- Got tips? Send them to tips (at) r8ny (dot) com
- Blog on Room Eight
- sign-up to receive a daily digest by email
- Advertise on Room Eight
- Login / Sign-up
Jurassic Park (Senior's Restaurant Appreciation now added)
“What a Hanukah present!” exclaimed a friend’s email. Carl Kruger was copping a plea to a felony. His political career was over. His life was pretty much over. Someone who’d been an enemy for over a quarter century had literally been reduced to bawling his eyes out in the same manner that Kruger preferred to inflict upon his enemies. Memories flooded over me of Hanukahs past. Today David Paterson called Kruger “a slippery character.”
As I’ve recounted before, the Kruger-facilitated defeat of Gentile, was pretty much the end of the line for my boss Marty Connor’s tenure as the incumbent Senate Dems’ Leader, and therefore the end of the job I loved. The Kruger deal with Paterson helped to seal it. Shortly thereafter, I was working the holiday party circuit, looking for job leads, when I ran into Carl (hand in hand with Dottie Turano, the mother of Kruger’s co-defendant Dr. Michael) at Jakie Gold‘s Hanukah smoked fish soirée. I looked straight out at Kruger, and screamed at the top of my lungs: “I THOUGHT THIS WAS A DEMOCRATIC CLUB; WHO LET THIS REPUBLICAN IN??? The whole room was staring. Jake Gold didn’t know whether to step in to stop the fight, or to begin to take notes, so he could better repeat the story later. Kruger’s voice went soft. “You’re gonna need help keeping your job, and I’m gonna make sure you don’t.” “Fuck you,” I responded in a softer tone, “Paterson doesn’t trust you anymore than Connor does, so you’re so far out of the loop that you’re the only one in the Senate who doesn’t know that I’m one of the 13 names on the first day hit list. There‘s nothing you can do to me, asshole.” I then started Screaming again. “CARL KRUGER, POLITICAL TRANSVESTITE; CARL KRUGER, THE RU PAUL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.” Jake, a dear friend then as now, looked at me askance, “Vith all due respect, I think the crowd is a little old for the Ru Paul reference.” It was the first time Kruger had ever threatened my livelihood; it would not be the last. The second incident was an email from a friend concerning my blog; the substance of the email was that Kruger knew who I was, and was threatening to get me fired. Following that message, I took an unannounced hiatus sometime close to Hanukah, 2007, and did not publish again until February 2008. I didn’t really start blogging in earnest until May of that year, after Room 8 was chosen as the DNC’s NYS designated blog.
When I did my first Brooklyn campaign in 1980, there was a non-glatt kosher deli on practically every avenue in Southern Brooklyn from Bay Parkway eastward. Plus there were the non-kosher Jewish style places like Martin’s, Senior’s, the Pavilion and Pop and Son (and that was just on Nostrand Avenue in Sheepshead Bay). We are a dying breed. There are three "non-glatt" kosher delis in all of Brooklyn, a number that barely beats Newark New Jersey’s. Martin’s, the site of an epic squawk I had with Kruger the summer of 84, is gone, and with it, the best cabbage soup I ever tasted, as well as fond memories of many a happy lunch spent at the counter while sweet old "Uncle Sammy" Garson regaled me with tales from his time as a mob bookie and oil stock swindler. . Also gone is Pop and Sons, where the septuagenarian owners schlepped around a cart full of Jewish delicacies which came gratis with every entre, all lovingly labored over by an old black chef in the kitchen. Also, Senior's, unsurprisingly a Junior's knock-off, with the same rolls, but not the Caribbean cult following. The first time I ate at Senior's was at a campaign kick-off for Kruger's predecessor, Donnie Halperin (alev ha-sholem) in 1982. The last time was in 1994, at a campaign kick-off for Joel Garson, the malapropping Fredo of the Garson Crime Family, in his pathetic effort to get the Democratic nomination for the seat when the senior Cuomo made Halperin his Housing Commissioner. I can still hear Joel, screaming about the how we needed to restore the "deaf penalty" and put an end to "flea bargaining," and solemnly reminding the County Committee members to properly fill out their "protskys." Mercifully, (and I mean this with no irony), Joel was beaten by Kruger, dropping out of the race at the last minute, and providing Carl with his protsksys. Shortly, thereafter, Joel got a job on Carl's payroll. All those places are long gone, and so is every place like them. And so, mostly, are we. The world beautifully invoked by Dan Feldman's