ANDREW CUOMO’S campaign – reeling from last week’s devastating Quinnipiac poll – plans a high-risk “endgame” strategy in his battle with Carl McCall, insiders say.
While Cuomo’s camp is not yet ready to launch its full attack – hence his restrained performance in yesterday’s debate – the planned high-risk strategy will inevitably come from stepped-up negative attacks on McCall, the sources say. Cuomo aides contend the attacks are essential to “pierce the veil” of McCall’s nice-guy image, said a source close to Cuomo.
“The danger is that if the negatives are not done right, they will reinforce Andrew’s own negative image and not bring the other guy down,” according to the source.
The negative assault is expected to focus on the contention that McCall has accomplished little as state comptroller during the past nine years, during which time – the Cuomo campaign will contend – he was often Gov. Pataki’s political ally.
The assault will also focus on huge recent losses by the state’s pension funds, which are under McCall’s control, and the huge legal fees paid by McCall to lawyers who represented the fund and then made big campaign contributions to McCall.
The Cuomo campaign also plans a new effort to convince Democratic primary voters that the former federal housing secretary has the experience and knowledge to take on Pataki.
“As the poll showed, we need to do more to show people that Andrew has a distinguished record of accomplishment,” said one Cuomo adviser, noting 16 percent more Democrats told pollsters McCall is better prepared then Cuomo to be governor.
The Quinnipiac poll, which for months had shown Cuomo ahead of McCall, last week found McCall leading Cuomo, 47 to 31 percent, among likely Democratic voters.
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Former Lt. Gov. Al DelBello touts current Democratic lieutenant-governor-hopeful Dennis Mehiel in new TV ads, but he’s failing to mention one thing: DelBello, a prominent Westchester lawyer, is on the board of directors for two of megamillionaire Mehiel’s own corporations, where he receives what Mehiel’s campaign said is about $12,000 a year in compensation.
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Senate Republicans are buzzing with talk of a computer-generated “hit list” of those to be fired if Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) ousts Senate Major- ity Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselaer) as some believe he would like.
The hit list, supposedly prepared by Skelos’ wife, Gail, a senior Senate administrator, names some of Bruno’s top aides as among those to be fired, according to a Republican senator who called the alleged list “quite cheeky.”
While Bruno spokesman John McArdle said talk of the list “is making the rounds,” he insisted, “It doesn’t exist. It’s just not true.”