SHAKESPEARE: One might say that a blog spat over the Kings County Young Republicans is the dictionary definition of much ado about nothing. Just saying…
LONGINUS: Republican Hate Bloggers Are Like Praetorians
Like the "Longinus" of the longtime Christian Good Friday tradition, service with the Legions of Rome could have led one into many interesting situations. Longinus was thought to have served under Pontius Pilate in a second rate posting, Judea, administratively annexed to the more prestigious Syria. Supposedly, he led a band of local Roman irregulars from Caesarea to help quell Passover disturbances in Jerusalem. Around that time, the regular Roman Legionnaires had been held at a distance from Jerusalem, because their unbridled brutality only stirred up the Jewish rebels and made the province less governable for the Romans.
By the time of Tiberius, one of the more interesting areas of service was back in Rome itself with the Praetorian Guards. Originally, bodyguards to Roman generals during the era of the Roman Republic, with the ascendancy of the certain generals in Rome, the Praetorians evolved into emperors' bodyguards. Used by the early emperors as retained enforcers within the precincts of Rome, the Praetorians' leaders (prefects) soon became active intriguers at the palace, even assassins.
A similar dynamic is probably at work with THE JIG IS UP ATLAS, a Brooklyn Republican hate blog. Set up as a quick response team to do hatchet jobs on anybody critical of the regime of the elected Marty Golden and the appointed Chairman Craig Eaton. It's clear to most observers that THE JIG IS UP ATLAS has gotten very out of control. Nobody noticed when the attacks were just intra-mural Republican hits carried out on insurgent Republicans, but lately the attacks have targeted many Democratic incumbents — and not just Carl Kruger. Several people inside the GOP have even referred to the JIG IS UP and its writers as Craig Eaton's "Frankenstein's Monster". Only recently, have they taken on ROOM EIGHT and "Gatemouth" head-on.There have been rumors that GOP Chairman Craig Eaton's might soon pull the plug on THE JIG IS UP ATLAS. However, people like Russell Gallo, a Republican District Leader and the new head of a newly recreated Brooklyn Young Republicans Club, would view that as an open rebuke to him that would diminish his place in the Kings County Republican organization. Many in the Brooklyn GOP leadership are afraid that Gallo and his "cohorts" would possibly lash back in an unpredictable fashion.
MANNY LAVORRO: Gate, you have a reputation for being a decent guy.
The Jig is a primitive, childish attempt by those in the Brooklyn GOP to (unsuccessfully) balance the lunatic ravings of Jonathan Judge's Atlas hate blog.
For all its faults, and there are many, the Jig's transgressions pale in comparison to those of Jonathan and Atlas.
You need look no further than Atlas' President's Day 2011 remarks about Lincoln's assassination being the lawful act of a group of patriotic Americans, and that the Confederate Army of 1861-1865 was the last best hope of men on earth.
I won't get into the Atlas attacks on the wives and children (including those with rare genetic diseases) of GOP leaders, who have been the target of Atlas' meanspirited and cowardly assaults.
Jonathan and his Atlas cohorts are a bunch of craven cowards who would never dare say such things to someone's face.
They prefer to lurk in the shadows of the online world, pretending to be reformers and leaders. They are neither. As many have long wondered, how is it that the (then) President of the Brooklyn Young Republicans (at age 23) got a $46,000 a year job with his local Community Board?Gate, you and most of the readers of this blog know full well that Community Boards are one of the last bastions of Democratic clubhouse patronage in NYC. Jonathan Judge has such a patronage job because, not despite, his GOP pedigree. Someone in the Brooklyn Democratic Party wants him to have that job, and clearly wants him as a thorn in the side of the Brooklyn GOP.
Have you ever wondered why that is? Surely you don't think he got the job via an ad in the classifieds, do you?
For those who have a life and real problems, and may have wandered here in error, a quick review of our story so far, which is the story of how I wandered into the middle of the ridiculous Brooklyn Republican Civil War.
