2016...Christie vs Cuomo

[flabbybody]

Let's assume Obama wins a second term and there's no incumbent in 2016.
My prediction is that Chris Christie will win the Republican nomination. Hilary Clinton will love making $200,000 for 40 minute dinner talks and retire from public life. Andrew Cuomo will dance to an easy victory in the Dem primary.

It will be an interesting race. Christie will lose 100 lbs next year on the Rex Ryan diet surgery routine which will make him look more like a serious leader. Andrew will have some cosmetic work around his eyes so he won't look so much like a zombie.

[Odelay]

Let's assume Obama wins a second term and there's no incumbent in 2016.
My prediction is that Chris Christie will win the Republican nomination. Hilary Clinton will love making $200,000 for 40 minute dinner talks and retire from public life. Andrew Cuomo will dance to an easy victory in the Dem primary.

It will be an interesting race. Christie will lose 100 lbs next year on the Rex Ryan diet surgery routine which will make him look more like a serious leader. Andrew will have some cosmetic work around his eyes so he won't look so much like a zombie.

You make them sound like a couple of regular surgery addicts. Can we get some photoshopped pics to imagine what they'll look as post-ops? By the way, both of these guys are going to have problems with their base. I see a Hillary/Rubio matchup as much more likely.

[Dino Velvet]

I'd like to see Christie go from Abdullah The Butcher-size to Vader. Wonder if he keeps his wallet under his boobs like Abby does.

http://distilleryimage1.s3.amazonaws.com/262b475cfb4f11e1b07922000a1c0769_7.jpg

[flabbybody]

my political RADAR:
Rubio looks like the white trash manager of my supermarket who informs me that my food coupons have expired by one day and I have to pay full price... he's got the face of a total dip shit loser.

Hillary is way too old to spend 16 months of her life in Holiday Inn's campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire primaries.

[fred41]

my political RADAR:
....who informs me that my food coupons have expired by one day and I have to pay full price... he's got the face of a total dip shit loser.


What are you...a little old lady who feeds local stray cats? :)

At this point that sounds like an interesting match-up...but like you, I'm a North Easterner and I'm not sure the rest of the country(...or the political parties)..see it the same way.
They have quite a few years ahead of them to create some political gaffes....hmmm...good thread.

[Prospero]

Ryan V Cuomo?

[Stavros]

I read in this article in today's Independent that Elizabeth Warren is poised to take back Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts seat for the Democrats, and may use it to launch her own bid for the White House in 2016. Even if one pencils this in along with Cuomo, would this not mean that yet again the Democrats had gone for someone without Southern connections? There was a time when the assumption was that the USA would be choosing its Presidents from the Southern states (including California and the west) -has Obama begun a new trend? Romney is not a Southerner, nor would Chris Christie be should he decide to run.

As for Hillary Clinton, I'm with Flabbybody on this, I am not even sure if she wants another 4 years in government -or if Obama wants her there. And as we mentioned before, there is always Chelsea bringing up the rear, so to speak...

How about Warren/Clinton as the all-female 2016 ticket?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/the-battle-for-the-other-house-hots-up-8269979.html

[Prospero]

I

How about Warren/Clinton as the all-female 2016 ticket?

[

That would be a fascinating combination. But perhaps Chelsea Clinton has not got enough experience - nor would she have - by the time of that election.

I think you are right about hilary. Didn't she already announce she is stepping down from her job if there is a second Obama Presidency?

[trish]

I'm looking for to Malcom's Dad versus Walter White. I'm still undecided.

[Dino Velvet]

I'm looking for to Malcom's Dad versus Walter White. I'm still undecided.

Walter White is my pick for sure. He better hold onto the blue states.

http://blog.oneplusinfinity.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Heisenberg-Blue-Glass-Rock-Candy.jpg

http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt221/My_Farts_Cause_Global_Warming/10_gustavodemise.gif

[Stavros]

Who?

[flabbybody]

Stavros I know you've heard of Governor Christie. big fat guy who gave keynote address at Republican Convention. now he's making all lovey dovey with Obama. Prez showed up in New Jersey after the hurricane with a blank check to fix everything. nice being an incumbent running the Federal government during a national disaster.
Romney's become totally irrelevant during the week leading up to election day.
Sandy has cooked Mitt

[Odelay]

Gustavo Freyn vs Walter White, now there was an epic battle. Affordable meth for everyone no matter who wins.

