasped the legal perils
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:16 PM

Yes
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:16 PM

and is making decisions differently
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:16 PM

And if I may add one other thing
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:16 PM

yep
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:17 PM

This is not your run of the mill "gaffe" or "scandal" that the media likes to blow out of proportion
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:17 PM

This isn't adultery, which is bad, but doesn't necessarily ruin the lives of constituents
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:17 PM

★ Spotlighted from Barbara Adams

As far as Bridget K goes, it depends on how many deep pocketed Christie supporters there are in whether she gives up anything, imo

JS

Jeff Smith · 9:17 PM

and thank god it's not adultery
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:17 PM

In this case, the state government of New Jersey willfully put the lives of its residents at risk
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:17 PM

b/c speaking coollectively for the nation
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:17 PM

emergency assistance vehicles were delayed
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:17 PM

i don't think any of us want that image in our heads
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:18 PM

the search for a missing child impede
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:18 PM

impeded, that is
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:18 PM

really serious stuff
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:18 PM

yes. the stakes are bigger than whether rielle hunter was gonna get dave mathews to play at their wedding
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:18 PM

That's exactly right
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:18 PM

or Anthony Weiner's dumb tweets
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:18 PM

with bunny mellon's funny money
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:18 PM

yep yep
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:19 PM

ok. so barb adams makes a great pt
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:19 PM

about christie's ricvh suporters
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:19 PM

u see that comment?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:19 PM

and here's the issue tho:
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:19 PM

That is a good point
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:19 PM

christie can't tell anybody to do anything
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:19 PM

Correct
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:19 PM

almost every time he breathes right now he's risking an obstruction charge
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:20 PM

Based on your experience, what kind of surveillance do you think is taking place right now? And by/of whom?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:20 PM

and so he has to hope that somebody's gonna take that kind of initiative which also potentially could put them at risk of tampering with a witness
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:20 PM

oh shit blake
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:20 PM

based on my experience everyone impt is being surveilled here, and maybe their families too
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:20 PM

if the NSA didn't teach us that, what will?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:20 PM

these people have a lot of tools at their disposal
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:21 PM

so the Governor's phone is being tapped? what exactly do you mean?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:21 PM

no one knows that beter than former Us atty chris christie
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:21 PM

of course i can't say if his phone is being tapped, but they sure had blago's, huh?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:21 PM

technology has gotten so good
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:22 PM

It's kind of amazing. He is in some ways so powerless and needs to just hope that bad stuff doesn't happen now.
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:22 PM

they prob have more tools than you or I could imagine at their disposal
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:22 PM

yep
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:22 PM

and so let's move to cuomo
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:22 PM

And so he goes on with his job being governor, being the head of the RGA, being a potential presidential candidate, as if all this crap isn't on the horizon
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:22 PM

because - how fascinating - cuomo is a possible white house rival of christie
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:22 PM

sure
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:22 PM

and yet he might - MIGHT - be holding the keys to christi'es freedom
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:23 PM

i don't think that's an exaggeration...do you?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:23 PM

Well, so I think the Cuomo-Christie relationship is key and fascinating
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:23 PM

Wrote about it a bit here: http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/01/8539059/why-cuomo-isnt-touching-bridgegate
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:23 PM

The gist is they have long had a de facto non-aggression pact
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:23 PM

despite being from different parties and states
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:23 PM

because if cuomo ends up being subponaed...
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:23 PM

but ya know blake
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:24 PM

yeah?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:24 PM

what a lot of ppl not in politics don't get
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:24 PM

is that the easiest ppl to be pals with are pols from diff parties, and diff states
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:24 PM

yes
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:24 PM

but here are additional reasons why Cuomo is motivated to stay far away from this
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:24 PM

the hardest friendships are like, say, cuomo and his Dem AG, schneidermann
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:24 PM

when you're always competing
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:25 PM

Oh, I worked for Chuck Schumer when his relationship with Hillary Clinton was in a "delicate" phase
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:25 PM

as opposed to relationship b/w christie and cuomo which has been sorta symbiotic
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:25 PM

this is when they were the two senators repping NY
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:25 PM

yep
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:25 PM

exactly
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:25 PM

So, here are added reasons why Cuomo wants nothing to do with this:
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:25 PM

so give us a few of em
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:25 PM

and leave the biggie for last
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:25 PM

