You can assume from the title of this piece that I may be running out of titles/lol, after hundreds of columns here. But I try to remain imaginative; don’t I? Even if I may not be creative enough for my Room Eight quarterblack Howard Gatemouth.
The title is taken from one of the many tunes Paul Simon wrote and sang, and there is a part in it where he says: “my mama turns around and spits on the ground every time my name gets mentioned”; I thought of this line when I saw Tracy Boyland at the NYC Campaign Finance Board (“the schoolyard”) yesterday. (They sure take candidates to school at the CFB; don’t they? But that’s another column).
Let me preface this piece with a deliberately titillating comment: Tracy Boyland has the most sexually-provocative lips of any black woman in US politics. When you combine nose, eyes, ears, and lips: Tracy is hot. And I say this as a man who has made a political career out of not messing with any females that I know, meet or work with in politics. But again, that’s another story.
As you all should know by now, I have been putting together a campaign for the city council seat (#40) since late January. It has been challenging; no doubt. It has become further proof that it isn’t easy being me/lol. But (again) that’s another story.
On the campaign stump I have been pleasantly surprised by the large number of people who tell me that they read my column regularly. It has been similar to the experience I had when I went to cover the Dems national (presidential) convention last August, in Denver, Colorado. There it seemed every big-wig politician had heard of, and/or, read my columns. This time around some people have said: “I wish you weren’t running for office; I miss your columns that much”. I don’t know how to take those comments: positively or negatively? You tell me folks/lol.
You see, I believe that I am a “hellified” candidate for public office anywhere; and I say this with lots of humility (which I am sure many of you don’t believe). If you go up to my website (www.rockhackshaw.com), you will see an extensive political platform, my resume, my bio, my past and present affiliations, etcetera. You will see a lifetime of political activism, public service and community involvement. You will be able to glean from all this whether or not my statement here is objectively solid as a rock. You be the judge; tell me what you think.
What never ceases to amaze me is the large fan club I have now grown off these blogs, with some members coming from odd corners -where I am told people are supposedly quite adverse to me. I get mixed signals sometimes. I guess they love my columns but hate the columnist/lmao. You know; like “love the sinner, but hate the sin”.
For example: I am told that in this race, the main reason why my fundraising hasn’t gone well is not just because of the economic recession. It has a lot to do with many black-electeds (especially in Brooklyn) putting out the word on me, so that I will get very little support -financial and otherwise. They hate my guts, I am told. They think I am too opinionated and cocky. They are so wrong. I am a YMCA-certified nice guy. And yet I am told that some of them do turn around and spit on the ground anytime my name gets mentioned; I am so disappointed at that. Really; I am /lol.
Despite all I have heard, whenever I am in the presence of most electeds, they sure go to lengths to treat me with respect, camaraderie and kinship. What’s that all about, Alfie? They sure ask me lots of questions though. They sure want to know what columns I am working on next. And they sure give me lil juicy tidbits of political gossip, and sometimes interesting insight.
Don’t think for a minute that I am fooled by some people’s overriding tendency to be disingenuous; but there are some electeds that I know (actually: I assume) who genuinely like my columns. I want to believe that I could recognize sincerity when I see it.
I think former councilwoman Ms.Tracy Boyland was sincere yesterday, when she paid me quite a few compliments on my column. So too did her female treasurer. Tracy has always been nice to me over the years; even when I supported others over her father, herself, and her brother. I do appreciate that. Some electeds can be nasty when you support others against them. I know this. I wrote the book on opposing black incumbents in Brooklyn. Most of them have very very long memories.
I am often told that I have ruffled too many feathers over the years; that my relatively recent comment about one black elected, as “just a small pin-prick away from becoming an airhead” (Mealy) was disrespectful. That likening one Brooklyn political-icon to Rip Van Winkle was humiliating and disrespectful. And that calling one pseudo-militant Brooklyn elected an “anachronism”, as being provocative. I could go on and on and on and on and on, with some of these comments which have filtered back to me over the years. Some folks even say I am angry. Moi?
I am being told that I will never win an office in Brooklyn, and that I should never have run this (or any other) race. We will see soon enough my friends; we will see soon enough. Win or lose, I am glad I ran.
But didn’t time show that I was absolutely correct about the ones who I said were intellectually challenged? Any doubts now? And didn’t time expose one that I said was too violent for his own good? And didn’t time expose the corruption in politics here? And isn’t that continuing as we speak? And I will say it again: too many of the black electeds in this state are inept. This doesn’t mean that some white, Asian and Latino electeds aren’t corrupt and inept: I just don’t focus on them right now; that’s all.
Look; as I have said many times: I will tell the truth the way I see it; then I will duck. So let the chips fall where they may. And as Bob Marley once sang: “who the cap fits, let them wear it”. If I lose this race next month my life still goes on. Sure, I will be disappointed, but c’est la vie. At this point in time, I intend to win. I also expect to win.
At the Board of Elections (Manhattan) week before last, Martin Connor -the attorney and former state senator- confessed that he regularly reads my columns and agrees with me near all the time. Mr. Connor made a profound request of the commissioners last Monday, when he said that if they don’t do something to penalize those who submit petitions with sheets upon sheets void of any signatures, then they are creating a new problem for future ballot access in this city. I know what he is talking about. One of my opponents submitted almost 1200 sheets with around 1700 names en total. Between my experience, and what Mr. Connor confronted this year while representing Marty Markowitz (and others), deserves (yet again) another column. I may get to that soon. Anyway I do commend him for his foresight here.
If I were to count on my body, the names of electeds (black, white, Asian, Latino, straight, gay, male, female, federal, city and state) who have commended me for my political columns over the years, I will run out of fingers, toes, organs and other body parts. I am still waiting for the first one -who has said how much they enjoy my writings- to publicly contribute to this campaign. I wonder which one out there is brave enough to do so: vamos a ver.
So stay tuned-in folks; I will let you know if and/or when it happens. LMAO. What do you think will happen?