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If The Washington Post Becomes Politico, We All Lose

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A recently departed Politico reporter on why The Washington Post should steer clear of his old employer’s model.

Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

As is so often the case, the chatterers in Washington and New York have fixated on precisely the wrong question with precisely the wrong set of facts in an otherwise valuable debate over the supposed tragedy that is the sale of The Washington Post.

Ross Douthat of The New York Times kicked this parlor game into high gear on Sunday by declaring the Post's fatal sin as an alleged failure to fully embrace the internet and deploy the sort of kinetic, report-every-bowel-movement coverage of official Washington that has turned Politico into a juggernaut. The Post's business model, he insisted, didn't need to fall apart when its classified ads evaporated or its regional circulation plummeted; evidently a flood-the-zone approach to politics would've prevented those unavoidable fates.

The trouble is, Douthat misunderstands just about everything about the business of journalism and, more saliently, the business of Politico. What's more, he never asked the key question I was left with when I finished his column: Why would we even want The Washington Post to be Politico?

This is no slam on Politico, where I worked as a technology policy reporter until last week. Politico is a niche publication that does a terrific job focusing on a topic of great and growing interest. But it does not pretend to want to cover all of the myriad and important topics that a general-service newspaper does, nor should it.

The Post's mission and mandate is to serve an entire and diverse community; Politico's is to serve a homogenous and specialized one. The Post sends reporters to far-flung, godforsaken places; Politico's cover almost everything from behind desks in Rosslyn, Virginia, or traipsing around the Capitol, with a select group heading outside the Beltway to follow candidates, the president or, occasionally, other officeholders. The Post, unlike Politico, must satisfy the cravings of everyone from the mom whose kid is playing varsity lacrosse to the immigrant concerned about the coup in her homeland. And the Post still buys into the old journalism-school mantra of giving voice to the voiceless; Politico rarely quotes people without, in the newsroom's parlance, "skin in the game."

More than being fundamentally different, though, the suggestion that Politico is so profitable that it could conceivably support the breadth and depth of the expensive journalism the Post does is absurd. Repeatedly in my time at Politico, we were told that the serious money didn't start raining in until about two years ago, with the launch of the hyper-niche-y and often overlooked portion of the site known as Politico Pro. Pro offers verticals that focus intensely on such areas as health care, energy, or technology for subscribers — typically lawmakers, lobbyists, corporations, and activists — who pay thousands of dollars for inside intel. A fraction of what is produced for Pro ever crosses the transom to the main site.

In other words, the really popular parts of Politico may break even, but they are the dessert that established the brand. The vegetables, served to those hankering for a very particular form of nutrition, pay the bills. Had Post owner Don Graham funded John Harris and Jim VandeHei's vision for Politico in 2006 when he had the chance, his family might co-own an increasingly valuable media asset. But unless the Post stopped being the Post and actually became Politico, it wouldn't have had any serious bearing on the Post's current circumstances.

The shakiest leg of Douthat's wobbly premise is the claim that The Washington Post Company failed to embrace the internet. With the possible exception of The Guardian, the Post was — or at least seemed, for a moment — one of the world's most forward-thinking of the dead-tree news brands, as proved by its trove of EPpy honors in 2005 for both the Post's site and that of Slate, the online newsmagazine it bought in 2004.

You know what else the Post did in the Jurassic era of 2005? They hired a 29-year-old named Chris Cillizza to start a little something called The Fix. In other words, they gambled on a wunderkind and granted him a startup-like berth to build what became the major political blog brand. Is there any prototype for Politico quite as obvious as what Cillizza did and still does, right down to his canny understanding of the importance of piquing interest and driving traffic via constant TV appearances? And as recently as 2009, the Post did it again by launching Wonkblog a week after Ezra Klein turned 25. What political-journalism star did the Times launch through its website? And who at Politico is doing anything substantially different or more innovative than what Cillizza, Klein, and their staffs do?

This isn't to say the Post executed a flawless strategy. The original sin, some critics say, was separating the newsroom from the web operations by the Potomac River, and surely there could have been a way to build and integrate one without isolating and antagonizing the other. But to the average reader, these distinctions and missteps are meaningless and invisible and can't possibly be blamed for the Post's financial woes. The reader also has no idea that the Politico newsroom was originally riven with division and misunderstandings between its main and Pro sides; editors have made great strides there to fix that, but it's probably a normal hallmark of any significant change in standard operating procedure. What Graham and the Post Company did not do was simply ignore the internet, as Douthat implied.

The utterly boring truth is that there is no human villain to pin the necessity of the Post's sale. It is, Douthat's dismissive suggestion notwithstanding, the times we inhabit and the agonizing pangs of a once-flush industry in transition. There was little the railroads could do, no matter how cleverly managed, to fend off the rise of the automobile other than, perhaps, build cars. The Grahams did better, in fact, than the Times' Sulzbergers, who shrank $1.1 billion down to $70 million in the form of The Boston Globe. Graham got more than triple that for a paper with only about double the circulation.

There's a reason why Jeff Bezos doesn't arrive at the helm of this storied newspaper with a five-point plan: It's a really, really hard puzzle to solve. The broad public good served by the Post is not the same as the narrow, insular goal of Politico. To accomplish all the Post tries to — and that society should want them to — costs far more than the old newspaper business model can handle.

"For The Post to thrive again, Politico must lose," Douthat concludes. But we already have a Politico, and it's a good thing. If the Post becomes Politico, we all lose.

Steve Friess is an Ann Arbor-based freelance journalist and former Politico Pro senior writer. Follow him at @SteveFriess.


Pentagon Moves To Recognize Gay Married Couples — Including Leave To Get Married

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“It is now the Department’s policy to treat all married military personnel equally,” says Hagel. Couples living where same-sex couples cannot marry will be given leave “for the purpose of traveling to a jurisdiction where such a marriage may occur.”

Evan Vucci / AP

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Wednesday that same-sex married couples will receive equal treatment by the Pentagon — a move that comes a little less than two years after gay, lesbian, and bisexual troops began to be able to serve openly in the military.

The change, announced in a memorandum to the secretaries of the military branches dated Tuesday, is the result of the Supreme Court's ruling in June striking down the federal ban on recognizing gay couples' marriages.

"It is now the Department's policy to treat all married military personnel equally," Hagel wrote in the memorandum. Specifically, he added, "The Department will continue to recognize all marriages that are valid in the place of celebration," which means that it is not necessary that the state or country where a service member is stationed recognize same-sex couples' marriages in order for the Pentagon to recognize the marriage.

