It’s May and not only Bike Month but the time of the annual fundraiser for the Drum Major Institute , my favorite action-oriented think-tank.*

This year the Drum Major For Justice Awards will be held Tuesday May 20th 2008 6:30-8:30 PM at Cipriani 23rd Street. (at 5th Ave.). More Here

I went last year. It was fun: good food, good booze, -- most important-- good schmooze. I plan to go this time, too. You should consider it. If you do, come say “hi!”

Honorees, this year are

David Simon creator of HBO show “The Wire.”

Melissa Mark-Viverito, East Harlem NYC Council Member (people tell me she’s as smart and focused as my Council Member Rosie Mendez; she’s certainly as progressive) and

Steve Phillips California civil rights lawyer, donor and chair of PowerPAC.org.

Tickets are very expensive, but there are special lower rates for activists and bloggers. If you cannot bargain yourself into a price acceptable to you, you should go back to organizing school for retraining.

*Actually it would be a tie, in my book, between DMI and Demos but DMI wins because it has a great blog.

I met Diane Benson, Congressional Candidate in Alaska, about a month ago and was very impressed. But only got to hear her speak as a candidate tonight. Again I was impressed. Diane is a genuine American who has worked hard all her life to get an education and to better the life of her son. Often she and her son have worked hard for our country and for their community. She has the confidence of someone who worked their way through school driving trucks while raising her son. She has the confidence of a woman who worked in the male dominated workers camp on the Alaskan pipeline. She has the confidence of someone who has had to work for everything, being given nothing easily. The contrast with the spoiled brat who inhabits the White House is about as striking as you can get.

So today I get several emails and instant messages having to do with the number one State Senate race we can win...the one Jimmy Dahroug almost won in 2006. This is our top priority race and we shouldn't fuck it up. So this diary is hopefully going to get everyone back on the right track.

First off, let me indicate that Jimmy Dahroug has a new website. Here it is:

http://www.jimmyforsenate.com/

Second, it seems that someone over at the NY Times has done a really sucky job of doing his research because he discusses this race without even mentioning Jimmy Dahroug. Well, if the NY Times can't figure out who's actually running in the top State Senate race in NY State it shows a sharp decline in the quality of their reporting. To the NY Times: Get your damned act together. Seriously. Don't be so sloppy. It just makes you look bad.

It is rare that I make it to political events in Manhattan, but so many people were urging me to meet Jimmy Dahroug, candidate for State Senate in Suffolk County, last night at a Manhattan fundraiser with Jim Dean of Democracy for America as a special guest. I am glad I went even though it meant being late for my son's bedtime, an event I don't like missing. In the end I barely met Jim Dean and only briefly got to talk with Jimmy Dahroug, but did get to hear both speak and got to meet several other candidates running for City Council in 2009: Josh Skaller (DFNYC organizer and president of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, running for Bill DeBlasio's seat...what, Josh, no website yet?), Costa Constantinides (on the steering committee of the Democratic Lawyers Council working on voting rights and running in Astoria...and with the name to match the district) and Steve Behar (running in district 19 in Queens). By the way...rumor has it some of you out there think Josh Skaller is mole333.