Real Journalism written by people
Pretty much by accident, I was right there when Bill de Blasio’s 2013 mayoral campaign came to life. Lightning may have struck twice as I think I might have been at the beginning of another candidate’s rise. That first time, I was covering a protest meant to save Cobble Hill’s Long Island College Hospital, when a mayoral candidate given little […]
Six candidates have their eye on the city council seat once held by Mayor Bill de Blasio in Brooklyn’s 39th district, spanning the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Kensington. In terms of private funds, it’s the second richest race in Brooklyn, with each hopeful having raised more than $30,000 and total fundraising exceeding […]
Last month, I wrote about the recent Brooklyn Dems’ County Committee meeting, and related antics and fiascos, but one cannot understand where we are, and where we may go, without understanding where we were before. The modern era of the Brooklyn Democratic Party really started with 1961. Brooklyn’s Democratic Leader was then Joe Sharkey. He was not only County Leader, […]
2020…trash but still ironic The irony of 2020 also being synonymous with perfect vision is hard to miss, as last year was definitely illuminating – racial injustice, health care disparities, government unpreparedness, and the loss of several cultural icons. Then there was the presidential election, centered amidst an ongoing pandemic. The election spilled into 2021 as Georgia Senate runoffs took […]
It is generally believed that Henry Kissinger, a man Republicans were happy to refer to as “Doctor,” even though he lacked any sort of medical degree, was responsible for the quote “Academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.” It’s such a great line, better even than his more famous “power is the ultimate aphrodisiac,” that […]
The coronavirus hasn’t delayed New York’s June 23 Democratic primary. In fact, it has added to the ballot a presidential contest – rescheduled from April 28, then cancelled (which prompted a lawsuit from candidate Andrew Yang), then restored, then challenged again in court, then affirmed – where 10 candidates who’ve suspended their campaigns will compete for delegates to August’s Democratic […]
Since March, 60.6 percent of U.S. households have responded to the 2020 Census, which will determine each state’s share of congressional representation and (to a large extent) federal funding for the next 10 years. With a 55.6 percent self-response rate, New York State trails New Jersey (62.6 percent) and Connecticut (64 percent). The self-response rate refers to the percentage of […]
During the first half of my twenties, I cared about art, not politics. I skimmed the news about wars and oil spills and participated in elections as a matter of civic duty, but deep down I intuited that nothing good or exciting would ever happen in Washington – or probably anywhere in the real world, which I found alienating and […]
When I announced my campaign for District Leader in Assembly District 51, my goal was to bring the T.E.A. to Kings County Democratic Committee: Transparency, Equity, and Accountability. We hear far too often about the self-serving narcissism and general lack of leadership from our President. But this is a problem at all levels of government, and when it comes to […]
How do you win an election without leaving the house? Local politicians – their sights set on Albany – hope to figure out the answer. With seven major Democratic candidates vying for New York State Legislature seats in Senate District 25 and Assembly District 51, which overlap in Red Hook and Sunset Park, this spring would – under normal circumstances […]
In 2018, Andrew Gillum was the handsome, 38-year-old runner-up in Florida’s gubernatorial race. Gillum, the state’s first Black nominee for governor, lost by fewer than 35,000 votes. Despite his loss, Gillum’s political capital was rising on the national stage. Rumors of a vice-presidential nomination spread. In March 2020, on Friday the 13th, Gillum, now 40, was found in a heavily […]
A surprising number of adult Americans are, in fact, tiny little babies who need a big strong daddy to keep them safe – not so much from the coronavirus as from the degeneracy of the Republican Party. Unfortunately, many of these tiny babies spend a lot of time watching cable news. Hence the #PresidentCuomo Twitter trend. As we all know, […]
If you pay attention to the financial news, or even political news, you will hear over and over again that interest rates have to be kept low because there is not enough inflation to keep the economy humming along otherwise. I’m all for keeping the economy humming – without jobs there isn’t enough money to pay the rent, something that’s […]
