I’m not much of a politics person. Normally I can’t focus, but oddly enough (maybe it has to do with being required to watch 2 hours of news a day for class) I ended up watching most of the debate on News 12. 

The debate was really a showdown between Cuomo and Paladino with five other people put in between them. I’ve decided to remember each of them by the little things.

• Charles Barron (Freedom Party) - He just bothered me. I don’t know why. Maybe it was his non-suit outfit or maybe it was his rant about the underground railroad not being part of the education. Sir, elementary school through high school I learned plenty about the underground railroad and black history month. Worry about something else.
• Andrew Cuomo (Democratic Party) - For a long time, I couldn’t think of who he sounded like. It took me about twenty minutes to realize he sounds like Christopher Walken. He had the loudest voice. I could hear it echo of the screen, but he did he have a lot to compete with. The other independent parties were going after him.
• Kristin Davis (Anti-Prohibition Party)- She looked like a hooker then my dad told me she ran an escort service. So it made sense. Her hair extension or if it was her own hair, either way was too long and her make up was very spray on and orange.  I will say she was very organized with her notepad. She was nervous, but held her ground. She even got the crowd to laugh when she compared the MTA to her escort service and jabbed at Paladino and gay bars.
• Howie Hawkins (Green Party) - Who knew people sounded like that in Syracuse? He was good and wasn’t bad. He was kinda in the middle. Not memorable, but not forgotten.
• Jimmy McMillan (Rent is too Damn High Party) - He wants low taxes and he’s got a crazy mustache like from the civil war area. Also why was he wearing gloves? Was he trying to be Michael Jackson, but with black gloves?
• Carl Paladino (Republican Party) - He had horrible posture. He slightly reminds me of Uncle Vernon from Harry Potter and someone else. I don’t know why, but he wasn’t my favorite. Also being one of the front-runners, he seemed to fumble over his words a lot.
• Warren Redlich (Libertarian Party) - He started to grow on me. He seemed honest and humble. I think, but who knows? He’s a politician, they know how to play the game.  He did say repeatedly though, “I’m a husband, I’m a father, I’m a small business owner with a payroll every two weeks.”

I didn’t give you a play by play, but this is what intrigued/ bothered me. How did my polisci majors fare? Did they like seven person debate or would they have preferred Cuomo v. Paladino?

-Jennifer Hillman

I don’t know much about politics, but I thought this was worth mentioning.

Our school, Hofstra University, has partnered with Newsday and News 12 Networks to hold the first ever gubernatorial debate in New York. Aren’t we so lucky? No, I’m not being sarcastic. I’m very happy that Hofstra is able to attract so many politicians to talk about issues that matter most to them. First we had in 2008 the Presidential Debate and now we have another debate happening!

It will air live on News 12 on October 18th.

Date: October 18th

Time: 7:00 P.M.

Who will be attending:

• Charles Barron (Freedom Party)
• Andrew Cuomo (Democratic Party)
• Kristin Davis (Anti-Prohibition Party)
• Howie Hawkins (Green Party)
• Jimmy McMillan (Rent is too Damn High Party)
• Carl Paladino (Republican Party)
• Warren Redlich (Libertarian Party)

Poli-sci majors and politic enthusiasts get excited! Only a week to go!

-Jennifer Hillman

Gen. David Petraeus was nominated to take over the Afghanistan operations. He is expected to be quickly confirmed by the Senate./AP

Last Wednesday, the Afghanistan War wormed its way back into headlines with 5-star General Stanley A. McChrystal, the man in charge of the war’s operations, being quoted in Rolling Stone as criticizing the Obama Administration. On that day, Gen. McChrystal put forth his resignation to the president, who accepted. He was replaced by the most marquee name that Obama could pull out of his bag of tricks: Gen. David Petraeus. 

The Obama Administration has made a point that this has changed nothing in their Afghanistan policy, which calls for withdrawal to begin in July 2011. Still the Pentagon is going on the offensive, saying that the war is on track, according to the AP.