Because much of the country does not allow same-sex couples to marry, however, Hagel wrote, the Pentagon has decided to allow service members in same-sex relationships living in such places "non-chargeable leave for the purpose of traveling to a jurisdiction where such a marriage may occur."

According to a news release accompanying the memorandum, the Defense Department will make spousal and family benefits available no later than Sept. 3, 2013, regardless of sexual orientation, as long as service member-sponsors provide a valid marriage certificate.

"Entitlements are retroactive to the date of the Supreme Court's decision," Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica Wright noted in a follow-up memorandum providing "further guidance" on the issue. She added, however, "Any claims to entitlements before that date will not be granted."

Defense Secretary Hagel's memorandum:

Defense Secretary Hagel's memorandum:


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GOP Congressman: Climate Change From God, Not Man

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“It wasn’t just a few years ago, what was the problem that existed? It wasn’t global warming, we were gonna all be an ice cube. We’re not ice cubes. Our climate will continue to change because of the way God formed the earth.”

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Florida Republican Congressman Jeff Miller said Tuesday that the scientific community is not unanimous on climate change and that the climate changed because of the way God formed the plant, not because of fossil fuel usage. Miller was speaking at a "Coffee with the Congressman" event at Scenic 90 Cafe in Pensacola.

"I have scientists that I rely on, the scientists that I rely on say our climate has changed," Miller said. "It wasn't just a few years ago, what was the problem that existed? It wasn't global warming, we were gonna all be an ice cube. We're not ice cubes. Our climate will continue to change because of the way God formed the earth."

Earlier at the same event, Miller announced his intentions to defund the Environmental Protection Agency and responded to questions about a scientific consensus on climate change by saying none existed.

"I will tell you this," said Miller. "I will defund the E.P.A."

According to NASA, 97% of scientists agree on climate change.

The full video of Miller's remarks has been embedded below.

youtube.com

Jesse Jackson Jr. Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Misuse Of Funds

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“I didn’t separate my personal life from my political life, and I couldn’t be more wrong,” the former congressman said. His wife, Sandra, was sentenced 12 months in prison.

In this Feb. 20 photo, former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. leaves federal court in Washington.

Cliff Owen, File / AP

Former United States Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release Wednesday after admitting to stealing more than $750,000 in campaign funding for his personal use.

"I didn't separate my personal life from my political activities, and I couldn't have been more wrong," he told a Washington, D.C., court in a tearful apology.

Jackson, 48, pled guilty in February to conspiring to defraud his campaign for his own benefit. He used funds to buy Bruce Lee and Michael Jackson memorabilia, a Rolex watch, elk heads, and furs.

His wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandra Jackson, who signed off on the Congressman's fraudulent tax returns, was sentenced 12 months in prison after asking the court on Wednesday for the chance to be a "support system that my babies will require in the difficult months ahead." (The Jacksons have two children.)

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Jackson wept Wednesday as he asked the court for mercy in sentencing his wife.

"Give me her time," said Jackson, who's been treated for bipolar disorder and famously won reelection while in rehab.

"This is not [Bernie] Madoff," said Jackson lawyer Reid Weingarten, who tried to secure an 18-month sentence for Jesse and probation for Sandra. "This is not a Ponzi scheme. The courthouse is not ringed with victims demanding his head."

Jackson reportedly asked the court to send him to federal prison in Alabama, where it's "a little inconvenient for everybody to get to me."

John Liu Proposes Legalizing Marijuana In New York City

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Liu said legalizing marijuana could generate $400 million in revenue for the city.

Eduardo Munoz / Reuters

New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate John Liu declared the city's marijuana policies a failure Wednesday, calling for full legalization, both for medicinal and personal use.

"New York City's misguided war on marijuana has failed, and its enforcement has damaged far too many lives, especially in minority communities," Liu said.

Liu's office released a report claiming legalizing marijuana for adults 21 and over would generate more than $400 million in tax revenues in the first few years of the legislation.

The report also shows that although 42.3% of New York City marijuana users are White, they only account for 11.2% of marijuana arrests. On the other hand, Black and Hispanic users account for 32.4% and 13% of users respectively, but 51.4% and 34.8% of arrests.

The city doesn't actually have the authority to legalize marijuana for itself. A law would have to be passed through the state legislature. Liu said Sen. Liz Krueger is prepared to introduce a bill.

In June, the New York Assembly passed a bill that would allow the sale of medical marijuana in New York but the Senate never took it up.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have both come out against legalizing marijuana of any kind.

Earlier this year, Bloomberg called medical marijuana "one of the great hoaxes of all time."

Liu said that though he's never smoked marijuana himself, he wouldn't judge others who used it if it were to become legal.

"When people come to work they are fully expected to perform at work," Liu said. "According to the medical experts, marijuana is not more dangerous than alcohol. So to the extent that someone has a couple of beers, or a glass of wine every evening, according to the medical professionals marijuana is not too far off from that.

A recent poll put Liu in fifth place among candidates, but he said the timing of his report was not an effort to get a bump in the polls.

"I don't know what any of this would do to my poll numbers," he said.

Another mayoral candidate, Sal Albanese, has also called for legalizing and taxing marijuana.

For Olympics' Corporate Sponsors, Tough Questions That Most Are Eager To Avoid

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But GE steps forward over LGBT rights in Russia: “We expect the IOC to uphold human rights in every aspect of the Games.” Other Olympics sponsors back the International Olympic Committee attempt to avoid conflict with Putin.

olympic.org

NEW YORK CITY — As discussions about Russia's anti-LGBT laws dominate coverage of the lead-up to the planned Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, only one corporate sponsor of the Olympics, General Electric, is pressing the International Olympic Committee publicly for action in support of human rights in response to inquiries from BuzzFeed.

While several companies pointed to their own support for LGBT rights — including, as BuzzFeed reported Tuesday, Coca-Cola and McDonald's — few of the Games' key sponsors were willing to engage the IOC in any specific request for more action. Several, in fact, provided BuzzFeed with identical language backing the IOC's current position that it has received assurances from the Russian government that the games will not be affected by the new law banning LGBT "propaganda" being shown to minors.

A GE spokeswoman, however, told BuzzFeed: "We expect the IOC to uphold human rights in every aspect of the Games."

BuzzFeed inquired with all 10 of the Olympic Games' marquee sponsors, as well as several other sponsors, about their response to current questions about the anti-LGBT environment in Russia. On one end of the spectrum, the electronic company Panasonic dismissed the notion of engaging on the question of civil rights. The company "has no involvement in, and is not in a position to comment on political and social matters related to the Olympic Games or specific governments in any country or region," Panasonic's spokeswoman said in an email.

