Eric Ulrich is a Douchebag!

Eric Ulrich is such a douche bag that his unbelievable stupidity, ignorance and arrogance is transcending the borders of the 32nd Council District, beyond the hudson river and all the way down south! We want to thank our brother and sisters from the south for the keen insight in spotting Eric Ulrich the douchebag from all the way down in dixie land!

from INSERT CLEVER S. SLOGAN HERE

Not All Republicans Are Cool

http://sglogan.blogspot.com/2009/04/not-all-republicans-are-cool.html

At least according to Eric Ulrich. He is one of only three Republicans serving on the City Council in Queens, New York. He is also a douche bag.
Explaining his Republican status in New York Magazine, the 24-year-old says:

“Republicans aren’t all religious fundamentalists from Alabama; some of us are just normal working-class Catholics from Queens.”
Newsflash, Mr. Eric “Cool Republican” Ulrich: Catholicism is a religion with some pretty die-hard followers. And, you might be surprised to know that a few people in Alabama are part of the working-class, too. I mean we can’t spend all of our time spewing religious fundamentalist rhetoric and blogging about hypocritical bastards like you.

Ulrich goes on to establish his cool credentials by saying that he watches Family Guy! Gambles his money away via three-card poker!! Recently bought a Chevy Impala!!! And, may or
may not be cheating on his fiancée with a mistress!!!! (The "exclamation points" are actually "coolness-factor points.”)

Great. All the things I know that I look for in my city councilman. Who cares about where he stands on policy issues if he watches Family Guy?

If justifying your participation in the Republican Party by disparaging part of its core constituency – those types that “cling to their God and guns” – is what’s "normal," then, Mr. Ulrich, I'm glad I’m not normal.

11 COMMENTS:

pundette said...
"Newsflash, Mr. Eric “Cool Republican” Ulrich: Catholocism is a religion with some pretty die-hard followers."

Thank you.

My 20 year old son tells me that caring about being cool immediately renders you uncool.
APRIL 28, 2009 6:22 AM

William John Perry said...
Quasi-Southerner here clinging to my guns, my Christianity (of the Protestant variety), and antipathy to liberals. Count me in as an abnormal conservative.

I do like Family Guy, though...
WJP

APRIL 28, 2009 9:03 AM
GNHVII said...
This guy is a perfect example of what;s wrong with the GOP. Rather than retain it's heritage there are those "middle of the row" (read traitorous) members of the party that would sacrifice tradition on the alter of cultural relevance and still claim to be conservative. Conservatism IS tradition. When tradition is discarded for the sake of trendiness we cease to be true conservatives. The sooner the GOP discards these ungrateful ignorant political stepchildren the better.

APRIL 28, 2009 10:51 AM
rian said...
I'm not interested in whether my public servants are cool or not. A little bit of integrity, and intellectual substance, would be nice though.
APRIL 28, 2009 11:58 AM

Anonymous said...
Family Guy sucks anyway, South Park is much better.
I hope Eric Ulrich will remember, a southern man don't need him around anyhow.
APRIL 28, 2009 12:35 PM

Stephen Gordon said...
As a pissed-off Alabamian, here's my response to Ulrich: http://www.examiner.com/x-9094-Huntsville--Libertarian-Examiner~y2009m4d28-Defending-Sweet-Home-Alabama-from-a-damned-Yankee-Republican
APRIL 28, 2009 1:29 PM

Chris M. said...
Hipness is a great topic. If the MSM or this NY sl%&$bag can talk about hipness there is that much less time to chronicle NYSB's or Obama's failures and near total lack of success. Plus. not much leg work or journalistic ability is required of whoever is droning on about irrelevancies.
APRIL 28, 2009 4:12 PM
Anonymous said...
GNHVII,

A great response as always.
APRIL 29, 2009 1:18 AM
yukio ngaby said...
O.K. I guess I'm missing something here. I mean aside from the douchebag "Republicans aren’t all religious fundamentalists from Alabama" thing, what's so awful that people are calling him "traitorous" and advising all to discard him and his ilk?

One of the most important aspects of conservatism, for me, is the inclusiveness of it. A person is judged by their own actions, their beliefs, and not their handy race or "type." It champions leaving people alone to allow them to develop themselves the way they wish. Liberty and freedom are far more important than tradition.

I mean this 24 yr. old POLITICIAN is floundering around trying to be popular to his constituency and clumsily being a dork about it in this very brief interview by the NEW YORK MAGAZINE (when was the last time they tried to make any Republican look good? Do you think they're trying to now?). This does not seem to be cause to become angry and close ranks.

Is this guy an idiot? Maybe... but we do we know about this guy outside of this tiny write-up?
APRIL 29, 2009 3:12 AM
S.logan said...