Sausage Factory Blog is mostly a memory now. I suppose a few words are in order about the politics. Councilman Lew Fidler seems the odds-on favorite for the Democratic nod. As I’ve noted, Fidler has a strong track record with the Orthodox Jewish community (and the Russian community as well). Of course, so did David Weprin, who lost this area two to one. As the Weprin race proves, whether or not the Orthodox community still does the hora with those who brung them is at best an open question. Of course, unlike Weprin, Fidler takes nothing for granted---he’s been working it hard. And if there’s a place where the dinosaurs still roam, it is in this district, parts of which might still be called Jurassic Park. If I’m not mistaken, all three of those non-glatt kosher delis lie within its borders. And Lew Fidler, who used to own a purple suit which made him look like Barney, may be everyone's favorite dinosaur. Meanwhile, the GOP has several potentially strong candidates—but none of them live within the current lines, and they are thus all ineligible. The eligible names are pretty pathetic. Realtor John Reinhardt seems to spend most of his spare time writing checks to Democrats. The frontrunner seems to be lawyer David Storobin, a protégé of GOP County Leader Craig Eaton. Storobin is seemingly so obsessed with what he sees as the sub-human nature of Arabs and Muslims that his blog posts about them have been linked on white supremacist hate sites. Admittedly, in this district, that may prove to be an advantage. Despite Storobin’s raging, frothing at the mouth, far right wing hate-based fanaticism (raging against a proposed local Mosque even Marty Golden refuses to oppose), elsewhere, he is almost a Russian Al Sharpton, glorifying the primacy of identity politics, saying that a candidate’s being Russian is far more important than trivial concerns like abortion and taxation (and presumably even Mosques). So, while anyone who’d bet the mortgage money on this race is taking an undue risk, the smart money is probably on Fidler. For now. But reapportionment looms, and barring unlikely reform or a court imposed solution (somewhat more likely), the GOP will control the new Senate lines. It would be ironic for a term limited Councilman to give up a seat whose shelf life expires at the end of 2013, only to find himself out of a job at the end of 2012. But, as Mario Cuomo used to say, between now and then, a Pope could be born, And meanwhile, we’re going to have whole lot of fun. if the dems nominate a person who in favor of gay marriage (Fidler) and the republicians nominate someone who is against it (Strobin). The Republician will win the Orthodox areas big (and most likely the election if whoever the candidate is can do decently in the Russian areas (like Strobin)) and considering that the republicians look like they learned there lesson from the Turner race (the one that you were saying that no one on your side listend to about the Orthodox and Russian votes, and seem to understand why Orthodox jews (Cox's editorial why jews should vote republician for example metioned gay marriage which would have never happened till he saw the Turner results) have sometimes been voting republician and are likely going to try and capitalize on it) are most likely going to put up a Russian candidate that will vote in line with the Orthodox positions I'll say the smart money is on the republician candidate who most likely will be Strobin. though I have to echo your anti Kruger piece who in addition to having a lousy voting record (especially his last terms) and being curropt, also was a scum bag personaly who could go in to a tirade for being asked to do his job and would have been out of office years ago if Pinchus would have even put up 1 candiadte for the past 10 years. now if only I would have gotten this years Chanuka present about 5 years agothings would have been much better. As goes Babylon, so goes NYS--another top Democratic official refuses to back a Democratic challenger to an aging Republican Senator because of the failed Democratic leadership of the NYS Senate:http://cityandstateny.com/2011/12/suffolk-democrats-backs-gop-senator-not-dem-challenger/ The money quote: “Until the conference can show it’s not just concentrated in New York City and can worry about the suburbs, I have major questions,” said Schaffer, citing the Senate Democrats’ passage of the MTA payroll tax in 2009. “They did serious damage to the party here.” "Storobin is seemingly so obsessed with what he sees as the sub-human nature of Arabs and Muslims that his blog posts about themhave been linked on white supremacist hate sites."