A spokesperson for Adecco, a workforce solutions company, said in an e-mailed response to BuzzFeed: "We're closely monitoring these developments, but I'm afraid we cannot offer a comment at this stage." Neither Procter & Gamble nor Microsoft provided BuzzFeed with any response to a request for comment.

The Olympics are big business for the sponsors, many of whom have a decades-old relationship with the Games and which provide the companies with opportunities to expand into emerging markets and improve their brand image across the globe. The political and human rights questions being raised about the Sochi Olympics raise difficult questions for companies eager to show their pro-LGBT efforts but also focused on the bottom line, with marketing budgets set sometimes years in advance.

IOC President Jacques Rogge

Harold Cunningham / Getty Images

Several major corporations said they would defer to the International Olympic Committee. Spokespeople from Dow Chemical, Samsung, McDonald's and Visa, for example, all provided BuzzFeed with statements that were similar to one another — down to the adjectives used, suggesting coordination among the sponsors or directly from the IOC itself — and which back the IOC's cautious engagement.

Dow and Visa led their statement by noting their status as "an Olympic TOP Partner," then stated their respective companies "believe[] in the spirit of the Games and its unique ability to unite the world in a way that is positive and inspirational." Samsung's statement led off with the same sentence, but noted the Games' ability to "engage" the world.

McDonald's, while noting, "There's no room for discrimination under the Golden Arches," reiterated the common response, with a spokeswoman telling BuzzFeed: "McDonald's supports the spirit of the Olympic Games and its ability to unite the world in a positive and inspirational way."

Dow and Visa went on to state, "We are engaged with the IOC on this important topic and support its recent statement that sport is a human right and the Games should be open to all, spectators, officials, media, and athletes, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation." McDonald's spokeswoman said, "Regarding the recent Russian legislation, we support the International Olympic Committee's belief that sport is a human right and the Olympic Games should be open to all, free of discrimination, and that applies to spectators, officials, media and athletes." Samsung, however, was even more vague, stating only, "We support the Olympic Movement and wish as many people as possible can take part in the Olympic Games."

The statement provided by GE was similar, but went a step further, suggesting a willingness to engage the IOC on its actions in the coming months.

"GE believes the Olympic Movement has many positive influences beyond the sports arena," Leigh Farris, a spokeswoman for the company, said in an e-mail to BuzzFeed. "GE speaks regularly with the IOC on a variety of topics, including issues of great concern like human rights. We strongly support the IOC's recent statement that sport is a human right and the Olympic Games should be open to all. We expect the IOC to uphold human rights in every aspect of the Games."

GE recently sold its remaining ownership in NBC — which has the exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics in the U.S.

Panasonic's full statement, provided by Gwennie Poor, an external spokeswoman for the company, was that "Panasonic has been contributing to the Olympic Games as an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner for more than 25 years, starting with the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games." She added that the company "strongly supports the Olympic Movement ideal of promoting world peace through sports" and, as noted, "has no involvement in, and is not in a position to comment on political and social matters related to the Olympic Games or specific governments in any country or region."

Others, like McDonald's, noted their own support for LGBT rights. Coca-Cola's spokeswoman noted the company has been a sponsor of the Olympics since 1928, pointed to its record as "a strong supporter of the LGBT community [that has] advocated for inclusion and diversity through both our policies and practices."

When it came to seeking action, however, Coca Cola fell back on the IOC's previous statements, telling BuzzFeed, "We take security very seriously, as does the IOC. The IOC has received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the games."

Atos, an information technology company, took a similar position, with a spokeswoman noting that it "operates and promotes diversity, and bans all forms of discrimination," but saying as to the Olympics, "The IOC position is clear and they will continue to address this important topic, through Sochi 2014, with the governmental authorities. We are fully confident that the IOC will do the right thing."


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President Obama Left The Situation Room To Play "15 Games Of Cards" During Bin Laden Raid

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UPDATED: The president’s former body man offers new details on what happened inside the White House the day Osama bin Laden was killed. “I’m not going to be down there. I can’t watch this entire thing,” Obama reportedly said.

President Obama was famously pictured with members of his national security team in the White House Situation Room on May 1, 2011, watching the U.S. Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

President Obama was famously pictured with members of his national security team in the White House Situation Room on May 1, 2011, watching the U.S. Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

Flickr: whitehouse

The commander-in-chief took part in "one in a series of meetings discussing the mission against Osama bin Laden, in the Situation Room," the White House said.

The commander-in-chief took part in "one in a series of meetings discussing the mission against Osama bin Laden, in the Situation Room," the White House said.

Flickr: whitehouse

But on the day of the raid, the president left the team in the Situation Room to play cards, according to his former body man, Reggie Love. (Comments begin at 6:15 mark.)

Love explained Obama typically worked a "half-day" on weekends, but on the day of the raid he worked "the entire day at the White House" until almost midnight.

"We sat around in the private dining room," Love told a small gathering of graduate students and faculty from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

"Most people were like down in the Situation Room and he [President Obama] was like, ‘I’m not going to be down there, I can’t watch this entire thing.' So he, myself, Pete Souza, the White House photographer, Marvin [Nicholson], we played, we must have played 15 games of spades."

Love later recalled the games were interrupted by a steady stream of dispatches from the staff in the Situation Room.

youtube.com

When the mission in Pakistan was over and bin Laden was confirmed dead, President Obama went to the Oval Office to edit remarks he planned to deliver in a televised address.

When the mission in Pakistan was over and bin Laden was confirmed dead, President Obama went to the Oval Office to edit remarks he planned to deliver in a televised address.

Flickr: whitehouse


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Banned Rodeo Clown Who Mocked Obama Is Invited By Congressman To Perform In Texas

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“I’m sure any rodeo in Texas would be proud to have performers.”

Texas Congressman Steve Stockman invited the rodeo clown who mocked Obama at the Missouri State Fair to perform at a rodeo in Texas' 36th District.

Texas Congressman Steve Stockman invited the rodeo clown who mocked Obama at the Missouri State Fair to perform at a rodeo in Texas' 36th District.

Jameson Hsieh / AP

A rodeo clown donned an Obama mask while another clown on a loudspeaker yelled: "We're going to stomp Obama now." "As soon as this bull comes out, Obama, don't you move. He's going to getcha, getcha getcha, getcha."

A rodeo clown donned an Obama mask while another clown on a loudspeaker yelled: "We're going to stomp Obama now." "As soon as this bull comes out, Obama, don't you move. He's going to getcha, getcha getcha, getcha."

