Author: Rock Hackshaw

After 8 summers writing about politics on these here blogs (websites), my fans are encountering my least productive season. Some of them have reached out to me for the reasons why, and I have facilitated with genuine answers: a combination of dealing with quite a few adverse personal issues; plus the fact that politics has started to become boring to me: after a lifetime of community involvement, political activism and academic pursuit in this area (mainly but not entirely).  

Primary elections for federal offices were held in Brooklyn last week: no big thing. Turnout was tepid as usual. Nothing new; just more blue(s). The regular political hustlers made a couple dollars hassling voters outside polling sites; and that’s always entertaining. A few consultants made an early-vacation exit with smiling faces and bulging pockets: and that too is always entertaining (and expected). Winners told jokes heartily; and losers -along with their supporters- used expletives at random. 

I really didn’t want to touch this race; however, some of my advisors convinced me to say something about it or be branded a chicken/lol. 

You see near every time I write something about Charles Barron I get these strange (and often inane) calls or e-mails, from different folks with different strokes.  And it doesn’t matter if I write something critical or something positive. They are out there and they are watching. 

Ostensibly there are very few people willing to say the obvious: that relative to recent political events dealing with the issue of “same-sex marriage” (or “marriage-equality” as others label it), Joe Biden and Barack Obama both messed up. And in my estimation they messed up big time. 

I was out of the country for a couple weeks and because of this I missed the passing and funeral of a political friend and activist-ally: Jenny Ortiz-Bowman. Those of us who knew her well called her “The Queen”.  I knew of her long before I formally met her and worked with her in 1996. She was one of the many colorful people who played the Brooklyn political theater in the last half-century. 

Last night on a Brooklyn Cable Access Television (BCAT) program, attorney Terry Hinds formally announced his challenge to Assemblyman Nick Perry, for Brooklyn’s 58th assembly district. The date for this year’s state primary elections is still not known; but rumors abound that we will have an August election-date instead of the usual post-Labor Day September-primary. Jamaican-born Nick Perry has been the elected representative here since 1992, and has only faced three primary challenges during his long tenure.

I recently wrote a column giving up some of the street rumors relative to upcoming races. There have been some changes since then: so let‘s get to work (a la Ed Schultz/lol).

Political pundits are a nickel a dozen now; especially with the advent of the internet, the expansion of the overall communication process, and the 24-7 media coverage of politics. But how many pundits are worth their salt? You readers have to make that determination. Those of you who listen to the pundits on radio and/or television ; or read blogs, newspapers, magazines or other periodicals; need to hold them accountable over time. You need to evaluate them based on their prognostications and their successes.  

There are times when the movers and shakers of mainstream media simply refuse to do their primary duty: edify the public as to what’s really happening in the corridors of power. And this is why blogs -like this one- have now emerged as crucial back-ups for those who seek to truthfully bring the four-one-one to the public.

Take the recent legislative package passed in Albany for example. Mainstream media heralded it as a victory for Governor Andrew Cuomo; but is it? Really?  

So after considering a run for Congress against Yvette Clarke, Brooklyn boro-prez Marty Markowitz -I am now told- has decided against it, and is even considering endorsing Yvette for re-election. WOW!!

You really want to talk about hypocrisy and two-facedness folks? This is a sad sad commentary on contemporary political relationships. Sad.