Grapevine #7

On the Friday before the Tuesday (Election Day), the Christian Cultural Center located on Flatlands Avenue, near Starett City, Brooklyn, held a candidates forum. I am told that this church of Rev. Bernard has a membership list of about twenty thousand people; thus as could be expected, many candidates showed up. All those running for Congress in Districts 10 and 11 were there, with the exception of Ed Towns. I am also told that this wasn’t the first time that Ed Towns refused to debate his opponents in a race, that it happened in 1992, 1998 and also in the year 2000. He was re-elected in all those races. Does Ed know something that we don’t? What do you think?

At the event David Yassky told me that I was the most truthful blogger in New York politics. When I pressed him on this – not that I disagree, but since I felt he was buttering up to me- he said that he will willingly repeat that statement in public. Maybe he will grace our comment section with corroboration here. I felt that he was thanking me in a roundabout way, for sticking out my neck for him and his right to run in the congressional race. That was a groundball David. Really. Too many blacks sit idly by when their leaders make racist statements. That’s tragic. I refuse to. If I don’t do it publicly, then I will privately pull them up on it.

Then Charles Barron did his usual “race thing” to the thunderous applause of many at the event. It was there that I realized that this guy refuses to GROW. He really believes that there is something virtuous in saying “I love black people”. He is wrong.

Intellectually-dead wrong. As an elected official of ALL the people of his district, that statement shouldn’t even be in his verbal repertoire. As a professed Christian-who is intelligent- he should know better. The philosophy of Jesus Christ transcends race. I also realized why my friendship with this guy is always strained; this obsession with race is troubling and it now leads me to re-assess my relationship with him, on all levels (personal and political and professional).

Yvette Clarke, Chris Owens and Carl Andrews were all there. Carl went to great lengths to inform me that he will surprise me by his victory, since all his internal tracking polls had him leading from Jump Street. He said that from the ‘git-go’ people have been feeding in to this myth that Yvette was leading in the race. He said the polls most were referring to, were commissioned by the union (1199) which endorsed and was vigorously supporting Yvette Clarke. David Yassky concurred. He said his polls had Andrews ahead with he (Yassky) in striking range. They both intoned that Yvette was in a free-fall. Maybe they should fire those pollsters, no? I really don’t think that there was such a dramatic shift in the 96 hours left at that point; given that we now know the results.

So: Yvette Clarke won. I do wish her good luck in her future endeavors. All the Owens, Andrews and Yassky supporters need to get over their disappointments. The people have spoken. I will say one thing to Yvette (who told me at this event, that she reads my Room8 columns): FINISH UP YOUR DEGREE REQUIREMENTS, ASAP. Let me tell you why I say this, because I am really not picking on you, since your sins of omission are really trivial when compared to what Clarence Norman, Roger Green, Angel Rodriguez and other electeds have done in the past. However, if you are any kind of decent human being, the next time you attend a graduation ceremony where you have to speak or present awards, you will feel awful if you don’t have the degree by then.

Speaking of the same issue: I was quite offended during this congressional race, by the manipulation of the words of one of my Room 8 columns-which appeared in a campaign newspaper of one of Yvette’s opponents-with my name attached. This was used in an attempt to smear Ms. Clarke. I never authorized such usage, nor did I condone it then or now. I really felt that the full passage should have been used for honesty and accuracy sakes. They deliberately left out various parts conveniently, like where I said that “Yvette shouldn’t be tarred and feathered for this”, but used other parts that were harsher. I had nothing to do with this.

To close on this race, let me say that the turnout was rather disappointing; at least four of every five registered voters stayed home. What do you say about that folks?

In the 10th Congressional, I won another bet from congressman Ed Towns. I bet him twenty dollars that Barron would whip him in the 40th AD. Towns originally wanted to bet one hundred dollars. Truly. I said “Ed, I am only saving you eighty dollars because we go back some ways; this is a no-brainer”. I had originally wanted to bet him that he loses the district-wide black vote to Barron.

Towns (46%) took me to lunch at the Marriot Hotel, in order to pay off the two bets he owed me (one from 2001), and he still can’t figure out what hit him. Barron captured 38% of the vote, and Roger “The Dodger” Green got 16%, in a result that surprised most everyone but me. If you look back on some of my “Grapevine”/ and other columns, you will see that I kept telling you folks that Barron will win the black vote. Uncle Rocky knows what he is talking about folks. Remember that when my detractors talk shit. If Barron had both insured and ensured me being on his campaign- and not shown his lack of appreciation- they would be still counting votes today folks. Anyway, Barron is spinning this like he won; but he is about to make another mistake.

In the 58th AD, the 31 year old attorney named Terry Hinds ran a creditable first race for a rookie. He garnered about 25% of the vote, coming in second to Councilmember Kendall Stewart. He also defeated former BOE commissioner Weyman Carey (the incumbent) by about 600 votes. Carey who had been feuding with Stewart ran last.

Congrats to Jesse Hamilton for winning the district leadership in the 43rd AD. If you recall, I was the first writer on Room 8 to plug Jesse Hamilton (see my archives), way back when/lol. I also endorsed Eric Adams and Hakeem Jeffries, and they both won (not because of me, I am sure). The biggest disappointment was Ken Evans losing to Diane Gordon in the 40th AD. Ken- being a true gentleman- refused to pummel Gordon in this campaign. I suggested that he do that, without much luck. I think that an incumbent with her baggage should have been slammed from day one; what do you think?

In the races up ballot there were no surprises. What was newsworthy was the fact that two black women won county wide judgeships in Brooklyn (Kings County), even though they were up against two other black women and two white males. This is becoming a recurring decimal folks. Why do you think this is happening?

SIDEBAR: I don’t know when my next “Grapevine” column will be, but hopefully there will be another. Stay tuned-in folks.