[Ben]

Let's assume Obama wins a second term and there's no incumbent in 2016.
My prediction is that Chris Christie will win the Republican nomination. Hilary Clinton will love making $200,000 for 40 minute dinner talks and retire from public life. Andrew Cuomo will dance to an easy victory in the Dem primary.

It will be an interesting race. Christie will lose 100 lbs next year on the Rex Ryan diet surgery routine which will make him look more like a serious leader. Andrew will have some cosmetic work around his eyes so he won't look so much like a zombie.

Hopefully Sarah Palin runs. We need a good looking candidate. Something pleasing to look at.
Anyway, both candidates will need to raise a billion bucks.
It all hinges on that: raising a billion bucks. Could Christie do it? Yeah.
Could Clinton? Yeah.
This is what we call democracy in America: which candidate can raise the most cash -- ha ha!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HvGy2gY0eM

[Stavros]

Stavros I know you've heard of Governor Christie. big fat guy who gave keynote address at Republican Convention. now he's making all lovey dovey with Obama. Prez showed up in New Jersey after the hurricane with a blank check to fix everything. nice being an incumbent running the Federal government during a national disaster.
Romney's become totally irrelevant during the week leading up to election day.
Sandy has cooked Mitt

It was 'Malcom's Dad and Walter White' who confusd me -and I think you are right about Sandy.

[Prospero]

Hopefully Sarah Palin runs. We need a good looking candidate. Something pleasing to look at.
Anyway, both candidates will need to raise a billion bucks.
It all hinges on that: raising a billion bucks. Could Christie do it? Yeah.
Could Clinton? Yeah.
This is what we call democracy in America: which candidate can raise the most cash -- ha ha!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HvGy2gY0eM

I assume you have a sly sense of humour Ben in proposing that one of the most moronic candidates of recent years have a run at the presidency. That should ensure whoever she runs for - Libertarian, GOP, Donald Duck party - offer the world days of laughter before plunging to disaster.

[Odelay]

The Only Hope For The GOP Is To Be More Like Chris Christie
Josh Barro Oct. 9, 2013, 6:38 PM 8,259 37

A lot of people are talking today about this ugly poll chart for Republicans: Gallup found that just 28% of Americans have a favorable view of the Republican Party, down 10 points from last month and the lowest level since Gallup started asking the question in 1992.

The shutdown is a political disaster for the Republican Party.

But here's another poll chart from yesterday that shows the party isn't doomed. Its candidates can be wildly popular when they don't behave like morons bent on destruction of the economy:

christie buono poll

Fairleigh Dickinson University

That chart is from the Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind poll, and it shows New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) leading his Democratic challenger by 33 points.

After Superstorm Sandy hit last October, Christie's poll numbers soared because the public liked his handling of the storm. Many people thought his numbers would fade back to "normal" as time passed. That hasn't happened yet; he's poised for a blowout win, even as the national Republican brand is in the toilet.

Christie's path to sustained popularity and massive electoral success isn't complicated.

He stands up for conservative principles when the electorate shares them. For example, he capped property taxes (New Jersey has the country's highest) and he implemented reforms to bring public employee benefits more in line with the private sector, saving money and helping local governments deliver services better.

But when conservatives want Christie to do things that would anger his electorate, like rejecting the Medicaid expansion or snubbing the president in the aftermath of a hurricane, he refuses.

This makes him popular for two reasons. One, it means he tends to take popular policy stances. Two, he shows the electorate that he cares first about them, not his political party.

Christie's pragmatism doesn't just show up in policy; you can also see it in his style. He works openly and enthusiastically with Democrats. His fights with Democratic legislative leaders have often been publicly acrimonious, but they have a lot of important joint legislative accomplishments, including that property tax cap and employee benefit reforms.

Compare that to Washington where, under conservative pressure, House Speaker John Boehner swore off one-on-one negotiations with President Obama earlier this year.

Christie's openness to Democrats has created openness to him. Dozens of local Democratic officials have endorsed him for re-election. Many polls show him drawing about a third of the black vote, an unheard of level for a Republican candidate.

The latest Fairleigh Dickinson poll shows him ahead by 8 points among non-white voters. Where else on this planet do Republican candidates win among non-whites?

