Eliot Spitzer, John Catsimatidis and Don Peebles at TRD Forum

The Real Deal’s 10th annual New York showcase and forum kicked off with a head-to-head showdown between Pam Liebman and Howard Lorber. That discussion, however, was far from the most contentious panel of the day. That title goes to the day’s second panel, which saw Eliot Spitzer, John Catsimatidis and Don Peebles take each other on over both local and federal politics.

“This is not a tax plan, folks, I hate to say it,” Spitzer said. “What they put out was a press release. … It simply makes no sense. The numbers don’t add up, it is bad policy, it will never happen and that is why [the president’s] Republican Congress isn’t even paying attention.”

Also on the panel were Toby Moskovits and Ben Shaoul, who both largely stayed away from the political tête-à-tête, and focused more on the market.

“We are accepting a higher cost of money,” Shaoul said, commenting on how his condo and rental business has adapted to a less certain finance environment. “Our concern is not only finding lenders, but finding the right lenders for the right project.”

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