Category: News and Opinion

Why Won’t Our Local Papers Print the Election Results? (Corrected Version)

|

The Times does an entire section today on the Elections, complete with a State by State summary? But where are the results for our state legislature or local judgships?

But, The Times, after all, is the National Paper of Record, so surely they can't be bothered. But, the Post and Sun are similarly bereft, while the News contains only a list of City's legislative winners with their winning percentage, but no names of opponents, or vote totals. Newsday also had limited information. If only Brittany had been a candidate!

Finally, I looked on New York One. No help for races over the City line (as if who won legislative seats outside the City of New York had any impact upon our lives). But, at least it had all the City races, including judgships; and they proved quite illuminating.

“We Tease Him a Lot, But He’s Got Us On the Spot, Welcome Back” (Apologies to John Sebastian and the Sweat H-gs)

|

So which US Senate Democrat is rooting hardest for the Democratic victories to hold up in the Virginia and Montana Senate races? Harry Reid? Chuck Schumer? Ted Kennedy?

No. Of course not. It’s Joe Lieberman.

With the victories in Montana and Virginia, independently elected Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman become the Senate Democratic Caucus’ 50th and 51st members. But, Socialist Sanders has no place else to go; and why would he want to go any place else? The Democrats rolled out the welcome wagon to help facilitate his election.

On the other hand, there are those in the Democratic Party establishment against whom Joe Lieberman might be bearing a grudge. And, no matter which schul he chooses to join, Joe makes the minyon. All on his own he is a majority of one.

Congressional Elections – Good for the Jews (and the Buddhists)

|

While there was some talk in the media about the election of the first Muslim to Congress – Keith Ellison of Minnesota, nobody has talked about the aspect of religion and the new Congress in the way we New Yorkers are interested.

That is – how many additional Jews were elected?

I have the answer.

According to Congressional Quarterly, the new Congress will have 6 new Jewish Representatives and 2 new Jewish Senators.

The new Congressmembers, all Democrats are;

Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona

John Yarmuth, Kentucky

Ron Klein, Florida

Paul Hodes, New Hampshire,

Missed Opportunity

|

State Senate – District 11 – 232 of 233 Precincts Reporting

  Name Party Votes Pct
  Maltese, Serphin (i) GOP 17,122 51.17
  Baldeo, Albert Dem 16,339 48.83

  “By rights, with a ticket headed by Spitzer…running against “…the latest Albany revolving door bagman (followed on the ballot by a Senate race between Hillary and …“Mr. Lost His Condom in Yonkers” …), this should be a banner year for Senate Democrats, but they’ve had trouble even fielding place-holder candidates in marginal districts. “ 

Deployment

|

So, you’re a political party committed to working class people and ensuring their needs are addressed by society. Where do you deploy your City based troops on election day?

Right in the NYC area, there are worthy candidates for Congress like Steve Harrison, David Mejias, and John Hall; State Senate hopefuls like Jimmy Dahroug, Brooke Ellison, Matt Titone, and Michael Kaplowitz; Assembly candidates like Janele Hyer-Spencer and Shelley Mayer. Surely all could use as much help as possible. Moreover, phone banks can provide essential help to progressive candidates in tough races all across the state and nation.

My “Endorsements”

|

If anyone who finds they agree with me is wondering how I'll be voting, it pretty much conforms to those rules:

  • At the local level, I generally vote against Democrats in New York City.  Even decent Democrats have often had to run as something else in this town, especially since the reform movement within the party seems to have gone native.
  • At the federal level, I always vote against Republicans.  They've lost me on the generational equity issue since Reagan.  Among other issues.  I was first eligible to vote in 1980.  I haven't voted for a Republican at the federal level since.
  • At the state level, I almost always vote against incumbents, regardless of party.  I made an exception for my Assemblymember once based on alleged participation in a revolt against the way things are.  I was later disappointed, and ran against him as a minor party candidate.  I don't recall voting for any other state incumbents.

I've voted for some politicians over the years, but it's been rare.  I'll vote for Spitzer, though I would have preferred Suozzi.  I voted for Hevesi in the past, but will likely revert to rule.  The local candidate for State Senate, an open seat, has potential.  I voted for Moynihan.  In general, however, these rules have applied ever since I came to know about what I know now.

My “Endorsements”

|

If anyone who finds they agree with me is wondering how I'll be voting, it pretty much conforms to those rules:

  • At the local level, I generally vote against Democrats in New York City.  Even decent Democrats have often had to run as something else in this town, especially since the reform movement within the party seems to have gone native.
  • At the federal level, I always vote against Republicans.  They've lost me on the generational equity issue since Reagan.  Among other issues.  I was first eligible to vote in 1980.  I haven't voted for a Republican at the federal level since.
  • At the state level, I almost always vote against incumbents, regardless of party.  I made an exception for my Assemblymember once based on alleged participation in a revolt against the way things are.  I was later disappointed, and ran against him as a minor party candidate.  I don't recall voting for any other state incumbents.

I've voted for some politicians over the years, but it's been rare.  I'll vote for Spitzer, though I would have preferred Suozzi.  I voted for Hevesi in the past, but will likely revert to rule.  The local candidate for State Senate, an open seat, has potential.  I voted for Moynihan.  In general, however, these rules have applied ever since I came to know about what I know now.

Gatemouth’s General Election Voter’s Guide

|

I apologize in advance for this piece being a little late and bearing some resemblance to the items at a close-out sale (but that is the nature of NYC general elections not involving multi-millionaires). By contrast, before the Primary, I ran an ambitious four-part series concerning every contested primary for public office in the entire City of New York. My theory was that anyone who managed to get on the ballot in a primary was already interesting enough to be a subject worth covering. Unfortunately, this does not extend to the general election, where in my beat (the City), many races go unopposed, and even where there is theoretical competition, most non-Democratic candidates face opposition only from placeholders who make no efforts whatsoever, and are sometimes certifiable (shout-out to Sheepshead Bay’s Jack Benton). Because of the abysmal nature of the competition here, I’ve felt compelled to mention an occasional race in our suburbs to pick up the slack.