Yukio - a small but important follow-up to your response: this wasn't an "interview" in New York Magazine. He WROTE these words himself and submitted it to the mag. It wasn't a slip of the tongue during an on-the-spot interview, it was a formulated justification for his Republican-ism. No matter what we do or don't know about him beyond that statement, the circumstances by which it was made tell me that this guy is a snobbish, dare I say elitist, douchebag.

APRIL 29, 2009 8:51 AM


S.logan-- Hmmm... Point taken. I was under the impression that it was an article designed to look like a personal write in, but I believe you're right. Alright, so this was a self-important disguised as self-effacing (Oh, I'm just a city councilman and there were younger city councilmen than me...), douchey write up.

But I still stand by the inclusive nature of conservatism, etc. And I still think it's a jump to disown all the GOP who think independently (this is not what you suggested in your post, but what has been suggested within the comments).
APRIL 29, 2009 2:26 PM

Tony Nunziato Kisses Mayor’s Ass

The Queens GOP has endorsed Iron Mike Bloomberg as the Republican candidate for mayor. We think it is a decision that should have been made sooner because Iron Mike is the only candidate that can lead this city through these tough economic times.

The interesting part is that Tony Numbnuts voted lock step with other members of the Queens GOP executive committee despite his owner Robert Holden’s hatred for the mayor. I think we should be calling him Tony Nonuts from now on because he we all know he has no backbone. However, we will give him credit for going against is trainer, Bob Holden who people say has created a life size voodoo doll of the mayor he kicks before going to bed each night.

Tony Nonuts is taking a page out of Holden’s play book, if you can’t beat them, see what you can get from them for your own personal gain!

President Obama Must Be as High As Airforce One

President Obama is proving over and over again that he believes he is above the common folk and can do as he pleases to fulfill his frivolous desires. He obviously didn’t give a rat’s ass how the Airforce escorted by F-16s would alarm New Yorkers. His primary concern was getting that photo for the White House website. What an idiot.

Two F-16s, each of the fighter jets aloft for 1.8 hours:
$28,178.

One three-hour flight for an Air Force VC-25 (the military appellation of the jumbo jet that serves as Air Force One when the president is aboard):
$300,658.

Cost of the "photo-op" that cause panic in New York City
Priceless.

Cost to the citizens of New York City frightened by the flyover to freshen the photo files of the presidential aircraft: Still unknown.

But President Barack Obama, said to be "furious'' about the event, has ordered a two week inquiry into why it happened. Does it really take two weeks to discover that the president made a big mistake? Obama also has vowed that it won't happen again. Because Obama is going to “pass the buck” to an underling so he can claim no responsibility for the stupidity of the administration.

The Air Force has estimated the overall cost at $328,835, including fuel used in flight, fuel needed to power ground equipment that helped prepare the aircraft, and ground maintenance. Imagine what $328,835 could do for seniors struggling to pay for needed medications!

When asked about the incident Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood faulted the Federal Aviation Administration, part of his own agency, for not notifying him in advance of the stunt.
"I didn't know anything about it until we saw the news reports on every cable channel in the world," LaHood said today. "The FAA had been contacted, but nobody bothered to call us."

The Obama cabinet is filled with crooks and morons!

Drinking With Bob Rants About Obama's Insensitivity for 911

Gormless Worm Acknowledges Liz Crowley's Stupidity

Another blog has realized what a moron we have here in 30th Council District.....

Friday, April 17, 2009
More obtuse reasoning...(NYC)


The maximum fine for leaving your vehicle unattended and idling in New York City is only $5 — even if the car eventually kills people because it loses control or is stolen.

A Queens city councilwoman, Elizabeth Crowley, wants to increase the fine to $250, spurred in large part by two high-profile fatal accidents involving unattended idling vehicles in Queens and Chinatown. In early February, a drunken driver stole an idling car and fatally struck Alex Paul of Brooklyn and Robert Ogle in Middle Village, Queens. The car had been left running while the owner had gone into a neighborhood deli. The driver was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, vehicular manslaughter, manslaughter, assault, leaving the scene of an accident, grand larceny and driving without a license.

“People need to realize there could have been situations that have been avoidable,” said Ms. Crowley, who represents the district where the Queens accident took place.
In clarification...if you leave your car running, you are breaking the law because someone might really break the law, steal your car, and do something bad with it. So...let's apply this philosophy to another arena:

I think the freezer manufacturer which produced the unit in which Congressman William J. Jefferson (Louisiana-D) hid his illicit money should be fined for providing a place to hide the ill gotten gains. The individual who planted this tree should be fined and locked up. Let's fine and confiscate the White Horse Tavern, because Dylan Thomas drank there incessantly, and died an alcoholic.