1) Christie runs the RGA and decides which governor races the GOP will "play" in and spend $ in
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:25 PM

and cuomo doesn't want astorino - his potential rival - well funded
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:26 PM

When a decent candidate was rumored to be running against Cuomo, yes Astorino
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:26 PM

so #1 is critical
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:26 PM

and Christie was reportedly encouraging him
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:26 PM

Cuomo was very upset
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:26 PM

and got Christie that day to deny any interest in the race
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:26 PM

it was kind of amazing
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:26 PM

it really was
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:26 PM

Makes you wonder what kind of leverage Cuomo might have over him
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:26 PM

for an aspiring repub prez candidate
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:26 PM

who ALREADY has trouble with the base
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:26 PM

But at the very least, reinforces this idea of Cuomo having reason not to want to ruffle Christie's feathers
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:26 PM

and is about to assume reins of the RGA
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:27 PM

to then disavow any interest in taking down a leading D gov?!
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:27 PM

that is like party heresy
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:27 PM

Yes, it was chilling
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:27 PM

but it shows exactly what u said
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:27 PM

it's like when santorum endorsed specter over toomey in 09
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:27 PM

someone asked me why
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:27 PM

i said, "specter must have pictures" lol
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:28 PM

★ Spotlighted from Trey Williamson

It's always tax evasion! Why is everything else so easy to get away with, but criminals can never seem to find a good accountant!

BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:28 PM

Of course, another reason Cuomo wants to lay low here is that the last thing he wants is for him or his aides to be subpoenaed! Sure, they're not a target here. But as all smart pols know, investigations can start one place (eg, Whitewater)
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:28 PM

and end up another (Monica)
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:28 PM

great point trey - tax evasion is just easier to make stick, i guess!
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:28 PM

He doesn't want his top aides' emails subpoenaed either
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:28 PM

hell i know that as well as anybody
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:28 PM

right
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:28 PM

in my case, they started out investigating a car bombing!
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:28 PM

and I'm not saying Cuomo has anything illegal or anything he's hidingf
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:29 PM

but he doesnt' want his internal deliberations out there. No pol would.
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:29 PM

right
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:29 PM

(which of course i had nothing to do with, but a guy, who had dealt with some of my campaign aides, did have something to do with)
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:29 PM

So Andrew Cuomo has his own reasons to want to be very far away from this mess
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:29 PM

so cuomo more broadly
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:29 PM

how is he dealing with the NKOTB?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:29 PM

He hates Donnie
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:29 PM

sorry i'm kind of an 80s kid and couldn't resist the reference
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:29 PM

me too!
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:29 PM

lol
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:30 PM

but for real
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:30 PM

are he and de blasio frenemies?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:30 PM

So, his relationship with de Blasio is fascinating
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:30 PM

they claim to be close buds
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:30 PM

haha
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:30 PM

but BDB poses real issues for Cuomo
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:30 PM

explain
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:30 PM

he is suddenly a national icon when it comes to economic liberalism
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:30 PM

by contrast, Cuomo is not at all, and this is a constant complaint of his base
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:30 PM

cuomo, with his national aspirations, doesn't need somebody exposing his center-right fiscal ways?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:31 PM

and could pose problems in a natl primary, yes
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:31 PM

talk briefly about how cuomo sabotaged senate dems
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:31 PM

esp at a time when there's a clamor for elizabeth warren types
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:31 PM

and explain why
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:31 PM

Well, in NY the assembly has been controlled by dems forever
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:31 PM

but due to weirdly drawn lines and other reasons, GOP actually controlled the senate
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:32 PM

then suddenly, surprisingly, dems managed to win majority of seats in '12
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:32 PM

this would be good for a true liberal who wanted a same-party legislature to get things thru
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:32 PM

as de blasio has in NYC
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:32 PM

(and as he picked true lib Melissa mark -viverito to be council speaker)
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:32 PM

but cuomo quietly encouraged a faction of runaway dems to unite with the GOP state senate minority and create a new majority
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:32 PM

that is essentially GOP controlled now
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:33 PM

and blocks certain liberal things
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:33 PM

so that he could look more lib by comparison against a ceter-right governing regime
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:33 PM

this enables him to blame the rejection of liberal measures on that darn senate
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:33 PM

not just that, jeff
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:33 PM

and block things he thought would either hurt the state fiscally, or hurt his donor base
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:33 PM

but when these things like public finance fail
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:33 PM

it's that awful senate's fault
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:33 PM

yep
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:33 PM

right
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:33 PM

makes perfect sense
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:33 PM

but so de blasio poses a real threat
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:33 PM

that damn senate!
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:33 PM

(that he created)
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:33 PM

because he's a truer liberal
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:34 PM

at a time when the state and national parties want that
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:34 PM

so my district in MO was majority
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:34 PM

majority black
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:34 PM

and the black newspaper had a saying
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:34 PM