I spoke with Michael Blunt, a black Democrat who has endorsed Christie. Blunt serves as mayor of Chesilhurst, a middle-class suburb of Philadelphia, which is about 50% black and gave 82% of its votes to Barack Obama in 2012.

Blunt had a simple explanation for how Christie has made inroads with black voters: "He talks to them. He makes them feel comfortable."

Blunt said black voters particularly appreciated how closely and warmly Christie worked with Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, even though he knew he would take heat from conservatives for doing so. "In the heart of a presidential campaign, he let the people of the state of New Jersey know where he stood."

Republicans are worried about how to appeal to voters in a country that is decreasingly white. Christie has shown how much credibility Republicans can gain with black voters simply by showing respect to the president, even while disagreeing with him on a broad swath of policy issues.

This shouldn't be hard, but for most Republican politicians, it is. Much of the party's energy today is based on animus toward the man who happens to be the first black president. Christie is one of the few Republican politicians who understands how damaging that has been to the party's brand.

Christie's broad popularity hasn't translated into a base problem within New Jersey. Republicans consistently give him approval ratings of 90% or higher. He's made a lot of the right enemies, like teachers' unions, and unlike Republicans in the House of Representatives, he has real conservative policy accomplishments to brag about.

Christie's likely big win next month, when contrasted against Ken Cuccinelli's likely loss in the Virginia governor's race and the ongoing massive unpopularity of Republicans in Congress, should send Republicans a message about the direction they need to take the party in. The question is when they will start to listen.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-only-hope-for-the-gop-is-to-be-more-like-chris-christie-2013-10#ixzz2hkauzQwU

[Ben]

It might be Cruz. He's coming from the base. The establishment loathes him. But will try and coopt him.
The base, as it were, doesn't need corporate funding. Districts, of course, have been rearranged so that they're in safe districts.
The rest of the world is looking on in astonishment....
And for the Dems... :)

[hippifried]

Cruz?? Really?? .. Coming from the base?? Really?? What base?

[Stavros]

I don't know much about Christie in truth, but I don't see anyone else on the horizon; I suspect the mid-term elections will shape the Republican choice and focus on a need to reclaim the 'centre ground' and whether or not their candidate(s) should be closer to it, or re-defining it someplace else- with the risk that voting Americans don't want to go there. Not sure who is in the running for the Democrats, but Mrs C looks more relaxed these days; retirement suits her. Mid-term right now must be the hot issue given the situation on Capitol Hill.

[Odelay]

Cruz?? Really?? .. Coming from the base?? Really?? What base?
Yeah, I'm not buying it either, hippi. If it was just Cruz vs Jeb or Christie then I might see it, but the Republican Presidential primaries is now a reality television event where all whackjobs are invited. Rick I-got-huge-stick-up-my-ass Santorum will be running again, for sure, and fishing from the same pond of voters as Cruz, along with several other wingers, to be sure.

[trish]

The GOP jumped the shark when McCain(in the unbelievable role of the Fonz) announced that Sarah Palin (dumb as a surf board) would be his running mate. They've been outdoing themselves ever since; one incredible sideshow after another.

[VictoriaVeil]

Christopher James "Chris" Christie (born September 6, 1962) is the 55th Governor of New Jersey, and a leading member of the Republican Party in the United States.
A Newark native, Christie became interested in politics at an early age, and volunteered for the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Tom Kean in 1977. Graduating from the University of Delaware, he then earned a J.D. degree at Seton Hall Law School.
Christie joined a Cranford, New Jersey law firm in 1987, where he became a partner in 1993, and continued practicing until 2002. Meanwhile, he was elected as a county legislator (called a "Freeholder") in Morris County, serving from 1995 to 1998 during which time he generally pushed for lower taxes and lower spending. By 2002, Christie had done campaign work for both presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush; the latter appointed him United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey where he served from 2002 to 2008. In that position, he emphasized prosecutions of political corruption, and also obtained convictions for sexual slavery, arms trafficking, racketeering by gangs, and other federal crimes.
In January 2009, Christie declared his candidacy for Governor of New Jersey. He won the Republican primary, and then defeated incumbent Governor Jon Corzine in the general election. Christie, who was seen as a possible candidate in the 2012 presidential election, declined to run, but he delivered the keynote address at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Chris Christie is widely viewed as a possible presidential candidate in 2016.

