View from a Rhino House: circus, circus….

The woman convicted of running a politically-sensitive prostitution ring in 2008, & who is currently running for office as New York City comptroller, was arrested & charged with selling prescription drugs for cash, it was reported this week.

In yet another “you-couldn’t-make-it-up” chapter of the city’s silliest campaign season, Kristin Davis allegedly sold prescription pills repeatedly to a “federal informant” over four months this earlier year, reports said.

Davis is running for the post of comptroller, a job controlling a not insubstantial budget, which is also being sought by disgraced former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Spitzer is attempting a political resurrection after previously resigning as Governor over a prostitution scandal. Davis claimed at the time that Spitzer was one of her customers & that she provided him with prostitutes.

In the new case against her Davis is charged with distributing & possessing with intent to distribute, a controlled substance. Each (of the 4 counts she faces) carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Following her initial court appearance, Davis was released on a $100,000 bail & ordered to surrender her passport.

Her attorney Daniel Hochheiser said if Davis is indicted she will plead not guilty.

Davis spent four months in jail for her role in the prostitution scandal. Spitzer was never charged with any crimes.

The NYC campaign circus has also distinguished itself after Anthony Weiner, who resigned from Congress in 2011 after he admitted sending out pictures of his (fully occupied) underwear to various young women, launched a campaign to become the mayor. Immediately after which a website published further pictures of his penis which he had been sharing with a number of other young women across the web, subsequent to his resignation & “therapy”.

It seems that in NYC at least, not having penis does not stop you from being a complete dick (but clearly it helps).

The campaign team distributing headache cures….

The blow job #2

One candidates for the job as Mayor of New York may have an inflated sense of his own “importance” – & a keen photographic eye to help others share his view….

View from a Rhino House: paws in politics

In the Mexican city of Xalapa a “collective” of citizens, disenchanted with politicians they refer to as “the rats,” have put forward a different type candidate for mayor: a cat named Morris.

Local resident Sergio Chamorro, who adopted the cat last Summer, told reporters that the plan began as a joke between friends, borne out of their frustration with the Veracruz state government.

“Fed up of voting for rats? Vote for a cat,” read the first campaign poster featuring the black & white cat (using the Spanish “ratas” for rats & “gato” for Morris gives it a nice “sing-song” sound when chanted by enough voices).

Chamorro created a Facebook page in support of Morris’ candidacy in May & the page went viral (as is the way of these things) in early June & now has received more than 125,000 “likes.”

As the news of the mock-campaign spread, disillusioned citizens across Mexico nominated a donkey & a chicken for other political offices in the election to be held on 7th July.

Morris has competition from seven official candidates for Xalapa mayor, including representatives of Mexico’s three major parties. Despite his large following, Morris is not an officially registered candidate & Chamorro is asking voters to write in “Morris” or draw a picture of a cat on their ballot.

The idea of a political candidate who has already been neutered will surely appeal beyond the borders of Mexico, both north & south!

A campaign supporter at work…

View from a Rhino House: way to go!

Anthony Weiner is a candidate to be Mayor of New York & is famous for having sent picture of himself in underwear to the entire universe (in error) & then claimed that the picture was someone else before resigning from Congress. This week he has again managed to score “nul points” (as we Europeans say) in the technological competition that is modern political life.

Weiner, posted-up a video announcing his mayoral candidacy, & launching his chosen campaign logo on his website, on Wednesday. The logo is in blue & orange – the colors of the New York Mets baseball team, but the image of the skyline that forms its background is actually that of Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente Bridge (rather than the intended, Brooklyn Bridge in New York).

The error was spotted by several reporters & comparative images of the two bridges were widely circulated on Twitter. Weiner’s campaign could not immediately be reached for comment, but the logo on Anthonyweiner.com has since been changed.

Weiner on Thursday evening is to face his Democratic rivals for the first time at a candidate’s forum in the Bronx (if he can find it). Polls suggest he is already trailing his main opponent City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Most voters polled were ambivalent about whether he should be running for office.

Hint to the campaign team: maybe it would be good not to let him near any keyboards, microphones, or cameras until after the election (& for God’s sake make sure he is wearing clean underwear whenever he goes out).

Not su much “running for office” as “walking-off into the sunset”.