Once again...people are inherently stupid, and this Democrat councilwoman leads the charge to the land of vapidity...

http://gormlessworm.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-obtuse-reasoningnyc.html

Drinking With Bob Rants About waiting For Change

Obama Buddies Up with Another Ant-American

It is truly a sad state of affairs when our President goes on foreign soil and condemns America and kisses the ass one of the biggest Anti-American leaders in the world.


WASHINGTON (AP) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich charged Monday that President Barack Obama's cordial greeting with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez sends a poor message to enemies of America.

In a nationally broadcast interview, the Georgia Republican also accused the administration of being too slow to react to North Korea's launching of a rocket test and said it has reached out too much to ease relations with Cuba.

Chavez has been one of the harshest critics of the United States in that part of the world. Obama said at the conclusion of the Latin summit Sunday that he didn't think greeting Chavez would be "endangering the strategic interests of the United States."

Gingrich complained that the simple act of a smiling Obama shaking Chavez's hand caused a book Chavez has written to skyrocket on the best-seller lists in the United States.

"What I find distressing," he said, "is that the administration opposes opening up oil exploration," but yet Obama has "bowed to the king of Saudi Arabia" and now reached out to Chavez, whom Gingrich said has been conducting "a vicious anti-American campaign."

Gingrich, whose name has been mentioned in 2012 presidential speculation, said, "How do you mend relationships with someone who actively hates your country. ... "

"Cuba releases zero prisoners," he said, "yet we make nice with Cuba. I'm for doing things methodically and calmly ... things that will work, but I'm not for deluding myself about smiles and words."

Gingrich was interviewed on NBC's "Today" show.

Crowley Puts Community in Danger

From the Urban Elephants
http://www.urbanelephants.com/index.php/herd/774-crowley-puts-community-in-danger.html

City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley intentionally withheld vital information about contamination at the proposed Maspeth high school site at the former Restaurant Depot located at 74th Street and 57th Avenue. It was reported on NY1 News that Crowley received an environmental impact report two days before the recent City Council public hearing about the high school detailing that the site is contaminated with mercury and lead.

“All children deserve a safe environment in which to learn and play. To withhold vital information about contaminants at a proposed school site is reckless and short-sighted” said Como. “The results of an environmental impact report should have been made public and issues of contamination should have been addressed at the public hearing” continued Como.

This is yet another example of how when it’s time to stand-up for our community Council Member Elizabeth Crowley prefers to sit down.

At the City Council public hearing on the planned Maspeth high school, Crowley’s fellow Councilmember and colleague, Charles Barron (D-East Flatbush), stood-up and called residents of Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, and Glendale racists for opposing the plan. Crowley could have stood-up for her constituents, but, instead, remained seated.



Crowley was silent in the face of insult and ignorance which was directed at the very people she was supposed to represent. For Crowley to remain silent when her constituents were verbally insulted by her colleague shows that she does not respect the very people she represents.

It was reported that following the hearing Crowley said only, “I’m not surprised” when asked her reaction to Barron’s comments.

Now, either Crowley agrees with Barron’s racist comments about her constituents or she doesn’t have the backbone to stand-up for our community. Either way, Crowley is simply wrong.

“What Crowley fails to realize is that the residents of this district work very hard for all they have achieved. They are proud of their community and deserve to have their voices heard on any issue that will impact their lives” said Como.

A City Council representative must first respect the people they were elected to serve. Without that respect a representative serves no one but themselves.

“If Crowley would have listened to her own constituents she would have heard that the opposition is not to a high school, per se, but to the proposed location at the former Restaurant Depot site at 74th Street and 57th Avenue. Congestion at that location already exists due to two existing schools within a three block area,” said Como.

If a high school is needed in the area, a locally zoned school at the St. Savior’s site on Rust Street is a viable solution. This site would allow for a school in the area while not negatively impacting the community.

This is no time for Crowley’s self-interested politics.

Gov. Paterson Puts same Sex marriage Above Economy

Gov. David A. Paterson plans to introduce legislation on Thursday to make marriage between same-sex couples legal in New York, advancing his push for greater rights for gay men and lesbians, at a time when New York State faces the most devastating financial crisis since the great depression.

Maybe Gov. Paterson should spend time closing budget gaps, find ways to restore vital services instead of making massive cuts, work diligently to come up with a plan to prevent another fare hike for the MTA. He should hold off on the marriage bill and suggest that same sex couples enjoy long engagements and wait until he fixes the economic crisis.

Unfortunately, Paterson wants to pander to the gay and lesbian vote because he is realizing that they may be the only ones to vote for him in 2010.

