There’s a special election for Congress in New York City in a District the Republicans could win, which would cause tremendous embarrassment to the President and our party, and massively set back even the most minimal hopes for any progress on anything even slightly resembling a liberal agenda.
The last time the GOP held the ancestral seat of the 9th Congressional District was 1922. The last time a Republican held any small portion of the district in its current form was 1982 (anyone remember John Leboutlier?).
Yet, it would be harder to create a worse 2011 narrative for the Democrats than the one we face in the 9th CD Special Election.
The economy is still crawling out of the crapper and the debt ceiling crisis threatens to make things worse; a simultaneous special Assembly election in the Rockaways/Howard Beach seat features a strong Republican with a base in the 9th CD and a Democrat whose base is located outside it.
More importantly, as I’ve noted, it is not a great time for Democrats amongst Jewish voters. This is especially true amongst Orthodox and Russian Jews who make up a large portion of the 9th CD.
As noted in my links, last November, there was a large slippage in Democrat support amongst such voters, and since the election that slip has intensified. Once can argue that the overwhelming majority of American Jews still support the President,but it’s a smaller majority than it used to be.
And a large portion of those not in that majority live in the 9th CD, and now, thanks to Former Mayor Ed Koch (a formidably popular figure in the 9th) and Assemblyman Dov Hikind (who represents some of the 9th, and has influence beyond his district as well) they have their spokesmen.
Koch’s and Hikind’s message, which I think speaks even to some Jews who may yet back Obama’s re-election, is that this election affords a perfect opportunity for Jews to send the President a message about Israel.
The positions of the candidates almost don’t matter. Voting for anti-Israel Republican of the Ron Paul school against a Democrat with right wing Zionist positions would still let the President know that genug is genug.
That all being said, David Weprin, an Orthodox Jew, with strong ties to the Jewish social services establishment is about as strong a candidate as the Democrats could have to beat the various narratives the Republicans will try to make the race about.
But, it is still a competitive race, and the Democrats really need to hold this seat, or face an awful avalanche of post election apocalypse, especially, but not exclusively, about the vitality of the continuing relationship between the Democrat Party and the Jewish community.
Yet, the “progressives” don’t seem to be getting with the program.
NYC’s “The Daily Gotham” has yet to write about this race (although admittedly, they do little these days but send out dinner invites from Mole333).
The Albany Project, which did yeoman’s work in the recent Hochul special, has not published a piece about this seat since June 17, even though one of its most prolific writers, Dan Jacoby, lives in an area which is partially covered by the 9th CD.
Meanwhile, on Facebook, some of New York’s most outspoken progressives have done little but express their outrage about the candidate selection process:
Evan Hale Hutchison (Former Paul Newell Campaign Manager) (June 16): The big question now- who runs in the Special for Weiner's seat? Will folks run on other party lines to beat the Brooklyn dem machine? This is going to be very interesting.
Lincoln Restler (Brooklyn District Leader) (July 7): freedlander explains the 1 person democracy that is a NY State special election…and how we ended up David Weprin. The Weprin Choice, or How to Win Your Party’s Pick for a Special Election | PolitickerNY www.politickerny.com
Gary Tilzer (Political Operative and Overrated spokesman for Anti-Machine Insurgency): We have a Crowley Puppet – I wrote about it in my blog http://truenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com/
Paul Newell (Manhattan District Leader) (July 8): By all accounts, David Weprin is a decent guy. But the News is on the money here. Special elections without primaries are undemocratic. They should be ended
Chris Owens (Brooklyn District Leader) (July 8): I give the Daily News credit — albeit begrudgingly — for calling the farce a farce!
Gary Tilzer: Agree I wrote much more on my blog about the mugging or our Democracy. http://truenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com/
GATEMOUTH: Nonetheless, Weprin deserves our full support just as Hochul (chosen by the same process) did
Gary Tilzer: Your constant role never disappoints me, Gate.
GATE: the fat ass who pretends to be a reform hero is actually a reactionary who'd just as soon see the GOP win–drop dead.
Gary Tilzer: Take you meds Gate
GATE: I notice you don't deny it though —I know your real politics Gary–you're a reactionary–So tell me Gary–do you support the candidate of the party of Obama, or the candidate of the party of Bachmann?
Gary Tilzer: What is happening with a corrupt leader picking Weiner replacement will destroy Brooklyn congressional representation and redistricting for a generation and you know that – I hope you get the help you need and some day those who read your crap understand what role you play for the machine.