For those who need a roadmap of this right wing Disneyland, the Brooklyn Republican Insurgents are mostly centered around the Young Republicans and were led, until recently, by Jonathan J. Judge, an Assistant District Manager of a Flatbush Community Board. Their unofficial blog is “Atlas Shrugs in Brooklyn.”
The insurgents are at war with the Regulars, which, as in most of the City means the Republican State Senate Campaign Committee, which means, in turn, that the Regular Party is the personal fiefdom of the local Republican State Senator, Marty Golden, who rules through a sock-puppet named Craig Eaton. Their unofficial blog is called “The Jig is Up Atlas.”
I cannot deny that I have a fascination with marginal political figures and sometimes devote a great deal of time to covering their antics. In 2009, I devoted more than one piece to the then unknown Jimmy McMillan (no I’m not gonna link them all), which eventually paid great dividends (in ego, not money) when I started getting links from the Atlantic and on MSNBC.
But despite what sometimes appears to be an obsession with the seemingly insignificant (who far too often are capable of rendering some damage), the wars among the Brooklyn GOP held no fascination for me until fairly recently.
Here’s how I stepped into this dreck:
After the criminal complaint was filed against my old buddy, Carl Kruger, State Republican Chair Chris Cox tried to use it as a cudgel to portray Albany corruption as a Democratic problem.
In response, I noted that (1) Albany corruption has been a bi-partisan problem, though many ,if not most, of the greatest innovations in the field of Albany sleaze were pioneered by Republicans, (2) Kruger’s personal power was built mostly upon the connivance and collaboration of Albany Republicans, and (3) locally, State Senator Marty Golden and the Brooklyn GOP are structurally enmeshed with Kruger and that even though Golden had no problems in the past calling upon people to resign when accused of crimes, he had not done so with his close friend Kruger.
His silence continues to this day.
But Golden’s allies at “The Jig is Up Atlas” had not gotten the memo. As I noted, they began a campaign of attacking local Democrats for not calling upon Kruger to resign.
This was too much for me, and I called them on their stunning hypocrisy.
As a result, I become a target for abuse on “The Jig“, much of it homophobic.
Yesterday, our little war continued with a full scale “Jig” offensive, in which I am accused, among other things, of being a shill for the insurgent faction of Brooklyn Republicans.
Responses from friends poured in from across the nation:
Sarah Steiner Does anyone involved with that blog speak or write English?
Robert Rohrberger Wow. You weren't kidding about the quality of the writing.
Paul Newell That may just be the worst written thing i have ever read.
David Lachmann Did this guy also write the Dr. Bronner's soap label?
Richard Schrader: This guy can't polish ur shoes…ur voice is more valuable than ever these days.
Mole333: Wow…it is almost incomprehensible. You might be long winded (I have been asked by many to ask you to write shorter pieces, a message I have not passed on before since your style is not brief) but always precise. This guy is barely coherent. The question begs, why can't conservatives learn to write (said in a Rex Harrison voice).
DJ: The question begs, what the hell are they talking about? They make less sense than Michele Bachmann. Are they claiming that you are (or were) Marty Connor's lawyer? Or are they claiming that you were born in Kenya, fer cryin' out loud?!?
PABLO PERROGUIA (Senate Democratic Operative): I read it once, couldn’t understand it, so I tried again and gave up. If this is the level of “competition,” it’s time to . . . I don’t know, laugh out loud?
I have no dog in the fight among Brooklyn Republicans.
To answer the post of the very civil Mr. Lavorro at the beginning of this piece, it does not surprise me that a Republican website would run Confederate propaganda.
I long ago dubbed the GOP the “Party of Jefferson Davis.”In fairness, though, I should note that "The Jig” regularly refers to a Brooklyn Republican insurgent of Middle eastern origin as “The Shoe Bomber.“
Of course, “The Jig” calls itself “A Place for Real Americans,” and obviously, someone of Middle Eastern origin does not, in their jaundiced and hateful view, qualify.
So, on the question of which Brooklyn Republican blog is a greater offense to human decency and American values, let’s just call it a draw.
If “Atlas’ is a sewer, and I’ve seen nothing which contradicts that, "The Jig" is, at best, no better.
