Friday, June 06, 2008

More Spilt Milk

In today's NY Daily News Daily Politics Blog, Liz Benjamin discusses the contretemps between Catsimatidis and Quinn over the City Council's milk report: "Supermarket mogul and likely GOP mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis did not appreciate the report released yesterday by his potential 2009 opponent, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, that alleged 86 percent of food stores in the city are gouging customers on the price of milk...."Ms. Quinn should take Economics 101. It's inexcusable that an official of the city of New York would just try to panic people."

Not to be out done, Catsimatidis campaign guru Rob Ryan also weighed in with a shot at the speaker: ""Perhaps Chris Quinn should spend more time being forthright about the slush funds in the City Council," Ryan said. "The real gougers are the professional politicians who have been gouging the taxpayers of New York for too long."

This, of course, initiated a response from Quinn spokesman, and former NBC producer Jamie McShane: "Mr. Catsimatidis understandably wants to change the subject," said Quinn spokesman Jamie McShane. "What NewYork families want to see change is the widespread overcharging for a gallon of milk."

Which begs the question whether the "report" actually demonstrates any gouging at all, something that we have pointed out previously. So McShane should be careful because he's walking on thin ice and, to mix metaphors, is operating from the proverbial glass house.