GATE: I'm proud to support the Democrat –why can't you say you support the Democrat Gary? Did you even vote for Obama?
GATE: Notice how long time has passed and Tilzer still won't say whether he hopes the Democrats will hold a House seat, and he still won't say whether he voted for Obama. You "progressives" who think Tilzer is in your corner are swallowing bullshit that stinks even worse than he does
Chris Owens: Could you two do your pas-de-deux on someone else's FB page? It's aggravating … and boring. BTW … maybe I should run for Weiner's seat … :)
GATE: You are slightly less plausible than the 2011 version of Liz Holtzman.
Chris Owens: Yeah, but some people would shit in their pants … :)
GATE: Maybe, but the Republicans would throw a party
Janice Meghoo Prezwodek: The Republicans will throw a party anyway! They'll find the Democrats' in-fighting amusing. Cool your heels fellas. Or, take it "outside" – air your dirty laundry on the streets of NY!
GATE: Hey–my whole point was a plea for party unity, which we (mostly) had for Hochul, who was nominated by the same process. This seat is rated only +5 Dem, so unity is essential. Those who come up with excuses to avoid it must be called out and thoroughly shamed and humiliated as the Republican enablers that they are. I will not sit still when some phony who pretends to be a progressive tries to attract consulting business from Republicans and tries to tear Democrats away from the Democratic nominee, while other people who says they are “progressive” refuse to utter one word of support for the Democrat–even though they often pontificate about others not doing the same.
Chris Owens: Gate … You really need to chill a bit. I have no problem with your passion, but you need to focus your anti-Tilzer diatribes at Tilzer on HIS page. I request this as a point of personal privilege. And stop worrying about people's support of Weprin in the 9th. It will happen.
GATE: I just see, and not just from Tilzer, a lot more personal passion expressed from "progressives" about process than about holding a marginal seat in congress. It is self indulgent, and I guess should probably be attributed to the fact that no one has a clue about who lives in the 9th CD and how they've been voting–luckily the GOP seems intent on botching this, but a loss here would not be helpful for the President, and if that doesn't bunch “progressives” skits (and sadly, I suppose it won't) it will also be very unhelpful in moving the narrative to the left, to say the least.
I have to ask, with all due respect,
WHY THE FUCK DO THE PROGRESSIVES HAVE THEIR HEADS UP THEIR ASSES?
Is it the process?
It is the one enshrined in the law. The one the Republicans use. The one the WFP used to pick Progressive cause celebre Jesus “Superstar” Gonzalez.
I don’t defend the process. I would have preferred a primary, but there is at least a cognizable federal constitutional argument that the Governor had to call a special election and not wait to fill the Congressional seat (calling the Assembly vacancies as specials, on the other hand, was a straight capitulation to the bosses).
But, if ever there were a race where the usual argument — that we install incumbents in these specials and then we are stuck with them for decades without the voters ever really getting a choice–did not fly, it is this one.
Odds are this election is only about filling a seat for a year and a half and not a lifetime. This election is surely a bad poster child for that sort of outrage.
So, if not the process, what?
That the election should be some sort of referendum on the unjust elimination of the 9th CD?
This is utter nonsense.
We are losing two Congressional Districts. One is coming somewhere in Queens or Nassau. Congressional Districts must be of exactly equal population and the numbers are the numbers.
Is it wrong to eliminate a district based on political factors?
I ask you to look at a Congressional map of the Queens/Nassau area and tell me which non-minority district seems to be an entirely inorganic creature which could only be created by politics and which seems quite clearly to be the natural candidate for elimination.
Even David Paterson could look at the map and pick the 9th.
Any independent non-political redistricting process would surely carve the 9th to shreds.
Progressives might accept the Tilzer argument, currently popular among much of the Jewish establishment, that the 9th preserves a voice for Jewish Brooklyn.
This is nonsense.
First of all, Brooklyn only comprises 30% the 9th CD.
Because Weiner’s political career originated in Brooklyn, this was not understood. But suddenly, Brooklyn political and civic types have been hit in the face with a brick by the overwhelming evidence of how irrelevant they are to the politics of the 9th CD.
Preserving the 9th CD in something like its current form will only perpetuate this situation.
Further, the ninth’s Brooklyn portion includes neighborhood like Marine Park (where Jews are a minority) and Gerritsen Beach (where they are virtually non-existent).
