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The Jig is Up and the Question Begs (AKA Fool's Golden)
So much nonsense has been written recently about the Southern Brooklyn State Senate seats lately that my head is spinning from all the spinning. To some extent, I must admit that I may be part of the problem.I really do believe that, strategically, it has been stupid for Democrats not to challenge Marty Golden, and, more importantly, I believe that when Democrats should stop swallowing the nonsensical bill of goods that running a candidate against Golden only hurts them. For year, Democrats in Queens gave Serph Maltese and Frank Padavan a free wide. In both cases, this only stopped when they were challenged by seemingly clueless South Asian candidates who hadn’t gotten the memo and who had no organizational support whatsoever, but did surprisingly well nonetheless.When, Maltese nearly got beaten by the unbelievably lame Albert Baldeo, County Leader Joe Crowley was livid that anyone would blame him:“There is no one in the world who can say to me that we should have known there was a vulnerability here…there was nothing to indicate that – absolutely nothing.” True enough; when you don’t challenge someone for over a decade, the statistical evidence of their vulnerability tends to be limited (though not non-existent, if one is really looking for it). The same goes for Marty Golden. In the fat Democratic years of 2006 and 2008, no one challenged Golden. Not even a South Asian. Where is Farouk Samaroo when you really need him? In 2010, the most Republican year in recent memory, Golden was challenged by an openly gay leftist. This is not the proper profile for a successful Democrat from that part of Brooklyn. The proper profile for a successful Democrat from that part of Brooklyn is a closeted gay conservative. And yet, even with the worst possible candidate, in the worst possible year, Marty Golden did not win all that impressively, although I doubt he was losing any sleep either. Anyway, after heroic efforts, the State Senate Dems have finally had some success in selling someone in the Commentariat (besides me) their bill of goods that Golden is vulnerable.And that’s fair. Because the first step in making someone vulnerable is getting some to actually believe he is. If they’d done that sooner, Golden might have already suffered a real challenge in a year when such a challenge might have mattered. The problem is, having sold the fantasy of a potential Golden challenge, someone asked the Sen Dems who might actually make it. And the first name they came up with was Marty Markowitz’s Chief of Staff, Carlo Scissura. Carlo? The Sen Dems Great White Hope is Carlo Scissura? The man who was once outpolled by Steve Harrison.Carlo? Yes, perhaps this is a district where one can run someone whose curriculum vitae is almost literally that of a “Professional Italian,” almost entirely dedicated to fraternal organizations and the like, but if one is going to stereotype this area as a “Quartiere” looking for a benevolent Godfather, why would you run a Fredo rather than a Michael? More importantly, in a district where one of the incumbent’s greatest vulnerabilities is his closeness to a Mayor who’s come to personify Manhattan Elitism and Taxation by Summons, the Sen Dems are floating the guy who get’s Bloomie’s appointment every time he needs a sock puppet for some marionette-type commission, whether it is the yearly attempt to change the City Charter or an interim Board of Education to pretend to run things when Mayoral Control temporarily lapses. Worst part it is, Carlo will get all the Mayor’s vulnerabilities, while Golden will get all of his money. Memo to John Sampson: If one insists on running a Markowitz Chief of Staff against Marty Golden, please note that Greg Atkins lives in Dyker Heights. But not all the nonsense concerning Marty Golden stems from the Democrats. It is an old joke that when you have two Jews on an Island, you end up with three Synagogues (although lately they’re probably engaged in negotiations over a merger and selling one of the buildings to a Chabad House or a Mosque). Likewise, when you have a tiny party with few and far hopes of victory, you are liable to have bitter divisions and competing clubs, each with their own nasty blog. In Brooklyn, the local Republican rebels, centered around the Young Republican Club, have Atlas Shrugs in Brooklyn, while the Golden/Craig Eaton controlled Regulars haveThe Jig Is Up Atlas.Atlas Shrugs has the redeeming feature of sometimes linking Gatemouth, but that hasn’t stopped me from making their leader, Jonathan Judge, a target for well deserved derision when merited. But it is not merely lack of links to Room 8 that makes “The Jig is Up” the worst blog in Brooklyn. Nor is it the reliably right wing content. It is simply, the worst written thing I’ve ever tried to read. The question begs, For the millions of jiggers who make this blog the undisputed leaders in Kings County Republican Party politics. The question begs: could a room full of monkeys do any worse? The latest crusade at “The Jig” is a series condemning local Democrats for not criticizing Carl Kruger. Now, I've no brief for Mike Nelson, the City Council's Dick Clark/Dorian Gray, and a winner of the “Ted Baxter Award for Intellectual Integrity.” Like his mentor Carl Kruger, Nelson regularly shills for the Republicans. So, I actually got a chuckle when “The Jig” attacked Nelson, although, based on Nelson’s record, one would think the Republican attitude would be one of gratitude.But there are problems with this series. First is the fact that it ignores “The Presumption of Innocence.” Secondly, it is full of pure nonsense. One piece attacks the purported close relationship between Kruger and Councilman Lew Fidler. To quote Woody Allen, Fidler loves Kruger “like a brother.” David Greenglass.Once of twice over the decades, Kruger and Fidler have been forced by the occasion to utter a nice word about the other in public. But as rare as those occurrences have been in public, such an occasion has never occurred in private. In 2007, after one of my periodic attacks on Kruger, Rock asked me, "Why has [Kruger] succeeded in holding on to his seat? Was it Tony Genovese and the Jefferson club that held it all together for him ?"I answered, “Perhaps