How not to run a campaign
Republican Attorney General candidate Jeanine Pirro could write a book on the subject. Remember the 32 second pause in the speech she gave launching her failed bid to run for Senator? This seems to be even worse:
Jeanine F. Pirro, the Republican candidate for New York attorney general, said this afternoon that last year she asked an old friend, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik, to bug her family boat to determine if her husband was having an affair at a time when she was preparing to run for top political office.
At least some Republicans are consistent — all they want is for the NSA to subject all Americans to the same kind of scrutiny they subject their own spouses to. Looks like the weak Republican New York state top-of-the-ticket just got weaker. I almost feel sorry for Stephen Minarik right now. Almost.
Much more after the flip
Update: Minarik weighs in with
This is a political leak five weeks before an election. New Yorkers will see right through this. We stand 100% behind Jeanine and her candidacy. This is an intensely private matter and should remain that way.
That’s right — asking the former head of the NYPD to illegally bug your husband’s boat is an “intensely private matter.”
Update #2: From Channel 4 WNBC New York (via Talking Points Memo), this is so wrong but it feels so right: her conversations with Bernie Kerik were recorded:
Sources told NewsChannel 4 that in one conversation, Pirro allegedly complained that one of Kerik’s employees is reluctant to board Albert Pirro’s boat. Jeanine Pirro suggests, “We can just simply say, if there is an issue, that I am redecorating it for our anniversary. She complains that Kerik’s man is, uncomfortable with that.
Kerik responds by saying, But Janine, I’m having the same f——g problem with everybody, everybody is panic stricken because it’s you. I’ve gone out on a limb, I had two other people looking at this, it’s a problem.
Pirro says, What am I supposed to do, Bernie? Watch him f–k her every night? What am I supposed to do? I can go on the boat, I’ll put the f—–g thing on myself.
Minutes later, Kerik apparently calls a contact at Giuliani Partners, former mayor Rudy Giuliani’s consulting firm, asking him to find a recording device.
This is the same Bernie Kerik who was once nominated to be head of the Department of Homeland Security. Heck of a job, Bernie.
Well said.
Unbelieveable! Well, absolutely believeable
Bernie Kerik the gift that keeps on giving. Remember Bernie was nominated to be the head of Homeland Security. Who nominated him again? oh yeah President Bush.
Nice summary on the issue here
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001617.php
Can they replace her? It’s probably too late.
The gutsy thing to do here would be have Bernie Kerik run in her place.
Unbelievable! That’s the first word that popped into my mind too
I doubt they can get her off the ballot at this late hour (after the judicial precedent set when Tom DeLay tried to get off the ballot in Texas).
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/08/delay.race/index.html
Not that it really matter… I’m quite confidant that Cuomo had this race in the bag well before yesterday.
Did you see her press conference? Terrible, just terrible. Can they really keep her around? There _are_ important close races and having a known crook near the top of the GOP ticket won’t help Republican candidtes in these races.
Well, I guess NY needs to have its Katherine Harris. Keep her around if only for the entertainment value.
Let’s not forget she is running for Attorney General - so if true she feels above the law and she is running to uphold the law. I guess she and Bernie have a lot in common.
[...] I’m sure there are other ways to get attention. Let’s see, you could start by running for the US Senate to improve name recognition then dropout. You could demonstrate the ability to think on your feet when you announce your Senate run (all you need is 32 seconds). You could ask a very sleazy character for help Bernie Kerik comes to mind. [...]
[...] Okay, now that I’ve pasted that in, I see that John Spencer is the one running against Hillary. Whatever happened to party unity? Everyone knows that Pirro is under investigation for trying to illegally bug her mobbed-up husband’s boat. Is she really so concerned about her reputation at this point that she needs to distance herself from a guy most people have never heard of anyway? And where’s Stephen Minarik in all of this? I thought he was the iron-fisted tough guy who was going to make the state Republican party competitive again. [...]
[...] I supposed The D.A. thing, transforming that into higher office - neither Senator or A.G (both in the same cycle) didn’t quite work out. Looks like the D&C endorsed former AG candidate Pirro is coming to [...]