Every fortnight from here on in I will try to produce a column called: “The Grapevine”. I suggest you fasten your seatbelts for this the first column. What this column will do is breakdown the things that are being said in “out- there-land”, better known as the political grapevine. The reason I choose to do it on a bi-weekly basis is because I don’t want to be known as the Cindy Adams of NYC politics. It wouldn’t just be about political-gossip. I do intend to track down sources/players, and also ascertain the veracity and plausibility of the stories I report. I will try to inform not ridicule. It will be all about “the story behind the story”, if you catch my drift.
Between weeks I will try to evaluate and/or expound on things raised the week before, so that we can all do a running evaluation on the column. Hopefully there will be interesting political tid-bits and morsels, and sometimes even gold-nuggets and other gems, for all the political junkies out there. I would welcome your comments. So here goes: With all due respects to David Letterman, I will start of with a top ten list.
#1. People are saying that Kevin Wardally was forced out of his job as Deputy Chief of Staff in Speaker Christine Quinn’s office. They are saying that Kevin found out the hard way (just as the last Democrat for president did) that in politics, gays play hard ball. They say that the parting was not amicable. What do you think?
#2. People are saying that another black candidate will drop out of the race for the 11th Congressional. It is said that Senator Kevin Parker predicted a few weeks ago that there will be two defections, some people believe him. There had been strong rumors all along that Nick Perry would fold, which eventually panned out. Both Carl Andrews and Yvette Clarke have been subjects of sporadic withdrawal rumors, during the early going. I for one, doubt strongly that Yvette is going anywhere, especially when it is her race to lose. There is talk that she is tying hard for Nick’s endorsement in order to consolidate the Caribbean basin.
There is a vicious “Stop-Yassky” website out there that is being laid on the doorsteps of either Chris Owens or Clarke. There is also the “Everybody Hates Chris” undercurrent that some are trying to exploit. It seems that both Chris Owens and David Yassky are early targets in this race. That to me is really unfortunate. I am hoping the race doesn’t disintegrate further. What do you say?
#3. People are amazed that Tom Suozzi hasn’t gotten into the psyche of New York’s voters, given his message (Reform Albany). Some are even saying that he is “dead man walking”. I for one, strongly disagree. I hope he sticks it out to the end. What do you think?
#4. People are saying that Charles Hynes must be sleeping on the job he barely recovered. They want to know why Judge Feinberg, Marietta Small, Carl Andrews and Diane Gordon haven’t been indicted as yet, for various offences presumably committed. The suspicions are that there are political shenanigans taking place behind the scenes. Some, who supported Hynes over Senator John Sampson last time out, are very disappointed. Are you?
#5. People are saying that Jesse Hamilton and Saquan Jones must unite and join forces, in order to do any damage in the 43rd Assembly district. They say that if they don’t, then Clarence Norman’s hand-picked successor (Carmara) will have an easy victory. Some are saying that Jones is young enough to wait his turn, and that he should run for District Leader on Jesse’s ticket. What do you think?
#6. People are saying that if both Haitians (LaReche and Adolphe) run against Rhoda Jacobs in the 42nd AD again, that it will be one big waste of time and money. They say that neither one can whip Ms. Jacobs one on one, so why bother entering two. I concur.
#7. People want to know why the former deputy Boro President Babara Baer (white) of Manhattan, is so gung-ho on supporting Charles Barron for congress. They are surprised that Barron is getting some white support in pockets of the 10th Congressional district, and from some progressives all over the city. I tell them that maybe he has promised not to slap any white guys for his mental health, and finally seek counseling.
(THIS IS A JOKE / OKAY).
#8. People are saying that the organization listed on Carl Andrews’ web site (CACA/ Caribbean Americans for Carl Andrews) is a sham. The web site put out a release last week, claiming the endorsement of said group. Some Caribs are so incensed that they are demanding an apology from Carl. It seems that some of the persons named as members of this group, never gave authorization for name usage. This could get sticky, what do you think?
#9. People are saying that Wellington Sharpe used the “p” word to describe Nick Perry, after hearing that Nick had backed away from the congressional race and is now seeking re-election. Sharpe- who was already going door to door with his campaign- is really angry. Some pundits think he will challenge Nick, what do you think?
# 10. (Finally/lol). People are wondering about Roger Greene’s congressional run. They say he hasn’t filed with FEC, that he is “damaged goods”, he has no real support and has raised no money. They are saying that District Leader Hamilton is not really running for the 57th AD seat, but is just holding a spot for Roger, in case he capitulates (like Nick Perry). What do you think?
STAY TUNED.