"what it is, it ain't."
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:34 PM

that really seems to apply to everything cuomo does
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:34 PM

Ha, yes
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:34 PM

I am being summoned into a meeting... should we take another commenter question?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:35 PM

before we go?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:35 PM

so what is cuomo's gambit here on universal pre-K, the signature de blasio initiative?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:35 PM

let's close with that
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:35 PM

Ok, cool
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:35 PM

So BDB ran on the idea of starting universal pre-K that would be funded by a tax on the rich
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:35 PM

this is the de blasio initiative that would mean a tax hike for the wealthy
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:35 PM

yep
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:35 PM

it was roundly approved and backed by nyc voters
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:35 PM

and how did cuomo reply?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:35 PM

savy tactician that he is?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:35 PM

cuomo never likes to do anything that would cut into his wealthy donors' profits
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:35 PM

haha
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:36 PM

★ Spotlighted from Tesha Miller

What kind of liberal things get blocked?

BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:36 PM

so after withholding $ from pre-k for years
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:36 PM

public financing for one
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:36 PM

suddenly he found a pot of gold
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:36 PM

the extension of the millionaire's surtax, for a second thing, tesha
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:36 PM

and announced that he would fund pre-k for nyc... and he doesnt need new taxes on the rich to do it
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:36 PM

will the program cuomo is seeking be as extensive?
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:36 PM

as the one de blasio proposed?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:36 PM

(background: in nyc, you need the state govt to give you taxing authority of this kind)
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:36 PM

yes i forgot to explain that, thanks - my bad
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:37 PM

so the result is, optically it looks like BDB can do the program without having to do the tax
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:37 PM

even tho the program cuomo proposes is, shall we say, neutered?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:37 PM

now BDB says that he wants a pot of $ the city can control, that the state can't just take away each year on a whim
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:37 PM

or use as leverage
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:37 PM

and says he needs more $ than what cuomo is offering
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:37 PM

and so he has not backed down
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:37 PM

de B wants a dedicated revenue stream
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:37 PM

which makes sense
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:37 PM

and smartly has enlisted a lot of big NYC political and business giants to publicly support the tax
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:38 PM

so this will be an interesting showdown, for sure
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:38 PM

i wouldn't want to give up control to cuomo either, given his traditional desire for tight reins on $ and power
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:38 PM

right, sure
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:38 PM

well this showdown should tell us a lot about the direction of NYC and NYS governance in the coming years
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:38 PM

but Cuomo has all the logistical leverage (he gets to call the shots) while BDB is trying to marshall political leverage
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:38 PM

will be very interesting and revealing, yes
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:38 PM

(and yes, nationally business has often backed pre-K as a great long term investment - so a smart tactical move by DeB)
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:39 PM

uphill battle for deB it seems - esp when NYT is editorializing against him
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:39 PM

Yes, that's another thing. Cuomo a great political tactician. He's finally coming up against someone else who is.
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:39 PM

BDB was a longtime political operative for Hillary Clinton, among others.
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:39 PM

is deb as savvy as cuomo?
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:39 PM

But actually the Times just came out for BDB
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:39 PM

amazingly
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:39 PM

they reversed themselves
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:39 PM

really??
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:39 PM

i missed that today
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:39 PM

thanks for letting me know
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:39 PM

yep, yesterday I believe
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:39 PM

you bet
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:39 PM

that's like unheard of
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:40 PM

Thanks for having me for this chat!
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:40 PM

I really enjoyed it
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

to stop on a dime like that
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

so hey Blake - I know ya gotta
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

go
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

but thanks so much for taking the time
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:40 PM

You bet
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

u were super
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:40 PM

Had a blast
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

went by too fast
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:40 PM

Would love to do it again
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

we'll do it again
BZ

Blake Zeff · 9:40 PM

Thanks everyone
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

thanks agin - you rock - super insightful styuff - thanks allk for your questions
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

take iy easy blake!!
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:40 PM

take it easy
JS

Jeff Smith · 9:41 PM

thanks to all the tawkers and readers for joining us!