Blog: Wild World of Politics
Dick Brennan
GOP Seeking Hero
I saw the movie “The Avengers” this weekend. A character played by Samuel Jackson recruits superheroes to save the world. Shocking spoiler alert: they save the world. Republicans in New York City are searching for their GOP superhero who will hold onto City Hall. Good luck! New York may be dominated by Democrats, who hold [...]
Race not enough to win 2012 races
The new Congressional lines dictated by federal courts has set off races in which ethnic politics seem to be front and center. But now one candidate says he is the victim of political dirty tricks. Assemblymember Rory Lancman claims there is a conspiracy to put another Jewish candidate, Jeffrey Gottlieb, on the Democratic primary ballot [...]
Campaigns starting to heat up
Things just got real interesting in the race for the 6th Congressional District. The Working Families Party (WFP) is throwing its support behind Assemblymember Rory Lancman. The Congressional primary day on June 26 promises to be one where you will see the tumbleweeds blowing through the voting booths. The low turnout means the advantage goes [...]
Like a Hollywood movie
Have you seen (or read) “The Hunger Games?” It’s a tween/teen book/movie (the film starring Jennifer Lawrence), that is now dominating box offices around the world. The plot goes like this: in a future horror-world, an authoritarian government selects teenagers from its 12 “districts” who will be pitted against each other in a fight to [...]
Ackerman knows when to fold ‘em
You have to admire the style of Congressmember Gary Ackerman. The Democrat from Queens and Long Island wore a carnation on his lapel every day, because he said, “every day is a special day.” While he was in Washington, D.C., he lived on a boat called the “The Unsinkable II”, apparently because the first boat [...]
Movie chronicles political ‘Game Change’
In the opening of the HBO movie “Game Change,” it’s 2007 and political consultant Steve Schmidt is talking to Republican candidate for president John McCain. “There’s an upside to being in last place,” Schmidt says. “You can say what you truly feel.” We know the history. McCain becomes the straight-talk express and cruises to the [...]
Will Madoff take down the Mets?
I hope the victims of Bernie Madoff get every penny they lost back. But should the Mets owners face a civil trial this month in connection with Madoff earnings? I don’t know what the Wilpons really owe (who does?) but they’ll have to hand over $83 million, and that may cover things. The Mets owners [...]
Why does the city make it so difficult?
When I was in school, we all knew who the good teachers were. The principal knew, and the parents knew. But now New York City is up in arms because it cannot rate its teachers. The Department of Education (DOE) released 18,000 ratings of teachers, essentially rating how they helped kids score on standardized tests. [...]
No one WANTS to be in a shelter
If you read this space regularly, you know that I can’t stand when taxpayer money is wasted, especially by politicians. And I always appreciate public servants who keep a close watch on ridiculous spending. But like most Americans, I also believe in a social safety net — for children, the poor, and the elderly. And [...]
Archbishop Timothy Dolan is ready to lead
Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be elevated to Cardinal this weekend. But he has already been showing that he’ll be taking a more active role on the national stage. This week, Dolan tangled with President Barack Obama on the issue of contraception and insurance, managing to knock the White House and the administration back on its [...]
