Author: Rock Hackshaw

Anyone who has loyally followed my columns over the past three years -Room Eight New York Politics (www.r8ny.com) and the Daily Gotham (www.dailygotham.com) -will be aware that I have been considering another run for public office for some time now. And if you missed part one of these columns then you need to go back into my archives on either website. It should be of no surprise to any of you that I gone beyond the exploratory stage, and has now formed a fundraising committee (Friends of Rock Hackshaw). Yes, I am still angry enough about the term-limits extension vote (amongst other factors), to make another run for public office: this time for city council and not the Assembly (as I did in 1998).    

Once everything goes right, the world will witness a coronation of sorts next Tuesday, when Barack Obama is sworn in as the 43rd president (yes/Grover Cleveland counts only once) of the USA; and without doing a formal survey, I can safely say that most people in the world -who will be aware of this event- will be pleased. I can also safely say that this will be the most communicated event ever: whether by radio, internet, television, telephone, text messaging or whatever. The potential for this event -in terms of national and international human interaction- is proverbial; it will probably even surpass the attention paid to the coverage of the 9-11 cataclysms on that tragic day itself. 

The Center for Worker Education runs a graduate program in Urban Policy and Public Administration, through the Department of Political Science at Brooklyn College. Last semester (Fall 2008), five graduate students from the course “Politics and Public Opinion Formation (#735x)” completed a poll on the term limits extension issue. It was conducted over a one month period and ended on December 13th, 2008.  

There were nine questions asked to a total of 364 respondents. Ninety-three percent of the respondents were registered voters in NYC. Eighty-five percent of them were Democrats. The poll was authorized -as part of this course- by Dr. Joe Wilson; the program’s director. Professor Many Ness is his deputy. M. Pam Miller is the administrator of this program and also approved the survey. It just happens that I have been a lecturer here since last year. I also facilitated the students in this endeavor; this effort was primarily theirs; they deserve the credit: not me.

Normally I don’t do these Christmas parties that politicians and political organizations throw. You see, inevitably someone will ask me to dance, and then the “Mr. Bojangles” in me comes out. Then next thing you know, my “island blood” starts flowing and I am fighting with the deejay to play some calypso, reggae or soca. Sometimes the wannabee comedian in me takes over: then I am holding court in some corner, much to the chagrin of my host or hostess. I really don’t need to add anything further to my “bad-boy” political reputation at Christmas time; I’ve got enough detractors as it is already. That’s why the political Santa Claus usually drives his sleigh right past my house every year. I hardly ever get political presents (like high-profile big-money jobs; although I am over-qualified and overdue for one of them). I am often the “Rodney Dangerfield” of Brooklyn’s politics: “no respect”/lol.  

A fine and classy young lady named Caroline Kennedy -her father, John F. Kennedy was our 35th president, who was tragically assassinated in his first term- stated recently, that she was formally seeking to replace Hilary Clinton in the US senate. And just in case some of you are thinking that I am about to do a puff piece, in support of Caroline’s candidacy: you are wrong; I am somewhat ambivalent about her possible selection. New York’s governor David Paterson is on his own in that regard; he gets to choose Hilary’s temporary replacement. That’s his dilemma; and an interesting one too: given that in the past, he has benefited immensely from his familial background, connections and blood lines. His father was a very prominent political player in NYC and the first black Secretary of State for New York -with connections all up the quadoozle. Interestingly enough, David’s grandmother was born on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, and his grandfather was born in the Grenadines (I only mentioned this because I was also born in the Caribbean/lol).  

Maurice Gumbs is like an older brother to me, and I don’t say this only because we were both born in Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago). I say it because he has given me so much good advice over the years that if I had only listened to him half the time, I would be much better off than I am today in so many ways; thus I have come to really appreciate his wisdom, love, concern and support. I have also come to accept that I listen to a drumbeat far different to many/lol. 

I have known Maurice for over 35 years now. We both won academic scholarships to the prestigious Queens Royal College -in the island’s capital (Port of Spain) – and later we both migrated to the USA, where we completed our formal and post graduate educations at different universities, before eventually settling into New York City’s routines. 

Most of us, who are active in Central-Brooklyn’s Afro and Caribbean-American communities, have been quite familiar with the political machinations of one Mr. A. Q. Abu. I can further say that most of us find him to be a man of integrity, who has always been committed to making his overall community a better one. This longtime activist is a former member of School Board 18, and has been a prolific challenger of assembly member Nick Perry over the years. He has also been a member of Community Board 17.

Abu’s last run for public office was in 2004, when he and three others (Asquith Reid, Omar Boucher and Weyman Carey) vied for the open seat of male district leader in the 58th Assembly District. Carey won that race, with Reid coming in second, and Abu third. In that race, the difference in votes from first to last places was about 300 in total; it was close indeed. Abu has lived in the East Flatbush area for most of his life now, and has been involved in many a struggle for empowerment, inclusion and the like; especially during times of changing demographics in the area.

Our president-elect Barack Hussein “Barry” Obama has stacked his Economic Recovery Advisory Board: good move. It is headed by an 81 year old economist with a heavyweight reputation: Paul Volcker. He was once the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Fine. There are others on the board with sterling reputations in economics and economic theory. Great. 

And yet the board is defective in its construction; Barack Obama didn’t select Ralph Nader to a position on the same board: bad move. And before I move forward with this column, let me reiterate: I fancy myself a strong supporter of Barack Obama. However, that doesn’t mean that I am afraid to scrutinize or critique his decisions and actions. Real “change” is bigger than Barack Hussein “Barry” Obama: much bigger. When you read this column you will see what I mean.

Maybe it’s time for me to take off the kid gloves again. Maybe it’s time for me to start going after the many mistakes that Barack Obama makes; mistakes which some in mainstream media (and also in alternative media) tend to be lenient about. The campaign is over now, so those of us who didn’t want to negatively impact on his chances for victory can return from that hiatus from objectivity. He won.   

I am quite perplexed by the many problems that Barack Obama often seems to create for himself: there is a pattern here. And because the media tends to be relatively lenient it doesn’t mean that he will forever get away from full scrutiny. Many times I have wondered if Obama really understands what he is getting into. Has this always been about raw personal political ambition? Is this about some death-wish for martyrdom? Or is this truly about “change”? 

I remember doing a column earlier this year which dealt with the Fox News Network’s (FNN) unfair and unbalanced handling of the election coverage; I don’t think it got much attention, although it should have. You see, from my perspective FNN had a vendetta against Barack Obama. I know that their response to this column will be, that other mediums were in the tank for him; and as such, they weren’t about to go down the same highway. 

I am not going to sit here writing this without admitting that Barack Obama charmed the pants off of many a journalist’s/reporter’s typewriter: he did. And he did it with brilliant speeches, surprising (to them) primary and caucus victories, a high-quality political organization, his decorum, temperament, intellect and more. His reassuring calm -especially when under fire- was as admirable a trait as seen in any presidential candidate in contemporary times. It is possible that mainstream media gave him the half-decent treatment he deserved; something that he earned; and not their usual ferocious pit-bull attacks. Despite his mixed-race (he is a mulatto) they treated him like the full human being he is; something admirable coming from mainstream media.