Honestly, just how bad can your bias get? Every newspaper, including the NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times, etc., gets linked to by all sorts of random people, with all sorts of crazy views. Does that make the NY Times or the Washington Post racist? Did you read the article? It says that Palestinians are part-Jewish, part-European, part-African, part-Arab. This seems like an article that argues that all of us are brothers, all of us are related. If you believe this article says that Palestinians are subhuman, then which part of their heritage is non-human? The Jewish part? The African part? Wouldn't your assessment that having this heritage makes someone "subhuman" prove that it is you who is the real racist? "he is almost a Russian Al Sharpton, glorifying the primacy of identity politics, saying that a candidate’s being Russian is far more important than trivial concerns "
Again, your interpretation shows bias to the point of outright lying. The article didn't glorify identity politics. Instead, it described the fact that when someone is the first ever candidate for a particular office, the community tends to rally around him. This was true with, say, President John Kennedy and the Irish community. The article doesn't seem to pass judgment. Instead, it describes a phenomenon that is very true and has been held true for every immigrant group since voting started. The first ever candidate of a particular ethnic group wins the overwhelming majority of his co-ethnic vote. This may be good or this may be bad, but historically, this is accurate. If you want to attack Republicans, you are welcome to do so. But the way you are going about it is so blatantly dishonest that you are merely discrediting yourself and nobody pays attention to the point you are trying to raise. You are really not helping the Democrats by making your side look like liars who spin things in the most dishonest way just to win an election. CHAIRMAN EATON TO CUOMO–SCHEDULE THE 27th SENATE SPECIAL ELECTION NOW
 Thanks to you I in can tend to do a fuller answer to your assertions than I can produce on this evening's schedule, but I did not want you to think you were being ignored. A full parsing of Mr. Storobin's views on international politics finds a curious mixture of common sense (he points out how Iran benefitted from the Iraq invasion) to paranoia to soemthing more disturbing--a peculiar pattern of sympathy for certain despots and despotic movements (like Afrikaner independence) put forth in the guise of neutral observer. In such a context, racial analysis of the claims to legitimacy of the claims of particulars parties takes on a disturbing tinge--even if the parties (like Palestiinians) are not in themselves always sympathetic. I believe white supremicists are attracted to the particular site Mr. Storobin posts on for a reason. As to my assertion that Mr. storobin practices identiy politics--go read the article--it is linked. Despite some hedge words, it is a full blown call for Russians to vote for their own to get RESPECT. To describe it as Jurassic does is absurd. Moreover, as I will show hen I have the times, it makes some absurd assertions. It's description of what Senator Savino said about Russians (and Stotobin does not quote what she said--only one word of it, and does not provide a link) verges upon libelous. He oughta be ashamed himself. Even his assertions concerning Kruger verge on the preposterous. Kruger did not merely extort Russain-Americans, as his guilty plea proves, he extorted everyone, including Bruce Ratner. Taken together, Mr. Storobin's assertions in his article remind me of Charles Barron--a few legitimate points drowning in a sick sea of paranoic delusion and outright lies. There is a pattern emerging from the state senate candidates that Craig Eaton’s Organization Republicans in Brooklyn believe are worthy. Right now they tend to look like right wing kooks, who’s racism is hardly veiled and who pick and choose what aspects of conservatism fit their individual quirks, ticks and obsessive reactions to normal change. A typical recent example is what appeared in Craig Eaton’s Kings County Republican Party hate blog, “The Jig is Up Atlas” (see "The Jig is Up Atlas": Monday, December 19, 2011 post by Eaton’s top political blog wiz, AAA, "Halloran VS Avella?"). This time the Brooklyn GOP blog has outdone itself, hailing and hawking Queens Councilman Dan Halloran, a PAGAN cultist, as somebody that will help Brooklyn (just how they didn’t say) and the Republicans in the New York State Senate by taking on Democrat Tony Avella, the recently elected State Senator, mostly in Northeast Queens. Whether David Storobin is a better or worse state senate candidate than Dan Halloran remains to be seen. Nonetheless, right now, both seem very comfortable with race- and culture-based “US against THEM” campaigning. However, to be fair, one doubts that Mr. Storobin has anything in his bag of tricks that is close to Halloran’s brand of flimflam and humbug. To the uninitiated, Dan Halloran, the Republican councilman from the 19th Counc. Dist. in north Queens is a practicing pagan cultist; and he has been called “America’s Top Heathen” by the Village Voice. Before becoming a New York City Councilman, Halloran was something he called the “First Atheling,” or prince, of his own Theodish tribe, called New Normandy. In that incarnation, he had “thralls” who swore their allegiance to him. According to reports published in the city-wide press, Halloran didn’t just spend his weekends reconstructing the religious activities of the pre-Christian Norse and Germanic gods, he led up to 100 people in a polytheistic ceremonies to the gods, including sacrifices and feasts, with boasts and toasts of the gods. During his campaign for City Council, Halloran essentially lied about himself and his religion, writing in a local paper that “I believe in God” and “I was raised a Roman Catholic right here in Auburndale. I was baptized into the Catholic Church and took my confirmation at 13. I attended Jesuit schools.” According to the Village Voice Halloran said nothing about his heathenry, New Normandy, or paganism. If somebody like Dan Halloran is one of their “ANSWERS” – then Craig Eaton’s Brooklyn GOP and its blog, The Jig is Up Atlas” are asking all the wrong questions. If David Storobin wants to be a serious candidate, he would be well-advised to run a campaign completely divorced from Eaton and the rest of his band of bunglers. David Storobin should work with Craig Eaton. Because it is a special election, it is Eaton that will nominate the candidate. The GOP needs a good candidate for a special election for Carl Kruger's state senate seat more than a good candidate needs the GOP.
