Hanging chad in N.Y. House race? Murphy, Tedisco 65 votes apart out of 150,000

With all precincts reporting and more than 150,000 votes counted in Tuesday's special congressional election in New York's 20th District, the tallies for the Republican and Democratic candidates were separated by 65 votes.

Other than that, it was a blowout in a traditionally GOP district that nonetheless has elected a Democrat to its House seat in every election since November 2005. Meaning twice.

So now 58-year-old Republican Assemblyman Jim Tedisco and 38-year-old local venture capitalist Scott Murphy, who holds the slim lead, must await final counting of some 10,000 absentee ballots, which will be accepted until April 13.

Wanna bet if it stays close someone goes to court a la Minnesota without all the Scandinavians?

The victor will replace Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, who replaced Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Senate, according to the appointment by New York Democratic Gov. David Paterson, who replaced Democrat Eliot Spitzer, who resigned for reasons of apolitical naughtiness.

As The Ticket has thoroughly reported, the interim race in the 20th District was seen as something of a minor referendum on the spending policies of President Barack Obama and the effectiveness of newly installed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.

None of whom could vote in the upstate district. But since when has that stopped folks from spending some $2 million of other people's money in political campaigns? Which must be run all over again next year.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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At London G-20, Obama's first appearance as you've never seen him

 

President Barack Obama, on his first overseas trip, for the G-20 summit and showing that trademark smile, gets a last-minute coiffeur adjustment from an aide before making his first public appearance.

In London.

As a wax figure in Madame Tussaud's famous wax museum.

Gee, Queen Elizabeth II looks a lot larger on television, don't you think?

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Joel Ryan / Associated Press

Now, Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's latest Health nominee, also reports back-tax errors

Maybe having back-tax problems is a new requirement to join the new White House administration. Today, news of more "unintentional errors" on back income taxes for another Barack Obama Cabinet nominee.

The Associated Press is reporting this afternoon that Kansas Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, the president's latest nominee to head the giant Health and Human Services Department, has divulged to a Senate committee that she has now paid in excess of $7,000 in back taxes plus $878 interest since her nomination.

Sebelius was actually a replacement Obama nominee for ex-Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle, who admitted paying about $140,000 in back taxes and penalties from recent years. Others, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, performance officer Nancy Kelleher and ex-Democratic Rep. and now Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, also had back-tax problems, which were paid up and disclosed after their nominations.

Kelleher, like Daschle, withdrew her name. The others were confirmed anyway.

AP reports Sebelius said her accountant uncovered the mistakes to her benefit while reviewing documents for her and her husband, Gary, a federal magistrate, in preparation for Senate hearings including this Thursday before the Finance Committee. The "unintentional errors" involved charitable and mortgage deductions, she said.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Obama's team actually prefers foreign car brands

Ooops, it seems that many on President Obama's team, including those seeking to save the American automobile industry, do not actually drive vehicles from the American automobile industry.

According to a study by the Detroit News and a White House parking lot survey by Politico.com, neither do Obama's White House staffers.

Before leaving for Europe (where the Secret Service had pre-placed Obama's new armored Cadillac), the president dished out some rhetorical tough love Monday to U.S. automakers.

He canned the CEO of GM (the UAW president remained, not receiving bailout money), gave the giant 60 days to reorganize and directed Chrysler to do a merge deal with Italy's Fiat in 30 days in order to remain an American company. (Let it go, it makes sense in Washington.)

The Politico survey of cars parked next to the White House found only five U.S. brand cars out of 23 (a Dodge, two Fords, a Jeep and a Cadillac). The News found that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who didn't have the money to pay his $20,000+ in back taxes until they became a confirmation problem, did acquire a 2008 Acura.

Lawrence Summers, head of the president's National Economic Council, drives a Mazda. Director of the Office of Management and Budget Peter Orszag drives a Honda and a Volvo. Economic advisor Austan Goolsbee drives a Toyota. VP Joe Biden's economic advisor Jared Bernstein prefers a Honda.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican, however, went American with a Buick and a Ford Escape hybrid.

-- Andrew Malcolm drives a Pontiac Vibe

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Photo: Associated Press (Geithner).

Newt Gingrich finds religion — takes vow of silence

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, known for his nimble mind and fondness for debate, converted to Catholicism over the weekend at St. Joseph's Church in Washington. Then the former Georgia congressman and onetime Baptist went into a cone of silence, not giving interviews or even Twittering.

