Well this totally sucks. Not only that, but not one of the netroots blogs from New York State --you know, the ones that actually help the party raise money for their candidates-- got into the state pool.

Who gets in? Oh, yeah, right, the blog owned by the pro-Clinton journalist that now rights for Politico.com.

Nice.

UPDATE : Hopefully we will be able to bundle our state bloggers with the culturekitchen.com national bloggers and get credentialed.

I just find this odd, that none of the blogs that have helped the NY Democratic Party raise thousands of dollars for local candidates and worked hard to get out the vote here in the state, not one of them got credentialed in the state pool.

This is very odd indeed.

There is a diary at the top of the recommended list on Daily Kos citing voting problems in NYC with some accusations that Hillary's people are disenfranchising black voters. A genuine red flag was raised when it was noticed that a heavily black election district in Harlem was recorded as having zero votes for Barack Obama. This is clearly unlikely and therefore genuinely raised people's concern. And it brings up several important issues regarding voting machines. But one thing this should NOT cause is accusations of fraud on the part of Clinton's campaign. From first hand experience, I can suggest that the problem was not an intentional undercount of Obama voters, but a maintenance problem with the voting machines used in NYC.

culturekitchen is one of the sponsors of techPresident's online presidential forum, 10questions.com.

The submission period is coming to an end in 5 more days. Thanks to my computer woes, I've been remiss at following up on this fantastic opportunity to ask the hard questions to the candidates; but not any more.

I am calling on all the NYC-based sponsors of 10Questions.com to come spend Sunday afternoon with me at Rapture Cafe in the East Village. I'll be there from 3:00pm to 6:00pm downing coffees and making video clips of everybody who wants to submit a clip to 10questions.

We have the cameras, we have the computers. Rapture Cafe has the coffee, beer and WiFi.

What does that mean? If you don't have a digital camera with video capabilities, a computer with WiFi or both, just bring yourself, even a friend and don't forget your thirst for a latte.

Where?
Rapture Cafe
(http://rapturecafe.com )
200 Avenue A
Between 12th and 13th Streets
NYC

When?
3 to 6pm

Questions?
nyc.blogdiva@gmail.com

Removed by author, for re-evauation, on the advice of counsel

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. "
--Edmund Burke

Did you know that most people don't care if their democracy works? Most people don't care if their judges are qualified or unqualified, honest or corrupt, purple aliens from Mars or deep sea squids. People don't care. I think two things define American Democracy: Apathy and a desire to complain.

Do you know what was the voter turnout in yesterday’s election to determine who would be the new judges in Brooklyn? I'll tell you: abysmally low, piss poor and just plain embarrassing.

All around the Borough I know people who voted. But that's because people I know are the people who vote. Some reported that at around 3 PM they were the first person to vote at their ED. One reported that at their polling place only 11 people had voted one hour before the polls closed. Another person reported only 14 people. People complain and complain and complain about "the system." Then they don't vote. Gee...wonder if there is a connection there. If all you do is whine but don't do anything, I say you are a chump.

[Editor's Note: All I did was suggest we get more bloggers out there reminding people to vote. Didn't realize I'd resurrect the (blogging) dead. Posted for Gatemouth by mole333...whoda thunk it]

At the request of Mole, I’ve come out of retirement for the rare cause on which we both agree.

The race between Noach Dear and Karen Yellen in Brooklyn’s 5th Mucicipal Court District is the most unambiguous choice available in this year's Brooklyn judicial elections, and it has been ignored for far too long in favor of a forest of dead trees written about the far more ambiguous Surrogate's race (I’m voting for Simspson, but to explain why would take more time than the race merits). Residents of Bay Ridge, Kensington, Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights, Borough Park and portions of adjoining communities should run, not walk, and vote early and often for Karen Yellen.

Everyone remembers former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo's famed speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention. Even me (and I was 5).  In it he said:  "President Reagan told us from the very beginning that he believed in a kind of social Darwinism. Survival of the fittest. `Government can't do everything,' we were told, so it should settle for taking care of the strong and hope that economic ambition and charity will do the rest. Make the rich richer, and what falls from the table will be enough for the middle class and those who are trying desperately to work their way into the middle class."

The speech could have just as easily been delivered in 2007 as 1984. So as the country plunges into another Presidential election cycle, Governor Cuomo, a practitioner and one of the left's most eloquent voices, once again asks to candidates to step back and examine their governing philosophy and the challenges the country faces, arguing that pat answers and rhetoric are insufficient to address them.

Thanks to the diligence of Robert Cox and The Media Bloggers Association, I am going to attend the Democratic Presidential Forum/Debate at Howard University as one of 22 credentialed bloggers.

Robert was the guy who was able to broker the credentials for bloggers of the Libby trial and now PBS has tapped him again for this historic presidential forum moderated by Tavis Smiley.

I am not the only NY blogger to go. Earl Dunovant of Prometheus6, Barbara O'Brien of Mahablog, Maegan Ortiz of Mamita Mala & Vivir Latino as well as Robert himself are going to be there.

There is right now a lot of controversy surrounding the event. Frank Luntz, the creator of the GOP's campaign "rule book" has been tapped as the only commentator for the event. Who the hell is inside PBS pushing for his confederalist and supremacist worldview.