There seem to be two Anthony Weiners: one is the master of one-liners that could have made him a marquee Vegas act and who is almost always to be found at the center of  any major political scrum.

The other is a kind of stolid legislative handyman who tirelessly tinkers with some bit of technical, unromantic lawmaking, wheeling and dealing to get something done that will never make big headlines, but is truly useful in the the ultimate reckoning. On the day after April fools, President Obama signed a quiet little bill called “The Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT) of 2009”

The bill was sponsored by Weiner, and has the purpose of cracking down on tobacco smuggling and the selling of cigarettes via the internet, in part to make sure New York City and State receive their proper share of tobacco taxes.

The only real attention Weiner received for actually getting a bill through the most bitterly divided Congress in recent memory was a fair amount of hate from Native American’s who have been plying the tax-free cigarette trade for many decades.

He did get a shout-out of dubious political value from Mayor Bloomberg, delivered by Bloomberg’s corporation counsel Michael A. Cardozo.

But the bill that makes the selling of tobacco in violation of  state tax law a felony and outlaws the shipping of tobacco through the US Postal Service is useful.

The New York State Department of Tax and Finance has estimated that the state loses up to $500 million from untaxed Internet tobacco sales and that the city may lose as much as $150 million.  Also interestingly, the Government Office of Accountability reports that Hezbollah somehow earned $1.5 million from the sale of illegal tobacco between 1996-2000.

Weiner says his law “will give states and localities a major revenue boost by cracking down on the illegal sale of tobacco and close a major source of finances for international terrorists and criminals. Every day we delay is another day that New York loses significant amounts of tax revenue and kids have easy access to tobacco products sold over the internet.”

Despite its usefulness the legislation did not gain Weiner entree  to any talk shows to discuss it’s virtues, but thats why he practices his stand up routines.

It must have sounded strange to New York City residents who woke up last week and heard a local wanna-be politician bash the Democratic congress on a Fox 5 morning show. But that’s exactly what they got when Staten Island’s Republican challenger to Mike McMahon made an appearance on the program.

Mike Grimm, former FBI stooge and Tea Party panderer, appeared on the show and gave an eloquent alternative to the Island’s current rep on Capital Hill.

The contender was more subdued and pragmatic then the acerbic letters that come out of his press apparatus.

His biggest bullshit moment cam when he was asked why Staten Island id so different politically from the rest of the city or “Obama country” as the host called it:

“I think it’s a few things. It’s the highest concentration of veterans, It’s the highest concentration of small business owners, it’s the highest concentration of Italian Americans.”

Really, where does he get these numbers from? I had no idea there were more veterans in Staten Island then, say, Queens, or the South Bronx. Italian-Americans? Yeah, I’ll give you that. But small business owners? More small businesses or a “higher concentration” whatever that means, then Manhattan? Brooklyn? Nah, don’t think so.?

So why is Staten Island really more politically right-leaning than the rest of the city?

It’s geographically isolated from the other four boros. The only way to get off the island and into “Obama country” is the 25-minute excursion of the Staten Island Ferry and the Verrazano-Narrows bridge to Brooklyn. On the southern tip of the island, is a neighborhood called Tottenville, which is so close to New Jersey that the boro’s growing deer population is rumored to swim across the Arthur Kill on to Tottenville’s shores. If the deer were to take the train however, they would have a 45-minute ride just to get to the ferry from those beaches.

And there’s all those white people. Census estimates put some South Shore neighborhoods at 75 to 80 percent white.  Not that this should matter. But the island’s politically active have a particular disgust for black politicians, hence the Staten Island Tea Party and references to the Island first black elected official as an “ugly low life” who reminds them of “the old show Mr. Ed.”

This is why Staten Island is not “Obama country.” It has nothing do to with Grimm’s erroneous assertion that we have more small businesses here.

April 15 is only a few days away, and here’s hoping Charlie Rangel put some new people in charge of his tax prep because the folks who handled it last time didn’t do what one would consider an adequate job. Might we suggest that Rangel give Turbo Tax a rest this year and possibly contact some of the good people at H and R Block, just to make sure things run a little smoother this year.

Jokes aside, it was politics as usual for Rangel:

• He went on NY1 to blame the press for his ethics violation and to compare opponents of Health Care Reform to those who protested against the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s.

• His allies launched a power move to oust the dapper and often hilarious State Sentator Bill Perkins, who I’ve have had the pleasure of interviewing. The man can turn a phrase, and if things heat up it will be exciting to watch these two titans of Harlem politics go after each other. Perkins made the mistake of breaking rank from the Harlem political machine in February, speaking out against the ethics violations of both Governor Paterson and Rep. Rangel. It probably seemed like a good move at the time. Rangel was looking weak, and Perkins was possibly thinking of making a run at Congress. Go after Rangel and Paterson as they head into a downward spiral and show your constituents that you’re not going to put up with scandals and unaccountability from politicians. CD 15 has a ton of new residents, and these newer residents, mostly white and Hispanic, are probably less likely to cling to Rangel because of his legacy as a great Black politician. Unfortunately for Perkins, he now has to deal with the consequences, and that means have Harlem democrats refer to him as a Judas and start parading around candidates to take a run at his seat, which as the Daily News pointed out is a moot point if he decides to run against Rangel.

