Disguised as an analysis of the 9th CD results, this Forbes article is in sync with my own articles analyzing middle class anger in NYC.
As I noted after the Mayoral 2009 election:
“…there is a lot of dissatisfaction from other quarters, not all of them liberal. To try to carve out a middle class existence in a City like New York is a constant battle in which residents often feel besieged by forces seemingly intent upon driving them to embark upon a suburban existence. Some of those forces are beyond the realm of government to even impact upon. But some, like the multiple and manifold forms of taxation by summons, are enough to drive even the City’s most ardent lovers into the arms of another.
I hate Rudy Giuliani liker poison, but he is, in living memory, the Mayor of New York who best understood this phenomena. In this regard, Bloomberg is the Mayor who most does not get it. It is why even worthy proposals of his like Congestion Pricing so drive middle class outer borough New Yorkers out of their minds.
There is out there a great seething resentment, not all of it rational, but much of it quite on the mark, for the sort of clueless lack of concern over this legitimate frustration. And for many, Bloomberg is its personification. In fact, the perception that there is nothing to be done about Bloomberg only fuels the fury of those so afflicted. I think the secret of Thompson’s good showing was, that unlike the local press, Thompson understood all this extremely well.
The problem was that this phenomenon was strongest in our local equivalent of the “red states,” and as Barack Obama has discovered, the fact that people in places like Arkansas and Louisiana have large populations in need of health insurance does not make those people more likely to support a black man who may actually be sensitive to their concerns. Bill Thompson did far better in our local “red states” than anyone expected, but there was a point which he could not get beyond.
Perhaps the winner needed to be a Weiner.”
It seems like every day brings a new stroy which fans such resentment.
As I’ve noted, this is not a right or left phenomena. I think Anthony Weiner got this better than any other potential Democratic Mayoral candidate, and those of us who this message speaks to have lost our best spokesperson. There are few Democratic politicians left who can both understand it and express it (Lew Fidler is one). Ironically enough, David Weprin was one of those who tried.
If the Democratic Party is to retake this town after 20 years, it will need to find a mayoral candidate who can articulate and direct this rage. The Demise Of The Luxury City – Forbes www.forbes.com
Nice blog on redistricting, but limited by its obsession with Voting Rights Act issues. To comment on egregious redistricting in Brooklyn and to not mention the 46th AD's arm into Bay Ridge through one lane of the Belt Parkway is just tunnel vision Mapping Blog – Citizens Redistricting Committee www.citizenredistrictny.org
Assessment: there's no longer a crisis which needs resolution like the debt ceiling, nor is there any chance of passing anything, since Obama could propose a tax cut for the rich, and the GOP wouldn't pass it. So, with no reason to bother, Obama returns to basic principles, because there's no point in selling your soul if no one's buying. Why Obama Spurned Negotiations nymag.com
Fallows: whether Nader is sincere about not wanting Obama to lose (and he probably isn't) that is the likely result of the primary challenge Nader proposes. I Love You, Ralph (Nader), But…. www.theatlantic.com
Coates on Nader and West:
“I'm forced to wonder if any of this would be happening had Obama returned a few phone-calls and put in some face-time. The presidential fetish on exhibition here, paired with a non-critique of Congress, the non-recognition of the need to build a more left-leaning electorate is amazing and anti-democratic. Nothing better evidences that than seeing Nader, a man who evidently believes Obama an "Uncle Tom for the corporations," turn around and praise Sarah Palin for her "conservative populism."
This isn't progressive. It's personal. And it's reactionary.” Liberal Sorcery Cont. www.theatlantic.com
Obama nails it:
America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakable, and our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. And so we believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day. Let's be honest: Israel is surrounded by neighbors that have waged repeated wars against it. Israel's citizens have been killed by rockets fired at their houses and suicide bombs on their buses. Israel's children come of age knowing that throughout the region, other children are taught to hate them. Israel, a small country of less than eight million people, looks out at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe it off of the map. The Jewish people carry the burden of centuries of exile, persecution, and the fresh memory of knowing that six million people were killed simply because of who they were.
These facts cannot be denied. The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland. Israel deserves recognition. It deserves normal relations with its neighbors. And friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine. Obama's Speech to the UN General Assembly, As Prepared www.nationaljournal.com
Obama: the first Jewish President? Actually, I think I said it first: The Tsuris nymag.com
The President's record of support for Israel is actually quite impressive. The Obama Administration Is a Good Friend to Israel online.wsj.com
A reminder that Bob Turner and much of the GOP's position on aid to the Palestinian Authority is the same as that of Hamas. Cut the aid, and Israelis will die.
And a thought that making purer than though support for Israel a matter of partisanship will ultimately not redound to Israel's interest. Sadly, I now wonder if Israel's worst enemies aren't some of their professed friends. House G.O.P. Finds a Growing Bond With Netanyahu www.nytimes.com
Susan Rice: “To have a drama that changes very little in the world vis-a-vis the actual conflict, and then to expect that while one party is taking this great victory lap the other party is going to run to the negotiating table, is not necessarily realistic.” Goldberg: Palestine May Win Vote, But Won’t Be a State www.bloomberg.com
Not a legal position, but a moral one: if we are to execute people (and I hope we are not), my standard would be guilt beyond any doubt, reasonable or not. As such, I will lose sleep over this one. Supreme Court refuses to stop Davis execution today.msnbc.msn.com
I oppose the death penalty, but I'm not losing any sleep over the death of James Byrd’s murderer. I don't favor it, and feel bad that I may savor it –if there were a candlelight vigil, I’d hope it was called on account of rain.
BTW, the victim's family, who publicly opposed the execution, are candidates for sainthood. If it was my son, I would oppose the execution, but I’d also demand the right to kick the bastard in the face and genitals with a sharp steel tipped boot while also armed with a squirt gun filled with lemon juice. White supremacist executed for Texas dragging www.msnbc.msn.com