Drinking With Bob Rants About Somali Pirates

NBC Executives Trample on Constitution

NBC Executives are running scared and circling wagons to protect the fragile Barrack Hussein Obama from criticism. It is shame that NBC who should champion free speech and open discourse would rather trample on the Constitution and prevent Ann Coulter from tearing apart our weak President.
This is so much fun to watch liberals crumble, scream and curl up in the fetal position.

NBC CUTS COULTER; KEEPS PEREZ
Mon Jan 05 2009 17:50:57 ET

**Exclusive Details**

The nation's top selling conservative author has been banned from appearing on NBC, insiders tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

"We are just not going to have her on any more, it's over," a top network source explains.

But a second top suit strongly denies there is any "Coulter ban".

"Look for a re-invite, as soon as Wednesday," said the news executive, who asked not to be named.

NBC's TODAY show abruptly cut Ann Coulter from its planned Tuesday broadcast, claiming the schedule was overbooked.

Executives at NBC TODAY replaced Coulter with showbiz reporter Perez Hilton, who recently offered $1,000 to anyone who would throw a pie at Ann Coulter. Hilton is also launching a new book this week, RED CARPET SUICIDE.

Coulter was set to unveil her new book, GUILTY.

One network insider claims it was the book's theme -- a brutal examination of liberal bias in the new era -- that got executives to dis-invite the controversialist.

"We are just not interested in anyone so highly critical of President-elect Obama, right now," a TODAY insider reveals. "It's such a downer. It's just not the time, and it's not what our audience wants, either."

Others inside the peacock network strongly deny the book's theme is at issue.

For the book, Coulter reportedly received the most-lucrative advance ever paid to a conservative author.

The TODAY show eagerly invited the author months ago, for her first network interview on GUILTY.

The exclusive was to air during the show's 7 AM hour. The cut came Monday afternoon.

Coulter was also to appear on the TODAY's fourth hour. A host even teased the segment saying the 'conservative pit bull and bestselling author' would be a guest.

NBC's cable outlet, MSNBC, will also become a Coulter-free zone, insiders explain. Morning host Joe Scarborough is said to be concerned with the new ban. "He's working to overrule it," tips a source.

Developing...

North Korea to Obama: 그들이 내 엉덩이에 키스할 수있다

Despite President Obama's feeble attempt at diplomacy the North Korean's are telling him to 그들이 내 엉덩이에 키스할 수있다 and are continuing with their nuclear tests. Our President is learning quickly that it is better to carry a big stick rather than an olive branch.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged the UN Security Council on Tuesday to act carefully in responding to North Korea's rocket launch, maintaining there is a basic distinction between satellite and missile technology.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday said North Korea's weekend launch had "grave implications" and the first response should be a forceful position taken at the United Nations.

The U.N. Security Council had held an emergency session on Sunday, but the 15 members agreed only to further discussions after North Korea launched its long-range Taepodong-2 rocket. [nT188928]

"We believe the UN Security Council should act carefully concerning resolution 1718," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters, referring to the resolution passed after North Korea's nuclear test in 2006.

"There are similarities but also differences between rocket and missile technology. Launching a satellite is different in nature from firing a missile or a nuclear test. This issue also involves the right of all countries to peaceful use of outer space."

Beijing had called for restraint after Pyongyang fired off the rocket on Sunday, and has resisted calls from Tokyo and Washington for a fresh Security Council resolution aiming sanctions at North Korea.

Analysts have said the North Korean rocket, which flew over Japan during its 3,200 km (2,000 mile) flight, was a test of a ballistic missile designed to hit as far as the U.S. state of Alaska. But China has lined up with North Korea in saying the launch was for a communications satellite.

China condemned North Korea's nuclear test blast in 2006. But Beijing worries harsh action over the rocket launch could hurt efforts to coax North Korea towards nuclear disarmament, and also strain its own ties with Pyongyang, analysts have said.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Nick Macfie and Sanjeev Miglani)

Crappy Condemns Crowley

(The above photo from her campaign site also shows that she doesn't know the difference between Grand Avenue and Maspeth Avenue.)

Two separate conversations with City Council Members have revealed that Elizabeth Crowley indeed never lobbied her colleagues to vote down the Maspeth high school. One council member stated that a round of calls was made and during these conversations she basically just gave her reasons for voting against the school but did not ask them to vote no with her. Another council member said that she definitely could have defeated the school had she asked others to do so because she certainly would have had the votes. She also did not ask them to vote no on the floor of the council before the vote was cast.

Once again, here is Crowley's speech to the Council prior to the vote:

I believe the HS proposal we’re voting on today still needs work. As a council member it has been difficult accepting and agreeing on the Dept of Education’s policies, but I must thank Speaker Quinn for her continued hard work and support as I have worked through the difficulties associated with this proposal.

