Another month, another Gateway.
I’m really doing little more than just gathering sporadic scraps these days, and the essays have become rare (not to mention esoteric). I’m not sure that I will ever get around to finishing part two of my Pete Seeger piece (now with significantly changes since originally posted), which was the only other think I eked out this month (though I think a salute to the St. Patrick’s Parade may be shortly forthcoming).
Anyway, here goes:
FEBRUARY 2:
TOKEN SUPER BOWL JOKE: Does Malcolm Smith need a Wilson Pakula to run in New Jersey (even if they call it New York?).
FEBRUARY 5:
Jonathan Yedin at (Barclays Center): Some concert w pussy riot and co.
Stephen Burzio: Flaming lips too right? Good stuff.
GATE: Flaming Lips and Pussy Riot—in’ts that redundant?
As someone who’s long agitated for the State Senate Democrats to not live leave incumbent Republicans (especially Marty Golden) unchallenged, as well as being someone who’s long urged both major parties to run candidates in every local race to give voters a choice, I'm glad Marty Golden will not go unchallenged this year (as he has so many times in the past), but let's keep things in perspective.
Golden’s prospective “Democratic”opponent, John Gangemi Sr., is far from anyone sane’s conception of an ideal Democratic challenger to Golden.
Let me amend that—he may be Golden’s idea of an ideal Democratic challenger.
Forty two years ago (1972) Gangemi was the Republican candidate against Hugh Carey in his last election for Congress, and did pretty well.
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In 1973, Gangemi was elected Republican City Councilman At Large from Brooklyn (not much of a trick, given each party was allowed to run only one candidate for the two open seats; still the GOP managed to lose to minor parties in 1969 and 1977). He served one term, having alienated much of the Party’s by his losing efforts to win a local Party leadership position.
In 1980, Gangemi ran as a Democrat for the State Senate seat held by Republican Chris Mega (Jim McCall, the kinda reform insurgent supported by some of the liberals against Gangemi in the primary later became a pretty conservative Republican, though an insurgent one who was backed by many liberals when he ran against Noach Dear for a Judgeship in 2007). In 1978, the Dems had nearly beat Mega with the very liberal Jack Carroll, and got the idea that running a very conservative Dem might do the trick. Gangemi was slaughtered. Two years after Gangemi’s loss, the Dems won the seat with the liberal Joe Montalto, only to lose it back to Mega in 1984. The GOP held the seat until 1996.
In 1982, a Judgeship opened at the last minute and Meade Esposito ran Gangemi for it in the primary. He was beaten, however, by the far more liberal Maggie Cammer (full disclosure: Cammer's brother is married to my mom's first cousin).
In 1996, Gangemi's son, John Jr., ran a primary challenge to Mega's successor, GOP State Senator Robert DiCarlo, and took him out, only to lose the general to Democrat Vinnie Gentile. In 1998, John Jr. tried again, but lost the GOP primary to Mega, who then lost in November to Gentile.
In 2001, John Sr.'s daughter Ursula ran in a Democratic primary for the area's Council seat, but came in a very poor third place. In 2012, Gangemi Sr. announced for Congress, but did not make the race. In 2013, he ran for Beep (at one point, his campaign folks even linked a Gatemouth piece on Twitter), but did not make the ballot.
Unlike Gary Tilzer and some others, I’m not sure which clients Gangemi has represented in his legal career is of any relevance to his qualifications, such as they are, though it seems unlikely to be an electoral asset.
I believe John Gangemi Sr. is now 76. G-dspeed to him if he's the only one willing to take this race on, but one hopes the Democrats will find someone a wee bit stronger. John Gangemi to Challenge Marty Golden politicker.com
FEBRUARY 6:
And you wonder where the "oy oy oy"s came from in "Buffalo Soldier"? http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/123641/bob-marleys-jewish-father
Linked by Ron Radosh; conservative bloggers eat your heart out!
Ron Radosh shared a link.
