Political Class

People that are really weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history.
-- Dan Quayle (1947 - )

The problem with most political writers is that many of them seem to know more about what’s going on then most of the politicians or, for that matter, nearly all of the voters. The media manipulates the effluent that dutifully seeps out from the planted PR sources and some flows down through editorial boards that get some of their orders from the publishers.
Activists, Community Board members, political junkies, political club members, and bloggers, make up most of those who are interested in what’s going on inside the Halls of Government. For want of a better nom de guerre, they comprise a Political Class.

The recent term-limits gambit playing out in the City Council and City Hall is one of those rare moments when the Political Class can stand around scratching their heads, looking at each other with a look that says, “What were they thinking?”

Here we have a Mayor who is not yet fully out of the closet, writing checks to organizations to round up support for future wars, using the golden shackles and parachutes to bind people to his every whim – which has ranged from President, Vice President, Governor and Mayor, to Charitable Organization CEO – with every flunkie in earshot ready to drop their pants at his whim – now deciding that the law has to be changed and the voters wishes can be ignored. Is this for real?
Has Christine Quinn really been struck deaf, dumb and blind – to self-destruct in public – in order to be granted an annuity in order to run for an office that would become impossible to achieve after becoming Bloomberg’s sacrificial lamb?

A friend once said, 'before we sent the boys into Iraq – they better know more than we do about what’s really going on – or, this is just a suicide run.
There’d better be WMD’s over there or this is just crazy.'

Bloomberg and Quinn better know more than we can even conceive of – and their media pals better be a lot better than what is seeping out from under the cesspool cover – or this is going to kill both of them, despite any positive work that may have been done.
Quinn rolls over and pushes through a third term for Mayor Mike just as Slushgate is (curiously) ebbing in the media, Bloomberg reverses his stance on a third term just as his second term is about to end – and all of this dirty laundry is done in public. Do they think the voters are completely stupid?


Speaking of which --- subpoenas have been floating around according to some rumors. Unconfirmed reports have been surfacing that Jimmy McManus and possibly Ray Cline among others, have gotten, or will get, papers (neither of them are targets) – and may be asked to talk about the shenanigans suspected in the Nora Anderson matter. The press has been having a field day with rumors that Anderson is not going to make it through this with her newly won job in Surrogate Court intact – due in part to Oliva – her campaign manager -- and Bernie Cohen. Election law may be the source of the problem. The D.A’s office would not comment but it is known that there’s some trouble afoot. Mr. Tingling could not be reached but one can hear the “I told you so’s” already being mouthed.


Now that Quinn has apparently shot herself in the service of a rumored Deputy Mayoral position next year if she’s forced out of the Speaker’s job – we are back to the question of whether Berman and Derr will go ahead and challenge her -- now that term limits keep her in her seat. Hoylman won’t run if Quinn runs again since they are soul mates – leaving him without a race to run after Community Board Chair, so far – as he apparently won’t run against Gerson for fear of a replay of the last time he challenged Alan. While many downtown are still waiting for Gerson to do something, anything, any credible challenger would have a chance. Pete Gleason is running. Margaret Chin is running. Menin claims that she won’t run against Alan.
Derr will absolutely run because there is no other political option for her and, despite the fact that she has no experience, if Berman does not run, almost anyone could have a shot. Quinn has damaged herself to that degree. The Council may not re-appoint her Speaker if they have their way.
But, who knows, Mike might just write them all checks. That’s the state of our democracy. Pay them off!


If voters support any of these people, the only rational response is, as Lewis Black would say, “What the fuck were they thinking?”