And while I do not agree with Deputy Mayor Walcott and the Dept of Education policies moreover their reluctance to give priority zoning to those who live closest to the school I do thank Deputy Mayor Walcott for his and the department’s focus over the past month on the Maspeth HS project.

I’d like to also thank my colleagues in this body, your knowledge and advice has been invaluable and I am grateful for your support.

I am voting No. Let me clear, I want a school in Maspeth, but I cannot agree with this plan.In an effort to alleviate the traffic and transit concerns raised by community [sic] I asked the Department of Education to compromise on a plan to allow this school to better address the needs and concerns of my community. They did not and as I [sic] result I do not support this plan.

As the plan stands now it does not have the approval of the community education council, it does not have the approval of the community board, it does not have the approval of the local civic association. It does not have the full support of local parents. It does not have the support of the local elected officials.

Interestingly, even the PTA of the local elementary school doesn't want it:

"I know we need more schools, but to have a high school, a junior high school and an elementary school within three blocks would bombard the neighborhood," said Gayle Lupo, a Maspeth resident and PTA president for PS 58.

Liz Crowley sold Maspeth out for benefit of the UFT and now its time for Maspeth to vote her out come November

It's Opening Day!

Opening Day is warmly regarded in North American tradition as the beginning of a new Major League Baseball season. It falls annually around the beginning of April, signaling such a generational feeling of rebirth for some that the writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book titled, Why Time Begins On Opening Day.[1] Many feel that the occasion represents a newness or a chance to forget last season, in that the 30 major league clubs and their millions of fans begin with 0-0 records.

For generations, Opening Day has arrived amid pageantry. In Cincinnati, Ohio, home of the sport's first professional team, an annual parade marks an unofficial "city holiday" with young and old alike taking the day off to cheer on the Reds. For decades, the first pitch of every major league season officially took place in Cincinnati. The past decade has brought the introduction of a Sunday night opening game televised by ESPN, as well as the staging of season-opening series in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Japan (with the current World Series champion as the "home" team against an opponent in the same league).

The ensuing Monday brings Opening Day to numerous major league ballparks and the game that day in Cincinnati (the only team that always opens the season at home) is still observed throughout baseball as the "traditional opener."

Opening Day is a state of mind as well, with countless baseball fans known to recognize this unofficial holiday as a good reason to call in sick at work or "play hooky" from school and go out to the ballpark for the first of 162 regular season games. Each team's home opener serve as the only regular season games during the year in which the entire rosters of both teams as well as coaches and clubhouse staff are introduced to the crowd (for the rest of the year, ballparks only introduce the starting lineups).

Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn, who played for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, once said: "An opener is not like any other game. There's that little extra excitement, a faster beating of the heart. You have that anxiety to get off to a good start, for yourself and for the team. You know that when you win the first one, you can't lose 'em all."[1]
Opening Day extends throughout the sport of baseball, to hundreds of minor league baseball franchises as well as to college, high school, youth league fields and in areas far beyond North America. Similarly, there are opening-night performances for new Broadway plays.

Prior to Opening Day, the teams' managers have to decide the starting pitchers for the Opening Day game. This spot is usually given to the teams' ace pitchers, and is usually considered an honor for a pitcher to start on Opening Day. In turn, the pitchers who start on Opening Day are usually recognized throughout the baseball world as their teams' best starting pitchers. [2]
There is a rich history of special events that have occurred on Opening Day, most notably a 1940 no-hitter thrown by Cleveland pitcher Bob Feller, ultimately a Hall of Famer. It remains the only no-hitter in Opening Day history.

Opening Day has been synonymous with United States presidents as well. On April 14, 1910, baseball enthusiast William Howard Taft attended the home opener in Washington D.C., becoming the first U.S. President to throw out the first pitch to start a season. Eleven sitting U.S. presidents have done the same since then. One standout, Harry S. Truman, showcased his ambidextrous talent when he threw out ceremonial first pitches with both his right and left arm in 1950.[1] On April 4, 1994, Bill Clinton inaugurated the Cleveland Indians' new ballpark, Jacobs Field, with the first pitch.
The great Ted Williams was a .449 hitter in openers, with three home runs and fourteen runs batted in during fourteen such games. "Teddy Ballgame" also boasted at least one hit in every Opening Day game in which he appeared.

On April 4, 1974, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves ignited the Opening Day crowd in Cincinnati with his first swing. It resulted in his 714th career home run, tying Babe Ruth on Major League Baseball's all-time list. Aaron would finish his career with 755 homers.

Hall of Famer Walter Johnson was arguably the greatest ballplayer in Opening Day history. In 14 season openers for the Washington Senators, the "Big Train" pitched a record nine shutouts. His two most famous starts include a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia A's in 1910 and a 1-0 marathon victory while battling the A's Eddie Rommel for 15 innings.