3 minutes ago near Silver Spring, MD
Still some good article coming out on Pete Seeger. Here's one that takes a middle course, but is very intelligent:http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/the_musical_and_political_legacy_of_pete_seeger_part_one.html
FEBRUARY 7:
Some mourn Saul Zaentz, others remember John Fogerty’s point of veiw. Saul Zaentz, Producer of Oscar-Winning Movies, Dies at 92 www.nytimes.com
Actually, given LaGuardia Airport, I think Biden owes the third world an apology
Biden says LaGuardia airport like a ‘third-world country’
nypost.com
FEBRUARY 9:
I advocate this event be rescheduled with Mike Tyson in DMX's place. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/celebrity-boxing-match-george-zimmerman-dmx-canceled-article-1.1607120
FEBRUARY 10:
Though I’ve not spent much time in locker rooms, I have to note that reason straight men think gay men check them out in locker rooms is not entirely the product of bigotry; it's because we know that if we shared a locker room with women, we would check them out. So we figure, "hey, they may be gay, but they're still men." http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/opinion/bruni-panic-in-the-locker-room.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
FEBRUARY 11: Dropping out of the GOP because of sanity; a time honored American tradition. Yet Another Republican Flees the GOP Citing Blatant Misogyny, Bigotry and Racism
FEBRUARY 12: I’m not defending the DeBlasio here, but does anyone really think this is the first time a Mayor’s ever done something like this? NY mayor called police boss about arrested pastor – KansasCity.com
FEBRUARY 22:
Beinart, who is sometimes not as pragmatic as one could hope, makes the cold pragmatic argument for two states about as well as I've ever seen it done. http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.575091
What's the difference between Governor Fatfuck and a scum bag?
The bag. http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116601/chris-christies-rise-and-fall
FEBRUARY 26:
Greed has always been the single best antidote for prejudice. Nick Tosches once told the story of Colonel Sanders being asked what he really thought of black people and answering, "they eat chicken, don't they?"http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2014/02/arizona-confronting-awkward-realization-that-gay-people-have-money-buy-stuff.html?utm_source=tny&utm_campaign=generalsocial&utm_medium=facebook&mbid=social_facebook
PUTZ OF THE MONTH AWARD: COUNCILMAN VINCE IGNIZIO
Letting people know where red light cameras are may be the single dumbest legislative proposal of all time.
The whole idea of the cameras isn't to stop red light running at particular intersections; it is to stop red light running AT ALL INTERSECTIONS! The fear of getting hit by another car has proven insufficient incentive, so we've added the fear of getting a ticket to the mix.
What this moronic imbecile seems to be saying is that it's OK to run red lights as long as you only do it in the proper places.http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-proposed-law-drivers-cameras-locations-article-1.1701964
Not for nuthin, but Spike Lee on gentrification sounds just like a quasi-Klansman from the North Canarsie Civic Association, circa 1975, complaining about "the eggplant people." http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/02/spike-lee-amazing-rant-against-gentrification.html
If you think Fort Greene was ruined by artsy hipster/bohemian interlopers who moved there from places like Cobble Hill, then you better starting complaining about Spike Lee's musician dad Bill (as well as little Shelton Lee himself)
FEBRUARY 27:
The Jewish Press: "A Jordanian man named Yitzchak Rabin has won his 16-year-old battle to join the Israel Defense Forces. Yitzhak Rabin Namsy, 18, earlier this week was granted Israeli citizenship and is eligible to enlist in the Israeli army. The boy was named by his Jordanian parents in honor of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, who signed a peace treaty with Jordan in 1994…But the family suffered harassment in Jordan due to the name and were forced to flee to Israel, where they continue to live in exile."
That's the advantage of being an Israeli Arab; if he were an Israeli Jew named "Yitzhak Rabin," the same Paper now praising him would be hailing the psycho Rabbi who called for his assassination.http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/jordanian-yitzchak-rabin-to-enlist-in-idf/2014/02/20/
Right wings crazies join with left wing crazies to preserve “our precious bodily fluids.“ http://gawker.com/brave-florida-leaders-protect-residents-from-nazi-flu-1531412075?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
FEBRUARY 28
DeBlasio appoints Steve Banks; a classy move–this would be like if Richard Nixon made Jerry Voorhees his HEW Secretary.http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2014/02/mayor-de-blasio-appoints-former-rival-steven-banks-to-top-city-post-0