I may be in the minority here, but I am firmly of the belief that the fights over the public and party office vacancies in the 54th AD might turn out to be much bigger than one Assembly seat and one District Leadership. It might very well the first shot in the revolution–or not; Ed Towns might very well just be making a play of some sort.
I think that might not have been Towns original intent, but like in “Duck Soup” I think someone’s just been called an “Upstart” and the road to war may now be irreversible.
As such I attach this video:
“The County‘s Going to War;” featuring Ed Towns as Rufus "E. T." Firefly and Vito Lopez as Ambassador (from Queens) Trentinez. "This Country's Going to War"- Duck Soup sequence www.youtube.com
Though he may very well never have been there, Lopez/Dilan candidate Rafael Espinal personifies the problem with Albany in a nutshell: he essentially admits he cares nothing about making Sodom on the Hudson a better place. Instead, he's promised to just do what the Speaker wants and reap the rewards The Brooklyn Politics Blog www.thebrooklynpolitics.com
In fairness to Rafael Espinal, here's what his opponent Deidra Towns chooses to say about herself in her Google profile:
“At first glance easy to overlook, literally. But there's more here than meets the eye. Likes to recede into the background and observe. But when the right song comes on…dances til they turn the lights on and put us out. Information junkie…always learning…growing…evolving. Stimulation starts between the ears. But loves to use the 5 senses and the other ones most people haven't yet discovered. Raised flirtation to an art form. Spends way too much time teetering on the edge. Not easy to connect with but once you're in the inner circle, fiercely loyal. Patient to a fault. Always willing to listen with a non-judgmental ear. Truth seeker, change agent, builder. Loves all things of beauty and can find the beauty in the mundane.” Deidra Towns -Google Profile profiles.google.com
Following up on my Bay Ridge reapportionment piece, there is an alternative and little discussed possibility for drawing the necessary Brooklyn/Staten Island district.
If one were more interested in increasing minority representation than in neatness, you could solve the Staten Island problem by using that one lane of the Belt so offensive to Bay Ridgers, to instead link the heavily minority areas of the Rock's north shore to Coney Island and Marlborough Houses.
Bay Ridgers would be bound to support this solution, though in doing so they would forfeit the moral high ground of being able to claim to oppose all such mapmaking atrocities, instead of just those inflicted upon their home neighborhoods.
Redrawing the Congressional districts is easier than I thought.
Hint to author: you can make Meeks' district blacker with ease if you just cross into Nassau (Malvern and North valley Stream are there for the taking. A little more effort gets you Hempstead, Roosevelt, Freeport and Lakeview.
One more hint: please learn the difference between Little Neck and Great Neck Swing State Project: NY Stand-pat Map www.swingstateproject.com
G-d, I love these maps! WNYC 2010 Census Maps
Though each has its own great features, the Times' map, which is national, is even better than WNYC's.
Caveat: The Times has the wrong color for the 2000 racial classification of the Back Hook in Red Hook (Tract 55), which should be white Mapping America: Every City, Every Block projects.nytimes.com
People moving back to their once unpleasant ancestral homes; an interesting but not universal census trend; Blacks may be moving South, but I don't see many Jews moving to Poland. Many U.S. Blacks Moving to South, Reversing Trend www.nytimes.com
The GOP opposes the IRS going after tax cheats, but finds something they will be allowed to do instead Do you want the IRS to audit a woman’s sexual assault? secure.prochoiceamerica.org
Miracle man Jon Stewart makes Jeff Wiesenfeld seem like a good guy. Maybe The Greatest Single Line Ever Spoken on 'The Daily Show' – Jeffrey Goldberg – Culture – The At www.theatlantic.com
Freilich stomped; I fell like dancing. Rabbi Bernard Freilich Quits State Police Post www.nydailynews.com
Skelos; the best leader money can buy. Explaining Skelos’ Position On The Rent Laws www.capitaltonight.com
A nasty fact about Carl Kruger I just learned: phony bachelor's degree from a phony diploma mill. Brooklyn Politics by Erik Engquist mysite.verizon.net
Savino left one thing out from her Sunday routine: sending a Facebook message of complaint to Gatemouth
Special bonus gossip: Matt Titone does not fit the Felix Unger stereotype. State Senator Savino’s Sunday Routine Is Travel and Cleaning www.nytimes.com
“The question begs;” is this blogger the worst writer in Brooklyn? The Jig Is Up Atlas thejigisupatlas.blogspot.com