initially, but it's probably mostly the inertia that saves all southern Brooklyn pols from having primaries until the Russian population in their districts reaches what sociologists like to call "the tipping point". Plus he raises mucho dinero. As To TJ, talk is, [repeat of David Greenglass joke]…If and when the Commission ever give sanction to a hit upon Mr. Kruger, one can rest assured that, Tony Blundetto style, the Jefferson Club will insist, as an act of mercy, upon carrying out the execution itself.One can also rest assured that when the word goes out that they are looking for a volunteer to carry out the distasteful task, the line in front of the club will run three thick around the block and down to Flatlands Avenue." And rest assured, as the poor potential volunteers suffer through waiting in the cold of a pouring winter rain storm, Lew Fidler’s staff will be giving away free coffee, doughnuts, hot toddies, complimentary umbrellas and words of encouragement to those on line. But, most objectionable, other than the bad writing, is the fact that “The Jig” totally ignores the key role played by Republicans in enabling Carl Kruger. More particularly “The Jig” ignores the Elephant in the Room. No one in politics, not even Mike Nelson, has benefited more from Carl Kruger’s tender ministrations more than Marty Golden. It is a topic I’ve dealt with more than once.Not surprisingly, like the local Democrats attacked so fiercely by the relentlessly pro-Golden “Jig,” Marty Golden has also remained silent about Kruger. But Marty Golden does have the excuse of “The Presumption of Innocence.” Marty Golden does not believe in “The Presumption of Innocence.” After Hiram Monserrate was arrested, even before there was an indictment, Marty Golden insisted that t Monserrate recuse himself from Senate’s business, and even introduced a resolution that Monserrate not be seated. This seemed silly, as the charges against Monserrate had nothing to do with Senate business (Golden must have thought so himself , because later, when the Republicans temporarily took control of the Senate with Monserrate’s help, Golden’s resolution failed to see the light of day).But in Kruger's case, where recusal actually might have a basis, Golden has said zilch. What's the story? Why the inconsistency? Is Golden in the tank for Kruger the way Kruger was in the tank for Golden? The Question Begs. I suspect you're joking by his inclusion, but Google Greg Atkins and the sexual harassment trial for all you need to know.
The Democrats should never give Marty Golden or any New York City Republican a pass no matter what election year. Registration numbers and changing demographics show that these guys can be beaten. But the 22nd district lacks a known name who is a) sane b) able to raise the money c) known outside of their own community or d) has the stomach for such a race. If you take Carlo’s two failed races out of the equation, on paper he looks like a good candidate. He has a following in Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge and some relations in other parts of the district. He has been able to raise money in the past on his own and should be able to raise more after the relationships he has made at Borough Hall. He'll have tepid support from Peter Abbate and Joanne Seminara’s club and maybe even TJ. But, Carlo will have to hire a real campaign manager and he’ll also have to work hard. Those are two things he wasn’t able to do in his past campaigns. Joanne Seminara, again, qualified on paper, but has a poor electoral track record. She’s way too liberal for the more progressive sides of the district, never mind the ultra conservative portions. Plus, she no longer has the desire to run. Why would Vincent Gentile give up a Council seat to run for the Senate and serve in the Minority again? Especially in a race where he could very well lose. Unless there is another incumbent Council or Assembly Member willing to run or an unknown wealthy resident who has a dream to serve in Albany, I don’t think anyone in the district can put together a successful campaign to beat Golden. But, that doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t try. Gatemouth thinks it's been a strategy not to challege Golden because it will hurt them. Whose it going to hurt ? Vito has had a deal with Marty for years to get no challenge.
 I do not necessaily disagree with the assessment that Vito finds Golden convenient in all sorts of way--although the year Vito most owed Golden was the year Golden finaly got opposition (albeit lame). But Vito does not control everyone in Brooklyn. For instance, he certainly does not control Steve Harrison and his crew. Yet, as Mole333 has acknowledged, two times running Harrison and his supporters made heroic efforts to ensure there was no Democratic Senate candidate against golden because they thought having one would hurt Steve's Congressional candidacy. This is because Harrison totally bought into the myth perpetuated by the pro-Golden Bay Ridge establshment of which he is a pillar (an establishment which barely knows who Vito is) And Joe Bova, who has not always been a friend to Vito, has made clear that the Senate dive was intended to help not only in the Congressioanl race, but in the 60th AD as well; and he really believes it. I've always thought that folks who believed this were sold a Bill of Goods, but there is no dount that many folks, including many folks who have no use for Lopez, really do believe this. In fact, this belief, which stems from purposeful propaganda by Golden and his supporters, is so accepted that I wrote a long piec edebinking it mathematically: http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/the_golden_effect.html I do not discount Lopez's role is spreading this mythical beast, but it is far from confined to those who are beholden to Lopez. So, go learn something before you spurt your uninformed nastiness again. Post new comment |
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While I believe you include Greg Atkins as part of a joking reference, here is some stuff found from a very quick Google search:
http://gothamist.com/2011/02/22/markowitz_has_no_idea_that_his_offi.php
http://www.jbernsteinpc.com/blog/?p=118
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/22/did-brookly-borough-presi_n_826505.html