Monday, September 30, 2013

High-Cost Runoff for Public Advocate’s Post Prompts Calls for Reform

New York City will spend about $13 million to hold a runoff in the Democratic primary, which has some suggesting a switch to instant runoff voting.

Sunday, September 29, 2013


In the Running

Selling the City On a Disciple Of Goldwater

Joseph J. Lhota, in his campaign headquarters in Manhattan.
Todd Heisler/The New York Times
Joseph J. Lhota, in his campaign headquarters in Manhattan.
Joseph J. Lhota, the Republican nominee for mayor of New York, has long combined penchants for fiscal discipline and for social laissez-faire.

Fox News: Obama in Plot to Force Americans to Live Longer

Print
President Obama delivering the 2012 State of the Union. (photo: AP)
President Obama delivering the 2012 State of the Union. (photo: AP)
By Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker
29 September 13
 
The article below is satire. Andy Borowitz is an American comedian and New York Times-bestselling author who satirizes the news for his column, "The Borowitz Report."

n a blockbuster documentary to be broadcast tonight, the Fox News Channel alleges that Obamacare is "little more than a thinly veiled scheme to force Americans to live longer."
The documentary, called "The Ugly Truth About Obamacare," claims that President Obama "is cynically using the health-care law to achieve his true objective: raising the life expectancy of Americans without their consent."
"In America, how long you live has always been your own business," says the documentary's narrator, Sean Hannity. "Under Obamacare, though, it's the government's business-a government that wants you to live as long as humanly possible."
The documentary lays out a nightmare scenario of Americans being saddled with sky-high life expectancies for years to come.
In perhaps the most chilling prediction of the documentary, Mr. Hannity warns, "If Obamacare goes into effect, Americans will be forced to live as long as people in Finland, Denmark, and other socialist countries."
Speaking with reporters today, Mr. Hannity said he hoped that the documentary would be a "wake-up call about the secret agenda behind Obamacare."
"President Obama is playing God with American lives," Mr. Hannity said. "And if he stubbornly insists on making those lives longer, that could be grounds for impeachment."

Last night, Jon Stewart mocked the shit out of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

MUST-SEE: Jon Stewart's epic takedown of Ted Cruz's non-filibuster!


Last night, Jon Stewart mocked the shit out of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for his all-night non-filibuster, and how he read from Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" and seemed to miss the entire point of the story.
We've already wasted too much time.  We have to get right down to the Senate floor.  Texas Republican Ted Cruz has been addressing that august body with great urgency.
SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TX (9/24/2013): I rise today in an effort to speak for 26 million Texans, and for 300 million Americans. ... And as Americans, we value liberty and opportunity above all else. ... What the American people are interested in is what we've always been interested in.
Stuffed crust pizza.  No, wait.  Tacos made from Doritos.  No!  Frappucino!  Brangelina!  Frappalina!  Bran-ge....
SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TX (9/24/2013): ... what we've always been interested in.  Which is freedom.

Did not see that coming.  Does that freedom have cheese stuffed in its crust?  Well clearly, Senator Cruz believes our freedom is under assault.  Senator Cruz, would you care to offer a historical precedent that you feel is appropriate to the threat that we now face?
SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TX (9/24/2013): You go to the 1940s.  Nazi Germany.
Nazi Germany?!?  Why, that's my least favorite kind of Germany!  You got you regular Germany, your Weimar Germany, your Visigoths, your Hasselhoffs, but oh my God, Ted Cruz says we're at Defcon Nazi!
SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TX (9/24/2013): Look, we saw in Britain, Neville Chamberlain, who told the British people, accept the Nazis.  Yes, they'll dominate the continent of Europe.  But that's not our problem.  Let's appease them. ... And in America, there were voices that listened to that.  I suspect those same pundits who say it can't be done, if it had been in the 1940s, we would've been listening to them.
Let's not listen to them!  I don't wanna listen to the Nazi appeasers!  What is this "it" that these Hitler-lovers believe we can't do, but that you say we should be doing to save our stuffed crust freedom?
SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TX (9/24/2013): I rise today in opposition...
I rise with you!  To defeat what I can only assume is the zombie apocalypse, which is clearly the only thing you could be talking about, given the level of rhetoric you have used thus far.
SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TX (9/24/2013): ... in opposition to Obamacare.
(audience groaning laughter) OK, OK, possibly a very troubled bureaucratic system.  Can we focus on the Nazi zombies for a second?
SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TX (9/24/2013): I intend to speak in support of defunding Obamacare until I am no longer able to stand.
What?!  Well, that's easy for you to take that kind of physical risk — you've got government health care.  (wild audience cheering and applause) So you'd be unable to stand.  "Until the Nazis steal my knees."
Yes, that's Ted Cruz, the Senator who, starting yesterday at 2:41 Eastern Wasting Time, took to the Senate floor for 21 hours, not to filibuster, not to delay, but to cast himself as Churchill to Obama's Chamberlain in the great fight against... Hitler's... health care exchanges.  I lost the thread of the metaphor.  But my point is this.

(audience laughter)
Yeah, it takes a while to sink in.  It takes a while to sink in.
Senator Cruz clearly believes our very freedom is at stake here.  And Senator Cruz — as a brilliant Harvard educated lawyer and Princeton debate champion — I imagine that he is prepared to make a stunning and sophisticated argument as to why Obamacare places this very nation in such peril.

Vote Count Completed for Primary in New York

More than two weeks after New York City’s primary for mayor, the results show that Bill de Blasio finished with 40.81 percent of the vote.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Latest Coverage

  • The Ghosts of Mayors Past

  • Jason Seiler
     
  • Mayoral Rivals Entangled in Debate on City’s Rules for a Circumcision Rite
  • Both Mr. de Blasio and Mr. Lhota have found themselves on the defensive about the issue. Reporters questioned Mr. Lhota about a report on NY1 that described his change of position, while a prominent blogger about ultra-Orthodox Judaism accused Mr. de Blasio of having promised to end the policy in exchange for votes.
    Samuel Heilman, a professor of sociology and Jewish studies at the City University of New York, said ultra-Orthodox Jews had other concerns besides the circumcision ritual, including housing subsidies and poverty programs. But he said it was easier for politicians to express concern about the circumcision policy than it was to pledge to give more economic aid.
     