On April 4, 2005, Dmitri Young of the Detroit Tigers hit three home runs in his team's opener against the Kansas City Royals at Detroit's Comerica Park. He became the third major leaguer to homer three times on Opening Day, following the Toronto Blue Jays' George Bell in 1988 and the Chicago Cubs' Tuffy Rhodes in 1994.

The St. Louis Cardinals were the first major league team to open the season with a night game, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on April 18, 1950.

The longest Opening Day game in major league history was a 15-inning affair played at Cleveland Stadium on April 19, 1960. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians 4-2.

On rare occasions, a team has opened its home season with a doubleheader. The first of these came when the Boston Americans hosted the Philadelphia Phillies for two games on April 20, 1903, with Boston winning the first game 9-4 and Philadelphia taking the second game 10-7. The most recent Opening Day doubleheader was played on April 7, 1971, with the Chicago White Sox defeating the host Oakland Athletics in both games (6-5 and 12-4, respectively).

Hall of Famer Tom Seaver has started the most Opening Day games in Major League history, starting the Opener 16 times for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox.

Obama is the Great Divider

Partisan Gap in Obama Job Approval Widest in Modern Era

For all his hopes about bipartisanship, Barack Obama has the most polarized early job approval ratings of any president in the past four decades. The 61-point partisan gap in opinions about Obama's job performance is the result of a combination of high Democratic ratings for the president -- 88% job approval among Democrats -- and relatively low approval ratings among Republicans (27%).

By comparison, there was a somewhat smaller 51-point partisan gap in views of George W. Bush's job performance in April 2001, a few months into his first term. At that time, Republican enthusiasm for Bush was comparable to how Democrats feel about Obama today, but there was substantially less criticism from members of the opposition party. Among Democrats, 36% approved of Bush's job performance in April 2001; that compares with a 27% job approval rating for Obama among Republicans today.

The partisan gap in Bill Clinton's early days was also substantially smaller than what Obama faces, largely because Democrats were less enthusiastic about Clinton. In early April 1993, 71% of Democrats approved of Clinton's job performance, which is 17 points lower than Obama's current job approval among Democrats. Republican ratings of Clinton at that point (26%) are comparable to their current ratings of Obama today (27%).

The growing partisan divide in presidential approval ratings is part of a long-term trend. Going back in time, partisanship was far less evident in the early job approval ratings for both Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon. In fact, a majority of Republicans (56%) approved of Carter's job performance in late March 1977, and a majority of Democrats (55%) approved of Nixon's performance at a comparable point in his first term.

Vito Elefanti Speaks About Taxes

These freaking politicians with their crazy taxes are killing us citizens, bada-bing, like shooting us in the head with their freaking tax pistols. In a few years, these guys are going to tax everything…..

The Breathing tax- you will have to pay a tax for every time you exhale. Environmentalists hope that this will limit the amount of exhales and reduce carbon monoxide levels in the air.

The Flush Tax- you will have to pay a tax every time you flush the toilet. This will remind people that if its yellow, let it mellow and if it’s brown flush it down.

The Finger Tax- Every time someone gives the middle finger they will be taxed. This will encourage meaningful conversation and healthy conflict resolution.

The Speedo Tax – Any guy wearing a Speedo will have to pay this tax. Hopefully, this will protect the esthetic beauty of our beaches.

The Cell Tax- you will have to pay this tax if you like to speak loudly on your cell phone in public places. This tax will prevent brutality on mass transit systems.

The Sex Tax- you will have to pay tax every time you indulge in pleasures of the flesh. This will help alleviate violations of local noise ordinances and gratuitous hanky panky.

The Reality Tax- people who will be taxed for every reality TV show they watch. Studies show that this may finally end Flava Flav and Bret Michaels careers.

The Fo-Hawk tax – Either get the real Mohawk or pay the freaking tax.

Where will it end?

Those are just a few but I’m sure you all can come up with a few more!

Bill Loves Hillary's New Number

Reporters call Hillary Clinton, get phone sex line
Posted: 04:55 AM ET
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

The White House accidentally directed reporters to a sex line Thursday.
(CNN) – Journalists who dialed in to a White House conference call Thursday hoping for a media-friendly reception got a far friendlier response than they were counting on.

Instead of hearing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Jim Jones on the other end laying out foreign policy and security threats, reporters were greeted by a recording on a phone sex line.

"Do you have any hidden desires? If you feel like getting nasty, then you came to the right place," said a suggestive-sounding woman.

The White House says an aide merely mistyped the 800-dial in number — a mistake not likely to happen again.