In the event that the 9th CD is eliminated, Brooklyn Jews will probably make up a greater portion of the population in at least one or two of the districts which swallow up the 9th turf than currently they do in the 9th.
As such, Brooklyn Jews would be better off fighting for a redistricting which concentrates their power effectively, rather than trying to perpetuate one which does the opposite.
Electing an Irish Republican from Queens is just a silly way to preserve the “power” of Brooklyn’s Jewish community.
At any rate, from a progressive view, the answer to this complaint should rightly be “so what?”
In a process where districts must be of exactly equal size, some constituencies are going to get carved up.
Right now, Brownstone Brooklynites and our Williamsburg cousins are carved into impotency by being divided into three different Congressional Districts.
If southern Brooklyn whites of conservative views are entitled to a district of their own, or one they greatly influence, how about us?
In other words, I see no great progressive cause in defeating David Weprin so that a district can be instead be created which might elect Noach Dear or Dov Hikind (though phony progressive Gary Tilzer, who manages campaigns for Hikind sock puppets, naturally sees things differently).
So, maybe it’s the candidate.
Nonsense!
On what basis do the “progressives” find David Weprin lacking?
Is he an imperfect liberal?
No more so than Kathy Hochul, who made her name demagogue-ing against Eliot Spitzer’s proposal to allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses.
Maybe he disappoints in the context of Weiner?
I don’t see how. If anything, he’s been more courageous.
David Weprin, who represent the Queens AD which may contain the most millionaires, supports the millionaire’s tax. David Weprin, who may soon find himself contesting a primary in a Congressional seat which goes into Nassau County, is a sponsor of the commuter tax.
When it came to defending the religious freedom of people like his wife, Anthony Weiner took a gutless dive.
By contrast, running against an opponent who tried to make an issue out of the Holy Mother Coat Factory, Weprin stood up like a mensch and did the right thing, even though the easy politics would have been to do otherwise.
Maybe “progressives,” just don’t like Weprin’s Likud-like Zionism–several degrees to the right of my own more moderate brand.
I sympathize a bit, cause I don’t like it much myself.
But such scruples never stopped “progressives” from supporting Anthony Weiner, who wouldn’t even acknowledge the existence of settlements, preferring to consider them a part of Israel proper.
I will admit, Weprin’s not perfect. Though he has a decent environmental record, especially compared to his “drill baby” opponent, it could be better. For instance, Weprin’s an outspoken opponent of Congestion Pricing.
But opposition to Congestion Pricing didn’t stop “progressives” from supporting Steve Harrison for Congress against a Congestion Pricing Supporter. As a final note, I might add that far right wing elements in the Ultra-Orthodox community have been trying to make this race about same sex marriage. Hikind seems to be hinting that as well. Weprin not only voted for the bill, but did something he didn’t have to do; he got up and spoke about it, from his perspective as an Orthodox Jew, even though he was running for Congress in a district where making such a speech was going to be more of a liability than an asset.
Though it might not be fair, a defeat of Weprin will be exploited to hurt the cause of same sex marriage.
So, I ask my progressive friends:
WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?
What’s with this outbreak of progressive_nihilism? Are we to endure Martha Coakley, part two?
All of the “progressive” energy in the room seems to be sucked up by the fight to beat Vito Lopez’s candidate and elect Jesus Gonzalez to the Bushwick/Cypress Hills Assembly seat.
Although I’m leaning to endorsing Gonzalez myself, I am unimpressed by the idea that beating Vito Lopez is more important that beating John Boehner.
But, at least it’s arguable.
What is not arguable is that beating John Boehner, and the forces of right wing reaction in this race is very important too.
So why are progressives so silent?
EPILOGUE: The Albany Project has reacted in its usual petty manner, printing a response to this piece, without having the decency to link it.
In it, they make a strenuous effort to prove my point, saying victory here doesn't matter, and Weprin's OK, but he doesn't bunch our panties, and we'd prefer someone with a bigger Weiner.
Mostly, it apears that Bingchester hasn't read the piece, since he take the Paglossian posture of assuming everthing's for the best, and ignores my point about the volitility of the Israel issue.
But he's got a point.
Imean, why worry about a national onslaught concerning how the loss of a seat held by the Democrats for 90 years augers an end to the strong political alliance between the Democratic Party and the Jewish community, when the real action is the races for Judges and Distirct Leaderships in Manhattan?
I rest my case.