New York’s political establishment gathered last night at the Waldorf-Astoria for the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner to poke fun at everything from the midterm elections to Mayor Bloomberg’s war on soda.
The black-tie affair was headlined by political odd couple Mary Matalin, a conservative talking head, and husband James Carville, a political strategist who worked for former president Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.
Gubernatorial hopefuls Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino, along with Bloomberg, attended the swanky event, which has become a ritual for candidates seeking every office from mayor to president.
Even Carville, a loyal Dem, had a laugh about the tough fight ahead for his party next month.
He joked, “All those Muslim cabdrivers are now saying Obama’s a Christian.”
Other guests included New York Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, former Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.