Good Gov Groups Go Cuckoo

In an article last week, we questioned the agenda of good government groups like Citizens Union and the New York Times. After seeing their endorsements, we unfortunately have a better understanding of their logic. "Every candidate has their pluses and minuses," said Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey, whose group backed Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes. A new calculation of those "pluses and minuses" equals $80,000 in campaign contributions from the grateful family of a motorist who spent four months in Riker's Island after mowing down two girls, aged 10 and 15, according to the New York Post. "These are serious allegations but at the moment, there would be no precedent for us to reconsider our preference for Mr. Hynes," said Dadey, who learned of the allegations when we reached him for comment.

The New York Times, apparently, cares more about bagging a more corrupt Brooklyn pol: Clarence Norman.

Hynes is "the only candidate who stand a realistic chance of defeating Mr. Sampson's empty suit candidacy [which is] an audacious attempt by the Democratic machine to derail Mr. Hynes continuing political corruption investigation," they noted. In the mayor's race, both groups gave up hope.

The Times endorsed Fernando Ferrer, noting he "retreated into a cocoon of sound bites" after he said that the shooting of Amadou Diallo wasn't a crime. The Times equated their endorsement with making "a leap of faith."

CU completely reinvented Virginia Fields saying she "articulated a clear vision for the office" and had a "thoughtful and well informed perspective on the city's economy." We remember her most specific economic plan was to "reprioritize" the budget to pay for everything.

Good governments groups aren't just picking winning horses this primary season, they're inventing them.