Evan Bayh

Eastern Savings Bank is suing hip-hop mogul Damon Dash for money he owes on his two Tribeca apartments; he reportedly hasn't paid his $78,000 per month mortgage since January. [TMZ]

Top Chef is filming tonight at Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin on West 51st Street. [Eater]

Actor Orlando Bloom made out with his on-again girlfriend, model Miranda Kerr, at Lure Fishbar in Soho. [P6]

House Bunny actresses Emma Stone, Rumer Willis, Anna Faris and Katharine McPhee all seemed to be getting along at the New York premiere of their film, while sullen-looking co-star Monet Mazur walked the red carpet alone. [NYDN, last item]

Evan Bayh has now been a serious vice presidential contender for three consecutive elections. In 2000, he was one of Al Gore’s four finalists (Joe Lieberman, John Kerry and John Edwards were the others), in 2004 he was given a serious look by Kerry’s campaign, and this year he is – by most press accounts – on Barack Obama’s very short list.

Maybe three times will prove the charm, and maybe not. Certainly, this story – which raises all sorts of conflict of interest questions about the seven corporate boards on which Bayh’s wife serves – won’t help his chances.

If Obama doesn’t pick him, Bayh will probably just go through this whole process again in four years or eight years or whenever a Democratic presidential nominee next needs a running mate.  read more »

Right now, the clock is ticking and it's only 2.49% of the way to its goal, but what will happen if the new Facebook group 100,000 Strong Against Evan Bayh For V.P. hits its number? From the group's description:

Obama's judgment about the war was the central tenet of one of the two best arguments for his earning the Democratic nomination. His offering a break from Old Washington was the other.

Choosing Evan Bayh, a career legacy politician who fell hook, line, and sinker for the administration's case for a disastrous war and dragged much of our party with him, would undermine both.

If Obama really is thinking seriously about Bayh -- whose best attributes are probably general inoffensiveness an home state popularity that could very plausibly swing Indiana to the Democrats for the first time in 44 years -- will he think twice if the same activists who formed the backbone of his primary campaign rise up in resounding opposition? As of 3:30 P.  read more »

If, as I have argued relentlessly that he should, Barack Obama decides that an established reputation for national security and foreign policy expertise is a prerequisite for any potential running-mate, the question then becomes: Who passes the test?

Tim Kaine, eight years removed from a then-weak mayoralty and just 32 months removed from a lieutenant governor’s office, clearly doesn’t. (Maybe this is why, besides today’s two-weeks-too-late New York Times profile, the Kaine chatter has mostly vanished, especially after Russian tanks rolled into Georgia.) Neither does Kathleen Sebelius, who’s also seen as one of Obama’s personal favorites. If Obama were now leading John McCain by ten points, it’d probably be fair to assume he’d pick one of these governors.  read more »

Barack Obama's response to one of Tom Brokaw's six attempts to engage him on his running-mate search on yesterday's Meet the Press, which I wrote about last night, is getting some attention today.

Asked by Brokaw whether geography will dictate his selection, Obama said:

"I'm going to want somebody with integrity. I'm going to want somebody with independence, who's willing to tell me where he thinks or she thinks I'm wrong. And I'm going to want somebody who shares a vision of the country where we need to go, that we've got to fundamentally change not only our policies, but how our politics works, how business is done in Washington.  read more »

• 3 comments

According to the conventional wisdom that governs the career calculations of most ambitious politicians, there are two ways to get ahead in elected politics.

The simplest way is to run for the office you covet when it comes open and to win it—or, failing that, to wage a noble-but-losing campaign that puts you first in line for the next time around. This approach enjoys a long tradition—renewed this year with John McCain’s nomination—in Republican presidential politics.

And then there’s the other strategy: If there is an unbeatable and immovable force blocking you from the office you desire, yield to that force, embrace it and hope it will favor you with its blessing for the next opening.  read more »

“This is a serious election,” said Chuck Schumer on a conference call about Hillary Clinton’s campaign this morning. He added that voters choose Clinton when they “get close to decision-making time, when they know this is for real."

Schumer spoke after Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, who said that Hillary had started to win now that “people have gotten through the initial job interviews.”  read more »

Every four years, a special class of candidates emerges from among the contestants in the Presidenti  read more »

Hillary Clinton's 2 p.m. press conference with Sen. Evan Bayh and Rep. John McHugh about their trip to Iraq and Afghanistan has been rescheduled for 3 p.m. tomorrow.

According to the Clinton people, the decision to delay the event on this busy news day was made because McHugh is stuck in Germany due to illness.

