Talking Sleaze Reform While Exploiting The System
Voters need to understand that this is politics as usual. Those smiling faces you vote for are mostly sleazebags sucking on the public teat for personal gain while proclaiming to be there in public service for you.

Bill Hammond writes at the New York Daily News of Cuomo's brand of sleazo -- "taking advantage of loopholes and end runs that he has repeatedly argued for shutting down":

As reported Monday by the Daily News' Kenneth Lovett, Cuomo took freebie flights worth $145,000 in the past six months, jetting to fund-raising events in Puerto Rico, California, Buffalo, Syracuse, New York City and the Hudson Valley.

In at least one case, the governor's campaign directly requested the use of a plane owned by billionaire John Catsimatidis.

Catsimatidis -- a big-time donor to politicians of both parties -- owns the Gristedes grocery store chain and a fuel refinery, companies that spent $76,000 lobbying in Albany last year.

They lobbied about collection of cigarette taxes by Cuomo's Department of Taxation and Finance, and about sulfur emission standards set by Cuomo's Department of Environmental Conservation.

So when Cuomo's fund-raising committee phoned him, Catsimatidis had every reason to take the call.

The campaign specifically requested the use of his plane, Catsimatidis told The News. "What do you say? You say yes."

Cuomo ended up using Catsimatidis' jet for two trips to Syracuse worth $20,228.

It's hard to square that transaction with Cuomo's promises of campaign finance reform.