Kruger's resignation was the best Christmas gift I've received in a long time. I have a political friend and she's been very sick for about a year. This friend HATES Kruger and his guilty plea and resignation has lifted her spirits. Gate, you and I were at a certain party last year talking and Kruger was standing inches away from us so I walked over to him and told him "2 down and 1 to go." At first I thought he didn't hear me because he kept saying "what did you say" and I repeated it twice more to the shocked look on his fat fact. Well, looks like I was right and 1 year later he's history and will get the justice he deserves. As for Storobin, he'd better not count his chickens before they hatch because yes the district is more Orthodox and the older Russians will vote for a RepubliCon even if they're an ax murderer but the district is also Asian, Italian, Irish and other heritages. With the crap the Republicons in Congress pulled this week we'll go after Storobin on all fronts and kick him in the behind. Fidler isn't Weprin (or Wimpin) so Storobin better watch out.
Rubbed his palm across his tiffany style forehead, Xiao Ning seems suddenly to laugh, but Nama on its face the meaning of irony, but it did tiffany sets not hide much deeper.Xiao Yan sigh a sigh of relief, it is their curse to come home, ah Cou ...Mouth slowly raised mean curvature, Xiao Yan some frustration: "I know you said tiffany and co nothing more than to arouse the attention of children smoked, but I have to say, you are naive ..."Xiao Yan Zhe Fan ruthless side was a pass insinuations, Xiao Ning smile on the face of the gradual convergence, he can not expect that normally a tiffany bracelet taciturn Hsiao-yen, and even suddenly have the courage of his mouth, current gloomy face, sneered: "It tiffany uk seems to me that Xiao Yan cousin cousin very sort of bias ah? Otherwise, we Bihuabihua
The UGG basic short boots moncler Chaumont Femme for ladies could be the ultimate boots that any lady can possess. They’re stylish, they are at ease and what’s much more, they preserve your ft entirely drymoncler jackets. These boots have been created in Australia and are totally made out of sheepskin. Therefore they are soft and downy even on the outside. The authentication of your sheepskin may be attempted out along with the organization affords full guaranty on it. The most effective element moncler Informelle from the UGG basic short boots for girls is always that the upper element is replaceable and removable too. It’s also thermostatic and consequently the feet stay warm and dry. Typically, feet get cold and Moncler a wet sensation might be felt. But, this pair of quick boots has been made with cautious care,moncler maya so that you just get all of the ease and comfort and dryness you need. The boots will also assist you to wick away moisture therefore allowing cost-free air flow. These moncler rentilly for women are specially created with a round toe and low heel so that the wearer gets the maximum comfort out of them. The boots are readily available in a wide range of colours varying from, teal to orange, to brown as well as the regular black. Ads by Google The massive array of colors that the boot is readily available in also adds to its popularity. If you’re wondering about the height of the boot then look at the product name once againmoncler vest. It will be the UGG typical brief boots for women. Even so,moncler bulgarie if you wish distinct details then let me tell you that it is a below the knee boot and as this kind of not really shorter. Even the worth in the UGG vintage limited boots for girls is amazing. For such good comfy boots you will have to pay only upto a hundred and fifty bucks max. The price vary will change with the variety of coloration you pick. If it is a black or a grey boot then the cost will range from a hundred and fifteen bucks to hundred and thirty dollars. But, if it is of an orange or any other uncommon colour, then the price will rise. Some really quality blog posts on this web site, bookmarked.
I have learn some just right stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how so much effort you place to create this type of great informative website.
Post new comment |
Hot Topics
Gov Wire
Political Update
Google AdsSearchRoom Eight Extras |
delicious
digg
Maybe the 13 were, in the end, the fortunate ones, leaving with their dignity and integrity intact. As for the Federal penal system's newest guest, let it be said that his guilt was my gelt.
Note to Carl: You won't have to make new friends in prison if you bring your old ones with you.