Comments on: Sam Hoyt Day 2

By: Floorguy

Floorguy — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:04:34 +0000

“”In my opinion, unless the women were interns at the time of their affair with Hoyt, there’s nothing to see here. If they were both adults, the affairs were consensual, and he had no power or authority over them, then it’s a personal matter between Hoyt and his family and shouldn’t be fodder for chatter.”"

A lot of times I would absolutely agree with this opinion.

However, in this case, Hoyt’s actions and subsequent emails are so idiotic, so stupid and so immature, they call into question the basic ability to use common sense.

I was a big supporter of Spitzer. Let’s assume there was absolutely no illegality in that case. Spitzers actions would still be deemed as so stupid and irrational that his very ability is called into question and his ability to continue to do his job was justifiably compromised.

I do not think Hoyt did anything illegal- I think that any pursuit along thoses lines should be discontinued.

BUT —- I do think that Hoyt has unfortunately gone way over the line as to what could only be considered stupid and incredibly immature behavior.

Why anybody would want this guy to represent them is beyond me. I say: NEXT!

By: Sams Schoolmate

Sams Schoolmate — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:51:43 +0000

I find this whole Sammy scandal pretty amusing and not the least bit surprising. I went to high school with Sammy boy and our families have known each other for many many decades. I have to admit, out of his generation I liked his siblings a lot more than I liked him. Back in high school I didn’t think much of Sam’s character and in my limited contact with him over the past ten years, that opinion hasn’t changed. I find the mention of Sam being a “kindhearted, good person” humorous. In my opinion, he has always been shallow, opportunistic, hypocritical and more than willing to kick someone who is down when he felt it would advance his own cause.

As for BP’s colorful “too drunk to f*ck” Mike Cole moniker, I was at one time quite close to a couple of people who once found a certain embattled state Assemblyman passed out and stripped to his tighty-whiteys in the Delaware Park meadow, in the wee hours of the pre-dawn morn. Apparently after some heavy drinking earlier at the Park Meadow bar, he had failed to perform as advertised during an impromptu liaison out in the adjacent park meadow. The miffed lass obviously was incensed to the point that she sought revenge by leaving our hero in the park, in a drunken stupor, after taking the poor fool’s clothes. He’s damned lucky that was well before the days of cell phone videos!

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:15:16 +0000

I wonder if Sam Hoyt will use Kavanaugh’s “personal issues” in the campaign. I bet the older voters in Black Rock and the West Side would not vote for Barbra Kavanaugh knowing that she was a lesbian. I seriously doubt Sam would ever do that because he has class…something her and Steve Pigeon obviously lack.

By: Insert Clever Pseudonym

Insert Clever Pseudonym — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:03:10 +0000

The Albany Times Union digs into Illuzzi's operation a bit here.

By: 1776

1776 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:18:33 +0000

Oh, I guess Golisano HAS spoken. The Daily Politics, which is the political blog for the New York Daily News, is posting that Golisano’s PAC is going to endorse Kavanaugh and that Sam’s “personal life” will be an issue in the campaign. Steve Pigeon’s quotes are brutal, and prove what a soulless creep he really is:
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/08/hoyt-in-golisano-committee-cro.html#more

By: 1776

1776 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:40:33 +0000

Bill Altreuter, I agree with almost everything you say in your post. However, I will put out there that Steve Pigeon, who has had long-standing hatred of Sam (largely because Sam actually thought for himself when Pigeon was EC Dems chair–even tried to kick Pigeon out and replace him with Dave Swarts if I remember correctly), is the most likely culprit behind these “leaked e-mails” and this whole ugly character assassination. Pigeon might be the most unethical political figure in New York State, and that is saying something. Pigeon is a big Kavanaugh supporter, and is now controlling Golisano’s powerful purse strings. Golisano’s PAC and Kavanaugh both have prominent ads on Illuzzi’s site, and Illuzzi endorsed Kavanaugh weeks ago. I want to know if Golisano knows that his money has been used for Illuzzi’s site, and what he thinks of the possibility that he helped fun this scandal-mongering nonsense. Barbra’s rebuttal on WBEN was laughable to the point of ridiculousness (it sounded an awful lot to me like she accused Sam of “creating” this issue–because every candidate wants to be strung up in the court of public opinion three weeks before a major election day). I am curious about Golisano’s take on all of this. Golisano calls himself a reformer who wants to change the way Albany operates. Funny that he has been mum on what has got to be one of the starkest examples of dirty tricks in recent memory, considering that he is financing at least one of the people who orchestrated it (Illuzzi for sure, possibly others??).

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:55:06 +0000

I really need to proof read more
the “of” after sure should be “I’ve”

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:53:28 +0000

a WBEN talk show host complaining about blogs saying they have no rules
that’s funny. I’m 99% sure of heard some really outrageous claims made against people on the various wben shows inlcuding sandy’s

By: Bill Altreuter

Bill Altreuter — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:37:53 +0000

I’m disappointed by this whole sorry mess. Hoyt has been a capable legislator. He has taken sometimes quixotic stands against the Albany culture– (he was part of the group that tried to push Silver out of his perch, for example), and he has been generally reform minded. I hate the fact that apparently the only way to leave the Assembly is feet first, but he has never cast a vote or taken a position that made me want to vote him out.

This looks like politics by character assassination to me, and it makes me sad that Barbara Kavanaugh, who I also like, seems to be caught up in it. I doubt that she is directly involved– although I wouldn’t put it past Shelly Silver– but now she appears complicit. That’s a shame.

This kind of sleaziness really serves no-one. It is possible that there are governance reasons to vote for one or the other of these candidates, but whatever those reasons might have been are never going to be heard now. Politics ain’t beanbag, but it takes a particular kind of cynical, corrupt mind to turn an election campaign over an office that is this important into this kind of a sleaze-fest.

By: steve

steve — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:42:55 +0000

Again, I’m a “steve” but not Steve Casey? You do understand that, yes?

You’ll forgive me if I don’t take your word for it that Sam Hoyt and Barbra Kavanaugh are some sort of seperated-at-birth, two-bodies-but-one-mind, no-difference-whatsoever anomoly.

In the interest of full disclosure, I can’t vote for either of them because: a. I’m not a registered Dem and, b: I don’t live in A-144.

I have an interest, though, because I know something about both of them and, more importantly, I tend to view district matters as only part of the job of a state legislator. So, what Sam Hoyt does or doesn’t do in Albany affects me, even though I don’t live in his district.

Or does this disqualify me from having and expressing an opinion?