Friday, September 27, 2013

Rabbi Linked to Kickback Scheme at Charity

Two people briefed on the investigation into William E. Rapfogel said that Rabbi David Cohen was one of the unnamed co-conspirators referred to in the criminal com
The folks at El Diario la Prensa threw a cool bash in Greenwich Village this week.  The occasion was the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the publication. Popular PR guy, Javier Gomez helped make it happen along with former Bx. Boro Prez, Freddy Ferrer.

State tries to thwart Lhota PAC bid


State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman vowed Thursday to thwart an attempt by deep-pocketed backers of mayoral candidate Joe Lhota to overturn New York’s $150,000 cap on campaign contributions and spend millions boosting the Republican underdog’s campaign.
“Attorney General Schneiderman believes that New York State’s campaign finance rules are critical to ensuring that every New Yorker’s voice is heard,” said AG spokesman Matt Mittenthal. “The attorney general will vigorously defend the constitutionality of New York’s law.”
A lawsuit filed by the New York Progress and Protection PAC claims the group had “multiple” donors prepared to give more than $150,000 each to help promote Lhota’s candidacy.
Lhota defended the effort, which would represent an independent expenditure on his behalf.
“I don’t understand why anyone would want to limit an American’s First Amendment rights . . . Freedom of speech is in my view the most important part of our Constitution,” he said.
But Democratic front-runner Bill de Blasio charged a right-wing plot was afoot.
“This is clearly an effort to advantage my Republican opponent and to do so by bringing in more and more money flooding into the political process from very wealthy right-wing donors . . . and trying to drown out the voices of the people,” he said.
Oral arguments were scheduled before Manhattan federal Judge Paul Crotty for Oct. 8.

Mayor Bloomberg on the brink: Testy exchange with reporters leads to threat of ending press conferences


Mayor Bloomberg, the billionaire founder of a business news and media company, has frequently boiled over when dealing with probing journalists but his temper seems to be reaching new heights as his third and final term comes to a close.

Comments (30)
NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi

Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News

Mayor Bloomberg has had a long and turbulent relationship with the press, having once called a City Hall reporter "a disgrace."

It's the first mayor’s race in over a decade in which Mayor Bloomberg hasn’t been on the ballot — and he’s getting really, really sick of being asked about it.
“I have not listened to one campaign speech, or seen one ad or watched one debate,” he told reporters Thursday as he swatted away questions about the race.
“I don’t find it interesting.”
In the latest in a series of testy exchanges Bloomberg has had with reporters in recent weeks, the mayor became so irritated with the press corps that he threatened to stop holding press conferences if the flood of questions about the race doesn’t end.
RELATED: MIKE'S HEARD ENOUGH ABOUT MAYOR WANNA-BES
“I’m not going to bother with the press conferences. There’s just no reason to do it,” the mayor huffed during a question and answer session held after an announcement about air quality in the city.
“I think it’s very important that we talk to the public and that we answer the press’ questions. But you just gotta restrict the questions to things that are germane to what our administration is doing,” he said.
The actions of the Bloomberg administration have been central issues on the campaign trail, with candidates regularly asked which Bloomberg programs and policies they’ll continue and which ones will come to an end.
When asked about Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota's remarks about Bill de Blasio, Bloomberg responded, "Ask Joe Lhota!"

Debbie Egan-Chin/New York Daily News

When asked about Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota's remarks about Bill de Blasio, Bloomberg responded, "Ask Joe Lhota!"

Democratic hopeful Bill de Blasio won his party’s nomination in part by criticizing Bloomberg and painting rival Christine Quinn as too close to the mayor but Bloomberg said he can’t worry about what his would-be successors are going to do.
RELATED: BLOOMBERG CALLS REPORTER 'A DISGRACE'
“I’ve got to worry about the city and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said, telling reporters: “You just got to stop making every press conference — all you want to do is ask about things you know I’m not going to say.”
To make his point, the mayor gestured toward the back of the room at two reporters who had just asked him questions about the mayoral race.
“These two young ladies in the back know full well that I’m not going to answer their questions,” he said. “So, you know, we’re just, we’re wasting everybody’s time.”
When a reporter ignored his protests and asked him what he thought about remarks Republican nominee Joe Lhota made about rival Bill de Blasio, the mayor’s anger grew.

“Ask Joe Lhota!” he cried. “I’m not Joe Lhota!”
With Bill de Blasio on the rise to succeed Mayor Bloomberg, hizzoner has so far curbed all questions, saying, "I don't find it interesting."

Marcus Santos// New York Daily News

With Bill de Blasio on the rise to succeed Mayor Bloomberg, hizzoner has so far curbed all questions, saying, "I don't find it interesting."