Thats from Wikipedia of all places lol.

MY two cents - Hes a solids republican centrist, media savvy and friendly. He is well liked in a a Democratic leaning state. IF he can get through the primaries, (No easy task based on the factious nature of the GOP), He would be a strong candidate for the Presidency.

[hippifried]

I'm having a real problem with this meme that the base of either major party is the same as the fringes. I see no actual evidence to support it. The fringe candidates, left or right (for lack of better terminology), have gotten bumped out in the early primaries as far back as I can remember till present. The only one who got anywhere with a radical agenda in my lifetime (& I'm old) was Ronald Reagan. Well, Goldwater, but he got trounced in the general. Even he told the whiner/wingers to shut the hell up & accept the outcomes of the democratic process. I can't help but think that the loudmouths get media attention way out of proportion to their actual electoral support. As for the top spot: I think it's a very small minority around the country who actually want fanatics or stupid in the White House.

[Ben]

Significant Election Rule Change Coming in 2016? - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLaxg2qXlWw)

[VictoriaVeil]

http://news.yahoo.com/va-nj-tale-2-republican-parties-202437571--election.html

[Odelay]

Bridget somebody (Christie Deputy Chf of Staff): Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee, NJ.

David somebody (Christie appointee to Port Authority): Got it!

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/read_docs_christie_aide_bridge

Personally, I don't think this is as bad as everybody thinks it is. People across the country will laugh that yahoos in New Jersey got stuck in traffic and not really care about Christie's staff's involvement. And yeah, I know, emergency responders were slower to respond and some sick and injured people were affected. But if were going to hold gov't officials responsible for hurting people, then surely every politico who voted to loosen gun laws over this last year after an elementary school was slaughtered, would have been voted down.

But what Christie cannot do is go all Dick Nixon Saturday Night Massacre on his staff. That's super weak and nobody looks good when they're compared to Nixon. And it looks like that's going to be Christie's move. As long as he played tough guy, he would weather this thing. As soon as he goes soft, he cuts against his primary strength as tough dude from NJ.

EDIT: One more thing... the staffer should have gotten colorful with her command, like... "Time to go medieval on those hippy mayor loving commuters!"

[broncofan]

I hope it's a problem. Shutting down traffic for four days knowing that it will cause major delays for schoolchildren, sick people, and the working stiff just so you can blame it on a small town mayor is disgusting.

Unfortunately there are people who oppose gun control and consider it a principled position however misguided they are. What Christie was probably involved in is just a cynical, classic abuse of power. No politician should be able to survive intentionally subverting government to hinder a rival.

[broncofan]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-chris-christie-bridge-scandal-20140108,0,4169085.story

Could it be he's innocent? If he is, you have to respect the way he's handling it so far.

[fred41]

So far there's no proof that he was involved...as long as that holds and he makes some changes - then it becomes a non-issue.

Sometimes it hardly matters anyway - if the voters like you...then short of murder...you're in...people elect mayors smoking crack on video, elect representatives that clearly don't pay their taxes...and comptrollers that steal...the list goes on.
Politicians can lie,steal, cheat,etc...and often the same populace that complains about those things in politicians...will often blindly ignore those characteristics in their politician of choice. Quite often the argument is:"I don't care what he did as long as the other guy don't get in."

So far, if Christie doesn't get very far, it's because the Republican Party ultimately won't back him...but there is still a lot of time between now and 2016 anyway.

[broncofan]

So far there's no proof that he was involved...as long as that holds and he makes some changes - then it becomes a non-issue.
.
You're probably right, but don't you think it's a bridge too far if he is connected? Also, his chief of staff was involved, which is already going pretty high up the ladder. Logic tells me that people don't just initiate stuff like that without some encouragement.

But then again, he threw that woman right under the bus, so either she got a sweetheart deal somehow, or she has nothing on him because he really is innocent. I'm interested to see how this all turns out. Three years is a long time and I guess I can also see this dying down if there's nothing to connect him.

I'm not just saying this because he's a Republican. I know politicians do all sorts of things; many of these things reek of minor corruption or are aimed at winning votes. But to me, this is a breach of loyalty going beyond the normal dirty tricks of politics. If he really is involved, he's a piece of shit.

