Unequal New York

A little plug for some of my work on another blog: I'm beginning a series at The Albany Project on inequality in New York, which may or may not interest you. The US is suffering from staggering levels of inequality, and the Empire State is the most unequal in the nation.

Labels: inequality, New York, The Albany Project

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 10:59 AM 0 comments

  Happy Days Are Here Again

America hates New York, reports the New Criterion blog, reports Roy at alicublog. Roy's reaction?

Thank fuck! I was really tired of them pretending not to.

Meanwhile, a commenter named "chuckling" - who appears to live somewhere in my own general vicinity - asks: are you talkin' to me?

I can understand why people hate New York. I hate it myself, but not for the BMA. That's one of the few things I actually like about this hellhole -- a stroll around Prospect Park, through the Botanic Garden, and a pass through the museum, especially if there's some anti-religious art or quasi-pornography, which there always is, and especially on a saturday night.

But Manhattan? All the animals come out there - ivy leaguers, skunk pussy Wellesley grads, stock brokers, tech dweebs, art directors, religious types, tourists in their white shorts, Walt fucking Disney, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets. I think someone should just take this city and just... just flush it down the fuckin' toilet.

Here - indeed - is a man who would not take it anymore.

Labels: alicublog, New York

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 9:59 AM 2 comments

  Speaking of Marriage...

Isebrand comments on my Summit report (as posted at DKos):

I'm with BrooklynRaider: there's a real confrontation coming, and gay marriage is a critically important component of that, like Iraq, like new, sweeping energy policies, like health care. Right now, progressives aren't prepared to win either the overall contest nor--especially--the battle for civil rights for gay people. It's not discussed much by self-proclaimed progressives who are not themselves gay. And I'll believe the PR about Spitzer being a leader on the issue when he--well--actually leads on the issue. He's taken no noticeable action; he may never take action. It may be all talk. Time will tell.

I should clarify: I think that the central confrontation with the right will be economic, about the purpose of government w/r/t the role it plays in improving people's lives - and over whether it's some alien entity or something in which we are all equally invested. This confrontation is coming not only because the right needs to have it, but also because of certain economic realities.

That said, I agree with Isebrand that we should be pushing toward a confrontation on the marriage issue as well. It's a battle we are going to win, plain and simple, but justice delayed is justice denied, of course, and we should continue to move aggressively forward on it.

Still, I'm curious - honestly curious - about Isebrand's comment on Governor Spitzer. As I posted at the Daily Gotham some time ago, my understanding was that even marriage equality advocates didn't expect Spitzer to make a move on the issue in his first year or so. For instance, here's Alan Van Capelle of the Empire State Pride Agenda, quoted in the New York Times:

“New York has a lot of problems,” he said. “When Eliot Spitzer takes office on January 1, he’s going to have to fix Medicaid reform, there’s school funding, there’s a dragging upstate economy, and he needs to tackle those issues, but I’m confident that at the end of his first term as governor, we’ll have marriage equality in New York State.”

Of course, that's no excuse for complacency. But is Van Capelle's comment out of line with the opinions of others in the New York marriage equality movement? Am I going too easy on Spitzer here?

Labels: Eliot Spitzer, gay marriage, Isebrand, New York

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 4:40 PM 0 comments

  New York Does Not Heart Rudy

Daily Kos seems to be lost in the metaverse today, but there's plenty more good stuff in the blogosphere. For instance, Eric Kleefeld at TPM Cafe notes this Crain's New York Business poll which has Hillary Clinton blowing Rudy Giuliani away in New York State by a twenty-point margin, in a hypothetical presidential matchup. While early presidential polls tend to measure name recognition, this is of course a contest between two known quantities for New Yorkers, indicating that Giuliani has little room for improvement.

Also noted in the Crain's article is that Rudy also loses to Obama in the state, by 42%-31%.

New Yorkers evidently remember that Rudy Giuliani is a corrupt, authoritarian publicity hound, who was deeply unpopular by September 10, 2001.

And maybe they're even aware that the rest is mostly bullshit, too.

Labels: 2008, Hillary Clinton, New York, Presidential election, Rudy Giuliani

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 12:26 PM 0 comments

  The Big Blograiser

A&S is joining, in our own humble little 20-readers-per-day way, the rollout for the combined fundraiser/blograiser for New York State Senate candidate Craig Johnson. Craig is running in a special election to replace Republican Michael Balboni, who was named to a post in Governor Spitzer's administration.

Control of the State Senate - Republican-held for nearly a century - is in the balance. If the Democrats win this seat, they will be within two of taking the Senate, which should be close enough to trigger the Senate Republicans' final collapse. In turn, a Democratic Senate would significantly help advance Spitzer's ambitious reform agenda.

The most exciting feature of this fundraiser is that it is being organized, like many other aspects of this race, through a close partnership between the New York State Democratic Party and the progressive grassroots/netroots. The new co-chair of the NY State Dems, Dave Pollak, is someone I know personally, and I can attest that he is passionately committed not just to electing Democrats, but to electing good, honest, progressive Democrats. He was initially hired by the party to head up their outreach to the grassroots, as he's a longstanding grassroots guy himself. The fact that he is now party chair is a clear signal that the New York Democratic Party is ready for an unprecedented relationship with the progressive grassroots. They've been very clear about this - they want a partnership with us. This fundraiser is not the first step we've taken in building that partnership, but it is the biggest one so far.

If you'll be in NYC on Feb 1, come to the live fundraiser at Prey! 4 W. 22nd Street at 6:00 pm. Governor Spitzer, barring unforseen circumstances, is expected to be there. Or follow along on the blogs - I'll post once or twice from the event, but the main liveblogging will be at Daily Kos, The Daily Gotham, and the Albany Project.

Either way, CONTRIBUTE!

We've been trying to crash the gate. Now the gate has been thrown open for us - but we need to accept the invitation.

Labels: Craig Johnson, Democrats, fundraising, New York, State Senate

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 12:12 PM 0 comments

  Profiles in Courage: Pataki Bravely Says Sex Offenders Bad, NY State Leg. Bravely Raises Own Pay

Via the Albany Project, a lesson in two dangerous political species: outgoing legislatures and mediocre governors seeking higher office.

With the destruction of the New York State GOP as a significant political force (for the time being, anyway), Republicans in the Empire State are left without an agenda that might broadly appeal to voters. But one thing they can still do is punish sex offenders some more. And as Governor Pataki gears up for a run at the GOP Presidential nomination (ow, the funny - it hurts!), his outgoing wish list includes, in the finest tradition of the idiotic Rockefeller Drug Laws, a "civil commitment" bill that would keep sex offenders locked up even after they've completed their sentences. Nevermind that it's unjust, over-broad, with a track record of failure in other states, and is opposed even by victims' advocates - it sure would sound cool in Iowa!

But how do you get such a craptacular piece of legislation through the Legislature? You trade it (oh, and that little Atlantic Yards boondoggle) for a pay raise. Never mind that the New York State Legislature is already the third-highest paid, but the most dysfunctional one in the nation. It's Christmas time, and Christmas means giving, and the gifts you give yourself are always the best of all.

(Paul)

Labels: New York, Pataki, Republicans

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 12:01 PM 1 comments