To another scribe who asked about overcrowding in the city’s classrooms, the mayor responded with dripping sarcasm.
“Let’s just go back to when the school system was loaded with crime,” he said.
But it was one question, about how much credit his administration should take for the gains the city has seen over the years on crime and health issues, that really sent him over the edge.
RELATED: HARLEM OF THE FUTURE!
“That’s a dumb question, it really is,” Bloomberg snapped.
Finally, a reporter asked the mayor why he was so angry with the city’s press corps.
“I’m not,” he shot back, “but there are so many things that are important, and to ask things that I have no knowledge about, or shouldn’t be commenting about is a shame, because the public really does need to know about, for example, the [air quality] announcement today.”
At multiple points throughout the event, the mayor’s press secretary jumped in, trying to put an end to the increasingly awkward exchange.
“Last question,” Marc LaVorgna, the press secretary, said about five times during the press conference.
“Why don’t I just listen to him and say, 'Enough?’ ” the mayor asked, before taking a final query.
mgay@nydailynews.com
Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest
Leading Off:
  • VA-Gov: Is this really going to save Ken Cuccinelli's campaign? His newest TV ad highlights his opposition to Obamacare—including, a bit oddly, a reference to his rather unsuccessful lawsuit to block the law—while attacking Democrat Terry McAuliffe for supporting it. If this issue was genuinely damaging to McAuliffe, though, why wasn't Cuccinelli running ads on it earlier? It's not like the Affordable Care Act is some brand-new development. Speaking of ads, an out-of-state conservative group called Fight for Tomorrow ran a truly berserk spot during Wednesday night's gubernatorial debate, accusing McAuliffe of being a "stand-in for a national power-grab by the Gang of Five." Yeah, I mean, you don't know who the Gang of Five is? Well, DUH! Here they are, sheeple:
    Screenshot of ad from conservative group Fight for Tomorrow attacking Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe
    Right-wing paranoiacs simply can't believe that McAuliffe hasn't been rendered any more than a grease-stain by now, so this ad is their attempt to explain—both to themselves and ordinary voters—why he's still a viable candidate. And things really get going in the second half, where you can practically feel the conspiratorial froth emerging. The narrator brands McAuliffe a "New Yorker and left-wing embed" (!?) being "imposed" on Virginia. But oh no, he continues (to rising martial strains)—we're not gonna let that happen!
    Tell these McAuliffe puppeteers this is Virginia, and we won't let you "Detroit" us with taxes and debt. You will not "California" Virginia with regulations that kill jobs, or "Hollywood" our families and schools. You will not bring District of Columbia tax and spend to our state. Tell them: You can't have Virginia!
    If you've ever wondered what it felt like at the very bottom of the tea party rabbit hole, now you know.
Senate:
  • FL-Sen: Oh yes:
    He was certain about one thing: If Rubio runs for president, [Allen] West will go for the Senate seat. "If that became an open seat, of course I would run. I have a good statewide appeal and a lot of people would like me to get back on Capitol Hill."
    Now, we're talking about some very hypothetical stuff in the rather distant future, politically speaking. Under Florida law, Marco Rubio cannot simultaneously run for the White House and for re-election to the Senate, which might serve as a deterrent to his presidential ambitions. However, he could file for the Senate race and pursue a second term as a backup plan if he were to lose the GOP nomination for president. So West's open seat scenario only seems likely if Rubio actually winds up as the Republican nominee. But I'd add another wrinkle: If, in early 2016, Rubio finds himself seriously in contention for the GOP nod, and Democrats manage to find a strong Senate candidate, Rubio could face pressure to step aside and allow another Republican to seek his seat, lest he risk jeopardizing the Senate race by appearing to care more about the presidency. All of the people in recent years who sought re-election at the same time they were on a national ticket—Paul Ryan, Joe Biden, Joe Lieberman—didn't face serious contests back at home. There's a good chance Rubio would, which means West might get his shot. And Democrats can only hope.
  • MI-Sen: So there's a new conservative super PAC called "Pure PAC" which, despite its disturbing name, is ostensibly devoted to electing Republicans, not advocating Aryan supremacy. They've been running ads attacking Dem Rep. Gary Peters as a creature of Washington, apparently parodying a state-run tourism campaign known as "Pure Michigan." But according to the Detroit Free Press, they've only spent a pathetic $15,000 to air their spot, which is weird, given that they reported making a $65,000 expenditure to the FEC. (Someone must be raking off some money somewhere.) And like other GOP groups, they're keeping their distance from likely Republican nominee Terri Lynn Land, with the PAC's founder saying they haven't decided whether to endorse her yet. That's especially amusing since video just emerged of Land saying that she had "talked to" various unspecified super PACs and reported that they're "committed to Michigan." Since federal candidates aren't permitted to coordinate spending with super PACs, that makes Land's comments look rather fishy.
  • MS-Sen, -04: Most Mississippi Republicans are still waiting for veteran Sen. Thad Cochran to decide if he'll seek another term next year, but one state legislator may try to give Cochran a shove. Tea partying state Sen. Chris McDaniel says he's keeping his "options open" and may challenge the incumbent in the GOP primary. But as Abby Livingston alludes, tea party politics aren't quite so popular in poor and pork-friendly Mississippi, which is probably why ex-Gov. Haley Barbour says of McDaniel: "I think he will get his head handed to him." And it may be why McDaniel also says he's thinking about primarying Rep. Steven Palazzo in the 4th. The Club for Growth has it in for Palazzo, who rather visibly flip-flopped to support aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy earlier this year. Palazzo was savaged for initially voting against emergency funds, seeing as his district was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, then spoke out publicly in favor of disaster relief, so you can see why the Club would like to defenestrate him. But again, that may be easier said than done for movement conservatives operating in the Magnolia State.
