"We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor." So declared the General Congress of the United States in the last phrase of the Declaration of Independence.
Two hundred and twenty four years later, the members of Congress, or would-be members, are certainly pledging their fortunes, though not to each other.
At a time of year when most Americans are attending barbecues, watching fireworks, and walking in neighborhood parades, American politicians are doing the same thing--except they are doing it for money.
If in the United States Constitution the word "money" appears just a couple of times, and "political campaign" not at all, the two are just about inseparable and ubiquitous nowadays, especially at this time of year. To be elected, you need, in the stirring words of Rick Lazio, "a ton of dough." But the act of acquiring it--through contributions, fundraising and business deals--forces the current generation of candidates to exhibit perhaps a tad less sacred honor than the Founding Fathers.
Consider: Jon Corzine, candidate for New Jersey's Senate seat, clinched the Democratic nomination, defeating former Governor Jim Florio. It cost Corzine $35 million. And that was just the primary. Corzine does not seem concerned about the expense, which may be because the personal fortune of this former chairman of the brokerage house Goldman, Sachs is estimated to be around $400 million.
Corzine's Republican contender, Bob Franks, isn't quite as nonchalant. It's estimated he'll need at least $12 million to compete. Thus far, he's raised slightly more than $2 million. He's already trailing his opponent in the polls, 43 percent to 36 percent.
It's different on this side of the river. New York's Senate race gives some testimony to the idea that money isn't, in fact, everything. Though he entered the race late, and is $10 million behind his opponent, Lazio has pulled into a dead heat with Mrs. Clinton. A recent Marist poll put them at 42 percent each, with a four percent margin of error.
Still, Lazio is madly fundraising, hoping to close the gap in funds between him and the First Lady. And that's only the beginning of his financial woes. Lazio is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading. An apparent neophyte in investing, Lazio nevertheless earned a 600 percent profit in seven weeks, trading stock and options in a brokerage company controlled by contributors to his campaign. State Comptroller H. Carl McCall wrote a letter to the SEC asking for an inquiry. Since McCall is both a political ally of Hillary Clinton, and a likely candidate for Governor in 2002, the Lazio camp dismissed his letter as a political stunt. The SEC, nonetheless, has already begun investigating.
A recent report by the Albany Times Union notes that 18 percent of Lazio's campaign contributions came from real estate, securities, insurance, legal, mortgage and banking sectors - all of which have legislative dealings with Lazio, in his capacity on the House Banking and Financial Services Committee, and on the Commerce Committee.
The First Lady, of course, has had her share of legal and ethical problems relating to finance, though nothing lately.
Jessica Sounds Off:
Jon Corzine defended his extravagant spending in the New Jersey primary as an investment in the kind of party-building that the Republicans have done for years. Now it seems that the Democrats are doing the party-building, with the help of suddenly generous baby-boomers and aging hippies. As a result, the Democrats have a financial advantage in the contest for control of the House. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has raised a little more than $15 million in soft money; the Republicans just $10 million. Will a mere five million dollars buy control of the House? You can barely get an apartment in Manhattan for that.
Susan Reefer is a Republican pollster and media strategist. She is based in New York City.
There is a herd mentality afoot in New York. This summer 500 cows will be set loose from the Battery to the Bronx. But leave your milk pail home. Bring the kids and camera instead. These are life-sized fiberglass faux-cows that have been specially painted by local artists, most of whom competed for the privilege -- and $2000 stipend. A group called Cowparade -- in cahoots with NYC 2000, the Mayor's Office and the Parks Department is billing this bovine boom as the "first public art exhibit ever staged in all five NYC boroughs."
The cows will be in public places like parks, lobbies and medians, although a few may stray to such locales the decks of boats. At the end of the summer there will be a cattle auction. Proceeds will go to children's and educational charities as well as the Parks Department Foundation.
How now, these cows? Blame it on the Swiss. They thought unleashing such a herd in Zurich would be good for civic pride and art appreciation. And so it was, and so this bestial idea traveled to Chicago where Mayor Daley called it "the most successful promotional event in the city's history." Our own Mayor, not yet in his effusively sensitive persona, did his own quasi-kowtowing. "CowParade [will add] to New York City's creative, dynamic environment, stimulating the economy," he said.
Ah yes, the ecownomy.* Don't think these cows are just cheap exhibitionism. The total price tag will top $2 million. That's where cow sponsorships come in. They cost $7,500 per cow, and come along with plenty of marketing benefits for those so inclined. A spokesman said that nearly all the cows are sponsored, singly or in herds. For example, the multinational chemical giant BASF sponsored 55 cows; Paine Weber and Emigrant Savings Bank also took some.