Via cnn.com


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California Supreme Court Denies Requests To Stop Same-Sex Couples' Marriages

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“The petition for a writ of mandate is denied.”

Jana Asenbrennerova / Reuters

WASHINGTON — Two challenges to same-sex couples' marriage rights in California were turned away by the state's Supreme Court Wednesday.

The California Supreme Court denied the petitions filed by the proponents of California's marriage amendment, Proposition 8, and by the San Diego County Clerk, Ernest Dronenburg.

The cases had sought a ruling from the court that state officials lacked authority to mandate that Proposition 8 could no longer be enforced across the state, but the court denied those requests.

"The petition for a writ of mandate is denied," the court ordered in the proponents' case.

"The request for dismissal of the petition for a writ of mandate is granted," the court ordered in the clerk's case.

Update: California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris issued a statement:

"Once again, equality and freedom triumph in California. The California Supreme Court has denied the Proposition 8 proponents' latest attempt to deny same-sex couples their constitutional right to marry. I applaud the Court's decision and my office will continue to defend the civil rights of all Californians."

Cory Booker Supporters Look Past The Senate To The White House

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On the night of the Newark mayor’s first big election, fans say they’re ready for a Booker presidency. “Of course I want him to be mayor, then senator, then president.”

U.S. Senate candidate Cory Booker greets supporters after winning the Democratic primary election for the seat vacated by the late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

Mel Evans / AP

NEWARK — Five hours before topping the polls in his very first statewide election, Cory Booker got an earful from Faye Bowen, a 10-year resident of Newark who, while posing for a picture with her mayor, told him he better set his sights higher than the U.S. Senate.

"I hope you become president, dammit!" Bowen said as a campaign staffer snapped their photo in Newark Penn Station, where the candidate spent the afternoon greeting voters on Tuesday — primary day in New Jersey. Booker, who later that night would become the Democratic nominee in the special election to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, didn't acknowledge the comment, but kept a steady smile as Bowen bounced away from the crowd swelling around him.

Booker may not spend his idle hours thinking about a run for president — he said earlier this month that he, "unequivocally," has no interest in a White House run in 2016 — but his supporters certainly want him to consider it.

Voters backing Booker described the special election Tuesday as "just the beginning" for the two-term mayor who has long been a national figure, but whose career is extending for the first time beyond the city limits of Newark. Before and after Booker's victory speech outside the Prudential Center, many expressed the hope that the mayor likely bound for the Senate this fall would one day go all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue.

"I've been here, and I've seen the change from this mayor right here," said Bowen, 49. "Of course I want him to be mayor, then senator, then president — hey, hey, hey!" she laughed. "This is just the beginning for him."

Raquel Cagley, a lifelong resident of Newark, said Booker's new status as a statewide candidate gives him "a national platform where people can actually see him and know about him and his vision," she said after Booker's speech. Cagley, 40, was among the hundreds of supporters gathered to hear Booker speak.

"Absolutely without a doubt he will go beyond the senate," she said. "Everyone here has seen that from a long time ago. It's the first step of many more to come."

Chris Cashman, a registered Republican who said he hadn't voted for a Democrat in 30 years, vowed his support for Booker in the general election, scheduled for Oct. 16, and also voiced his confidence for the mayor's prospects in Washington.

"He's not going to fall into the traditional gridlock of Washington where they're just so entrenched in voting with their party," said Cashman, a 50-year-old resident of Princeton, citing a theme Booker himself highlighted in his speech Tuesday night. "He'll be able to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans."

"I do think he has the potential there to go all the way. I really do," Cashman said.

Booker, for his part, said he was focused on the general election ahead, where he'll face off against Republican nominee Steve Lonegan, the conservative former mayor of Bogota.

"It's absolutely my first statewide campaign," Booker said on his way out of the Prudential Center, as rain began to fall just after the candidate's speech came to a close. "I'm so excited to be able to represent the whole state, and especially in places where I think we need even more advocacy, for cities like Camden, Paterson, Passaic, Asbury Park."

"But we've got some challenges still to go through," Booker said. "We've got two tough months ahead. I can't take anything for granted. I'm going to make sure I try to earn every vote in New Jersey and also continue to serve the city of Newark."

Earlier this month, when asked by Politico if he would rule out a run for president in three years, Booker gave a definitive, "Absolutely, yes." He promised to finish Lautenberg's unfinished term and subsequently serve another six years in the upper chamber. "No presidential, no VP, no," he said.

Some fans at the Newark rally shared Booker's reluctance to look too far down the road. "I don't think he's thinking right now, 'Oh yeah, one day I'm gonna run for president,'" said Andrea de Sa, a 22-year-old local resident. "I'm just really excited about where is right now, and I think that's where he wants to be."

Obama Condemns Egypt Violence, Cancels Military Exercise

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No change in yearly aid to Egypt’s military.

President Obama spoke Thursday from his rented vacation home on Martha’s Vineyard.

Jim Watson/AFP-Getty Images

WASHINGTON — President Obama condemned the recent violence in Egypt and announced that a planned joint military exercise between the U.S. and Egypt would be cancelled on Thursday.

"The United States strongly condemns the steps that have been taken by Egypt's interim government and security forces," Obama said from his vacation on Martha's Vineyard in an audio address broadcast live on television with no accompanying video of the president. "We deplore violence against civilians. We oppose the pursuit of martial law."

Obama announced that the military will not participate in a planned "Bright Star" military exercise with Egypt, which normally takes place every two years. He said that the Egyptian government had been notified of the cancellation this morning. The U.S. had also cancelled the exercise in 2011 in the wake of protests that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.

Obama did not announce any change in the $1.3 billion in military aid the United States gives to Egypt every year and indicated that the U.S. would be able to work with the current military government if it pursues a democratic path.

"Given the depths of our partnership with Egypt, our national security interest in this pivotal part of the world and our belief that engagement can support a transition back to a democratically elected civilian government, we've sustained our commitment to Egypt and its people," Obama said. But he did suggest there could be "further steps that we may take as necessary with regard to the U.S.-Egyptian relationship."

"The Egyptian people deserve better than what we've seen over the past few days," Obama said. "We call on the Egyptian authorities to respect the universal rights of the people." Obama also called on pro-Morsi protesters to protest "peacefully" and called for the state of emergency to be lifted.

"Today the United States extends its condolences to the families of those who were killed and those who were wounded," Obama said.

Over 500 Egyptians died on Wednesday in clashes between security forces and supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi, who was ousted by the military in July. The Obama administration has resisted calling the move a coup.