• And he received word that he’d be facing a familiar foe. Adam Clayton Powell IV announced his candidacy for CD 15. Rangel’s already beaten Powell in the 1994 race, but he gave Rangel the closet scare he’s had in a long time. Rangel won with only 58% of the vote, which, while still formidable, isn’t the usual 90% he usually pulls. He could prove to be much more of a formidable candidate than any of the other challengers, as the Clayton Powell name still holds sway in Harlem and Powell is a much more established member of the Harlem Political scene after serving in the NY State Assembly since 2000 and being active in New York politics for the past 2 decades. Clayton Powell differs from Rangel in that he prefers to get arrested for more routine crimes, like  Driving While Impaired, instead of more complex financial boondoggles.

It’s been a big few weeks for Rep. Eliot Engel’s phone bills (I leave it to you to decide whether the pun was intended) (hint: it was).

Engel’s Calling Card Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 3993) passed unanimously through a subcommittee two weeks ago, and his Truth in Caller ID Act (H.R. 1258) could hit the House floor this week. Engel has been trying for years to pass legislation that would regulate how certain kinds of phone-based business is conducted.

The Calling Card Bill

The calling card bill would crack down on misleading and overpriced calling cards by requiring “accurate and reasonable disclosure of the terms.” It’s an issue that bears extra importance in urban areas and other places with large Hispanic populations. According to the non-profit Hispanic Institute, calling card scams “disproportionately harm Hispanics, particularly new arrivals to the United States and those without well-developed English skills. Prepaid phone cards have surfaced as a cost-effective option for new immigrants to stay in touch with family members abroad.”

The Bronx, which is represent in-part by Engel, is over 50% Hispanic.

On a personal note — one of my very first reporting assignments was on an earlier Calling Card Consumer Protection Act that Engel authored. That bill passed the house in 2008, but failed to make it to the President’s desk before that session of Congress expired. Unfortunately, the current incarnation of that bill risks suffering the same fate. The current session of Congress expires in seven months.

The Caller ID Bill

Engel’s Caller ID Bill has a much better chance of making it to President Obama. The bill has already passed the Senate (by way of Senate sponsor Bill Nelson) and only needs the House’s OK.

The Hill’s Tony Romm summed up the bill’s situation:

Engel’s legislation would prohibit companies from faking their caller ID data in an attempt to deceive consumers — a process known as “spoofing.”

The congressman’s legislation also cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier last month with both Democratic and GOP support, after months of wrangling over concerns that the bill’s anti-spoofing rules could hamper federal investigators who hide their caller ID data to throw off possible suspects.

Spectrum inventory, caller ID bills head to House floor next week

Ed Koch is the cantankerous three-term former Mayor of New York City who is now taking on another job: the unofficial president of a gathering of people–members of good government groups, public policy experts, and political experts– dedicated to government reform.

Their unofficial slogan? Throw The Bums Out.

Koch says he wants even the supposed “good guys” out because they’re “not good enough” and warns it will be long-standing incumbents who will face his wrath. And his anger is common throughout the city, state, and country, fueled by a bad economy and mounting ethics probes for elected officials.

A day after April Fools Day, the Daily News published a two-page article on the recent federal probe of not one, not two, not three, but four Queens politicians (one retired)–State Senator Malcolm Smith, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, former Congressman Reverend Floyd Flake, and Congressman Greg Meeks.

The federal investigation varies per politician, but the themes that run throughout are common: lined pockets and special favors for family and friends in the form of suspicious non-profits and real estate deals, some involving a charter school.

The three politicians currently serving the people of Queens have held their seats for years. Helen Marshall, for example, crushed her competition in the last election for borough president by large, double-digit margin. Meeks and Smith also have won their last elections by big digits even though, as I’ve pointed out before, their constituents

Ed Koch–a man who clearly loves and respects justice as he worked as a judge on People’s Court–is angry. The newspapers are angry. Even other politicians are angry.

But the people? They ultimately decide who stays and who goes. Are they angry enough?

NOTE: My sister worked for a few years as an editor at The Wave, the local newspaper serving the communities in Rockaway. Over dinner one night while we both visited our parents, she reminded me of a column Congressman Meeks would sometimes put in the paper, Meeks Speaks, where he would offer a PR-type piece on all the good he’s doing for the people reading the paper.

“It was a nightmare to edit,” she told me. “Whoever was writing it didn’t understand the English language.” It had been a while since I’d seen the column, and I figured he was no longer writing his commentary.

But last week’s edition of The Wave featured a return to Meeks Speaks with the title “Health Care Reform: Help Is On The Way”, which was his long-winded way of saying he voted yes for the Health Care Reform Act. He didn’t mention any of his scandals. Welcome back!