In his blog called God and Country, Dan Gilgoff wrote,

So far, Gingrich has been conspicuously quiet about his conversion. He didn't mention it in an interview with me earlier this month that focused on his stepped-up efforts to organize religious conservatives and promote religious liberty issues. An enthusiastic Twitterer, the former speaker has gone tweetless since Saturday.

The twice-divorced Gingrich, who has confessed to previous marital infidelities, converted to the faith of his third wife, Calista Bisek. And politicos are already speculating that the conversion will help shore up his position with values voters as he contemplates another race for the presidency in 2012.

Deal Hudson, who founded the Catholic magazine Crisis and advised George W. Bush's political guru Karl Rove, argues that the Gingrich's conversion represents a personal and political cleansing.

"From a Catholic point of view,” Hudson told the Daily Beast's Max Blumenthal, “Newt’s sins no longer exist — they’ve been absolved. He’s made a fresh start in life. So Newt will continue to sin and confess but there aren’t going to be a lot of Catholics who will hold that against him. They understand why being a Catholic makes a difference.”

Former Rep. Vin Weber (R-Minn.), himself a Catholic, attended the Sunday service with his wife. The lobbyist at Clark & Weinstock quipped that the event was different from others he'd attended with Gingrich because "it was the only event with Newt where he didn’t give a speech.”

-- Johanna Neuman

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Photo Credit: Associated Press

Polls open in a New York state of mind

They're calling it a referendum on President Obama's economic policies  and on the strength of his coattails. It's also a crucial marker for embattled Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who has called the race a priority and who needs a victory to steady his rocky start.

By whatever name, today's special election to replace Kirsten Gillibrand -- elevated to the U.S. Senate by Gov. David Paterson when Hillary Rodham Clinton left to become Obama's secretary of State -- in NY20 is shaping up as a hell of a contest.

This is a conservative, upstate, gun-loving district, where Republicans have a 70,000-voter registration advantage but where Obama won in November.

Democrat Scott Murphy  has embraced all things Obama, including the president's $787-billion stimulus plan. Republican James Tedisco has lashed out against deficit spending and welcomed helped from Steele, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and even robocall help from longtime crooner Pat Boone.

The latest Siena Research Institute poll shows Murphy ahead by four points (47% to 43%), a come-from-behind position after trailing Tedisco by 12 points in February (46% to 34%).

If Republicans win, look for them to champion the end of the Obama honeymoon and use the victory to energize their voters in upcoming gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. If they lose, look for Democrats to crow about the president's continuing popularity and chances for Democrats to hold or boost their margins in the nation's gubernatorial races as well as the House and the Senate.

But Charlie Cook, whose Cook Political Report is a must-read for Washington's politicos, is dubious about how much the race means for the national landscape. In his CongressDaily column today, he writes:

Assuming that the margin in this upstate contest to fill the seat of newly-appointed Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is three or four points or less, my advice is to respond "that's nice," then yawn, and walk away. What is more important is if there is a uniform direction to several odd-year elections. If, for example, Republicans were to win tonight and knock off Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey in November, and pick up the open governor seat in Virginia, then it is fair to say that they will have exorcised the demons of 2006 and 2008.

And, he added, "if Democrats hold NY20 as well as New Jersey and Virginia, they can enter 2010 knowing that even if the wind isn't at their backs, there also isn't a headwind."

-- Johanna Neuman

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Photo (above left): James Tedisco. Credit: Reuters

Photo (above right): Scott Murphy. Credit: Reuters

Web lights up with protests over Obama's dismissal of marijuana legalization

President Obama probably didn't anticipate that his brief dismissal of marijuana legalization during the online town hall would light up a potent movement of support for decriminalization.

The fact that he even addressed such a controversial and oft-ignored topic impressed some. But the way he seemed to deride the question angered manywho quickly expressed their dissent online in website comments, on blogs and throughout social networks.

"There was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation," the president said during the town hall, amongst a thunder of laughter from the crowd. "And I don't know what this says about the online audience." More laughter.

"The answer is, no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy," Obama said.

No further explanation given. Next question.

His short response was not only disconcerting for marijuana supporters but also a bit perplexing. After all, Obama called for marijuana decriminalization during ...

How are you spending Seward's Day? Sarah Palin calls it historic

Millions of us showed up for work today, stupidly forgetting it's a major holiday.