Members of the Egyptians Army walk among the smoldering remains of the largest protest camp of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, that was cleared by security forces, in Cairo.

Ahmed Gomaa / AP

Video of President Obama's Remarks


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Republican Congressman: If We Try To Defund Obamacare, We Lose The House Of Representatives

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“And whether we win the battle or not, we’ve lost the war because Nancy Pelosi’s now speaker of the House.”

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Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Wednesday that if Republicans went forward with a plan supported by some conservatives to defund Obamacare in an upcoming vote they would lose the House of Representatives to Democrats in the 2014 midterm elections. Kinzinger was speaking at an Americans for Prosperity Illinois chapter meeting in Rochelle, Illinois.

"Potentially there will be a collapse of will to keep the government shut down because soldiers are not getting paid and all this other stuff's happening and we turn around and lose 10 to 20 seats in 2014," Kinzinger said. "And whether we win the battle or not, we've lost the war because Nancy Pelosi's now speaker of the House."

"This is not a disagreement on whether or not we hate the health care bill," the congressman continued. "This is a disagreement on tactics in terms of what is the best way to ensure that in the future we can repeal this law without bringing down the American economy or bringing down the Republican majority in the House."

Later, Kinzinger added: "I don't think the defunding thing is going to work, and I think we are going to lose the House in 2014, potentially."

In another video of the event posted on YouTube, the Illinois congressman called the Obama administration's response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, "inexcusable" and "un-American."

Watch both videos of the event below.

On defunding Obamacare:

youtube.com

On Benghazi:

youtube.com


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Can A Campus Book Club Save The Republican Party?

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Probably not, but Karin Agness wants to provide a safe place for conservative women at liberal colleges. “Something the party’s really excited about,” says an RNC spokesperson.

Alderman Library on the campus of UVA.

After completing an exhilarating Capitol Hill internship in 2004, Karin Agness returned to University of Virginia eager to find a group of conservative women with whom she could continue her political education. But when she approached the school's women's center about co-sponsoring a club to that end, she was rebuffed by a faculty member.

"She just looked at me like I was crazy," Agness recalled. "She chuckled and said, 'Not here.'"

Undeterred, Agness founded her own club for young conservative college women — an organization, Network of enlightened Women (NeW), that has since grown to 20 chapters on campuses across the country, and that Republicans hope will offer a foothold in their outreach to an elusive voting demographic: female college students.

According to 2012 exit polls, Mitt Romney won only 36% of women under 30 years old. Republican National Committee spokesperson Sarah Isgur-Flores blamed the party's trouble reaching these voters, in part, on their message getting "distorted through the lens of liberal academia."

"We're a party of ideas that really resonate with college students," said Isgur-Flores. "Liberty, self-governance — once they hear those ideas from us, they're meaningful and they identify with them. I think part of this for us is finding messengers and getting them on college campuses."

As part of the effort to elevate such messengers, the RNC identified Agness as a "rising star" at their summer meeting in Boston this week and touted her work with NeW, which operates as a campus book club for conservative women. Suggested tomes that appear on their book list include Domestic Tranquility: A Brief Against Feminism; Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade; and Rick Santorum's book It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good.

"There's no question that we have to expand among college-aged women," Isgur-Flores said. "Here's someone reaching young women at an early age with a conservative message on college campuses. That's something the party's really excited about."

But Agness' own experience demonstrates how difficult it can be to turn a conservative club into a widespread movement on a progressive college campus.

At NeW's second meeting, two writers for a "feminist magazine" on campus showed up and later wrote a cover story that was accompanied by an illustration of a young woman holding a recipe book and standing next to an assembly line that was spitting out babies.

"That just really confirmed to me the need for NeW on campus," Agness said. "These young women show up on campus and what do they find? They're faced with chapters of liberal feminist organizations like the National Organization for Women, they're faced with women's studies programs pushing radical feminist ideas, and women's centers that are not open to all women. It's all pushing them to the left either overtly or covertly."

Of course, Democrats argue that college women vote for their candidates because they tend to align on key social issues, including abortion rights and access to contraception. And even Agness is under no delusions that a campus book club will convert vast numbers of liberal women to her cause. Instead, NeW functions as a safe place for conservatives temporarily residing in enemy territory (academia).

"There's a real niche that needs to be filled to provide a home to conservative women," Agness said.

Republican Congressman Wants "Citizen Advocate" For NSA Surveillance

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“My mom is not a terrorist.”

Republican Rep. James Lankford said he wants a "citizen advocate" involved in the process of procuring data through FISA court orders for National Security Agency surveillance practices. Lankford was speaking at a "Tuesday Talk Town Hall" in his district.

"There's a right way to fix it and a wrong way to fix," Lankford said in response to a question from a member of the audience about why he didn't support fellow Republican Rep. Justin Amash's attempt to curb the NSA's ability to collect phone data from Americans. "I want to fix it the right way and I want to make sure it's actually fixed."

Lankford went on to give examples of ways he would "fix" the NSA's ability to get phone data on American citizens.

"One of them is: why are we collecting this information? The actual phone companies already have that information, why aren't we just asking the phone companies to hang onto it and if we have to get a court order to come back to it, that's no different than what a current court order is now," Lankford said.

Lankford went on to describe the need for the "citizen advocate" in the process saying "my mom is not a terrorist."

"There's also no citizen advocate that's involved in this process. There's a FISA court that's involved in it, that no one has access to other than the intelligence committees. There's no citizen advocate that represents me. There's no reason that the government should have my mom's phone records to be able to pull that and not have someone actually speaking out for my mom, if no one else has access to that. My mom is not a terrorist."

"That amendment did not fix that," Lankford conclude before saying the challenge of the process was needing to balance civil liberties with the ability to protect Americans.

The video of Lankford's remarks has been embedded below.

youtube.com

U.S. Doesn't Join Allies In Calling For U.N. Security Council Meeting On Egypt

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A minor mystery in Turtle Bay.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

WASHINGTON — The United States Mission to the United Nations did not join two other permanent members and one non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council in calling for an emergency meeting on the situation in Egypt on Thursday.

The United Kingdom, France, and Australia all called for a Security Council meeting on the recent violent clashes in Egypt, which is set to take place this afternoon at 5:30 p.m. Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson will brief the participants, according to Inner City Press.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the U.N. did not respond to repeated inquiries about why the United States didn't join its allies in asking for a meeting.

"That's a question for the US Mission to the UN," said U.N. spokesperson Martin Nesirky when asked about the U.S.'s participation.