  • NC-Sen: Even though a path had been cleared to him when his ally, state Senate President Phil Berger, decided not to run for Senate, state Sen. Pete Brunstetter has also opted against entering the GOP primary. That leaves just three Republicans in the race to take on freshman Sen. Kay Hagan: state House Speaker Thom Tillis, tea party activist Greg Brannon, and Baptist leader Mark Harris. And just about the only notable name still considering is former Ambassador Jim Cain.
  • WV-Sen: EMILY's List has endorsed Democratic Secretary of State Natalie Tennant for Senate, as you'd expect, especially since they backed her when she ran for governor two years ago.
Gubernatorial:
  • CA-Gov: Former GOP Rep. George Radanovich, who retired from Congress in 2010, says he's considering a bid for governor. On the one hand, yeah, ex-LG Abel Maldonado certainly has no hope of defeating Gov. Jerry Brown next year. On the other hand, no Republican really does, so I'm not sure what Radanovich is thinking, but I guess he's looking to get back in the game and doesn't really have many options.
  • MA-Gov, -07: Despite a recent report that suggested he was gearing up for a run for governor, Rep. Mike Capuano has decided against the idea and will instead seek re-election. A recent PPP poll showing him trailing state AG Martha Coakley 41-21 in a hypothetical Democratic primary might have given him dĆ©jĆ  vu: Capuano finished second behind Coakley in the primary for the 2010 Senate special election to fill Ted Kennedy's seat, losing 47 to 28.
  • PA-Gov: Democratic state Treasurer Rob McCord has been in the gubernatorial race for less than a week, but he's already played what looks like one of his trump cards: an endorsement from the Teamsters. The Democratic primary's apparent frontrunner, Rep. Allyson Schwartz, already has her own high-profile union endorsement, from the United Mine Workers, but with at least 95,000 members in the state, there are nearly 10 times as many Teamsters in Pennsylvania as UMW members. (David Jarman)
House:
  • MA-05: Middlesex County Peter Koutoujian is now the third Democrat to hit the airwaves, with a reported "six-figure" buy. Koutoujian narrates his own spot, a little stiffly, in which he talks about his commitment to stopping gun violence, protecting Social Security, and ensuring equal pay for equal work, while sitting on a stoop surrounded by what I imagine is his family.
  • MI-03: Given his extreme lone wolf nature and his ceaseless urge to cause problems for party leadership, it was a bit surprising that GOP Rep. Justin Amash didn't draw a primary challenge last cycle. Now, though, in his sophomore term, he may. Businessman Brian Ellis will reportedly announce a bid against Amash next month. Earlier this year, Ellis penned an op-ed criticizing Amash for opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, and according to columnist Nolan Finley, Ellis has been saying that powerful interests will back his play. That's not hard to believe, but whether Ellis has the chops to take down Amash and his legion of Paulist fanatics is another question entirely.
  • TN-04: At least one establishment figure is stepping up to help unseat scandal-plagued Rep. Scott DesJarlais in next year's GOP primary. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey says he's endorsing state Sen. Jim Tracy "as much as I can" and added that he recently held a fundraiser for him, too.
Other Races:
  • Boston Mayor: The blog Mass. Numbers has a fascinating interactive precinct map of the results from Tuesday's primary for mayor. It shows that most of the candidates had deep pockets of support. State Rep. Martin Walsh and city Councilor John Connolly appeared to have the most geographically diverse appeal, which helps explain why they were the night's winners. The analysis suggests that endorsements from the losing candidates could be vital for the November general election if they maintain their constituencies' loyalty. (Darth Jeff)
  • KS-SoS: This one is deep in the weeds, but kind of interesting. Former state Sen. Jean Schodorf, who served as a Republican and made a bid for Congress in 2010, will run for secretary of state next year as a Democrat. Schodorf lost in a primary last year after conservatives successfully targeted the moderate wing of the state GOP, ousting many. She changed her party affiliation shortly afterwards, and now she's taking one of the worst vote suppressers in the land, incumbent SoS Kris Kobach.
  • NYC Mayor: I haven't had the chance to watch it yet, but several people have told me that this new 30-minute documentary from the New York Times about City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's failed campaign for mayor is quite good. The Times says it features behind-the-scenes footage that Quinn allowed the paper to record on the condition that it wouldn't be released until after the election. Sounds like it's 
  • Hers to Lose
    Christine C. Quinn, once the front-runner in the New York mayoral race, lost in the Democratic primary. A behind-the-scenes film captures the final month of her campai
  • worth a look.
  • VA-LG: Oh boy:
    E.W. Jackson, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia, was accused in 2006 of threatening the life of his daughter's roommate, according to a Belmont, Mass., police report and a separate temporary restraining order filed in Middlesex County Court. Those two documents, shared with POLITICO by a source opposed to Jackson's election, detail the surprise GOP nominee's involvement in an explosive personal feud involving his daughter and two other women. The roommate took out restraining orders against both E.W. Jackson and a third party, while Jackson's daughter and the third party both requested restraining orders against the roommate. [...] In an interview, Jackson firmly denied that he had menaced his daughter's roommate, a denial he also gave to police in Belmont seven years ago. In his daughter's affidavit requesting a restraining order against her then-roommate, Ms. Jackson claimed that the woman had schemed to separate her from her family and friends and "threatened to kill my father."
Grab Bag:
  • Demographics: Almost 9 million people moved to a new state in 2012 and Governing has a fascinating new study on these migrants. There are a lot of interesting gems here: Massachusetts attracted the greatest proportion of new residents with a Bachelor's Degree or higher while West Virginia attained the least. New arrivals make up 6 percent of North Dakota's total population while only 1.8 percent of Michigan's. The newest New Jerseyans have the highest median income of new arrivals while Vermont's have the lowest, despite the Green Mountain State attracting the second greatest proportion of migrants with a graduate degree or higher. Governing offers a state-by-state profile so you can see how any state ranks in these and other categories. (Darth Jeff)
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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Senate Reaches Bipartisan Deal to Shut Down Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz during his filibuster. (photo: CSPAN)
Ted Cruz during his filibuster. (photo: CSPAN)
25 September 13