[broncofan]

So far, if Christie doesn't get very far, it's because the Republican Party ultimately won't back him...but there is still a lot of time between now and 2016 anyway.
This is true. But I think the party leadership is so mixed up they never back anyone unconditionally and will be already looking for someone within their own ranks to blame for any potential loss before the race starts.

[Odelay]

I still say he's too fat. If you're gonna be that heavy you better be squeaky clean. Otherwise voters are gonna think, "Okay, he's kind of a douche bag and he's obese? Nahh, I'lll vote for the other guy."

[Dino Velvet]

I'm gonna wait and see. The Dems will go after him and the hard right will keep the fire burning but rally around him if he gets the nomination like they did with the other RINOs McCain and Romney.

[broncofan]

What I don't seem to understand is this. When Christie heard the accusations that the lane closures were politically motivated why didn't he just ask his staff for a copy of the traffic study? He should have tried to figure out what study was done by the Port Authority and why normal procedures weren't followed.

It seems to me any reasonable executive would do that. There's just no way he didn't know about this unless he buried his head in the sand.

[Odelay]

Well the news out now is that he called Cuomo and started complaining about the PA investigation. Joe Mantegna's con man character in House of Games would call that.. cracking out of turn. Christie isn't as smart as he thinks he is. But I do think Dino may be onto something. Republicans might rally around a guy, even a RINO, who the Democrats are tearing to pieces like jackals. The sympathy vote in the primaries could be huge.

[flabbybody]

What I don't seem to understand is this. When Christie heard the accusations that the lane closures were politically motivated why didn't he just ask his staff for a copy of the traffic study? He should have tried to figure out what study was done by the Port Authority and why normal procedures weren't followed.

It seems to me any reasonable executive would do that. There's just no way he didn't know about this unless he buried his head in the sand.
You and me both.
Christie's goose is cooked.
I'm thinking Rand Paul now has clear path to nomination. GOP should be happy. Senator Paul is tougher match vs Hillary IMO

[Ben]

You and me both.
Christie's goose is cooked.
I'm thinking Rand Paul now has clear path to nomination. GOP should be happy. Senator Paul is tougher match vs Hillary IMO

Don't think it'll be Rand Paul.
It'll be -- :)

[flabbybody]

Santorum ? the guy who thinks contraceptives and gun background checks are the work of the devil. doubt even Republicans would be stupid enough to nominate someone who would loose electoral college 50 to zip
We have to assume GOP wiants a candidate that has some semblance of a broad ideological appeal. That's why Chritie seemed like the early favorite before the traffic scandal

[Odelay]

If Cuomo throws Christie under the bus relating to their conversation, who receives more damage, Christie or the bus? :dancing:

[Ben]

Santorum ? the guy who thinks contraceptives and gun background checks are the work of the devil. doubt even Republicans would be stupid enough to nominate someone who would loose electoral college 50 to zip
We have to assume GOP wiants a candidate that has some semblance of a broad ideological appeal. That's why Chritie seemed like the early favorite before the traffic scandal

They went with Mitt in 2012 of course. A lot in the Party saw him as being too moderate.
And he is a moderate within the Republican Party.
So, I think they -- being the base -- want someone with, well, crazy credentials.
Anyway, I see American politics as simply consisting of one party. The Republican Party.
The Dems are now merely moderate Republicans. Like Obama. Obama is a moderate Republican... like George Bush the Father.
And both wings of the Party have been captured by big business.
But the extremist wing of the Party don't wish to participate in a parliamentary system. They want nothing to do with democratic governance.
So, when voting realize you're voting for one party. But be cognizant of the fact that there are extremists and moderates within that business party -- :)
A shame Bruce Lee wasn't still with us. He would've been a kick ass Prez -- :)

Bruce Lee Be Water - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAxOHPmITHI)

[Ben]

Feds investigate Christie's use of Sandy relief funds:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/politics/christie-feds-investigating-sandy-ads/

[Ben]

Santorum ? the guy who thinks contraceptives and gun background checks are the work of the devil. doubt even Republicans would be stupid enough to nominate someone who would loose electoral college 50 to zip
We have to assume GOP wiants a candidate that has some semblance of a broad ideological appeal. That's why Chritie seemed like the early favorite before the traffic scandal

Santorum, of course, appeals to religious crazies.
It'll probably be Jeb Bush.... I mean, why not. First the father, then the son... why not the other son -- :)
Or, hell, bring back Mitt Romney.
But would a Santorum presidency really go after the porn industry? Well, look at Iceland.... Look at, too, the United Kingdom....
And he'd have the backing of religious zealots.

