If the Queens Democratic establishment was badly rattled by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning victory against incumbent and kingmaker Joe Crowley last year, then a largely ignored civil court race this summer shook the city’s most powerful political machine to its core.
During primary elections in June, a Hispanic woman from the Bronx routed the candidate hand-picked by the Queens County Democratic Party for a seat on the county’s Civil Court — a race that had not been contested in nearly four decades.
“It was an incredible moment, and it was as important as AOC’s victory,” said a political strategist active in Queens and the Bronx. “Suddenly, people smelled blood.”
Insurgent candidate and lawyer Lumarie Maldonado Cruz, 47, beat Wyatt Gibbons, 56, with nearly 62% of the vote compared to 38% for Gibbons, a Queens attorney.
“AOC’s victory reminded me of my obligations to stand up for what is right,” Maldonado Cruz said when she entered the race earlier this year.
Still reeling from the victory of Ocasio-Cortez over Crowley, a 10-term Congressman and longtime Queens party boss who was also chair of the House Democratic Caucus, the party was again caught “asleep at the wheel” with no discernible strategy during the June primaries, said the strategist. He, like many of the political consultants and elected officials interviewed by The Post, did not want to be identified for fear of antagonizing the Queens party or AOC.
In addition to the judicial race, the party nearly lost the election for Queens district attorney. Party-backed candidate Queens Borough President Melinda Katz should have trounced little-known, late-to-the-race progressive Tiffany Caban, but instead squeaked by, after a month-long series of recounts, by 60 votes.
“They hate AOC,” said Baruch College political scientist Doug Muzzio, referring to the leaders of the Queens County Democrats. “She killed their meal ticket.”
But as they battle for relevancy against a progressive wave, the moderate Democrats in the Queens party are still mired in the past, observers say. The party is still controlled by Crowley’s old backers — “the three white men in the room” who have controlled Queens politics for more than three decades and reaped the benefits.
Michael Reich is the longtime executive director of the political party, and Frank Bolz is the law chairman. Gerard Sweeney has held his appointment as counsel to the Queens public administrator since 1992. In that capacity, he has raked in tens of millions of dollars for the law firm, administering estates of those who die without wills in Surrogate’s Court.
In March, party delegates elected a scandal-scarred lawmaker as the new kingmaker. But observers told The Post that Rep. Gregory Meeks, an 11-term Congressman from southeast Queens, is a lightweight.
“Meeks is essentially a backbencher in Congress, who lacks Crowley’s gravitas,” Muzzio told The Post. “He’s their puppet.”
The true political powerhouse in Queens is obvious.
AOC has national stature, demanding the attention of the House Speaker and the president. She has more than 5 million Twitter followers.
34 comments:
The appropriate antidote to corrupt Democrats is to shift right and embrace conservatism. Not to embrace bat sh*t crazy communists like “the squad”. AOC is a national embarrassment and this whole movement is a threat to the American way of life.
Anonyme #1: . . . but the asshole Queens County Republicans are at each others throats in some kind of ongoing ridiculous Hatfield/McCoy feud.
AOC & the #EatTheBabies party !
Last anon.
That was a LaRouche plant. It was an attempt at sabotage but it just came off as nuisance comedy. That hashtag isn't worth it.
The Queens GOP haven't even updated their website with their candidates. What a joke.
Interesting - no? - how the machine Dems are sputtering and running out of gas while the Queens GOP is stabbing themselves in the backs AND the ONLY Ocasio et alia viable opposition comes from -wait for it - the anemic in number ballsy LaRouche-ites!
(BTW the origin of that "eat the babies" LaRouche shtick goes back almost 300 years to Jonathan Swift's Modest Proposal of 1729. Check it out HERE.)
Did you see Ocasio's face and her look of concern while the Eat-the-Baby Woman was gabbing? She and her flunkies thought she was an in-need-of-mental-intervention case while it was brilliant learned attack satire. That Eat-'em Up Woman should get an Oscar.
Speaking as a languishing constituent from this DNC re-education camp, factory installed, little Latina 'wind up' doll of her master, 'Nasty PIG-losi,' I have never felt more duped, bilked, scammed, damned and ashamed of this 'FAUX-gressive' of epic government, humanitarian, ecological, fiscal and spiritual fail.
