What to do about Hevesi: Swallowing my own medicine
I spend a great deal of time reading about and publicizing the extremely disgusting levels of corruption in today's Republican Party. I consider Republican corruption to be one of the main issues in this election and have been pushing that for more than a year.
Republican corruption includes massive levels of cronyism, from a return to a spoils system in Kentucky to the appointment of a failed horse inspector to run FEMA, leading to the death by neglect of thousands of Americans after hurricane Katrina. It includes the top leadership taking outright bribes like Randy Cunningham of California (now in prison), to wallowing in the corruption of lobbyists like Tom DeLay (indicted), Bob Ney (in prison) and Dick Pombo (should be in prison), to massive misuse of public funds for campaign or personal purposes, like Vito "Lap Dog" Fossella (fined $60,000 and should be in prison). The corrupt coalition of lobbyists, politicians and corporations that is the Republican party now spans from coast to coast and, with each new revelation of corruption, the Republican party always reacts the same way: lie, cover up and whine about it. Even when faced with a Republican who was a clear sexual predator, the top Republican leadership, right up to Hastert and Reynolds, covered it up rather than reported it and demanded the removal of that sexual predator from Congress.
Facing this massive list of corruption within the Greedy Oil Party, it is sometimes hard to worry about the far less extensive and less damaging corruption one finds within the Democratic Party. Yes, one of my number one local efforts in Brooklyn is fighting with the reform Democrats against a corrupt Democratic machine, but even that corrupt machine is small potatoes compared with the monolith of fith and lies that calls itself the Republican Party today.
So how do I address the corruption of Alan Hevesi?
To date I have, I must admit, taken the Egyptian river approach: denial. You see, up until recently, Hevesi was one of my favorites. I trusted him. I felt confident that he was an example of a good politician.
I feel betrayed and it takes time to come to terms with that.
My second reaction, after denial, has been to look at my consistent condemnation of Republican corruption and realize that to be completely consistent I have to treat Hevesi's corruption in the same way: condemn Hevesi for being a corrupt bastard and call for his resignation. That was how I reacted when I heard of the corruption of Congressman William Jefferson.
But what is the alternative to Hevesi? The alternative is the even greater corruption of Pataki's NY State Greedy Old Party, the corruption that has led to a law school buddy of Pataki's (Bruce Ratner) basically being handed anything he wants in central Brooklyn on a plate with no questions asked until local residents, threatened with eviction through misuse of eminent domain, called foul. The Pataki version of Republican corruption has created a situation in Albany that is a byword for failed state government, rated as among the least efficient and least effective state governments in the nation.
Which is worse, the corruption of the Republican party, that protects sexual predators, abandons Americans to drown and sacrifices American soldiers so that Halliburton and Exxon can squeeze out another year of record-breaking profits, giving Dick Cheney a big income boost, or the corruption of Alan Hevesi? The answer is clear: Alan Hevesi's corruption is far less damaging to America than the corruption of the Republican Party. Alan Hevesi, like Assemblyman Marty Connor, pretty much does low level of corruption, reaping some personal benefits at taxpayer's expense. Personally, I think politicians who do this deserve to get the boot...but not if it opens the way for worse corruption.
I am not one who usually feels I am voting for the lesser of two evils. More often than not, who I vote for (and it is not 100% on the Democratic line) is who I am most proud to vote for and I feel good about my vote. But with Alan Hevesi, the absolute best I can do is view him as the lesser of two evils. Will I vote for him? Probably, because my disgust at Pataki and his corrupt NY State Republicans outwieghs my disgust for Alan Hevesi. But Alan Hevesi has betrayed our trust and, though I might hope he wins because he is the lesser of two evils, I hope the wrath of Eliot Spitzer comes down hard on Hevesi's ass and the imprint of Spitzer's boot on Hevesi's behind never fades.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
Scandals | New York | Alan Hevesi
NY state comptrollers race
Submitted by rwallnerny on 30 October 2006 - 4:34pm.
Mole, in the Comptrollers race, you could always vote for the Green Party's candidate, Dr. Julia Willebrand. She's an environmental activist and a Fulbright professor at City College. She spoke at the DDDB rally this past summer and seems to be a very nice lady, I remember she stopped off at the Tea Lounge afterwords looking for potential supporters. The problem is that Dr. Willebrand is not particularly qualified to be Comptroller. She's an english professor, not an accountant. But as an alternative to the republican candidate, and to Hevesi, it might be better than not voting in that race at all.
