Last week I criticized the Post. Today I’ll go after the News for an article in Sunday’s paper – “War Chests as Toy Chests”. The article claims state legislators are using their campaign accounts for “exotic travel, champagne lifestyles and personal pleasures”. And some of the examples, like Joe Bruno’s trip to Italy do sound like abuses. But many of the others sure look like legitimate expanses to me.

 For example:

 Assemblyman Richard Brodsky uses campaign money to buy meat that he then serves at a barbecue for his supporters. That’s clearly a campaign expense. The News complaint seems to be that he buys the meat while in Montana visiting his wife’s family.

 An excited Charles Barron called early this morning, to inform that he has raised more money in 2 months running for Congress, than he had raised in 2 years running for Mayor of  New York City. Barron said that when he files for his congressional committee next week, it will show a total of around seventy-five thousand dollars raised in the last 2 months ( Feb. and March/2006). In his excitement, he forgot to mention that he had personally loaned the campaign twenty thousand dollars to kick-jump its late start. He stated that  he finally made his mind up about entering the race on 1-22-2006, and has been fundraising mainly over the phone ever since. He still has no official fundraiser and is running a typical unorthodox "Barronesque" campaign, relying heavily on grassroot popular support and committed volunteers. 

      Domestic Partner was in an uproar. “Gatemouth should write about immigration. It’s the biggest issue in the country! And it’s a moral issue.”

     Not surprisingly, Domestic Partner has both a heart of gold, and a card of green. Domestic Partner’s Domestic Helper has the former, but lacks the latter. For now, this bothers Domestic Partner far more than the prospect of Domestic Helper’s prices accelerating should she become legal; and, the question of actually paying for Domestic Helper’s Social Security appears to have not yet acquired a moral dimension.

       I demurred. Gatemouth, the character I play in print, is an agent provacatuer. He wants to make people angry, as many as possible from all sides. Immigration may be the hottest issue in the country, but in New York, Kennedy-McCain is the closest one can get to a matter of political consensus.  Gatemouth does not write columns in favor of the prevailing consensus. What’s the point?

Favorite Brooklyn Quote of the week:

 Reasons to vote against Charles Barron #476:

"Just 42 members of the House are black. And only one Senator is black – some guy named Barack Obama, and I don’t know who that is. Some guy they stuck in there." – the Councilman at Grace Baptist Church, March 25, 2006.

(Bill Batson, you better watch out!)

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 Whilst the US Congress debates the thorny issues  of immigration and national security, all rolled into one great immigration reform package , the silence in Brooklyn of so-called Caribbean – American leaders is deafening.  But then: what’s new? In 1996 President Bill Clinton signed a supposed anti-terrorism bill, that turned out to be the worst piece of legislation afflicting the Caribbean, in the then 220 year history of this country. Ten years after this signing, the "islands" ( and all the mainland countries touching the Caribbean Sea), are suffering a crime-wave of anarchic porportions. For those unfamiliar with the issue, the US government  started a systematic deportation of lawbreakers, with no regard for  the impact. It has been devestating, especially in Trinidad, Haiti,Jamaica and Guyana.  

 Everyone surely knows by now that Assemblywoman Diane Gordon ( 40AD/ East New York/Brooklyn), has been directly linked to the whole sordid Clarence Norman  corruption mess. What is also known is that Ms. Gordon had failed to file campaign finance reports for almost 6 years or so.  Rumor has it that Ms. Gordon is close to an indictment for various political money shenanigans , especially when she pleaded "the fifth"on the stand, as a witness during one of Norman’s trials. It was stated some time aback that Ms. Gordon asked for immunity when Norman was before the Grand Jury. It was also stated that DA Hynes refused to grant her request.

Former College President and candidate for Governor Bill Weld probably thought he had a full proof way to jump start his sinking campaign. Propose a stupendous tax cut and Republican & Conservative base would swoon. After all it worked before for Reagan, Pataki, Tom Kean, Christie Whitman & both Bushes among others. But poor Bill, the normal cheerleaders for any tax cut are complaining his numbers don’t add up. Funny the fact that the numbers didn’t add up any better for the before mentioned candidates didn’t seem to matter before.  But Bill is being criticized. See Wednesday & today’s NY Sun. If former editors of the Wall St. Journal won’t salute a tax cur it’s time for Bill to quit the race. Maybe he can use his experience as a educator and go back to Massachusetts and apply for the Harvard Presidency.

Not so long ago, New York politicos used to refer to the State of Israel as the 6^th Borough. Changing demographics, among other factors, have rendered this truism a little less true with age. But, while changing times have greatly shaken Israeli politics, in Brooklyn, our 1st Borough, we often take years to adjust to any new realities.

This week’s elections in Israel served to illustrate this dichotomy.

In response to numerous requests (actually just one), I plan to periodically publish reports on who the likely voters are in the upcoming "hot" elections. These percentages are based on data in the Prime New York voter file and these reports come with the usual caveats – ethnic data is based on last names so are not 100% accurate, past voting behavior is not always predicative, etc. Here we go with the 11th CD Democratic Primary, the seat being vacated by Major Owens.

Likely Primary Voters Estimated Percentages

Blacks    60%

Jewish   15%

Mayor Mike’s tough testimony in DC concerned a bill that prevents the City and others from getting gun trace data. According to the Times, the restrictions began as a result of a law suit againt gun manufacturers & dealers started by Rudy’s administation. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for reporters to ask Rudy about this? Does he still support holding manufacturers & dealers responsible for gun violence? Does he agree with Mike’s rhetoric? Will he stop raising money for pro-gun Republicans?