If you keeping fucking with the theories behind democracy, the way elected officials who are shallow, spineless, ruthless, power-hungry and egotistical (democrats and republicans) do, then expect one day to have an “Arab-spring” (political revolt) right here in the good old US of Amnesia. When will we ever learn?

There are those who seem to think an Arab-spring can never happen here, since the traditional institutions which are so embedded in the polity, offer some type of protection and buffer from the frustrations of most voters. They are wrong. They also believe that the implied power(s) of the federal, state and city/local governments (security forces, militias, executive branches of government, plus the legal system, etcetera) will always guarantee stability and compliance. They are wrong again.

The Tea-Party movement is about frustration within the political system. The Occupation Wall-Street movement extends this frustration to the banking/financial system. Dwindling voter-participation all over the country is also about overall frustration with our so-called democratic system; which is in fact an unfinished democracy.  read more »

Come September 2013, state senator Eric Adams (20SD/Brooklyn) will be a candidate in the primary election, seeking the democrat’s nomination for Brooklyn’s Borough Presidency. A win in the primary will give him at least a ninety-nine per cent chance of winning the general election; since in Brooklyn, democrats have a minimum five to one edge in registration, over all other political parties combined. Adam’s will be attempting to make history, by being the first black person (male or female) elected to that office.

Back in 2001, Jeanette Gadson -a former state assembly member- attempted the same feat. She failed. Ms. Gadson was also a former deputy boro-prez, serving under Howard Golden. She is now deceased. Marty Markowitz won the democrat’s primary that year, and went on to win the general election in a convincing manner.
I have had many credible sources tell me for quite some time now that Adams was going to seek the boro-prez position after Marty Markowitz is term-limited in 2013. In a phone conversation with Adams yesterday, he stated that right now he is first seeking re-election to his senate seat this year; then once he is successful, he will announce a run for the Brooklyn borough presidency sometime before Christmas 2012. He believes his chances of success are very high. I concur.
Most likely, I will eventually endorse Eric Adams for this position; since ostensibly, the only other candidates I was interested in supporting for this job are not going to run (Lori Knipel and Yvonne Graham). Right now there is only one other declared candidate. I can truly say that in my estimation, Eric Adams is the best person for this position right now. This is a man who has made many personal sacrifices for public service and community development. This is a man who on principle stood up with the forces that tried to defend term-limits in 2008; a man who as a police officer openly and publicly spoke out against police-misconduct. He is an exceptionally courageous individual; a man who has survived physical and professional threats.

Eric Adams is a person who has stood up for progressive values and marched for human rights. He is a political-activist par excellence. He is a civil-rights champion. He is inclusive. He works with people of all races and from all walks of life. As much as he is now an elected insider (state senator), he knows the streets better. He is as much at ease in the”hoods“as he is in the corridors of power; not too many elected officials can make this claim: as we elect more elites and bourgeois-types to office every year.  read more »

Every new decade, we are forced by various constitutions (federal and state), court decisions, legal frameworks, local charters, and other socio-economic-cultural-political precedents, to do a census count. This is essentially a precursor to reapportioning lines for legislative (and election/EDs) districts: on all levels of government (federal/state/local). You can say that it’s a tradition now.

Let me qualify that census counts are not used only for redistricting/reapportionment. It has become a tremendous tool/weapon in the arsenal of politicians, planners, pusillanimous-people, programmers, prostitutes, pimps, prognosticators, priests, policy-makers and the like.

You can also say that traditionally there are fights (expectedly) around issues dealing with redistricting/reapportionment. It can be rather contentious. It can be mind-boggling. The lengths that individuals in both the republican and democratic parties go to maintain power is something worthy of intellectual examination and meticulous scrutiny. The hope being (of course), that the more we study this as a phenomenon, the better the chances that we will eventually get to do it right.  read more »

New York’s city council member Lew Fidler (D/46th council district/Brooklyn), stood on City Hall’s steps today (MLK Day), to announce that he will be accepting the nomination of both the Democrats and the Independence political party, to contest the upcoming special election for Brooklyn’s 27th senatorial district. This vacancy was recently created when the previously elected state senator (Carl Kruger) pleaded guilt to federal bribery charges.

Fidler was first elected to the council in 2001. He is a lifetime resident of the East Flatbush/Midwood area. His parents were well-known community activists with good connections to the black and Caribbean-American community. His father was once vice-president of the community board. His mother was an active PTA member and quite politically active.  read more »

The two “Johns” of whom I write are John Liu and John Sampson. Liu is the NYC comptroller. Sampson is the state senator from Brooklyn’s 19th district. He is also the conference leader of the senate democrats. I want to believe he is actually the senate minority leader but some folks tell me that’s not official.

Anyway, both Liu and Sampson have come in for some serious ragging in mainstream media lately. I want to believe there is more to this than meets the unsuspecting naked eye.

A few columns aback I told you folks that the three major newspapers (Times, Daily News and N.Y. Post) are in the tank for NYC council speaker Christine Quinn: with the objective being to make her the next mayor of this city. They have been trying without subtlety to decimate those they perceive as her main opponents in the 2013 mayoral primary. Thus, over the last few years, they have been taking occasional pot shots at people like Marty Markowitz, Bill DiBlasio, Adolfo Carrion, Scott Stringer and Bill Thompson (don’t forget Anthony Wiener also). It is sad. These forces seem to believe that many aren’t observing all this. They are wrong in that assessment.  read more »