The empowered idiots of the DNC (Does Not Care - about democracy), have made their sole platform about the impeachment of TRUMP (which is NOT a platform at ALL, but a $30 minimum wage, universal healthcare, affordable housing and the plight of the homelessness, job defined pensions and security all ARE an actual platform), which is ironic, because it was TRUMP who these voracious, predatory, rapacious, do nothing, know nothing thieves have automatically elected in 2016
Alas, the entire DemonRat, party-machine-failed SCOURGE are ALL right of center Republicans emblazoned with the Democrat label. They are: RIGHT of CENTER Republicans—without any MORAL CENTER—which is why their hyper-corrupt, entrenched and establishment-rigged cabal (and ‘kakistocracy-kleptocracy’ of depraved, disloyal, intolerant extremist ‘Monetary Locusts’) is soon preparing to guarantee a second term for TRUMP 2.0 (the DemonRats’ purported nemesis), when the entire corral of BrainWashington, D. C. sewer rats DEVALUE honesty itself—to pathologically high treasonous, traitorous and tyrannical effect—and, the ever languishing public be damned!
❝The brilliance of Bill Clinton is that he transformed the Democratic Party into the Republican Party, and he pushed the Republican Party so far to the right—that it became insane.❞ —Chris Hedges
❝Democratic Party: stop scapegoating, look in the mirror, and ask yourself why you cannot landslide the worst, the most ignorant, the most scorporate indentured, the cruelest Republican Party in history.❞ —Ralph Nader
❝The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.❞ —Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931)
❝Nothing in politics happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.❞ —Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Speaking as a languishing constituent from this DNC re-education camp, factory installed, little Latina 'wind up' doll of her master, 'Nasty PIG-losi,' I have never felt more duped, bilked, scammed, damned and ashamed of this 'FAUX-gressive' of epic government, humanitarian, ecological, fiscal and spiritual fail.
The empowered idiots of the DNC (Does Not Care - about democracy), have made their sole platform about the impeachment of TRUMP (which is NOT a platform at ALL, but a $30 minimum wage, universal healthcare, affordable housing and the plight of the homelessness, job defined pensions and security all ARE an actual platform), which is ironic, because it was the DNC henchmen themselves who automatically elected TRUMP, just as soon as they rigged the Philadelphia Primary 2016 for their FAUX nominee, Hillary Clinton, which resulted in a revenge vote/TRUMP Presidency over which these voracious, predatory, rapacious, nihilistic thieves now seek impeachment instead of actual leadership of themselves that will surely lead to an automatic second victory party term for their purported nemesis——Déjà Vu style!
Alas, the entire DemonRat, party-machine-failed SCOURGE are ALL right of center Republicans emblazoned with the Democrat label. They are: RIGHT of CENTER Republicans—without any MORAL CENTER—which is why their hyper-corrupt, entrenched and establishment-rigged cabal (and ‘kakistocracy-kleptocracy’ of depraved, disloyal, intolerant extremist ‘Monetary Locusts’) is soon preparing to guarantee a second term for TRUMP 2.0 (the DemonRats’ purported nemesis), when the entire corral of BrainWashington, D. C. sewer rats DEVALUE honesty itself—to pathologically high treasonous, traitorous and tyrannical effect—and, the ever languishing public be damned!
❝The brilliance of Bill Clinton is that he transformed the Democratic Party into the Republican Party, and he pushed the Republican Party so far to the right—that it became insane.❞ —Chris Hedges
❝Democratic Party: stop scapegoating, look in the mirror, and ask yourself why you cannot landslide the worst, the most ignorant, the most corporate indentured, the cruelest Republican Party in history.❞ —Ralph Nader
❝The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.❞ —Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931)
❝Nothing in politics happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.❞ —Franklin Delano Roosevelt
I grew up in Sunnyside. I worked door-to-door on campaigns to unseat Crowley. Not that I disagreed with him or his daughter that often but I hated their undemocratic machine. We were given stale lists of previous Democrat voters to visit and I'd often wonder why I'd only visit one or two houses on an entire block. Who were all these other people? Obvious enough for AOC.
AOC clearly frightens old white baby boomers like me. Good. You can almost feel the arteries of democracy unclogging. Sure she represents LatinX and millennials but she represents me too. Turns out we share an awful lot of the same concerns. She's my representative and I'm really proud.
The Democratic party with AOC are trying to start a Race War/Civil War !
A war not with guns but with non- Democratic means to Impeach POTUS 45 !
Mind reading his thoughts and not seeing what he dose.
Speaking as a languishing constituent from this DNC re-education camp, factory installed, little Latina 'wind up' doll of her master, 'Nasty PIG-losi,' I have never felt more duped, bilked, scammed, damned and ashamed of this 'FAUX-gressive' of epic government, humanitarian, ecological, fiscal and spiritual fail.