Enlightened Self Interest
Submitted by Enlightened Self Interest (not verified) on 30 October 2006 - 5:31pm.
If the Democrats are going to act all high and mighty about corruption, then we will be cutting our own throats by endorsing Hevesi. How much damage can the mediocre Republican do as Comptroller? The damage by electing a corrupt Democratic Comptroller is worse, and is it really such a bad thing to have one Republican elected to the state level?
Ahem.
Submitted by Bouldin on 30 October 2006 - 6:06pm.
[I]s it really such a bad thing to have one Republican elected to the state level?
Yes, it is.
Not that that brings us any closer to a solution.
would it really be such a bad thing?
Submitted by rwallnerny on 30 October 2006 - 6:10pm.
would it really be such a bad thing to vote for the republican in the comptroller's race? Yes it would. The reason is that the state senate is still likely to be controlled by republicans, and you combine the authority the senate has with a republican in the comptroller's office holding the purse strings, and there is potential for partisan uses. This is why I disagree with the Times endorsing the GOP candidate. We must give Eliot Spitzer somebody he can work with, not someone who will be his opponent in Albany. Spitzer has un-endorsed Hevesi. That doesn't mean IMO voting for the GOP candidate.
Voting for Hevesi is a moot point
Submitted by rwallnerny on 30 October 2006 - 6:17pm.
Voting for Hevesi is a moot point because Pataki's going to have him fired. You'd be letting him keep the job long enough to lose it. Hevesi's toast. He's not even invited to the big state party election night shindig at the Sheraton, to be up on stage with Spitzer, Clinton, Cuomo and all the rest of the winners. They told him to stay out of sight.
what rwallnerny said
Submitted by tps12 (not verified) on 30 October 2006 - 7:13pm.
Vote Hevesi with the understanding that he will be replaced [by a Dem appointment? Not sure how this stuff works].
Corruption must be punished
Submitted by Green in Brooklyn on 30 October 2006 - 7:39pm.
Sorry, but Hevesi's got to go. The comptroller is in charge of $140 Billion in State pension money. If he's caught with his fingers in the cookie jar and still gets re-elected, how much more money is going to end up is the pockets of his friends (and in investements that are disastrous for the state's workers).
Willebrand's idea of using the financial power of the State pension fund to invest not only in businesses that generate jobs for New Yorkers, but also to invest in a sustainable economy, alternative energy sources, and a reduced dependence on foreign oil is worth a look.
Yeah, right
Submitted by Bouldin on 30 October 2006 - 10:20pm.
...entrust a Green with a $140 billion pension fund - that's going to happen. This because Greens strike everyone as thoroughly reasonable people who have the hard-nosed common sense required to deal with huge amounts of public money.
She'd probably plaster upstate with pottery workshops, cruelty-free aromatherapy centers and self-validation-centric judgment-free summer camps for white liberals, there to grow macrobiotic carrots and do dance therapy.
Feh. Greens. Not worth a look in my book.
HEVESI
Submitted by ROSALIE907 (not verified) on 30 October 2006 - 11:28pm.
I'm still voting for him and the reason why is that I don't want this state to have a Republican Controller who is unqualified for the position. If Hevasi is found guilty then he'd have to step down and a special election would be held to fill the post but 4 years of that jerk the Republicans have running would destroy the pensions of millions of state workers and lord knows what it would do for our taxes not to mention education, health care, etc.
Hevesi won't let himself be removed from office
Submitted by rwallnerny on 31 October 2006 - 2:12pm.
Hevesi is on record as saying he'll resign before they remove him from office. He just wants to be re-elected so that the Democratic controlled assembly chooses his replacement, and not Pataki. If he quit now, Pataki would get to choose, if he gets re-elected and Spitzer hasn't taken office yet, the assembly gets to choose. Or maybe hold on until January so that Spitzer can choose himself.
It was mentioned that Freddy Ferrer is lobbying Spitzer for a high state position, and speculation was maybe Secretary of State. But why not make Freddy Comptroller instead, its an even higher profile job and he'd be fine at it. Or maybe Mark Green needs a job?
NEW JERSEY MAN RAISES MONEY [edited]
[Ed. note]: Silly commercial pitches about off-topic stuff really aren't very polite. If you want to advertise your project, by all means, buy an ad.