Meanwhile, U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power is holding a Twitter town hall under the #whatmatters hashtag. Power did not respond to a query from BuzzFeed about the meeting. She has weighed in on the Egypt crisis on her Twitter feed:

Over 600 Egyptians died this week in clashes between Egyptian security forces and supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, according to the latest numbers from the Egyptian Health Ministry. President Obama condemned the violence this morning but made it clear that the U.S. does not plan to cut off its $1.3 billion in annual aid to Egypt's military.

According to U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq, the last time a Security Council resolution was passed on the topic of Egypt was in 1978.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that was the last time Egypt was discussed in Security Council consultations, since the titles of the consultations do not necessarily reflect whether Egypt came up or not," Haq said. "In fact, the title for today's consultations is simply 'the situation in the Middle East,' and that may have happened in earlier times. But certainly Egypt has not previously come up in recent years."

Update: "The President and the Secretary have expressed our serious concerns about events in Egypt, condemned the violence and called for an end to a state of emergency," said Erin Pelton, spokesperson for Power. "U.S. officials at every level are working to urge the Egyptian authorities to deescalate the situation and ensure the universal rights of the Egyptian people are respected. We continue to consult with our partners internationally as well as in NY regarding the situation in Egypt, and we look forward to hearing from D/SYG Eliasson on this issue at 5:30 pm tonight." (5:23 p.m.)


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MSNBC + Politico = Washington, D.C.'s Cable News Network

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On cable news, MSNBC still proves to be the place for politics.

Despite transforming itself from "the place for politics" to a shamelessly left-leaning political media outlet while in the midst of an almost constant struggle with CNN for second place in the cable news ratings war, MSNBC has managed to stay relevant in the world of political news by using one weird trick: blanketing the airwaves with politicians and journalists from D.C. and New York who practically live on Twitter.

With Jeff Zucker's CNN drifting away from politics and toward celebrity stories and true crime — and Fox News sticking closely to its stable of "Republican strategists" and in-house conservative pundits — MSNBC has its pick of the entire political press corps. And it has made itself central to the online political conversation by sending its black town cars to collect younger, web-savvy politicos who spend all day chattering about the ins and outs of the game online.

The most notable example of their model is the almost constant presence of two of D.C.'s most influential political media outlets on the network — The Washington Post and Politico.

More than a few Washington Post reporters, like blogger king Chris Cillizza and Nia-Malika Henderson, are almost ubiquitous with the network's programming, sometimes making multiple appearances on different shows throughout the day and night. Some Post employees moonlight as paid MSNBC contributors, meaning you'll definitely see Ezra Klein, Jonathan Capehart, Gene Robinson, or all three on any given day.

Politico's deal with MSNBC seems quite different, even though the desired results are the same for the network. Including the longtime branded "Playbook" segment on Morning Joe, Politico blankets MSNBC's dayside programming — literally from dawn to dusk — with its reporters, minus that pesky "contributor" status.

To get an idea of how ubiquitous Politico is on MSNBC, compare its total appearances on the network over a four-month period with that of CNN. Note: Fox News has a reported "lifetime ban" on Politico:


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National Democrats Cast New Jersey Senate Candidate As Symbol Of GOP Rebranding Struggles

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Steve Lonegan, the Republican senate nominee barely known outside the state, is about to get a lot of attention — but not from his own party. “No one in New Jersey cares what the RNC thinks anyway,” the Lonegan camp says.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan, with his wife Lorraine by his side, makes his victory speech after securing the nomination in the special election primary.

Rich Schultz / AP

He calls social security a "Ponzi scheme," advocates for the "destruction" of Medicare and Medicaid, denounces Spanish-language advertisements as "racial profiling marketing," and describes Cory Booker, his new opponent in the New Jersey senate election, as a "socialist" who just "can't wait to pull the race card."

His name is Steve Lonegan, and Democrats in Washington really want you to meet him.

When Lonegan, the former mayor of Bogota and a recurrent Tea Party candidate in New Jersey, won the Republican nomination in this year's race to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, national Democratic organizations saw an opening to pan the Republican National Committee's extensive overhaul effort earlier this year. The party's "autopsy report," a 100-page document released by the RNC following Mitt Romney's loss to President Obama, suggested Republicans embrace immigration reform and create "a tone that 'welcomes in'" minority communities.

Five minutes after Lonegan topped the polls in the primary Tuesday night, reporters' inboxes lit up with a memo and video from American Bridge 21st Century: "The new face of the 'rebranded' GOP."

The political action committee's email would soon be followed by like-minded statements from the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. With Booker leading in the polls by an average of 20 points, Democrats in Washington are poised to focus more on pushing Lonegan to the foreground than helping message for their own candidate.

"This is less about Steve Lonegan and more about the national Republicans," said Michael Czin, a spokesman for the DNC. "They did this autopsy five months ago, and this is what they have? Look at the races we've seen since — Mark Sanford, Gabriel Gomez, and now Steve Lonegan."

"They clearly haven't learned from their mistakes," Czin said. "It's a distinction without a difference: The end result is they have far-right candidates who are going to cost them an election."

Lonegan, whose positions on nearly every issue line up with the most conservative wing of the party, is to the right of Gov. Chris Christie, whom he ran against in the 2009 gubernatorial primary: He opposes marriage equality, gun restrictions, and abortion, even in cases of rape and incest; he is hawkish on immigration reform; he wants to "dismantle" the Internal Revenue Service; and he rejects climate change. In his victory speech Tuesday night in Secaucus, Lonegan closed with a line from revolutionary Patrick Henry: "Give me liberty or give me death!"

"The Republican establishment can put out all the autopsies they want, but unless they put out concrete steps to address the problem, they're going to keep getting nominees like Steve Lonegan," said Chris Harris, communications director for American Bridge.

The PAC's web video, released Tuesday night, juxtaposes footage of Lonegan on the campaign trail with soundbites from RNC chairman, Reince Priebus, presenting the rebranding report at the National Press Club in March. "We're done with business as usual," Priebus says in the video, as an illustrated neon marquee flickers in the corner of the screen: "New and improved GOP."

Rick Shaftan, Lonegan's chief strategist, said the nominee's response to the American Bridge video was, simply, "Yeah so? That's the best they got?"

Shaftan dismissed the RNC autopsy authors as "apologists for Mitt Romney's failed campaign," and argued that Lonegan shouldn't be concerned with Republicans in Washington. "Karl Rove and Ari Fleischer? The ones responsible for losing everything? We're supposed to listen to them?" asked Shaftan. "We should do the opposite of everything they suggest."