I would be proud to be named on their “Official Douche Bag List.”
Why aren’t I there already? Have those bastards no respect?
My position in this war is that Republicans should be ridiculous bumblers who can't win elections. Jonathan J. Judge does seem better suited at that task, but the folks at "The Jig" are certainly trying to give him a run for the money.
But much of the anti-Judge narrative is lost on me.
Because of the area's centralized location and ethnic diversity, Flatbush’s Community Board 14 is split between many electeds, and with no faction guaranteed control, has sort of evolved its own independent culture, and the Board Chair, Alvin Berk, has been there so long he probably believes he is the permanent government and the politicians merely serve at his pleasure.
There are politics at CB#14, but they are not really "partisan politics."
Anyway, does Marty Markowitz, who together with the Councilmembers, appoints CB14's members, really care about hurting Republicans?
When was the last time he backed a Democrat for Mayor? Did he even endorse Golden's opponent last year?
Which person who's put appointees on Board #14 cares about hurting Marty Golden?
David Greenfield, who Golden helped elect?
Mathieu Eugene, who gave Golden money?
Mike Nelson, who endorsed Golden’s initial election to the Senate, against an incumbent Democrat, at the behest of their mutual benefactor, Carl Kruger?
I could name the other Councilmembers, past and present, whose appointees still survive on the board, like Kendall Stewart, who when he ran for the State Senate, would not promise to conference with the Democrats, but I cannot name one who ever took part in any efforts to challenge Marty Golden’s hegemony.
In order to believe Judge got a job because of a Machiavellian plot by local Democrats to hurt the GOP, you would have to believe the local Democrats cared.
Moreover, you would have to believe they cared about hurting Marty Golden.
I ask anyone to point to one piece of evidence that the Kings County Democratic Party cares about hurting Marty Golden.
Except in the sense that they care about avoiding doing so, such evidence does not exist.
I did not get post about “The Jig” because I care about the Brooklyn GOP's internal battles. As noted, my objection to "The Jig" is that its latest series of attacks on local Democrats (many of whom I will stipulate are turds–mostly because they help Republicans at every turn) has gone out of its way to skewer them on a matter (Kruger) where (for reason I've outlined elsewhere) “The Jig’s” hero, Golden, is more vulnerable than any of their targets.
Also, “The Jig’s” prose gives me a headache.
To avoid accelerating matters any further, I would gladly drop the topic entirely, but, as I’ve noted before, nothing is blessed with the appearance of eternal life (save for Alvin Berk’s tenure on CB#14) more than things posted on the internet.
Therefore, even though I fear it may prolong this nonsense, I must answer some of the ridiculous assertions and insinuations made yesterday on “The Jig” during their expose concerning my perfidy.
The most important charge, as far as I can decipher it, is that as a “Democratic Hack” I am involved in a plot to elevate Jonathan Judge’s standing in order to hurt Brooklyn Republicans in general, and Marty Golden in particular. Most prominently, as part of this plot, I was involved in procuring for Judge the assistance of my former boss, former state Senate Democratic Leader Marty Connor, to assist Judge as his election lawyer during Judge’s abortive 2010 campaign for a City Council seat.
Where to begin:
As one prominent Brooklyn Blogger noted: “They just discovered you worked for Connor or something? Are they next gonna publish an expose on how Andrew Cuomo is actually the SON of ex Governor Mario Cuomo!?!?
Considering the blog probably has four people who visit per day, they're 100% worth ignoring.
Are they a "hate site" though? Seems like a couple crazy bored kids”
For the record, I’ve not worked for Connor since 2002; to my knowledge, the last time anyone related to me by blood or marriage managed to earn a check from Connor (through his Campaign Committee) was 2004.
While Marty does remain a friend, we don’t control each other’s agenda.
In 2009, Connor backed Bill DeBlasio and John Liu (both of whom had defied their friends at WFP and endorsed Connor for renomination in 2008) –I backed Mark Green and David Yassky (the only Council Member in Connor’s district who’d refused to endorse his 2008 re-nomination).