Afghanistan is now the longest war in American history. Where Gen. McChrystal and Obama clashed heads was really the overall policy. McChrystal actually believed that the US would possibly need to be there for another decade if we want to win. However, with America’s patience growing thin, Obama is dedicated to keeping his promise of ending the war next year.  

-Daniel S. Levine

Alvin Greene holds the only form of campaigning he did once he got on the ballot for the South Carolina Democratic Senator nomination./Mary Ann Chastain/AP

While the oil spill has continued to put a black cloud over Washington, Alvin Greene has certainly provided the country with a laugh and more material for The Daily Show’s “Thank You South Carolina” segment.

Greene, a 32 year-old military veteran, ran for the Democratic nomination for South Carolina’s senate seat race in November. Somehow, despite the fact the he ran no ads, did not have a website and had never spent any time in politics, he won. The only money he spent on his campaign was the $10,440 filing fee to get on the ballot. On top of that, he is unemployed, claiming that he saved up the money over a course of two years.

Representative James E. Clyburn (D-SC) went on CNN claiming that Greene was a Republican plant. “I know a Democratic pattern, I know a Republican pattern and I saw in the Democratic primary elephant dung all over the place,” he said.

Clyburn is not the only one to be suspicious. Vic Rawl, a former South Carolina state legislator who ran against Clyburn, has put in a formal protest of the results.            

There is also the issue of felony charges. A 19 year-old college student accused him of showing her internet pornography. He still has not been arraigned on those charges.   

What makes this whole situation almost even more of a joke is that neither Greene nor Rawl would have a chance at beating South Carolina’s senior Republican Senator Jim DeMint.

For more, here is the AP story and a New York Times blog post on the subject.

-Daniel S. Levine

Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman won the California Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday night./Jae C. Hong/AP

Yesterday was another primary day before the November midterms and the big news of the day was just how many women won their races. Here’s the rundown:

• The biggest news of the night was in Arkansas, as incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln surprised everyone by winning the runoff, 52 to 48 percent against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. She was largely expected to lose, especially with big labor unions throwing their support to Halter. Still, the chances that she could beat the Republican nominee are slim considering all the money the unions wasted on Halter will probably not be there for her come November.
• South Carolina might just get its first female governor in November, as Nicki Haley got 49 percent of the vote in the Republican gubernatorial primary. However, she will still face a runoff in two weeks because she didn’t get over 50 percent.
• Californians will also have an opportunity to vote for their first woman governor, as Meg Whitman won the Republican nomination. Whitman, who was the CEO of eBay and put in $71 million of her own money just into the primary race, will face off against Democrat Jerry Brown. Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard executive, won the Republican primary in the race against incumbent Senator Democrat Barbara Boxer.           

For more on these and other races, check out Johnathan Alter’s Newsweek piece here and for specifics on the California races, here’s a story from the Sacramento Bee.

-Daniel S. Levine

Oil washes ashore at the beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama. Oil has washed up on beaches from Louisiana to Florida./Dave Martin/AP

Over the weekend, BP got a cap on the site of the oil spill, but, unsurprisingly, just how much oil it is containing is unclear. It is clear that the cap has been siphoning more oil every day since it was put on the site. On Friday it took 250,000 gallons of oil to a tanker on the surface and by Saturday, it was funneling 441,000 gallons. BP has said that once the cap is fully functional, it could capture a maximum of 630,000 gallons a day. What is not clear is just how much oil is still coming out since federal authorities are saying that the number could be anywhere between 500,000 and 1 million gallons a day.

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who has become the Obama Administration’s face of the disaster, said on CBS’s “Face The Nation” that the cap could not possibly trap all the oil coming out. What this means is that the cap is only a temporary ‘fix’ until the relief wells can be finished in August. (You can watch that video here.)