"No one in New Jersey cares what the RNC thinks anyway," Shaftan said.

Harris compared Lonegan to past Republican candidates, like Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana, whose controversial comments cost them senate wins. "I think he's more of the Ken Buck model, really," Harris said, referring to the Colorado district attorney who bungled his 2010 senate run with a series of inflammatory statements. "He's not some kook. He's extremely experienced at being extremely conservative, and he's been around politics for a long time. He's not new to the game."

Lonegan raised eyebrows earlier this month when his campaign tweeted, and then deleted, a hand-drawn map of Newark labeled with the names of African and Middle Eastern countries under a caption that read, "Cory Booker's foreign policy debate prep." After Booker called the tweet "deplorable," Lonegan accused his opponent of pulling "the race card."

Despite the upset over the tweet, the GOP apparatus has endorsed Lonegan in the race. In a statement released Tuesday night, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, Sen. Jerry Moran, lauded Lonegan as "just the type of commonsense conservative we need," and an RNC spokeswoman told Roll Call Thursday the organization would support the nominee.

"It's surprising to see the NRSC back someone so extreme after they promised to recruit mainstream candidates," said Justin Barasky, a spokesman with the DSCC. Barasky described the organization's future involvement in the race as a combination of "whatever needs to be done to elect Cory Booker, and be helpful in pointing out the difference between" the two candidates.

The Longean campaign, said Shaftan, is "looking forward" to the attention from national Democratic groups, arguing the added media would "just get people more excited."

An RNC spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC that specializes in opposition research, released a web ad Tuesday contrasting Steve Lonegan with the GOP's ongoing rebranding effort.

American Bridge / YouTube

Meet Maurice Bonamigo, Fake U.S. Senator

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An Egyptian newspaper ran an interview with a “Republican U.S. Senator” who heartily supported the security services’ bloody crackdown in Cairo. By “Republican U.S. Senator” they meant “hairstylist in Palm Beach.”

WASHINGTON — An Egyptian newspaper published an interview on Thursday with a man presented as a Republican U.S. senator who is in reality not in Congress at all, but instead a hairstylist from Palm Beach who now runs a political consulting firm.

The Egypt Independent's piece with the headline "Firm action against terror must be taken, Republican senator says," features one Maurice Bonamigo, who is identified as the senator in question. In the interview, Bonamigo comes out strongly in favor of the Egyptian military's violence against civilians, saying, "Peaceful means are important, but in Egypt these days, where terrorist groups carry out acts of violence, firm action must be taken."

But Bonamigo is not a senator, or a member of Congress at all. He is listed as a cast member in Gay Republicans, a documentary from 2004 about gay people supporting George W. Bush, and is identified as a hairdresser based in Palm Beach, Florida.

Bonamigo also runs a political consulting firm, Maurice Bonamigo & Associates, with associates in Egypt, the Congo, and Nigeria. The company has an address in Chicago.

In the "Who We Are" section of the website, Bonamigo claims to be a "successful entrepreneur, who has interacted with every layer of society that comprises the United States of America."

The blurb continues:

His consistent mentoring of the underprivileged, the uneducated and the less fortunate has led to his well earned respect and success. He is a passionate political public speaker actively participating in numerous campaigns throughout the United States and abroad. His support to the President Bush was noticeable as his voice is clear and his thoughts, persuasive. Bonamigo and Associates knows what it takes to win political campaigns. Running for office requires dedication, knowhow and support from a well qualified team. From image, to public speaking to raising funds, his firm will work side by side with you and ensure that all odds are on your side.Among his peers, Maurice is a strong advocate of conservative ideals and does not allow time for trivial issues. Not surprisingly, the Washington power elite as well as many states around the country stand behind Maurice Bonamigo as a true leader and a friend.

Bonamigo appears to have a keen interest in Egypt; this is not the first time he's weighed in on Egyptian politics in the Egyptian press. His website lists a number of TV and newspaper interviews from recent weeks. He's also been weighing in on his Twitter feed:


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Plaintiffs In Discrimination Case Call On Eliot Spitzer To "Make Right What His Father Messed Up"

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As the Spitzer name returns to headlines and the case returns to trial, the plaintiffs turn their attention to the New York City comptroller candidate. “This has nothing to do with Eliot,” says a spokeswoman.

Plaintiffs Trevor Morris, Akim Rodriguez, and Anthony Haydenn stand in front of the Bernard Spitzer-owned East 57th Street apartment building, where they worked in 1999.

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

As former governor Eliot Spitzer makes an increasingly likely return to public office, three plaintiffs in a longstanding racial discrimination case against his father, Bernard Spitzer, are calling on the New York City comptroller candidate to "make right what his father messed up" as they return to trial this fall.

In 1999, four African-Americans who worked for one of Bernard Spitzer's luxury apartment buildings as doormen and porters alleged they had been fired for the color of their skin.

Trevor Morris, Anthony Haydenn, Akim Rodriguez, and Leonard Boyce, who has since passed away, claimed they had been asked to vacate the lobby whenever Bernard Spitzer was on his way in or out of the 34-story apartment building, located at 150 East 57th Street. Haydenn, at the time, said he was asked to clean the toilets with a toothbrush, a task not assigned to the lighter-skinned doormen.

Bernard Spitzer, who owns a portfolio of properties in Manhattan and Washington, D.C., denied engaging in discrimination, explaining he hadn't known about the plaintiffs' discharge until the suit.

"I don't see the blackness or whiteness or pinkness or yellowness of a doorman," the elder Spitzer said during his testimony in 2008, when the dispute finally saw trial in the State Supreme Court in the Bronx. "I have a mind that focuses on the fact that he is a doorman and functions as a doorman."

A six-person jury ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, awarding them a total of $1.3 million in damages, lost wages, and emotional distress. But in 2011, after an appeal from Bernard Spitzer and his lawyers, an appellate court said a new trial was needed due to inadmissible hearsay from Haydenn's testimony that had been allowed into evidence.

The trial has already been delayed five times since the appeal, according to court documents, but a new trial date is now set for Nov. 27 of this year.

Bernard Spitzer's real estate fortune has been central to his son's public life: Eliot Spitzer has lived in his father's buildings, and the family wealth helped elect him state attorney general and funded a last-minute petition blitz that put him in the race for comptroller.

At the time of the discrimination charge, Eliot Spitzer was not involved in the management of Spitzer Enterprises, the family real estate business, or of the apartment building in question; he had just been elected attorney general. But he has since taken on an "extremely active" role in managing the portfolio, according to a report in Capital New York, as his father, now 89, suffers from Parkinson's disease. A New Yorker review of his tax returns showed Spitzer's income as a landlord has increased from $1.4 million in 2006 to $2.56 million in 2012.