That year, Connor backed three Council candidates, Alan Gerson, Bob Zuckerman and Jo Anne Simon –I endorsed none of them (though I did vote for Simon) and endorsed a different candidate against Zuckerman. Mathieu Eugene was Connor’s client; I endorsed Rock Hackshaw against him. I also endorsed Paul Newell, candidate of a club which voted to support Connor's final senate opponent, for a District Leadership.
Last year, Connor represented Ruben Wills during his special election campaign; I endorsed Martha Taylor Butler.
Connor did not recall talking to me about Judge at the time he was hired, and the records of my email reveal the only conversation had during that time was about David Paterson’s self and staff inflicted wounds.
And Connor he had a motivation to serve as Judge’s lawyer far more compelling than my non-existent relationship with Judge. If the links supplied by “The Jig” are correct, Judge was paying Connor a lot of money.
That said, I’ve never actually met Jonathan Judge, but for purposes of the truth, I will relay as much of our history (such that it is) that I can reconstruct.
The 2010 Council Special Election Judge attempted to run in was really a contest between
Vito Lopez’s candidate, David Greenfield, and Dov Hikind’s candidate Joe Lazar. Even though Republican had often won impressive numbers in the district, Golden decided to take a dive and backed Greenfield.
Judge, responded by running himself.
Though I was already on Lopez’s shit list, from which one never really exits, I was drawn into the race when Hikind and Lazar preposterously attempted to portray themselves as political reformers fighting the good for good government against the forces of Lopez.
I responded by doing a point by point comparison of Lopez and Hikind, showing that Hikind and Lopez often worked hand in hand, and to the extent they had differences in their politics and modus operandi, those differences usually militated in favor of Lopez.
Here is what that piece had to say about Jonathan Judge on February 22,2010 when I mentioned him for the first time. :
“Let us not then say that Lazar is the anti-Lopez candidate; rather let us only say that he is among the non-Lopez candidates, and surely not the most non-Lopez among them (that would be Republican Jonathan Judge). Moreover, odds are that Lazar will remain “non-Lopez” only until such time as he either attains election, or his prime sponsor deems otherwise.”
Actually, not bad.
My next mention of Judge, on February 24, 2010, came in a piece where I compared the candidates themselves, rather than their mentors, and found each had right wing connections and views as distasteful as the other, but that Greenfield was clearly more impressive.
However, I still refused to come out and explicitly endorse him:
“It is clear that Joe Lazar will be a competent and controlled plodder perhaps making a useful contribution on mental health issues, and that David Greenfield will be an aggressive and possibly even independent go-getter, who is likely to be a really substantive player in the legislative process.
Given the politics they both adhere to, I’m not sure that gives Greenfield the advantage.
However, if I lived in the district, I’d likely feel differently.”
The piece mentions Jonathan Judge twice; the first time I essentially call him out as a bigot:
“On social issues, the best one can probably hope for from this field is lack of interest, in the manner of Simcha Felder, who’d just as soon change the topic and hope it never comes up again. David Greenfield and Joe Lazar might vote “no” on issues of interest to the LGBT community, and make a little speech, but they are probably not going to expend any political capital or use such topics to inflame the passions of their constituents.
Concerning Jonathan Judge, President of the Brooklyn Young Republicans (and the only candidate who actually lived in the District before the seat became vacant), I’m not sure I can promise even that. His campaign seems mostly a matter of trying to stir up resentment against Orthodox Jews: “Not all the communities have been represented as much as some,” says Judge, “and we’re working to make sure everyone is represented in the same way,”
Who between the two civilized candidates would be more tolerant? Well, Greenfield is surely more modern and worldly, while Lazar is more black-hat, but on the other hand, Lazar seems to have a slightly larger number of liberal friends (mostly courtesy of a quid pro quo for his and Dov’s endorsement in a City Council race; excepting Jim Brennan, who has high regard for Lazar’s work in the field of Mental Health)–probably a draw.”