At least in Alaska.

Gov. Sarah Palin marked the state holiday with a special release celebratng the 142nd anniversary of the final signing of the purchase of what became the naton's largest state from Russia.

Once called Seward's folly for William Seward, who pushed the purchase with the political foresight of someone who could not have known about Prudhoe Bay and his party's 2008 need for a female vice presidential nominee. The price for all that frozen land and caribou was barely one or two AIG bonuses -- $7.2 million. (No extra charge for the volcanos or earthquakes.)

"With the purchase of Alaska from Russia," Alaska's first female governor said today, "the United States expanded its Pacific influence, gained tremendous natural resources and made the United States an Arctic nation, one of only eight such nations today.” Not to mention a well-located Cold War listening post.

It was actually a crucial year for North American history, 1867.  After 15 years of internal debate, somewhat progressive Russians prevailed in their argument that the United States would eventually overrun North America anyway, so Russia might as well get something for its colonial land while it could.

Secretary of State Seward was the most vocal American proponent for that strategic land abutting the future Soviet Union, but he was lucky to be alive. Seward was one of the assassination targets in the John Wilkes Booth 1865 conspiracy. But he wasn't in his boarding house room when the assassin arrived as President Lincoln was being shot across town. 

Seward was assisted in getting the purchase through the Senate by the eloquent Massachusetts Republican Charles Sumner, an ardent abolitionist and then chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He got Republicans on board in part by arguing for eviction of Tsarist rule from North America.

And Britain, having assisted the Confederacy during the Civil War, even permitting guerrilla raids into New England, saw the expansionist Alaskan move as a potential threat against its colony next door to the well-armed U.S. So Britain quickly created the country of Canada the same year, not by a revolution or domestic demand but by an act of the British Parliament. (Not all Canadians agreed, however; Novia Scotia's legislature voted to secede and join the U.S. but was overruled.)

The result: the world's longest undefended border and the largest bilateral trading partnership. Not to mention creating the country that became the source for a majority of the players in the misnamed international National Hockey League.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Freshman Barack Obama photos unearthed; he liked hats

There was a time, believe it or not, when Barack Obama was even younger. Back when Joe Biden was already a veteran senator from Delaware.

In those innocent days, Obama struck a fellow Occidental College freshman, Lisa Jack, as a pretty cool dude. So, unwittingly, she had him pose for a bunch of photos as the only person to know he would become president of the United States.

Now Jack is an assistant professor of psychology in Minnesota. But starting in late May, her 36-photo collection will be a two-month show at the M+B Gallery in West Hollywood. Our buds over at Culture Monster have more details and some black-and-white samples here.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Michelle Obama in Europe -- could she upstage her husband?

President Obama sets off Tuesday on an eight-day, five-country trip to Europe, his first overseas journey as president, to tackle issues like the global economic meltdown and the increasing threat from terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

With his popularity higher than most of the G-20 leaders he'll be meeting with, the president's biggest challenge will be convincing reluctant counterparts to invest more in their infrastructures. As Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel put it the other day, "I will not let anyone tell me to spend more money."

Obama's also facing a snarky press corps in London, site of the G-20 meetings. Already, British reporters are carping about the size of Obama's entourage -- according to the Guardian, 500 officials, 200 Secret Service agents, a six-member medical team and a big presidential limo.

                                       

But Obama's biggest challenge could come from much closer to home.

First Lady Michelle Obama has apparently captivated the European press, which is threatening to track her every move. As Politico reported, one paper tracked down her high-school prom date, and another asked plaintively, “Why Doesn’t the UK Have a Michelle Obama?”

Meeting with the queen, the first lady will be judged on her curtsy (will she or won't she?), her clothes and her ambiance. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was such a star in France in 1961 that President Kennedy took to describing himself as the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to Europe. Will Obama use the same line?

Somehow, we think Obama, the first African American president in history and a man who wowed Europe on a visit during the presidential campaign, will get plenty of attention on his own.

But given Michelle Obama's interest in fashion -- and her working-class roots that seem to fascinate European intellectuals -- she could emerge as the star of the show.

“Her every ensemble will be front page news and endlessly interpreted and decoded,” said Patricia McDonald, a London-based editor for the Michelle Obama fashion blog, www.Mrs-O.org. “Will she break out a new wardrobe, or in deference to the economy, recycle her greatest hits?”

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images