Goodwin: "Hevesi was…Elected to the Legislature in 1970, he was an unremarkable soldier in the party army."
While I have no rachmonis for Hevesi, the gravity of this story is ill served by such ignorant bloviation.
The thing which makes the Hevesi story both so appalling and compelling is that Hevesi was a remarkable legislator, a brilliant academic and a policy wonk In 2009, during the Senate coup, those looking for historic perspective went back to the only book written on the legislature which had documented what had occurred when the same thing happened in 1965.
The book was by Hevesi.
In the 70's, during the legislative investigation of the nursing home scandals, it was Hevesi who did all the substantive work, and wrote all the remedial legislation, while Andrew Stein (ironically, also convicted in this scandal) who grabbed all the press.
Writing about Hevesi's legislative career in 1993, New York Magazine said, "He led the fight to preserve abortion rights, and wrote complex legislation to reform nursing homes and clamp down on Medicaid abuse…He…had a silver tongue…and……a mean competitive urge…he used these gifts to win a reputation as the Assembly's most compelling floor debater…Some of Hevesi's colleagues had trouble figuring him out: He was more interested in legislation than politics…He was a first-rate mind among dunderheads."
Ultimately Hevesi passed over 100 bills, the most notable being landmark health care legislation ensuring the rights of patients. He was also notable for leading the floor fight every year against the death penalty, despite representing a district that would have preferred otherwise.
Guys like Tony Seminaria, Guy Velella and Efrain Gonzalez reeked of their corruption as if it were a cheap cologne. By contrast, Alan Hevesi seemed like our best and brightest.
That is what makes his fall from grace into disgrace such a shock. As I've made clear before, Alan Hevesi was a hero of mine. I assure Michael Goodwin that my anger and outrage about Hevesi exceeds his by light years.
In fact, it is precisely because Hevesi was so remarkable, and raised such high expectations that my anger verges upon fury.
But Michael Goodwin is an ignorant gasbag and each of his columns by their very existence subtracts from the sum total of human knowledge. O's in fiscal fantasyland www.nypost.com
Like Captain Renault, I am “shocked” that Party leaders have been using post-primary Judicial Nominating Conventions to clean up matters of political inconvenience.
Why does everyone act like this is something new? Back in 1998, I even remember some of the same “progressive” types now complaining then expressing anger that Katherine Abate wouldn’t take a Judgeship nomination in Westchester to free up some third party line for Eliot Spitzer.
And back in 1976, the Liberal Party used one of its hacks functionaries as a placeholder til after the Senate primary, and then gave him a worthless judicial nomination so they could give the winning Democrat (Moynihan) their line.
The hack later became NY's prime vessel of outrage against just such tactics: HENRY STERN. Pols play fast and loose with judicial nods – Politics – The Buffalo News www.buffalonews.com
Even though Warren Redlich's a libertarian, unlike Tom Golisano, it wasn't taxes that drove him out of the State, it was the abuse of Golisano's sometime consultant Roger Stone. Campaign attacks prompt Redlich to move www.newsday.com
With Fred Kreizman set to run for public office, a timely reminder that the Leib Glanz like special treatment he advocates for incarcerated Orthodox Jews costs the taxpayers money, though nothing near the $18 million Dean Skelos has already robbed from us to help elect Fred. Jailhou$e mitzvah chutzpah www.nypost.com
I'm pretty certain that the "very extreme 'Secular', 'Leftist'" blogger referenced here is me–which proves context is indeed everything.
But while the delusional maniacs at this site are engaged in chronicling the dream-world struggle of their Golden savior against corrupt Brooklyn Democrats, in the reality based world, I have been told by a reliable source that Vito Lopez has reached out to his buddy, Senator Golden, through an intermediary to complain about this blog’s posts about Lopez’s friends (and even some enemies) allegedly being too close to Carl Kruger, and Golden's guy responded, "we can't control those guys, they're nuts."
I believe the source; the last thing Marty Golden wants is to heat up a controversy which begs the question about Golden’s own very close relationship with Kruger. State Senator Marty Golden Delivers Once Again As He Restores Key Bay Ridge And Dyker Heights Expres thejigisupatlas.blogspot.com
Speaking of those close to Lopez, it is always humbling to apologize, but years ago I had an argument with Councilman Steven Levin about the musical talents of John Hall, with me expressing utter disdain and Levin insisting that Hall was a superior guitar player.
Having just listened to Taj Mahal's live album "The Real Thing," I must now concede Levin's point.
But even that does not excuse Orleans (We won‘t even get into the Brooklyn Bridge Park appointment of the member item to Ridgewood-Bushwick) .
Since "Jewish Voice for Peace" does not so much object to Israel's policies as to its existence, it's name could not be more Orwellian, although its passive voice use of language to muddle its positions is more Nixonian than Stalinist (ironic, given their politics). Their hedge on One State or Two is worthy of Kissinger talking about Soviet Jews, and just as comforting. They take no position on the "final solution" to the Israel/Palestine problem, because it’s not their place to do so.
They are Jews who know their place.
And yet, Jewish communal organizations do not exclude other supporters of a One State Solution (provided they are from the Zionist right) or other anti-Zionists (provided they are Satmar). So while I would not give these folks a place at my home table, I’m not sure how the community draws the line.
And I‘m sure I join with my friends at J Street (which is somewhat to the left of me) in thinking it might be helpful for some in the community to meet some anti-Zionist lunatics so they can fully digest the distinction between friendly critics and spiteful enemies. JVP, Harsh Critic Of Israel, Seeks a Seat at the Communal Table – Forward.com www.forward.com
This piece makes such a cogent point about free expression within the Zionist world that I nearly ignored its whitewash of history.
Yes; it is true that the Irgun and Lehi (along with Haganah and Palmach) were eventually folded into the IDF, but only after being given a harsh but necessary lesson (the Altalena) in the crucial importance of the State as the holder of the monopoly of force.
Ben-Gurion had learned well the lesson of Michael Collins. David Rozenson: When the Zionist Right Was the Scorned Side – Forward.com forward.com
And now for a little Rhythm and Blues…Let's all sing the Obama Dayenu! President Obama on Israel: Dayenu – Jeffrey Goldberg – National – The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com
And now Tin Pan Alley meets Tin Pot Valley.
Joel Grey: "And if you could see her though my eyes, she wouldn't look Jewish at all." Marilyn Davenport, Republican official in California, didn't think Obama as chimp e-mail was racist www.nydailynews.com
The differences between liberals and "progressives" neatly outlined; mostly, I am a liberal (and sometimes, when I'm not, I'm neither). p m carpenter's commentary: Intolerable prickliness pmcarpenter.blogs.com
Like James Michael Curley and the fictional Skeffington, Williams Donald Schaefer served as a Governor, but will always be remembered as a Mayor. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/us/19schaefer.html?ref=deathsobituaries www.nytimes.com
I'll always remember Williams Rusher from where I first encountered him; on one of America's best public affairs shows, PBS' "The Advocates", which also introduced America to attorney Arthur Miller, as well as a Massachusettes state legislator named Michael Dukakis. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/us/politics/19rusher.html?ref=deathsobituaries
Speaking of Rusher, an interesting, but sorta niche-ey thought exercise from Sully. Bill Rusher On Larry Craig andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com
Well observed Passover piece, which reminded me of the time a relative by marriage (not mine) put croutons in the salad…for the second year in a row. As they say…Next Year in Brooklyn. Seder dinners at Passover can launch family friction and dysfunction over traditional festivities www.nydailynews.com