The article below is satire. Andy Borowitz is an American comedian and New York Times-bestselling author who satirizes the news for his column, "The Borowitz Report."

n what is being hailed as a rare example of bipartisan coƶperation, Senate Democrats and Republicans came together today on a near-unanimous vote to defund Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
The measure, which shuts down all nonessential functions of Sen. Cruz, passed by a margin of ninety-nine to one.
As the final vote was announced this morning, Sen. Cruz's microphone was unplugged and the Senate exploded with cheers on both sides of the aisle.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said that the vote to defund the Texas senator showed that bipartisan coƶperation is possible even in the usually rancorous Senate: "Every now and then the two parties can reach across the aisle and find something that we both despise with all our might."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) acknowledged that the budget impact of defunding Sen. Cruz would be minimal, but added, 'This was never about money. We got Ted Cruz to stop talking, and you can't put a price tag on that."
 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Bill de Blasio: A Progressive Mayor for All New Yorkers

Jerry KraseBy Jerry Krase


     While I, and other self-confessed “progressives” celebrate the victory of Bill De Blasio in the Democratic Mayoral Primary, we must prepare ourselves for what could be another Democratic Party campaign debacle.

“Dizzy’s a finer diner” is in the heart of De Blasio country (Park Slope, Brooklyn). There, after his victory, I conducted my own hardly reliable survey asking somewhat puzzled and occasionally annoyed early morning patrons to name the last five Democratic Party mayoral candidates. None got even close.  Despite Democratic Party registrants outnumbering Republicans by almost two to one, David Dinkins (1993) and Ruth Messinger (1997) lost to Rudy Giuliani. Then in embarrassing succession Mark Green (2001), Fernando Ferrer (2005), and Bill Thompson (2009) fell victim to Mike Bloomberg. The last election drew one of the lowest turnouts in NYC history (26% of registered voters). This does not bode well for Bill despite his recent endorsement by Centrists Bill and Hill Clinton, as well as Barack Obama.

     Winning means getting people out to the polls to vote for you. Information motivates people to either go or stay away. With the exception of WBAI and Amy Goodman’s “Democracy Now!” on CUNYTV, Gotham’s mass media is owned and operated by the 1% and they are unlikely to trumpet the interests of the rest of us. Most election analysts miss the essence of democracy and many journalists seek attention rather than to better inform the public.

     Even for the best newspaper writers Brooklyn continues to be terra icognita politica. Therefore, it is hard to expect sage commentary and coverage. For example, a recent article accentuated the historical negatives of Mayors from Brooklyn by noting, without naming, the attempted assassination of William J. Gaynor (1910) and the disgrace of William O’Dwyer (1952). Ignored were long-time Brooklyn resident Abe Beame and Brooklyn-born Rudy Giuliani, neither of whom also added much in the way of sheen to the Big Apple. Even without Rudy and Abe the message seemed to be a warning about Bill crossing The Bridge.

     The worst of the bad news written about De Blasio is proffered almost daily by the New York Post, followed its ugly twin sister the Wall Street Journal, where rabid pundits assure readers that if he’s elected, NYC will look like a scene from your favorite post-apocalyptic movie.  Mine are Will Smith in I am Legion (2007) and Harry Belafonte in a more melancholy The World, the flesh, and the Devil (1959). This reading from the right, explains the Koch and their other brothers money pouring into New York City to finance the Bill as Anti-Christ movement, and Mike’s unfounded fear that Bill’ll  chase away the billionaires who want to re-Occupy Wall Street. Post-primary election commentary on De Blasio ranges from the hardly informed to mostly misinformed, paralleled by the totally irrelevant such as the New York Times equivocations of De Blasio, FDR, Karl Marx, and Bob Marley followed by The Sandanistas.
     At least Bill’s son Dante’s afro has escaped notice for the time being, but is sure to emerge in another guise as November 5 nears. The Daily News finally took some time out from dwelling salaciously on Miley Cyrus’s twerks to investigate the permutations of De Blasio’s appellations, as though his monica choices were as politically motivated as his Manichean choices for spouse and offspring.  I do agree, however that “Wilhelm” is not a good choice for a New York City mayoral aspirant. He also should avoid being seen eating halal middle-eastern street food as that might be seen by Fox News' Bill O'Reilley as support for jihadists.

     While the city’s mass media tries to discourage folks from supporting Bill, or just going to the polls, many potential voters rely on their neighborhood, union, ethnic, religious or other leaders to tell them what to do.  Some people are taken to the polls or otherwise prodded and cajoled to participate in democracy. In all these cases “walking around money” has always made a difference. But, cash can discourage as well as encourage voting, as voter suppression takes many forms. Those who you might expect to be active De Blasio supporters can be made less so -- for a fee. It has been my experience that loyal political apparatchiks are easily be bought off, as patronage requires only incumbency.  Over the decades I have known too many nominal Democrats who learned to appreciate the philanthropy of Republicans.

     Another way by which the 2 to 1 Democratic Party voter advantage melts away are officials and operatives who give little support beyond tepid endorsements of winning candidates before playing “Let’s Make a Deal.” Remember, despite public displays of solidarity, over the past 20 years the designee has not enjoyed the full support of the Party and, in my humble opinion, their campaigns have been undermined. Sometimes it's personal but Democratic Party leaders and their minions have been induced to either back the opposition or go through the motions of supporting their “own.” As to fickly party allegiances, some ethnic voting blocs such as Orthodox Jews, Evangelical Christians, Irish Catholics, and Italian Americans who register as Democrats regularly vote for more conservative candidates in general elections. Note also that one of Bill Thompson’s biggest fund raisers in this last primary run was Republic Party stalwart ex-US Senator Alphonse D’Amato. Even more ironically,  many of the Black pastors who were behind Thompson this time, gave their whole-hearted support to Bloomberg when he ran against Thompson in 2009.  (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/nyregion/for-thompson-a-disappointing-end-to-a-not-quite-compelling-quest.html?pagewanted=all )
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Some things are non-ideologically simple. Like elsewhere in America, in New York City there has been an Upward
Redistribution of Wealth, This state of the city has been facilitated by the actions of elected governments to reduce taxes on the wealthy, and services for the rest of us, while simultaneously subsidizing, with public money, the costly speculations of the least needy/most greedy. The ideological difference is whether this reality is seen as a positive or a negative.
     Ironically, in order to win, even in a city of reasonably enlightened subjects, the Progressive candidate must be seen as less so. Progressive, once a positive tag for Republicans has become in the hands of publicists, a negative for Democrats. Both Michael Powell (Times) and Bill Siegel (News) find important similarities between the Progressive ideas of Bloomberg and De Blasio. Therefore, I suggest that Bill applaud all the Progressive things that Mike did for our fair city, because De Blasio's problem will be less the zeal of the Tea Party as the lack of it in the Democratic Party. Remember what I said, Republicans can’t win without Democratic support, and making nice with lame duck/big buck billionaires is prudence 

Bitter Tone in Debate Between Public Advocate Rivals

The televised debate between Letitia James and Daniel L. Squadron was fiercely negative as the candidates sought to win over the tiny number of undecided voters.

Obama’s Praise of Dante de Blasio’s Afro Lightens Day

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Debate Offers 2 Similar Public Advocate Rivals a Chance to Stand Out

Letitia James and Daniel L. Squadron, both Democrats who have similar political positions, will face off in a televised debate on Tuesday night.