The other Judge mention occurred while I was refuting efforts to use Golden’s support of Greenfield to portray Lazar as the race’s true Democrat. I did so by demonstrating that Hikind (who was a key player in helping Golden win his initial election against a Democratic incumbent) and Lazar ( who had given Golden money and personal support) were no better that regard.
In making this point I noted:
“Truth be told, the only result which would discomfort Marty Golden in this race would be a victory by Jonathan Judge (who is affiliated with an anti-Golden Republican faction), and he thinks Golden is too liberal.”
In the end, both Greenfield and Lazar filed specifications against Judge’s petitions. Judge was ruled off the ballot and eventually hired Connor as his Appellate lawyer. At this point, only Greenfield bothered pursing Judge. When Judge lost the appeal, he endorsed Lazar.
Irony #1: While “The Jig” accuses Judge of being a Democratic cat’s paw, when Judge tried to get back on the ballot, the attorney who kept him from running was no other than Carl Landicino, the Law Chair of the Kings County Democratic Party.
Irony #2: At the time, Hikind stooge Yeruchim Silber accused me of opposing Lazar because I was carrying the water of Marty Connor (who was, at that time, opposing Greenfield’s interests in court). .
Irony #3: For all intents and purposes, I backed the same candidate in that race as “The Jig’s” hero, Marty Golden.
What follows in the rest of my Jonathan J. Judge chronology, all of it from Facebook, unless otherwise specified:
12/7/10
I received the following message from Facebook:
JONATHAN J. JUDGE WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND
A series of messages was exchanged:
GATE: Is this because I dissed Marty Golden?
You do realized I dissed you when you ran for council, right?
Jonathan J. Judge: Anyone who is a respected blogger with an extensive knowledge and institutional memory of local politics is a friend of mine, even if we don't always see eye to eye. Being dissed notwithstanding (I have a much thicker skin than most other Brooklyn politicos), it also helps to know we share similar concerns about the state of things in Brooklyn.
GATE: OK-be sure to join Gatemouth’s Blog on FB too. [He did]
12/11/10
Jonathan J. Judge: What's all the hype for Adams-Morgan about? It's got nothing on NYC and the BK.
GATE: But you're in DC, so it's the best you're gonna do. Context is everything my friend
Jonathan J. Judge: Gate, that's why I'll always come back to Brooklyn!
12/30/10
Jonathan J. Judge: Well, the NY Daily News caught on…Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and his flaky ideas doom New York during storm
Adam Tannenbaum: I'm disappointed to see that you're taking this angle. It was foolish for the top brass not to declare a snow emergency, but privatization brings more accountability to city services. The city spends less, and if a contractor doesn't deliver, the city can relieve them of their duties and open bids for others.
Jonathan J. Judge: I'm not taking this angle, per se. Goldsmith's actions, however, are at the crux of this entire fiasco. I'm merely highlighting the fact that the timing of the changes he's made were horrible, with December and January being when the demotions and layoffs are taking place just to save $25 million.
I'm sure now the City just lost that savings and then some because of the way things were handled. Secondly, while I'm hardly sympathetic to the fact that elected officials cave into outrageous public sector union demands, I also think there are three agencies whose workforces require special treatment: police, fire and sanitation. They are just too crucial to keeping the city functioning to make ideological decisions when we need everyone to work together. Worse yet, not to bite the bullet and pay overtime on Christmas to make sure there was enough prep for the snow was another ideological decision that did not serve the taxpayers well at all.
You also know that I am a proponent of pension reform, which has to apply to everyone. However, anyone who is from New York City knows you never screw over people when you're likely to need their full cooperation. Even if Sanitation workers may have participated in a slow down–which was also dead wrong–the Administration should have been more concerned with ensuring that the job got done right rather than rushing to save $25 million dollars so the Mayor or some City Council member can keep their slush fund.
Oh, and case in point, this never was an issue under Giuliani, who is still my favorite Mayor.