-- Azi Paybarah

In case you missed it, here's a video of that eventful John Edwards speech at Riverside Church which included the following indirect (but unmistakable) criticism of Hillary Clinton:

"If you're in Congress and you know this war is going in the wrong direction, it is no longer enough to study your options and keep your own counsel.

"Silence is betrayal. Speak out, and stop this escalation now. You have the power to prohibit the president from spending any money to escalate the war - use it. "

That message drew a response from Howard Wolfson, representing the first direct engagement by the Clinton campaign of any of her perspective opponents.

Tomorrow, Hillary will elaborate on her views when she discusses her trip to Iraq and Afghanistan with Evan Bayh and John M. McHugh.

-- Azi Paybarah

Hillary Clinton reportedly hired Mike Henry, who served as field coordinator for Gov. Mark Warner in 2001 and managed a senate race in Florida.

Hotline looks at the operatives who are free agents now that Evan Bayh has dropped out.

Andrew Cuomo is already the state's attorney general, according to this site.

The host of Inside Albany will retire on December 31.

Joe Bruno wants to start the selection process over again for picking a new franchise to run horse racing in the state.

An Assemblyman responded to The Albany Project's emails about reform with snail mail.

Rock Hackshaw wonders if the Clarkes can pick their successor for City Council.

Is incumbency protection organized crime?

Hillary caused a stir when she appeared at Hunter College.

Kos has a a list of rules"primary campaign blog disclosure" just in time for the run-up to 2008.

And above is a painting in City Hall of Henry Clay (1777-1852) that looks oddly like someone currently in City Hall.

-- Azi Paybarah

Hillary Clinton spent heavily on her shoo-in campaign and now has about as much money left in the bank as candidates like John Kerry and Evan Bayh.

Clinton gave $1,000 to help Long Island Republican Peter King's challenger. The more conservatives get to know Rudy Giuliani's record, the more they'll like him, says John Podhoretz.

The Times wonders if the Democrats can ever win the south.

With a new Democratic majority taking over congress in January, some industries have to find new friends on Capitol Hill.

Eliot Spitzer and his aides won't say how much money the governor-elect will steer to city schools in light of yesterday's court decision lowering state mandated aid to city schools.

Fred Dicker reports that Governor Pataki rejected a plan to raise pay for state lawmakers in exchange for raising the cap on charter schools.

The Sun is less pessimistic about the deal's chances.

Andrew Cuomo's transition team comes together.

Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a $30 million plan to renovate parts of the South Bronx.

Errol Louis debunks some eminent domain figures.

Easing residency requirements on some municipal jobs raises concerns with a few city lawmakers and labor leaders.

And pollingreport.com has a list of every poll result they gathered for the midterm election.

--Azi Paybarah

Who wins and loses now that Mark Warner is out?

Ben says Hillary ultimately, but focus now shifts to Al Gore and Barack Obama.

Stefan Friedman of Knickerbocker SKD agrees with Ben about Hillary, but tells me he thinks Evan Bayh and John Edwards get the boost. [added]

The Fix says Bayh is the obvious winner.

Andrew Sullivan, who isn't surprised about Warner's announcement, says the field is now Clinton, Gore, John Kerry and John Edwards.

And Joseph Mercurio sides with Sullivan, saying Warner wasn't a top-tier contender in the first place.

-- Azi Paybarah

The Jersey shuffle continues...

When Rep. Menendez takes over for Corzine in the Senate this January, he'll leave an empty seat in the House. And though this vancancy won't be filled until the 2006 elections, influential Jersey Dems are already lining up behind Albio Sires, the State Assembly Speaker.  read more »

Take, for example, Mayor Michael Wildes of Englewood, a power player who, in recent years, has hosted events honoring Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Joe Lieberman, and Evan Bayh. Albio and his wife, Adrienne, will be the featured guests at Wildes' mayoral re-election fundraiser on Monday.

"Albio will make a fine Congressman," Wildes told The Politicker. "And I'm hosting him. Do you need a picture of the two of us?"

When Indiana Senator Evan Bayh's father, Birch, set off a mini-media maelstrom several weeks ago by  read more »

We spend some time with Westchester D.A., and potential Hillary Challenger, Jeanine Pirro. We hope you'll read the whole piece, but people following that race shouldn't miss NARAL's unusual statement (they love Pirro -- for Attorney General) and the White House's rejection of Pirro camp spin.

And Lizzy Ratner takes a look at the New York money primary, and notes that Evan Bayh is pushing hard for 2008.

And Jess Bruder looks at the way the conflict between Eva and Randi is shaping the Manhattan Borough President's race.

And Matt Schuerman handicaps the upcoming stadium vote.  read more »

Plus, lots on Deep Throat.