Debate Offers 2 Similar Public Advocate Rivals a Chance to Stand Out

Letitia James and Daniel L. Squadron, both Democrats who have similar political positions, will face off in a televised debate on Tuesday night.

Shocking Poll on Debt-Ceiling Crisis

People waiting in line for the new iPhone. (photo: unknown)
People waiting in line for the new iPhone. (photo: unknown)
By Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker
23 September 13
 
Andy Borowitz, is a controversial author for our readership. While Borowitz is always among the best read, some readers bristle at our decision to publish satire at all. For us Borowitz is arguably the best political satirist the country has produced in some time.

Fiction, comedy and satire are all literary vehicles capable of important, and timely political commentary. Andy is "on point" when he writes, and that makes him relevant to the discussion, in his own satirical way.

The piece below, "In Poll About Debt-Ceiling Crisis, Americans Totally Excited About New iPhone" illustrates Borowitz's ability to force constructive thought. What Borowitz is saying is that American's social awareness is consumer-driven. "While Rome burns we shop." Yes the GOP drive to shut down the government is serious, and yes we do need to pay attention to that. Thank you Andy. / ma/RSN

n a poll taken over the weekend about the looming debt-ceiling crisis and government shutdown, most Americans said that they were totally excited about the new iPhone 5s.
When asked about the prospect of a debt-ceiling logjam leading to a downgrade of the U.S. economy, seventy-two per cent of those surveyed said that the new iPhone looks like the most awesome iPhone yet.
Questioned about the disastrous impact of the U.S. government defaulting on the nation's debt, sixty-five per cent agreed with the statement, "I can't believe I waited on line all Friday for the 5s and they told me they're sold out until October."
On the topic of whether the debt-ceiling crisis could plunge the world economy into the most apocalyptic catastrophe since the financial meltdown of 2008, Americans were deeply divided over which color iPhone they would choose, but agreed that all of them looked amazing.

Monday, September 23, 2013

President Obama Backs Bill De Blasio For Mayor


The White House is wading into the New York City mayor's race.
obama star reuters.jpgPresident Obama on Monday endorsed Public Advocate Bill de Blasio for mayor, saying that the Democrat will be a "great" mayor for "America's largest city."
Obama specifically cited de Blasio's plans for universal pre-kindergarten as one of the reasons he was backing de Blasio, a former Housing and Urban Development official under-then President Clinton.
“Progressive change is the centerpiece of Bill de Blasio's vision for New York City, and it's why he will be a great mayor of America's largest city," Obama said in a statement.
"Whether it’s ensuring pre-kindergarten is available for every four-year old, expanding after-school programs for every middle school student who wants and needs them, making affordable housing available for more New York families and preserving community hospitals, Bill's agenda for New York is marked by bold, courageous ideas that address the great challenges of our time."
De Blasio said he was "deeply honored" by the endorsement.
"If I am fortunate to earn the trust of the people of New York on November 5th, I will work every day to advance our shared value of making sure everyone has a fair shot," he said.
The president endorsed Bill Thompson for mayor in 2009, but the nod came late in the race and was widely seen as perfunctory. He gave his blessing via a spokesman, and cited none of Thompson's ambitions for the city.
"The President is the leader of the Democratic Party and, as that, would support the Democratic nominee," then-spokesman Robert Gibbs said in 2009.
On the same day Gibbs heaped praise on Bloomberg, with whom Obama has a long relationship.
"The President obviously has had a chance to -- throughout campaigning and his time both as a candidate and as President -- to meet, know and work with Mayor Bloomberg. And obviously [he] has a tremendous amount of respect for what he's done as well," Gibbs said.
IMAGE: JASON REED/REUTERS
Breaking Bread

The ‘Tale of 2 Cities’ Mayoral Candidate Who Lost

Sal F. Albanese’s 1997 campaign for the Democratic mayoral nomination used the Dickens theme that Bill de Blasio adopted this year in defeating Mr. Albanese and seven other Democrats.
Possible Mayor Now, but Then a Young Leftist
Bill de Blasio, who is vying to become New York’s next mayor, once admired a socialist party in Nicaragua that helped shape his view that government should help the poor.


‘He Will Be a Great Mayor’: Barack Obama Endorses Bill de Blasio

big guns
Barack Obama. (Photo: Getty)
Barack Obama. (Photo: Getty)

Bill de Blasio’s mayoral campaign just landed the most high-profile endorsement of all: President Barack Obama.
With the end of the primary and the Democratic nominee clear, Mr. Obama has joined former President Bill Clinton and likely 2016 contender Hillary Clinton in backing Mr. de Blasio’s bid.
“Progressive change is the centerpiece of Bill de Blasio’s vision for New York City, and it’s why he will be a great mayor of America’s largest city,” Mr. Obama said in a statement this morning.
Mr. Obama went on to tout the specifics of Mr. de Blasio’s policy agenda.
“Whether it’s ensuring pre-kindergarten is available for every four-year old, expanding after-school programs for every middle school student who wants and needs them, making affordable housing available for more New York families and preserving community hospitals, Bill’s agenda for New York is marked by bold, courageous ideas that address the great challenges of our time,” Mr. Obama said.
In his own statement, Mr. de Blasio said he was “deeply honored” by the support.
“I am deeply honored by President Obama’s endorsement,” the city’s public advocate said. “If I am fortunate to earn the trust of the people of New York on November 5th, I will work every day to advance our shared value of making sure everyone has a fair shot. On health care, tax fairness or the economy, the President is no stranger to addressing big problems with big ideas and big solutions. I will emulate the example he has set, and if elected I stand eager to work with him on an urban agenda that grows prosperity for all.”
In 2009, Mr. Obama endorsed Democratic nominee Bill Thompson–but only at the last minute and indirectly, via his spokesman, who never actually mentioned Mr. Thompson by name. This time around, with Mr. de Blasio dominating in the polls, it’s a different story.
Mr. de Blasio faces Republican Joe Lhota in November’s general election, in addition to a slate of independent candidates.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

In central Mexico, it's all-out war in the streets for control of an entire state that's run and terrorized by a drug cartel


The Knights Templar, a quasi-religious drug syndicate prone to beheading its enemies, terrorizes an entire state in Mexico, where the government has sent thousands of troops. But enraged villagers are taking law into their own hands, saying police and soldiers are on the take.