GATE: Barring a bankruptcy, pension reform can only be prospective –unless you are looking to impair contracts–someone who makes their career decisions over a quarter century, including forsaking slightly higher paying offers based on the pension they are in the process of earning, cannot later be told–“too bad so sad.” And, anyone who wants to try otherwise will only lose in court
Adam Tannenbaum: But you can invest the pension funds (and strong-arm the unions to invest theirs) into municipal bonds that allow city and state government to continue to fund its essential operations.
GATE: It's been done and when necessary should be done in a crisis situation, though outside of a crisis, the important thing is to get the best return on the investment
Jonathan J. Judge: Well, the NY Daily News caught on… Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and his flaky ideas doom New York during storm: http://soc.li/g4OOIFN
GATE: Fish rot from the head Johnny, real Mayors don't blame their deputies, they own up
Jonathan J. Judge: Key word: REAL. Nuff said.
Jonathan J. Judge: The Re-Appearance of Clarence Norman–UPDATEThe Re-Appearance of Clarence Norman–UPDATE December 30, 2010 at 11:40pm
GATE: The Commodore came to pay his respects to Nucky
JONATHAN J. JUDGE LIKES THIS.
2/15/11
Jonathan J. Judge: Sen. Kruger: gov’t should fine you for Walking While Listening (WWL) Sen. Kruger: gov’t should fine you for Walking While Listening (WWL)
GATE: Kruger just has a problem with listening
3/2/11
Jonathan J. Judge: Democrats “Heroes of Reform”? Ha! Democrats “Heroes of Reform”? Ha!
GATE: I'll grant you standing on this issue when you extend your critique to Mr. Skelos (and no, Marty Golden alone is not sufficient)
3/23/11
Jonathan J. Judge: Come to our Second Quarter Meeting and, in anticipation of the 2012 elections, learn how elections are fought and won in our Grassroots Workshop! Plus, grab a drink in support of expanding the impact of Young Republicans on politics in Brooklyn and beyond! See you there! It's Business Time – Brooklyn Young Republican Club Second Quarter Meeting
Location: Pub One
Time: 6:30PM Wednesday, March 30th
GATE: I wouldn’t give a first quarter to a Republican, let alone a second one
3/26/11
Jonathan J. Judge: RT @BKpolitics Here's an NY #redistricting map posted on @SwingState: http://bkpoli.tc/fRxw2p Swing State Project: NY Stand-pat Map
GATE: He could easily make Meek's district blacker if he just slid a bit into Nassau
4/7/11 (On Room 8)
GATE: In Brooklyn, the local Republican rebels, centered around the Young Republican Club, have Atlas Shrugs in Brooklyn, while the Golden/Craig Eaton controlled Regulars haveThe Jig Is Up Atlas.
Atlas Shrugs has the redeeming feature of sometimes linking Gatemouth, but that hasn’t stopped me from making their leader, Jonathan Judge, a target for well deserved derision when merited.
4/21/11
Jonathan J. Judge: A competing GPS system? The Russian government needs to get over the fact that the Cold War ended a LONG time ago, and they lost. BBC News – Russia's new smartphone lays down challenge for GPS www.bbc.co.uk
GATE: They no longer want to be the world's despot; they only seek to reinstate themselves as the region's despot.
(On Room 8):
GATE: As I’ve said before, “Atlas Shrugs” has the redeeming feature of sometimes linking Gatemouth, but that hasn’t stopped me from making their leader, Jonathan Judge, a target for well deserved derision when merited, which if he were a more significant figure, would surely be more of the time.
That is the entirety of my rather ponderous relationship with Jonathan J. Judge.
The other accusations in this piece and its thread are also puzzling.
1) That I am a friend of Lew Fidler’s?
That is undeniable, though it hasn’t stopped us from disagreeing on candidates again and again (He supported Spitzer, I supported Suozzi; he supported The Democratic candidates for Comptroller in 2006 and 2010; I urged a vote for blogger Adam Green, and Harry Wilson. In 2009, he endorsed Steve Levin and Diana Reyna; I endorsed neither and voted for Jo Anne Simon against Levin. In 2010, he supported Dick Brodsky for AG; I endorsed Kathleen Rice; he supported Gillibrand; I endorsed Gail Goode. In the 2010 general election, he supported all the Democrats running for State Senate in his district; I endorsed the Conservative Party candidate against Carl Kruger and pointedly refused to endorse either John Sampson or Kevin Parker. He pointedly refused to support Kevin Parker in his 2008 primary; I backed the schmuck. I‘m sure there are instances as well).
