Blog: Wild World of Politics
Dick Brennan
Low voter turnout propels some candidates to victory
It was all about turnout. Or lack thereof. It was quite shocking to me how few people turned out to vote, even for a race in June. But alas there are winners and losers. Assemblymember Grace Meng declared victory before she won. Meng came out to accept her win in the Democratic primary for Congress, [...]
In hotly-contested primaries, Jeffries-Barron stands out
We are bearing down on important congressional primary races next week, with new districts, courtesy of the 2010 census and the feds. In Queens, there is, as we’ve been closely following, a four-way race between Assemblymembers Rory Lancman and Grace Meng, Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley and Dr. Robert Mittman. In Manhattan and the Bronx, a New [...]
Too much entitlement?
Mom never told me I was special. Of course, if she did, she would be lying. How can you be special if you’re one of 10? Maybe you’re one-tenth special. I say this after a “controversial” graduation speech given by David McCullough Jr. The son of the Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian is an English teacher at Wellesley [...]
Mayor Bloomberg on another mission
So Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on another mission, and I must say that my first instinct was to say, “There he goes again!” The man who banned cigarettes and trans fats is now going for your Big Gulp, looking to ban the sale of sugary sodas. But just when you thought it was easy to [...]
Mets in pennant race, NASA out of space race
Wherever I happen to be in the country, no matter what the story, no matter what the hour, I will always check box score. Last week, while in Florida, it was the Rangers, the Devils and the Yanks and the Mets. And it was the Mets who caught my eye. Their record was better than [...]
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 [...]