Elizabeth Crowley Screws Maspeth

Unfortunately, the 30th Council District had a dimwitted political neophyte during a time we needed an effective leader to fight for our community.

Maspeth is getting a High School! and Bob Holden is reeling!

Isn't it ironic?

Elizabeth Crowley Fails again

Elizabeth Crowley is so woefully ineffective as an elected official, that she can’t even persuade the City Council to honor their tradition of voting lock-step to back up the local council member on an issue. Council Speaker Christine Quinn has told her council members to vote yes to the Maspeth high school. They will shoot down Crowley's anticipated no vote first at the 9:30am Land Use Committee today and then at the full Council during the Stated meeting.

Political insiders say that Crowley has made a deal with colleagues and the administration to put on a show for the residents of the 30th Council district. She basically gets to vote no as a feeble political grandstand for those who oppose the school while the Council votes yes so parents are appeased.

We guess during an election year, the support of Bloomberg and the UFT is more important to third termers than the quality-of-life of constituents. What do they care? It's not their neighborhood.According to the Queens Crap, this is also an amazing show of no confidence in the freshman council member from district 30. But Dizzy Lizzy probably doesn't care. Let's remember that "Schools First" was her special election platform. Unfortunately this won't be a school that puts Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and Elmhurst kids first.

Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of the end for the residents and community groups of the 30th Council District. This show of no confidence will also be reflected in the upcoming budget when our ineffective, novice and junior councilmember gets only the crumbs that fall off the budget table.

DOE Hurts Middle Village Business Owner

In a time where New York City needs to assist small business owners, the Department of Education is again awarding lucrative business contracts to large out of state corporations.

The City Council Education Committee held a hearing Wednesday on the Department of Education's contracting process that some say is forcing small businesses out of the equation. NY1's Jeanine Ramirez filed the following report.

Piles and piles of books can be found at the office of Attanasio and Associates in the Middle Village section of Queens. Each supports a specific curriculum. The company's president, Connie Attanasio, has been supplying city schools with books for 25 years. But she says now the Department of Education is pushing her out of business along with other small, minority and women-owned companies.

"It's discriminatory. It's against the American way. We're small businesses with people working from the community," said Attanasio.

Two years ago, the DOE changed the requirements for contracting with book vendors to favor larger companies that can charge the city less. In order to even bid for a contract, book companies now have to do $5 million worth of business -- automatically knocking Attanasio out of the process.

"It's just been big business. Get rid of the little guys," said Attanasio.
The DOE recently awarded book vendor contracts to two large companies -- one in Missouri, the other in Tennessee.

"We just got very aggressive pricing from two very large sources and since this was a competitive bid, they low-bid everybody," said Department of Education Board Member David Ross.

The Department's contracting process was the subject of a City Council committee Wednesday. DOE officials testified they've already saved $17 million by doing business with the big companies.

"Our role here is to get the best price and the best quality for the schools," said Department of Education Board Member Photeine Anagnostopoulos.

But Attanasio argues schools will not be receiving the best quality because the out of town suppliers are not in tune with the needs of city students.

"What we really did was create materials for New York. This is where I live. This is where I was born and raised. These are the communities I'm involved in," said Attanasio.

Attanasio says she's lost nearly 25 percent of business and had to lay off two employees since the rules changed.

As Attanasio's business was cut, she was forced to cut some of her office space by nearly a third.
At the hearing, City Council member Letitia James says a small supplier in her Brooklyn neighborhood is being forced to shut down.

"I don't want any supplier to close in the City of New York, particularly during these austere times and I do not want to put anybody else on the unemployment line," said James.

While the City Council asked DOE for more documentation on their bidding procedures, Attanasio says she hopes her small business can survive.

Drinking With Bob Rants About Illegals in Jersey

What's next? I'll tell you what's next...Illegal Immigration in New Jersey. The other day a "Blue Ribbon" panel met in New Jersey. Blue Ribbon! i know what you're saying, Blue Ribbon? That must be good. Well not in this case.A blue ribbon panel met in New Jersey the other day and they suggested that new Jersey give illegal immigrants in-state tuition. They also suggested New Jersey give illegals drivers licenses. Governor John Corzine disagreed with the drivers licenses but he did think that New Jersey should give illegals in-state tuition.Let me explain to you what in-state tuition is. If you're a kid and you live in New Jersey and you want to go to college in New Jersey you pay less than lets say a kid from Nebraska who wants to go to college in New Jersey. If you're a kid and you lives in New Jersey and you want to go to college in New Jersey you pay about $100 a credit. But, if you're a kid who lives in Nebraska and you want to go to college in New Jersey you will pay about $500 a credit.So what New Jersey wants to do is, if you're an illegal immigrant, someone who's not even supposed to be in this country and you live in New Jersey and you want to go to college in New Jersey it will cost you $100 a credit. But if you're a kid who lives in Nebraska. A kid who was born in this country. A kid whose parents pay taxes in this country. A kid whose parents have supported this country their whole freaking lives and YOU want to go to college in New Jersey. It will cost you $500 a credit.Are you freaking kidding me?! We should take the blue ribbon and rap it around that panels neck. It's amazing, everybody is trying to become a citizen in this country. Everybody wants to be a citizen in this country. I wanna know where I fill out the freaking paperwork to become an illegal immigrant in this freaking country. Because they're the ones who are getting all the benefits in this country. Are you freaking kidding me?!You wanna give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants? HELLO! HELLO!! They're not even supposed to freaking be in-state! Would you WAKE UP!! Would you WAKE UP!!!What's next! What's next!! What's next!!!