2) That I support equal rights for LGBT people.
I plead nolo contendre.
3) That I am a leftist?
I guess that depends on how one defines the term, but I don’t think any local blogger’s taken as much abuse from self-described “Progressives” as I. Further, Ben Smith once called me a “conservative Democrat” on Politico, forcing me to beg him to change that description to “centrist Democrat” (he did). Let’s just say I am a contrarian; for instance, I think’s there’s nothing “progressive” about saving LIFO.
However as the President of the Brownstone Republican club Notes: But locally, even as Gatemouth is firmly Left, he is well-known for an equal-opportunity, never-ending exposure. Opinion can be proven wrong, but they're expressions of an understanding — and brought nearly to an art-form.
4) That I’m a “former hack.”
I suppose I should thank them for the use of the word “former.”
5) That I once served on a Community Board.
True. How this connects me to Judge, who is a paid employees of a different board on the other side of the Borough, is something my limited brain power has trouble grasping.
6) That I tend to oppose Republicans and support Democrats.
Mostly true. Prior to last year, almost totally true. However, I’ve been more supportive of getting rid of Carl Kruger than either Golden, Eaton or “The Jig” was during the period before Kruger was arrested, and probably still more supportive of such efforts than either Golden or Eaton.
7) That I don’t care for State Senator Marty Golden
Well, despite Golden’s efforts to prevent them, that is why we have elections.
8) That I appreciate it when people link me.
Guilty as charged.
(I apologize that some facts here which could be documents by a link are not, but talking about the “Jig is Up Atlas” is so tiresome and tiring, so I finally quit).
UPDATE:
In the second part of their attack on my character and politics, the schmucks at “The Jig” attempt to undermine my credibility by showing me to be a liar.
First they take issue with this statement, which I made to show I was not beholden to Marty Connor:
“For the record, I’ve not worked for Connor since 2002; to my knowledge, the last time anyone related to me by blood or marriage managed to earn a check from Connor (through his Campaign Committee) was 2004.”
In response, “The Jig” correctly points out that I did GIVE Money to Connor in 2008. I never said I did not. In fact, though they did not point it out, so did my wife.
I am not sure how this, as opposed to Connor giving me money, is supposed to show I owe Connor a favor; and certainly, the amounts involved are a less convincing explanation for why Connor argued Jonathan J. Judge’s ballot access appeal, than the $5000 and change Judge paid him
Other than that, part two accuses me being friends with Lew Fidler (which I copped to in part one). This is supposed to undermine the credibility of the things I said against potential Fidler opponent Fred Kreizman, and is the sort of thing one prints to undermine a writer’s credibility when printing the facts would be of no help to you.
I am also accused of eating lunch with someone. This sometimes happens, but rarely. Usually, at lunch time, I sit alone and read the papers, because that is what I prefer to do.
Finally, for no apparent reason, Carl Kruger is accused of being a Democratic State Senator.
This is true only in the technical sense .
UPDATE #2: "The Jig" is up with another piece, which even in the context of "The Jig" is not worth linking.
In it, they prove they don't understand the word "you're" is not the same as the word "your." They also prove they don't know the difference between a lawyer and a client and which pays who.
Finally, they call out a Democrat for not calling for Carl Kruger's resignation, but have still not managed to call out the one elected official who's most benefitted from Kruger's support: Marty Golden.
Despite my long record as a Kruger detractor, I do not believe elected officials of any party should be calling for Kruger's resignation, because I believe Kruger is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
However, Marty Golden has made clear, by previously calling for the resignation of elected officals who've been charged with crimes, that he does not believe in the presumption of innocence.
Therefore, I ask "The Jig" to answer this?
When will you be calling upon Marty Golden to call for Kruger's resignation?
If you cannot answer this question, then please STFU!