Colby Hamilton: In conversations about Lancman, it's not uncommon for people to fall into non-attribution mode right before things like this get said: he’s self-serving, he’s entirely focused on his own self-promotion, he thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room, he lacks introspection.
But to be fair, Rory stands out, even among tough competition:
Hamilton: Or, as one of his assembly colleagues not from Queens put it: “Rory’s probably the most hated member of the state assembly.
Conclusion: Rory is a lot like Anthony Weiner on saltpeter, provided Weiner lacked a sense of humor and had actual accomplishments. The Empire – Rory Lancman Wants to Be The Next Queens Liberal Lion In Congress www.wnyc.org
Smallest surprise of the campaign; a Congressman who didn’t announce his retirement until Lancman promised him he was dropping out of the race against him gives Rory one more poke with a sharp schtick. Ackerman Endorses Grace Meng in House Race www.nytimes.com
Memo to Liz Crowley; ask Malcolm Smith about the consequences of paying more attention to your electronic devices than your audience. Elizabeth Crowley's Texting During Queens Congressional Debate Raises Questions www.nydailynews.com
We'll truly know that Dan Halloran has recovered when he apologizes to the Sanitation workers about his snowjob false accusations. Dan Halloran, Recovering politicker.com
Bloomberg raising for Rangel should put to rest once and for his national image as the arbiter of civic virtue, but my favorite aspect of this story is the thought of John Liu ensuring that hundreds of Chinese waiters max out for Charlie. Bloomberg comes out for Rangel, and so does Christine Quinn | Capital New York www.capitalnewyork.com
George Martinez addresses the issues with the usual clarity and coherence we've come to expect from him.
Message:"All day. All week. Occupy all streets!”
Well, better George should occupy the streets than a seat in the House. Congressional Candidate Stars in Occupy-Themed Hip-Hop Video politicker.com
The more people believe State Senate Republicans who say they support a minimum wage increase, the further we will be away from getting one. Cohen Breaks From GOP, Says Minimum Wage Should Be Tied To Aid For Small Businesses | Politics on th polhudson.lohudblogs.com
The return of Tischler the pisher, as all the dropouts and knockouts for the 44th Councilmanic special re-up for the Senate Seat from Kishkaland.
Nachum “The Dollar” Caller, Abie “The Babie” Tischler; query: is Jonathan “The Grudge” Judge next? New Candidate Emerges for ‘Super Jewish’ State Senate Seat politicker.com
Stewart-Cousins or Gianaris might help improve the Sen Dems' image; Hassell-Thompson not so much. Politicians vie to replace state Senate Minority Leader John Sampson – before he gets the boot www.nydailynews.com
"I bought all the votes that money could buy
so I never had to be Chuck's drone
no longer getting richer
but one day I'll get my picture
on the cover of the Rollin' Stone" Squadron’s Star Turn | City & State www.cityandstateny.com
Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Five Towns) proves he has read the returns from the CD-9 and SD-27 specials and has smelled the kugel.
I especially like the part where he makes pandering to the Orthodox right sound like left-wing agitating. http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/05/6006891/democratic-assemblyman-says-he-might- www.capitalnewyork.com
I’d say I was suffering from diabetic shocked, but I’m not shocked.
Where is the Church Lady when you need her? Lopez flip$ for Domino www.nypost.com
DiFiore manages the impossible; she makes Ravi Batra look good in comparison. DA improperly got her maid welfare: probe www.nypost.com
"Shaming Andrew Cuomo" translated into Yiddish would be "kloppen kopf in vant" Capitol Confidential » Rally includes threats of shaming on min wage blog.timesunion.com
Anthony Weiner SAHD. Just don't ask to see the bear rug pictures. New Weiner roll www.nypost.com
Say what you want about the NYS Election Law; can anyone name the last time an incumbent congressman got knocked off his major party line? McCotter running as write in www.detroitnews.com
Romney channels Nixon: "We are all Keynesians, whenever a Republican is in office." Romney’s Big Fat Wet Kiss to Keynesian Economics nymag.com
John Doar: proof they don't make Republicans like they used to. NYC Att'y John Doar Receives Medal Of Freedom www.nydailynews.com
Surely a minority opinion, but minority groups should never dismiss minority opinions out of hand.
"Judaism already treats Jewish and civil marriages differently, and synagogues—like all religious organizations—are free to define marriage… according to their own religious principles. For example, marriages between Jews and members of other faiths are not performed or recognized in Orthodox synagogues. Other denominations perform them as they see fit. The same approach can easily be applied to same-sex marriages. Orthodox synagogues will not be forced to redefine religious marriage on account of the legalization of same sex marriage.
More fundamentally, the word “marriage” has no special significance to Jews. The Jewish term for the sacred union between a man and a woman is kiddushin. Kiddushin and civil marriage give rise to wholly different rights and impose different responsibilities and the processes for dissolving a Jewish union and a civil marriage also differ entirely. Likewise, although a kiddushin ceremony is sufficient to establish a civil marriage under U.S. law, the reverse is not the case: A civil marriage ceremony is not necessarily sufficient to constitute kiddushin…
…But the strongest reason that organized American Orthodox Jewry should not take a religious stand on same-sex marriage lies in our cultural identity and history. In contrast to religious Christians, our culture is not the dominant one in this country. The Christian day of rest is observed in this country, but ours is not; Christmas is a federal holiday, but Yom Kippur is not….What I am describing here is not a sense of unhealthy alienation from mainstream society, but rather the cultural distance that simply and naturally adheres to minority groups in America.
Unlike our Christian friends and neighbors, Jews grow up with our minority status deeply ingrained and without the instinctive expectation that our religious traditions and beliefs will naturally be reflected in the broader law and culture. As a minority within a minority, Orthodox Jews recognize that we reap the benefits of pluralism, tolerance, and accommodation. After all, if religious beliefs in this country were to orient secular law, we would find ourselves deeply disappointed and possibly threatened, just as we historically have in every other diaspora country…
…Same-sex marriage does not threaten any aspect of Orthodox Jewish religious beliefs or practices. Orthodox Jews should decide whether or not to support it on purely neutral, secular terms, and we should reconcile ourselves to our detachment from mainstream culture just as we always have." Why Orthodox Jews Should Stay Out of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate – Tablet Magazine www.tabletmag.com