"A real discussion of Manton would be instructive; he took a party from self inflicted extremis and in two decades turned it into the ruling power in the City, while successfully transitioning it through tumultuous demographic changes. I didn't care for the man's politics or his tactics, but it is hard to think of him as anything but a giant. "

Gatemouth; posted on "Daily Politics" at 11:20 PM on 7/23/06

 "Can there be another Tom Manton? He brought his county organization back from the wreckage of the Manes era, managing to impose something resembling unity on a wounded organization. And he did it in the face of massive change, staying ahead of Queens' radically changing demographics by supporting candidates from emerging ethic(sic)communities."

Josh Benson; posted on "The Politicker" at 11:57 AM on 7/24/06.

 Josh: I asked for a real discussion, not an echo. Next time, at least give me a shout-out!

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Folks, the good news is there's no need anymore to settle for palid imitators; Gatemouth is back and Room 8's got him!

But there's better news!!

Back when the Gate was a little fenster, Carnation Dairies ran a national ad campaign: "Our milk comes from contented cows" In 1977, when the late, great and lamented Phil Burton ran for House Majority Leader, one Charlie Rose of North Carolina (no, he never appeared at the 92nd Street Y), gave Burton's nomination speech,  and noted that, in response to the Carnation campaign, a local NC dairy had put up a billboard sayng "Our Cows Are Not Contented; They Are Always Striving To Do Better". And so it is with Gatemouth. In the last few weeks, he's made his peace with Mole333, Bouldin, Rock Hackshaw and Maurice Gumbs; next week he's having a civil commitment ceremony in Prospect Park, and the best man will be FUSTB!  First stop on the honeymoon will be Mecca, followed by Islamabad!!! Can't wait to taste the authentic falafel and curry.   

On his blog, the change is emblematized (Is that a word? If not, it is now! Neat, huh?) by  new title for the home page (that's the right name for it, right?) with sparkling new features including reviews, celebrity endorsements and a Gatemouth FAQ. These features will be updated regulalry (and have been since this piece was posted) in an effort to serve all your Gatemouth needs, so stay tuned for more fun and laughter!!!

Gatemouth: You've tried the rest, now try the best!!!!