Room Eight | Author | Gatemouth

A Few Last Minute Endorsements

Gatemouth | September 8, 2008

State Senate (Queens):

SD 10: Two years ago, voters in the District did the State a favor by ousting the deeply disturbed Ada Smith for the adequate Shirley Huntley, significantly raising the State Senate’s level of mental health. This year, Huntley is being challenged by former Councilman Allen Jennings (who managed the miracle of making Tom White look preferable to something). Compared to Jennings, Ada Smith looks like Dr. Phil. Despite the fact that my specialty is writing humor, I beg voters here to return Huntley.

SD 15: This is a crucial pick-up target for Senate Dems; Republican Serf Maltese must go. Albert Baldeo has spared us the agony of a primary by dropping out, but he did so too late to get his name off the ballot. Vote for Joe Addabbo now, and again in November.

Lillian Hellman Squadron (AKA Scoundrel Time)

Gatemouth | September 8, 2008

“Every word she writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’”– Literary lioness Mary McCarthy commenting on the highly overrated Lillian Hellman

I’m taking the day off, so I decided to compile a partial list of the lies spread by State Senate candidate Dan Squadron. I apologize that the list is incomplete, but a day has only 24 hours.

As has been previously documented, State Senate Candidate Dan Squadron has lied, amongst other things about:

1) His opponent, State Senator Marty Connor’s position on Congestion Pricing (http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/decongestant.html)

2) His own position on Congestion Pricing (See Above)

A Wartime Consiglieri

Gatemouth | September 8, 2008

This November, for the first time since 1965, the Democrats are set to take control of the New York State Senate, and Democrats are set to take undivided control of the New York state government for the first time since the 1930s. For some it’s a scary process. Republicans and pillars of the establishment fear social change; Democrats fear accountability.

I’ve spent my political life on and off since 1982 working towards that goal. My fear is different; I fear they will fuck it up.

As reported in the New York Post, Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith recently got up at a Senate Democratic golf outing and told the assembled lobbyists they should think of his fund-raising event as being like an IPO, an initial public offering, telling them they should get in early because then it doesn't cost as much, and the longer you wait to get in, the more it will cost, and if you don't get in at all, it would be painful after November.

A Talmudic Paradox

Gatemouth | September 7, 2008

The State Senate race in the 21^st Senatorial District presents an interesting question.

What do you want from your elected official?

A recent forum held by Councilman Lew Fidler at his 41st AD Democartic Club put this issue into stark relief.

If the question is "Which candidate is the most thoughtful, has the best character and will likely be the best at bringing resources to the district and delivering constituent services?", then the answer is undoubtedly Simcha Felder.

Nonetheless, if I lived in the district, I’d be voting for incumbent Kevin Parker.

Mahat McCain Jeeves (read the credits of “The Bank Dick”)

Gatemouth | September 7, 2008

I missed watching McCain’s speech, but I’m told that not seeing it improved things immensely. Pretty good text though. But every once in a while I close my eyes and see WC Fields selling patent medicine.

“She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what’s right, and she doesn’t let anyone tell her to sit down. I’m very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.”

Multiple Choice

Gatemouth | September 6, 2008

The nomination by the Republicans of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for the Vice Presidency has thrust in America’s face the uncomfortable question of abortion. It is not a matter that we handle well.

As I’ve pointed out before, most Americans, including a substantial number of unyielding "pro-choicers", are basically ambivalent about abortion. While many "pro-choicers" openly question the sincerity of politicians who, in Bill Clinton’s words, say that they want to make abortion “Safe, Legal and Rare”, "SL&R" is clearly what most Americans desire.

Many Americans really don’t know what they would do when confronted with the question of carrying a child with Down’s Syndrome to term. What they do know is (1) it is a choice they never want to have to make, and paradoxically, (2) if they are ever in the situation, they want to be able to make a choice. They may even be willing to extend that choice to women not in an economic position to pay for an abortion themselves (some out of common decency, and some because they’ve calculated it would be cheaper in the long-run).

Vindication

Gatemouth | September 6, 2008

I sometime wonder why I go on.

Virtually anytime I utter a thought, every last word I write is condemned as either machine-generated lies or the ravings of a lunatic, and usually both.

And yet, there are times when the news brings reports of vindication. Take Steve Harrison’s on-line Town Hall held on August 11th.

Pedro: You donated money to the conservative party. they fly in counter the idelas you push today. care to explain?

Steve Harrison: Between May and October 2002, I attended one fundraiser for each of Vito Fossella, John Faso for Comptroller and the Conservative Party because I was attempting to build multi-party support for my anticipated, non-partisan City Council Special Election race in Feburary 2003.

Conversely, I have given thousands of dollar to Democrats, before, during and after that time."

Robonic Stooges (AKA Brian Sargeant)

Gatemouth | September 6, 2008

Tonight I got my robo-call from Mayor Bloomberg asking me to vote for Dan Squadron for State Senate, and had to admit it sounded slightly more animated than the Mayor live and in-person attempting to be spontaneous.

I recently put forth the theory that Mayor Bloomberg’s endorsement of Squadron against incumbent Marty Connor did not stem from some amorphous desire to reform Albany–a ridiculous proposition given the Mayor’s quite obvious desire to maintain the status quo of Albany power arrangements, especially maintaining the Senate’s morally corrupt anti-city Republican Majority.

Bombshell: Simcha Felder is not a Doghouse Democrat–Kendall Stewart Refuses to Commit

Gatemouth | September 5, 2008

Many political observers are of the belief that, for New Yorkers, the main battle in this year’s election is not the presidency (in the choice of whom we will play virtually no role), but control of our State Senate.

And the question for many in that election is not merely whether the Democrats will elect a majority at the polls.

For Democrats, the presumptive results of this year’s State Senate elections seem clear; to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin: “A Majority…if you can keep it.”

Already, two Democratic State Senator, Ruben Diaz and Carl Kruger, have refused to commit their votes to whoever is chosen to be put up for Senate Majority Leader by the Senate’s Democratic Conference; Kruger even accepted a leadership position from the Senate Republicans. At least one incoming member, Hiram Montserate, has, in the past, played footsie with former Senate Republican Leader Joe Bruno, and another possible Senate Democratic Candidate, former State Senator Pedro Espada, has caucused with the Republicans in the past (while his primary opponent, incumbent Efrain Gonzalez, used to be known as Al D’Amato’s favorite Albany Democrat).

Organized Crime

Gatemouth | September 4, 2008

“On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What? He worked — I said — I said, OK, OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume.

He worked as a community organizer. He immersed himself in Chicago machine politics.”–Rudy Giuliani–9/3/08

“… I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involved.

I guess — I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities“.–Sarah Palin–9/3/08