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 In Michoacan, one of Mexico’s most dangerous states, a bloody war rages in broad daylight between soldiers dispatched by the president, the quasi-religious drug syndicate Knights Templar, and village vigilantes who say the cartel robbed, raped and killed their people while corrupt military members and police did nothing.

Gustavo Aguado/AP

In out-of-control Michoacan, villagers steal weapons to form their own civilian self-defense groups, saying corrupt military soldiers won't protect them from marauding members of the Knights Templar cartel.

In the roiling Mexican state of Michoacan, where much of the nation’s illicit and million-dollar meth trade is based, all-out war is raging in broad daylight.
Outlaws from the exceptionally nasty and cult-like cartel Knights Templar launch blazing gunfights in city streets against thousands of federal troops dispatched by President Enrique Pena Nieto, making the humble state one of the most dangerous in Mexico.
No one knows how many villagers and soldiers have been killed, but on any given weekend of late, local media have reported numbers as high as 50 in a single town.
Among the dead are high-profile politicians and military leaders: state legislator Osbaldo Esquivel Lucatero was hacked to death on the side of a road last week as he gave an interview to a journalist in the lawless territory; Navy Vice Adm. Carlos Miguel Salazar, one of the country's highest-ranking naval officers, was shot to death in a recent ambush that also killed his bodyguard.
This map, courtesy of global intelligence firm Stratfor, shows areas in Mexico influenced by drug syndicates. Knights Templar, which controls Michoacan on the central Pacific coast, is the offspring of the notorious La Familia organization.

Stratfor

This map, courtesy of global intelligence firm Stratfor, shows areas in Mexico influenced by drug syndicates. Knights Templar, which controls Michoacan on the central Pacific coast, is the offspring of the notorious La Familia organization.

Now armed civilian militias have stepped into the fray, saying they’ll protect themselves, thank you very much, from organized crime thugs who've robbed, raped and terrorized villagers who had the temerity to try to go about daily life in a rural state that appears to have disintegrated into wanton anarchy.
The number of civilian fighting groups has grown to about 30 units that have secured about a dozen towns in the past seven months including La Ruana and the lowland enclave of Tepalcatepec.
RELATED: DRUG CARTELS IN MEXICO HIRE U.S. SOLDIERS AS ASSASSINS
"I know I'm going to die," a Mexican civilian fighter told the Daily News. "I'm not afraid of that.”
Mexican soldiers patrol rural roads in Holanda in Michoacan state, Mexico, where organized crime syndicate Knights Templar operate the country’s biggest meth-smuggling operation as well as gun down, extort, rape and kidnap villagers while waging open warfare with military troops.

Alexandre Meneghini/AP

Mexican soldiers patrol rural roads in Holanda in Michoacan state, Mexico, where organized crime syndicate Knights Templar operate the country’s biggest meth-smuggling operation as well as gun down, extort, rape and kidnap villagers while waging open warfare with military troops.

He spoke with The News via a mobile phone from the town of La Ruana. He asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisal from the Knights Templar, whose founding members announced their 2006 arrival into cartel life by rolling five severed heads into a Michoacan disco.
“We had to do something. We were dying,” said the member of Por Un Michoacan Con Libertad (For a Free Michoacan), a self-defense group that started standing up to the Knights Templar and its extortion racket that charged "fees" to poor farmers for everything from picking limes to having children.
Their numbers have dwindled from 300 to 200, he said, because militia members fearing for their lives fled with their families to Tijuana, where they are seeking asylum in the U.S. Twenty-five civilian soldiers have been killed, he said.
Their desperate rebellion mirrors the increasingly vicious cartel, which controls nearly all of the verdant valleys and lush mountains of Michoacan, population 4.4 million and dropping daily as residents flee.
Wearing flack vests and toting automatic weapons, self-proclaimed cartel fighters in Mexico’s central Michoacan state set up check points and take on members of the Knights Templar in a deafening gun battle footage posted Sept. 10 on YouTube.

Balacerasmex via YouTube

Wearing flack vests and toting automatic weapons, self-proclaimed cartel fighters in Mexico’s central Michoacan state set up check points and take on members of the Knights Templar in a deafening gun battle footage posted Sept. 10 on YouTube.

The Knights Templar takes its name from the Templar Knights, the medieval Roman Catholic warriors.
RELATED: BODIES IDENTIFIED FROM MASS GRAVE IN MEXICO CITY
“They used to come in big trucks, knocking on doors, saying, ‘I’m taking your wife now. I’ll be back in an hour,'" said the civilian fighter.
"'When I come back I’m taking your daughter for a few days, a few weeks. Make sure she has a shower,'”  he recounted.
An armed civilian stands guard in the small town of Aquila in Michoacan state, as soldiers in gun-mounted trucks  rumble by. Villagers, fed up with military corruption and drug cartel terrorism, have taken the law into their own hands.

Gustavo Aguado/AP

An armed civilian stands guard in the small town of Aquila in Michoacan state, as soldiers in gun-mounted trucks rumble by. Villagers, fed up with military corruption and drug cartel terrorism, have taken the law into their own hands.

“There have been girls 12, 13, 14, 15 that came back pregnant,” he said.
Mass graves and decapitated bodies along roads and in forests are routine sights, warnings from the cartel to give in and shut up.
The all-male militias don’t trust the long-corrupt military or its 6,000 soldiers living in their midst.
And the military, as well as the government, doesn't trust the self-defense groups, saying they are paramilitary organizations that often do the bidding of drug syndicates.
The grisly scene earlier this year when the bodies of seven men were found in lawn chairs in a roundabout in the middle of Uruapan, Michoacan state, where Mexican drug cartel Knights Templar runs virtually the entire region. 'Warning, this is going to happen to all muggers, pickpockets, thieves of cars, homes and pedestrians, kidnappers, rapists and extortionists,' read the sign impaled with an ice pick into one victim’s chest.