20th Congressional District Too Close to Call

Timesunion.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The race in the 20th Congressional District between Republican Jim Tedisco and Democrat Scott Murphy is too close to call.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Murphy leads Tedisco by only 59 votes, 77,344 to 77,285.

Thousands of absentee ballots will essentially decide the race — but not until after April 13.
Each candidate emerged late Tuesday evening to give what amounted to dueling victory speeches at their campaign celebrations, seemingly caught off guard by the razor-thin margin.

Speaking to supporters just a few minutes after the final districts had reported in around 10:30 p.m., an emotional Tedisco spoke of his late father and brother "looking down on us smiling, and waiting for the final tally."

Tedisco thanked Republican National Chairman Michael Steele for his "support and guidance in this race."

"Tonight is not the end of our journey, but merely the beginning," he added.
Speaking about 30 minutes later, Murphy repeated his support for President Barack Obama's economic program, and thanked boosters such as U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who joined him on the podium.

Murphy said he expected "to hold on to the lead we gathered today."

As of Monday, 5,907 absentee ballots were received by the state Board of Elections from about 10,000 mailed, spokesman Bob Brehm said. Absentee ballots must have been postmarked by March 30 and be received by April 7 for regular absentee ballots, or April 13 for military and overseas ballots.

With Tuesday's election results, Murphy defied expectations in coming to a draw with Tedisco. The Democrat was virtually unknown in the district two months ago, compared to Tedisco, who had statewide recognition as minority leader of the state Assembly.

Republicans have a 70,000-vote enrollment advantage in the district — 125,486 Democrats, 196,118 Republicans and 118,364 unaffiliated voters were registered to vote as of last November's election.

Over the past eight weeks, voters in the 20th Congressional District have been inundated by a deluge of television and radio ads, campaign fliers, door knockers, campaign calls and robocalls from supporters as diverse as Pat Boone and Vice President Joe Biden. There were five debates and nasty mudslinging from both sides.

Much was at stake for the Republican and Democratic parties on both the local and national level. On a local level, the race was seen as a referendum on local parties — particularly the leadership of local GOP leaders, from Saratoga GOP Chairman Jasper Nolan to State Party Chairman Joseph Mondello. The state Republican Party has seen stunning losses over the past decade — last fall, Republicans lost control of the state Senate majority and saw the number of GOP-controlled congressional seats whittled down to three in the state.

Republicans lost the 20th Congressional District in 2006, when political neophyte Kirsten Gillibrand seized the seat from John Sweeney in the largely rural, conservative district. This fall, Gillibrand beat GOP candidate Sandy Treadwell handily — 62 percent to 38 percent.

"Even in this district that was won by a Democrat by 70,000 votes just four short months ago, I am confident that Jim Tedisco will be our next congressman once all the ballots are counted," Mondello said in a statement.

In Washington, D.C., the outcome of this race will be spun to signify national trends — as a bellwether of Republican renewal or continued Democratic dominance in the voting booth, and as a referendum on President Barack Obama and his economic policies, particularly the $787 billion economic stimulus package.

In total, millions have been spent in two months on this special election — Murphy has raised around $1.6 million, while Tedisco has raised approximately $1.1 million. Both candidates loaned money into their own campaigns — Murphy loaned $250,000, while Tedisco loaned $200,000.

On a national level, Republicans outspent Democrats. The National Republican Congressional Committee has spent more than $800,000 and the Republican National Committee spent $275,000; the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent nearly $600,000 and the Democratic National Committee doled out $10,000.

Gov. David Paterson made a surprise visit to Murphy's gathering to thank all the Democratic

Party chairs and call Murphy "our new congressman."

"No matter how dark the circumstances, no matter how low the polls may become — if you believe, we can accomplish anything," Paterson said. "And we just did."

The governor faced significant angst from within the party by elevating Gillibrand and creating a vacancy in the overwhelmingly Republican district.