Spitzer family spokeswoman Lisa Linden said Eliot is still involved in the real estate business, even as he campaigns against Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer for the Democratic nomination in the comptroller's race. But Linden said Spitzer does not, and would not, have any involvement in the ongoing trial.

Even so, the three surviving plaintiffs have zeroed in on the defendant's son as the Spitzer name has returned to headlines amid the comptroller's race. Two weeks ago, Haydenn approached the Stringer campaign's spokeswoman, who referred him to reporters. In an interview facilitated by the campaign, with BuzzFeed and the historic black paper The Amsterdam News, the plaintiffs seemed as interested in appealing to Eliot for help as they did in tying him to the alleged sins of his father.

"He has to make right what his father messed up," said Haydenn, who was the first of the four men to get fired because of a confrontation with the superintendent he placed at "two weeks before Christmas."

"Being that he inherited the real estate company, we just want him to make it right," Haydenn, 48, added. "And he has the authority to do that. It seems as though these people would spend $10 million fighting you before they see you get $1 million that you won justifiably. That's just a great form of hypocrisy."

Morris, 41, said Eliot Spitzer shouldn't "be punished for what his father did, but he should take responsibility since he is in charge of his father's business now."

"He should step up to the plate and do what's right," said Morris. "With that being said, he comes from privilege. The fact that he was already in office, and lost his office, and now he's running again, shows the arrogance of this man, just like his father. They're one in the same."

Morris said he has cringed watching Spitzer's television ads for the comptroller's race. He pointed to one in particular that boasts, "Didn't matter what your politics were, where you lived, or what color you happened to be," the narrator says. "If someone was taking advantage of you, that someone heard from him. Loudly."

Rodriguez, 46, said he has no interest in settling out of court; he hopes the case sees full trial again. "We want justice. We were wrongly fired. I think they need to do right by us," Rodriguez said. "We're not looking for money. But we did our job, and I don't know why we're still not working there."

Haydenn, Morris, and Rodriguez claim Bernard Spitzer had an unjust advantage in his 2011 appeal because one of the appellate court judges listed on the opinion, Justice Karla Moskowitz, was appointed in 2007 by his son, then still governor. "It was an unfair court of appeals from the get-go," Haydenn said. "If it's going to be re-tried, we just want a fair shake. That's all."

Morris said he is confident they can win their case again, even without the piece of evidence excluded as hearsay. "The fact that we lost in the appellate court over a fragment of the case, a segment, just a little part of what somebody's statement was — it's kind of crazy," he said. "We already won, and I figure we're gonna win again."

Asked what made their case strong, Haydenn alleged that after the four men were fired the building hired only light-skinned men. "He didn't look at us as people, but as material to be moved around and discarded," he said of Bernard.

Eliot Spitzer, who resigned from the governorship in 2008 in the wake of a prostitution scandal, has denied any connection to the case.

Linden, the spokeswoman for the Spitzer family, said the following in a statement to BuzzFeed: "The initial verdict was an atrocious injustice against Bernard Spitzer, which the court appropriately reversed. There is absolutely no evidence supporting the allegations of discrimination made in the complaint. This has nothing to do with Eliot, and any attempt to smear him or his dad is both desperate and despicable."

Trevor Morris and Anthony Haydenn, pictured, say they expect to return to trial this November.

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

Alabama Republicans Seek To Purge Young Conservative Over Marriage Views

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A generational civil war in the heart of Dixie. “She’s a 23-year-old girl who’s being bullied by some 50- and 60-year-old people because she made a statement in the paper.”

Senior members of the Alabama Republican Party are trying to kick a 23-year-old college Republican off their steering committee after she told a local news site that same-sex marriage was reasonable because "we're governed by the constitution and not the Bible."

Stephanie Petelos, who chairs the College Republicans Federation of Alabama, made the comments to AL.com in June shortly after the Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage in June. The state party's chair, Bill Armistead, had called decision "an affront to the Christian principles that this nation was founded on."

Petelos didn't make reference to Armistead directly, but instead argued that the marriage issue was a generational one, and that fiery religion-themed political rhetoric could alienate younger conservatives.

"The majority of students don't derive the premise of their argument for or against gay marriage from religion, because we're governed by the constitution and not the Bible," Petelos said.

Though some young Republicans have come out in support of gay marriage, Petelos said even more probably believe in it but remain quiet in fear of retribution.

"I think a lot of people would be actively for it if they didn't live in fear of backlash from party leaders," she said. "We don't want to go against the party, we love the party. We're just passionate about a whole list of other issues, that's why we're involved."

Petelos told BuzzFeed that some members of the state party's leadership were furious when her comments were published, and they began discussing ways to oust her from the party's steering committee, which always guarantees a spot for the college Republican chair. She eventually struck a deal with the leadership.

"If I didn't talk to any more press, or post on Facebook, or use any of my influence to talk about gay marriage, then they would not try to continue removing me from the steering committee," Petelos said.

Petelos said she has kept up her end of the deal, and she declined to answer BuzzFeed's questions about the marriage issue. But she said one member of the steering committee, Bonny Sachs, has continued a campaign to get rid of her, and has been ginning up support among members of the state party.

Sachs proposed a change to the state party bylaws this week that would stipulate that anyone who voiced an opinion contrary to the Republican National Committee's national platform would be removed from the steering committee — a move many acknowledge directly targets Petelos.

Reached for comment, Sachs told BuzzFeed only, "It's an internal issue that the party will handle."

The local intra-party conflict comes at a time when the national GOP is trying to broaden its appeal and build a new national coalition of voters that includes young social moderates. In fact, the RNC published a report in January that included a call to be more tolerant of a range of opinions on gay rights.

"Already, there is a generational difference within the conservative movement about issues involving the treatment and the rights of gays — and for many younger voters, these issues are a gateway into whether the Party is a place they want to be," the RNC report read.

The Alabama state party will vote on the change to the bylaws next week. In the meantime, some Alabama Republicans are fuming over the efforts to punish an active young Republican for expressing an opinion that is increasingly popular among her generational peers.

"She's a 23-year-old girl who's being bullied by some 50- and 60-year-old people because she made a statement in the paper," said Chris Brown, former chair of the Young Republican Federation of Alabama.

"I think that our party is big enough for diverse opinions," Brown added. "Some of our extreme right conservatives don't want diverse opinions."

The proposed change to the bylaws:

The proposed change to the bylaws:

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