Author: Gatemouth

Eyes on the Treats (aka “Trustee, But Verify”)

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Last night I engaged in the masochistic act of attending City Hall News' party celebrating 40 overachiever's under 40 years of age. Someday soon I hope they get around to honoring 50 underachiever's over the age of 50, so I too can get my props.

At the party, I got into an animated discussion about the Comptroller's race with City Hall's Edward Isaac Dovere and Larry Park of the Trial Lawyers, and asked "OK, if you were investing your own retirement funds, who would you hire to chose your investments, DiNapoli or Wilson?"

Park, whose group is essentially a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Assembly Democrats (or maybe it‘s the other way around) responded sharply in defense of his candidate (perhaps Shelly does not wholly own Tom, but he surely has is the majority shareholder).

Paladino is to Gatemouth as Buttafuco was to Letterman (The Gateway)

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Although I’ve surely done it, I have always been quite reluctant to criticize the hierarchy of a religion other than my own for its internal conduct. Rock actually took me to task for such reluctance at the Room 8 dinner this year.

But I’m a blogger. Commenting upon things which are none of my business is part and parcel of my calling. The calling of a politician is to remain silent even when an answer is called for. Yet, in Carl Paladino we have a politician speaking up even when discretion would be the better part of valor.

Chuck Barron: A Nuisance With Nuance

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I’ve been putting off doing a full-scale piece on Charles Barron and his “Freedom Party” for some time now. And each week the dynamics have been changing.

I understood from the get-go the impetus behind the “Freedom Party” as a protest vote. Though Andrew Cuomo really got to chose only one member of his ticket, he did not use that opportunity to chose a person of color; giving Democrats their first all white Statewide ticket since 1990. In fact, since 1962, a majority of the Democratic Party’s statewide tickets have included a person of color.

Were Bob Duffy’s credentials so impressive that Andrew Cuomo could not find one person of color in the entire state whose prowess exceeded them? He surely was not restricted to elected officials in his choice.

The Gateway (Yehuda Hell Do You Think You Are Edition) [AKA Carl’ and Yehuda’s Gezunteh Adventure and Other Atrocities]

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This is amazing on so many levels.

Most importantly, Carl Paladino clearly has no taste buds. He ate the pastrami at Gottlieb’s and still manages to give the place a recommendation? Have you ever eaten the pastrami at Gottlieb's? They take the pastrami out of a plastic package and microwave it.

Although some of the prepared specialties are OK, the only edible sandwich at Gottlieb's is the brisket (which is pretty damned good). If you're not kosher, you'd be better off going to David's Brisket (just keep heading south on Lee till it turns into Nostrand) in Bed-Stuy. The brisket is at least as good, while the pastrami and corned beef are the equal of (or better than) any other Jewish style deli in Brooklyn (not that there's much competition anymore). 

The Gateway (A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bushwick Edition) [Revised-item added]

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The Post endorses the State's complete freeze of funding for Ridgewood-Bushwick and chastises the Mayor for his freeze only on new contracts. Forgetting for a moment the mayor's complicity in much of this mess, Bloomie's position still makes sense. As he's pointed out recently, he's accountable for day to day service delivery and here people's lives are really impacted.

It would be one thing to close some Senior Centers (though some would surely be left without lunch) quite another to shut down a home attendant program without first ensuring continuity of service. Good, Bad or Ugly (and probably a bit of all three), the services provided by Ridgewood-Bushwick include some in the life or death range, and we should not be cavalier in calling for immediate action without first gauging its possible impact. Neutering Vito – NYPOST.com www.nypost.com

　

The Gateway (Favor for Fidler Edition)

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I long been a basher of the Board of Elections, but I’m not sure how much to blame them for what was bound to be a bad day under the best of circumstances; and frankly, the best of circumstances were unlikely to be present under a system dependent on, among others, 80 year old inspectors who work twice and year and cops and school janitors who couldn’t give a rat’s ass. So forums like this one are welcome; especially since it gives the Board of Elections a chance the novel experience of answering questions from folks armed with neither an agenda, nor a subpoena:

District Leader Lew Fidler

Time and Place

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I wondered how long after the primary it would take for me to start second-guessing my endorsement of Chris Owens for District Leader.

The answer is two weeks; I’m second guessing.

Not sure if and when I’ll reach the regret stage.

Owens is circulating a letter asking Vito Lopez to step aside as Brooklyn’s Democratic Leader pending the resolution of the various investigations of Lopez and/or his Ridgewood-Bushwick social services empire.

I will discuss this first in the narrow context in which Owens raises it, and then more widely.

The Gateway (Festival of Videos Edition)

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Let's be honest, if this it was Andrew who fathered a bastard instead of Carl (What? You thought I was going to say Mario?), would it make you consider voting for Paladino? Of course not (I hope).

BTW, was I the only one who saw the front page of yesterday’s Post and though that this guy had the Al Pirro syndrome? Did you check out the pictures of Carl’s wife and his gumada? Carl is a loyal guy who just wants to schtup the woman he married. His problems is that he wants her to look the way she did on the day they wed. That not being possible, he buys himself the virtual experience.

© Room Eight