What do artists think? Patricia Nix, who regularly exhibits all over the world, initially said that the cows were too silly for her. She refused repeatedly when the cow committee tried to rope her in. "Then," she said, "I saw this cow full blown in a dream. I agreed the next morning and suddenly I was being held hostage by this huge heifer in my foyer. I worked on it 12-14 hours a day for eight days. My dealer told me that this is one of the most important pieces I've ever done."
Dozens of cows are being painted at the cow corral, and can be viewed at the Park Avenue underpass. Among them are "Mattress Cow," which comes complete with the requisite "pasturepedic do not remove tag," and "Moobile Library Cow" that features various painted titles including "Tail of Two Cities," and "Far from the Madding Cow."
In 1830 British travel writer Frances Trollope (Anthony's mom) noted rural Americans' uncanny ability to live on "terms of primaeval intimacy with [their] cow." It may have taken 150 years, but this summer even we urbanites will know just what she meant.
What better cash cow for the city than well, cows. Chicago took in millions in added tourist dollars, never mind that most serious artists scoffed. They scoffed in New York too, but since when does that matter? Here the moovers* and shakers are milking those heifers for all they're worth. CowParade Holdings Corporation, the private in this "unique public-private partnership," boldly predicts that this stampede is "destined to be the biggest event of the Millennium in New York." Maybe, or maybe that's just the mad cow disease talking. In any event, it seems clear that the bovine bacchanal may prove that the art of cowmerce* (and vice versa) is as robust as ever. To beckon potential sponsors Cowparade declared that "with hundreds of cows roaming...NYC, patrons who adopt the most cows will be the most widely recognized." Among the marketing perks offered are banner ads and hyperlinks on the Cow website, discounts on official merchandise, and, of course, a permanent plaque affixed to the base of each cow." It's corporate branding that even an animal rights activist can love.
*so shoot me and send me to the Jello factory - if you really want to groan, take a look at the painful puns piled like cow patties all over the official website: http://www.cowparade.org
Rhonda Zangwill is a writer, editor and teacher in New York City. She does not claim to be a critic, but she knows what she likes. She has been published in various special interest and trade journals, even some that are still in existence.
Sex, mortality, remorse, the Other Woman, and then, the Other Man.
Welcome to the world of NYC politics. Giuliani's recent sagas monopolized every column inch of the dailies, filled with lurid details (Judi Nathan walking her dog, gasp!), and the physiology of the prostate. And then, the Mayor made his May 19th announcement bowing out of the race, and poof! The End. Giuliani was labeled 'lame duck,' and few are pausing to consider his political future.
Enter the Other Man: Rick Lazio.
The Lazio effect is kicking in. Maybe it's those boyish good looks. Maybe it's the family values. Maybe it's the "I'm a New Yorker" pitch.
Whatever it may be, it's working. Rick Lazio has been transformed from the pesky surburbanite waiting in the wings (Pataki had quietly encouraged Lazio to run for Senate until he officially endorsed Giuliani this summer) to the Man of the Hour, hurtling through the state, campaigning with speed and finesse.
So what's next? Many speculate that Giuliani's exit will shift the race from a match-up of high-profile personalities to a substantive debate about issues. Well, maybe. But Lazio has wasted no time launching attacks, branding Mrs. Clinton as an opportunist and a carpetbagger. His staff maintains that these themes will be central to his campaign. Mrs. Clinton, however, has simply sidestepped the insults, sticking to the issues.
Maybe the new Senate race will evolve into a discussion of the issues. Certainly, such an occurrence is more likely given the differences between the two candidates. Whereas Giuliani and Mrs. Clinton have similar stances on social issues such as abortion, gay rights, and gun control, Mr. Lazio and Mrs. Clinton differ markedly. Lazio supports a woman's right to choose, but opposes late term abortions, a stance that has won Hillary Clinton an endorsement from the National Abortion Rights Action League. Clinton favors registering and licensing all guns, while Lazio prefers "reasonable measures to support the rights of sportsmen." Lazio has made environmental protection a theme of his nascent candidacy; Mrs. Clinton is largely silent on such issues. Stay tuned...
Jessica Sounds Off:
Wouldn't an issues-based campaign be nice? An intelligent discussion about what is best for New York State? A higher level of discourse, that doesn't pander to the public? Yeah, right.
Lazio has already demonstrated that he'll be using crude tactics -- "Hillary's not a real New Yorker, and I am" -- to compensate for his low profile upstate. This coming from a man who doesn't know what the fare is on the NYC subway?
Susan Reefer is a Republican pollster and media strategist. She is based in New York City.