STRINGER/MEXICO/REUTERS

The grisly scene earlier this year when the bodies of seven men were found in lawn chairs in a roundabout in the middle of Uruapan, Michoacan state, where Mexican drug cartel Knights Templar runs virtually the entire region. 'Warning, this is going to happen to all muggers, pickpockets, thieves of cars, homes and pedestrians, kidnappers, rapists and extortionists,' read the sign impaled with an ice pick into one victim’s chest.

RELATED: DRUG LORD, RAFAEL CARO QUINTERO, RELEASED - U.S. OUTRAGED MEXICO SET FREE CONVICTED KILLER OF DEA AGENT
Interior Minister Miguel Angelo Osorio Chong has criticized the militias, saying troops deployed to the area are more than enough to protect residents.
"The army is there. They asked for security and protection, and they have it. There is no justification to walk around armed," he told a Mexican radio station last month.
The government has reason to suspect cartels are aligned with some of the self-defense groups, Christoper Wilson of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a Washington-based think tank, told The News.
In a horrific video posted this month on YouTube, vigilantes in Michoacan unload scores of rounds from assault rifles during daylight shootout against Knights Templar cartel gunmen.

Balacerasmex via YouTube

In a horrific video posted this month on YouTube, vigilantes in Michoacan unload scores of rounds from assault rifles during daylight shootout against Knights Templar cartel gunmen.

"There are organized (crime) groups financing these self-defense groups," he said. "One of the clear signs is that some of these groups have a level of financing and high firepower that would be hard to come by from somewhere else" he said.
Not true, said militia members who spoke to The News.
The groups’ defiance started last year with middle-of-the-night raids of cartel encampments outside their villages.
RELATED: MEXICO NAVY’S VICE ADMIRAL KILLED IN SUSPECTED CARTEL AMBUSH
A 22-page booklet titled 'The Code of the Knights Templar of Michoacan,' is displayed in Morelia, Mexico. The drug cartel, named after the medieval Roman Catholic order of religious warriors, clandestinely distributed the booklets through Michoacan state. Inside, it says the crime syndicate 'will begin a challenging ideological battle to defend the values of a society based on ethics.'

Marco Ugarte/AP

A 22-page booklet titled 'The Code of the Knights Templar of Michoacan,' is displayed in Morelia, Mexico. The drug cartel, named after the medieval Roman Catholic order of religious warriors, clandestinely distributed the booklets through Michoacan state. Inside, it says the crime syndicate 'will begin a challenging ideological battle to defend the values of a society based on ethics.'

Residents picked up weapons they had at home — machetes and small-caliber pistols.
Rousted from sleep at 2 or 3 a.m., the cartel members — many of them inexperienced recruits dispatched to the hinterlands — simply ran, leaving behind their assault rifles and handheld radios.
“All the weapons we have are their weapons,” the militiaman in La Ruana said.
Dr. Jose Manuel Mireles, a physician who once worked in California, now serves as a coordinator for self-defense groups in Tepalcatepec.
A Knights Templar patrol vehicle, damaged in a grenade attack, is confiscated by police in  Apatzingan in Michoacan state, Mexico. The drug syndicate patrols roads, demanding toll fees from villagers, and extorts ‘fines’  from poor farmers and business owners.

Alexandre Meneghini/AP

A Knights Templar patrol vehicle, damaged in a grenade attack, is confiscated by police in Apatzingan in Michoacan state, Mexico. The drug syndicate patrols roads, demanding toll fees from villagers, and extorts ‘fines’ from poor farmers and business owners.

In an interview with The News, the doctor said his town is keeping the cartel at bay with round-the-clock patrols. But their fears of reprisal are constant.
“We are vigilant 24 hours a day,” he said. “We have to defend ourselves and we are prepared. We have lost some good people. The cartel tries to get back in every day. They send more and more to try and fight us.”
RELATED: MEXICAN DRUG 'QUEENPIN' WILL BE RELEASED BY THE U.S.
Listening to cartel radio traffic tells the villagers they are far from being home free.
A 'self-defense' villager emerges from a roadside chapel established by the Knights Templar. The crime syndicate built the public shrines so villagers could pray to the cartel’s 'St. Nazario,' aka Nazario Moreno, the venerated saint of drug traffickers. He is believed to have been killed in a 2010 gunbattle with police in Michoacan.

Marco Ugarte/AP

A 'self-defense' villager emerges from a roadside chapel established by the Knights Templar. The crime syndicate built the public shrines so villagers could pray to the cartel’s 'St. Nazario,' aka Nazario Moreno, the venerated saint of drug traffickers. He is believed to have been killed in a 2010 gunbattle with police in Michoacan.

“We hear them every day, on the radios we’ve stolen from them, saying they’re going to come up here and kill everything down to the dogs and cats," Mireles said.
"But we are not going to permit that, ever,” he added.
Where cartel members are camped out is no secret, the La Ruana fighter said.
“Everybody knows where the leaders are, but the soldiers don’t go there,” he said. “We tell them where they are. I ask them why they don’t go. They say their orders are to stay here and to protect the town.”
The Knights Templar spun off from the dreaded La Familia cartel in 2011, after infamous drug lord Nazario Moreno, aka “El Mas Loco” (The Craziest One), reportedly died in a shootout with federal police. His body has never been found and Moreno is now considered the patron saint of drug traffickers.
The cult-like crime syndicate has its own code of conduct book, which it distributes across the region where members grow massive crops of marijuana and heroin poppies and control an incredibly large and lucrative meth industry.
All of those products travel north into the U.S., where 90% of illegal drugs emanate from Mexico, according to FBI statistics. Cartels reap untold billions and the Knights Templar is no exception.
In its professionally printed code of conduct booklet, members are lauded as fighters "against materialism, injustice and tyranny in the world.”
With Ginger Adams Otis and News Wire Services.

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dhastings@nydailynews.com