The environmental damage the spill has caused can never be measured as the coast from Texas to Florida is being affected. Forecasts say the oil could hook around the Floridian peninsula and go as north as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina before heading out into the North Atlantic. The cleanup operation will last well into the fall, as Allen warned, even if the relief wells work. Even when the beaches are cleaned, the damage to delicate ecosystems like Louisiana’s wetlands and Pensacola, Florida’s white sand beaches may be irreversible.

Here is the live feed of the spill from msnbc.com:

-Daniel S. Levine

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) will be meeting President Obama today to discuss her signing of the new Arizona immigration law./Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo

As if the political world isn’t hot enough already thanks to a 44 day-old oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and an international incident off the Israeli coast involving a ship carrying supplies to the Gaza Strip, Arizona’s controversial immigration law will take the spotlight again today.

President Obama is meeting with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer for a face-to-face meeting today in Washington. Obama has called the law misguided, although U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has not said whether the federal government would seek legal action. (The American Civil Liberties Union has already beat the government to that punch though, as they already lead a court challenge.)

For her part, Brewer has said that the law does not focus on any specific group of people, so it is not racial profiling. She told CNN, “If you didn’t have proof of citizenship and the police officer had reasonable suspicion, he would ask and verify your citizenship. I mean, that’s the way that it is. That’s what the federal law says. And that’s what the law in Arizona says.”

Will anything come from the meeting? Probably not much more than two people saying that they see each others positions and will agree to disagree until the courts say anything.

-Daniel S. Levine   

President Obama speaking in Elwood, Illinois on Memorial Day./Reuters

Today is Memorial Day, a day in which all political drama in this country is put on the afterburner and we all pause to recognize those who served, and continue to serve, for the United States’ military. 

Memorial Day was first created as a way to recognize the re-unification of the Union after the Civil War. Over the decades, especially after World War II, it transformed into a day to honor all of our servicemen and women. Originally, it was celebrated in early May, until Congress changed it to the last Monday of May in 1971. 

President Obama appeared in Illinois, albeit under an umbrella and was not able to give his prepared statement. He did give a short speak to the public, though. Vice President Biden appeared at Arlington National Cemetery.

-Daniel S. Levine

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today in Seoul, South Korea to discuss heightening tensions between North and South Korea./AP Photo

The Korean War is hardly over and with North Korea’s latest actions, the communist state proved it.

On March 26, a South Korea warship was torpedoed and although North Korea denied it, the world has to ask “who else would have done it?” The destruction of the warship claimed the lives of 46.

Over night, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the world needs to respond to such actions. “This was an unacceptable provocation by North Korea and the international community has a responsibility and a duty to respond,” said Clinton, according to BBC News. Clinton also said that there was “overwhelming” evidence that North Korea was to blame. 

Yesterday, North Korea announced that it was severing all ties with South Korea. Prior to that, they threatened to close off roads through the De-Militarized Zone if the South continued with Anti-North propaganda. Kaesong, a jointly-run industrial park, is the only economic tie between the two countries now, although that is expected to stop any day now. 

-Daniel S. Levine 

NY Attorney Gen. Andrew Cuomo announced his candidacy for Governor last week./Getty Images

While the national political scene is incredibly active, from the surprise Republican victory in Hawaii to Rand Paul’s inability to stop digging himself a hole the size of Mount Everest, it’s time to take a look at New York politics.

The Attorney General of New York State, Andrew Cuomo, has officially announced that he will be running for governor of the state. Cuomo is the son of Mario Cuomo, who was governor from 1983-1994, and was the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton.

Gov. Paterson will not be running for a full term. Andi Weiss Bartczak, a chemist and progressive activist from Ulster County, announced her intention to run for the Democratic party back in April. Republicans have former Long Island Congressman Rick Lazio, Libertarian Warren Redlich, Suffolk County Executive Stephen A. Levy (who will officially be running as a Democrat, since he missed the deadline to switch parties) and Buffalo businessman Carl P. Paladino (who will run under the Tea Party line).

November can’t come soon enough.

-Daniel S. Levine