Santorum as President Would Fight the Supreme Court on Porn - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTHOW25OaVA)

Porn Stars Against Santorum - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev35iO6U1Pw)

[Dino Velvet]

Santorum, of course, appeals to religious crazies.

He totally does. As someone who is more of a Conservative he has no appeal to me at all. Religion is just more manipulation and we have more than enough control of our thoughts and actions now. Another layer of bullshit makes the corral stink more, not less.

[trish]

Anti-porn = un-American.

[Dino Velvet]

Anti-porn = un-American.

Anti-weed = un-American also.

[Ben]

Shocking 9/11 Chris Christie Scandal - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTOh3AwP2Rc)

[Odelay]

I've seen some 2016 election horse race threads sprout up since this one, but I think Flabby's thread deserves to be the de-facto one because he was bold enough to go out on a limb in his prediction of both nominees, days before the 2012 election was even decided.

And as silly as the Cuomo prediction was, my own elevation of Rubio in the 2nd post of the thread was almost as bad.

Despite Republican struggles over the last 2 years, from Bridgegate to Cantor's surprise defeat, and despite an inexorable demographics trend working against the Republican Party, I've never been one to believe the hype from some in the Left that Democrats have some kind of lock on the White House. All it takes is for the GOP to nominate a decent candidate and many people in the middle and even some on the left will migrate back to the GOP ticket.

The "decent" candidate du jour is obviously Rand Paul. And he's staking out some distinct positions from Hillary, which is not in any way a coincidence. Further he's attempting to chip away at some of the Obama coalition of voters, specifically, minorities and youth. The $64,000 question (a sum that's over a 1,000 times too small to win the GOP nomination) is whether his populist foray towards the political center will hurt him during the GOP primaries.

Hillary looks like a 95% probability of running and I don't believe there will be any serious challengers for the Dem nomination. But as Hillary triangulates away from the Left, as the Clintons always do, it opens up a possibility for someone like Paul to peel away a significant layer of Obama's and the Democrat's natural constituency. That would turn the election into a true horse race.

It will be said by many, but this election will be Hillary's to lose, and I do believe she is capable of fucking it up, Clinton-style.

[fred41]

I think Cuomo can pretty much kiss even an attempt at the primary goodbye now- http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/preet-bharara-warning-sends-chill-state-capitol-article-1.2090219

...and I'm really only posting this because, not wanting to start a whole new thread that only deals with NY local politics, I am tickled pink about U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara finally nabbing, in my view the poster boy of corruption here in N.Y., Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver ....and vowing to go after more.
This will affect every branch of government in the state of N.Y. ...including the court system: http://nypost.com/2015/01/25/silvers-law-firm-rakes-in-cash-as-asbestos-court-fast-tracks-claims/

...and I am happy.


P.S. I don't have any hate for Governor Cuomo...but he shouldn't have disbanded the Moreland Commission

[broncofan]

I don't know anything about New York state politics but that was a good read. I'm going to google Preet Bharara once a week to read an update cause I think he's my new hero. On these corruption cases I never am sure what's illegal and what just stinks but I counted something like ten things in the article about Sheldon Silver that fell into the category of "should be illegal, probably is illegal". So I'm interested to see where this ends and if Cuomo gets nabbed.

[fred41]

'perhaps unethical but not illegal' is something you hear quite too often in politics. To often politicians smirk when discussing a transgression brought to light by the media as "there's nothing illegal about what I did". Shelly was untouchable (teflon) because he seemed careful...but perhaps grew too arrogant and became careless.
...I thought no one would ever be able to successfully prosecute him,...or even make the attempt. I took that for granted as much as I took for granted that his constituency would continuously reelect him no matter how cancerous he became to local politics.
...and yes, to me, so far Preet Bharara is like a superhero....like in Gotham. He just seems to be doing the right thing...and doing it very well.
Let's see if Shelly gives anyone up along the way down.
I could be wrong, but I would doubt the Governor did anything outright illegal. I do believe he stopped the investigative commission when it got too close to something he did, or to Silver, or both...but that might just gain words of censure from the U.S. attorney (and possible disapproval by the voters)
...but you never know.