The empowered idiots of the DNC (Does Not Care - about democracy), have made their sole platform about the impeachment of TRUMP (which is NOT a platform at ALL, but a $30 minimum wage, universal healthcare, affordable housing and the plight of the homelessness, job defined pensions and security all ARE an actual platform), which is ironic, because it was the DNC henchmen themselves who automatically elected TRUMP, just as soon as they rigged the Philadelphia Primary 2016 for their FAUX nominee, Hillary Clinton, which resulted in a revenge vote/TRUMP Presidency over which these voracious, predatory, rapacious, nihilistic thieves now seek impeachment instead of actual leadership of themselves that will surely lead to an automatic second victory party term for their purported nemesis——Déjà Vu style!
Alas, the entire DemonRat, party-machine-failed SCOURGE are ALL right of center Republicans emblazoned with the Democrat label. They are: RIGHT of CENTER Republicans—without any MORAL CENTER—which is why their hyper-corrupt, entrenched and establishment-rigged cabal (and ‘kakistocracy-kleptocracy’ of depraved, disloyal, intolerant extremist ‘Monetary Locusts’) is soon preparing to guarantee a second term for TRUMP 2.0 (the DemonRats’ purported nemesis), when the entire corral of BrainWashington, D. C. sewer rats DEVALUE honesty itself—to pathologically high treasonous, traitorous and tyrannical effect—and, the ever languishing public be damned!
❝The brilliance of Bill Clinton is that he transformed the Democratic Party into the Republican Party, and he pushed the Republican Party so far to the right—that it became insane.❞ —Chris Hedges
❝Democratic Party: stop scapegoating, look in the mirror, and ask yourself why you cannot landslide the worst, the most ignorant, the most corporate indentured, the cruelest Republican Party in history.❞ —Ralph Nader
❝The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.❞ —Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931)
❝Nothing in politics happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.❞ —Franklin Delano Roosevelt
AOC IS SOFAKING HOT!
>“the three white men in the room”
Their wording reveals their intentions. Just like with the "three men in a room" on the state level, they don't want to get rid of the corruption - they just want their share of the money being taken from us.
AOC is even more of a twit than the usual Dem pols.
Glad Crowley is out, and all that implies, but I hate AOC. What a bird-brain.
"Latinx"
LOL
What? No mention that the machine gave Gibbons a SUPREME COURT seat instead? LOL So the insurgent wins the lower court seat and County gives their boy a higher court, higher-paid seat! It actually worked out better for him since he goes straight to Supreme instead of having to make his bones in Civil. I'm on Sutphin every weekday and if anyone thinks things have changed they are sadly mistaken. The tentacles are deep boys and girls, trust me. That said, Reich and Bolz are decent guys by the current Dem standard.
@tylerchill said... "She's my representative and I'm really proud."
MAKE ME A BABY SANDWICH !!!
AOC "I may be stupid but I'M proof there are voters even more stupid"
Check out Gibbons' photo (2nd from the top) and the machinations of "County" HERE.
Also check out the cocktail hour room photo from Thursday's Eagle event at the Terrace on the Park HERE (last page 16). You see any "Team AOC" in that machine Dem crowd?
Quod erat demonstrandum.
And it is Trump who is selling out the country and all his sheep are ok with that.
Re.: Gibbons and the Sup. Ct. seat.
I too would agree that move stinks to high heaven, BUT, Gibbons is way more qualified to be a judge than Maldonado-Cruz, who is basically from the Bronx Machine. If Queens is lucky, she'll be assigned to Staten Island. Meanwhile, Gibbons will do justice for Queens.
Anon above: This has nothing to do with Trump. Get over your Trump Derangement Syndrome already.
And it is Trump who is selling out the country and all his sheep are ok with that.
Nah, you would be OK with Hillary, Pelosi, Biden and the rest of the crooks stealing your balls if they could. What a retarded comment, or maybe you are an activist. Vote for the commies then.
Clinton, Pelosi, Biden et al aren't in Putin's pocket selling out the country.
Nothing more treasonous than supporting open borders and the erasure of your country from the map. The Trump-Russia collusion theory is almost certainly grade A BS, but if it wasn't, I'd still support him (and I suppose by extension, Putin), because becoming a Russian puppet for the short or long term is something America can actually survive. The allegations against Trump could all be true, his supporters could be OK with it, and they all still wouldn't be as bad as Clinton, Pelosi, Biden et al. Trump is sleazy, but the opposition has no legs to stand on.
-Trump 2016 voter
Obsama Zbig Biden is shilling for the Sineurabia Code.
Google "Marco Polo Sineurabia Code"
Biden's last trip as veep was to Ukraine, passing off the phoney dossier on Bibi
"This has nothing to do with Trump. Get over your Trump Derangement Syndrome already."
Just ignore them and they will go back to Mommy's basement.
Most Trump haters suffer from #CognitiveDissonance !
Clinton, Pelosi, Biden et al aren't in Putin's pocket selling out the country.
They are in your mouth degenerate.
Gibbons' alleged wife is a judge. Donna Golia's father and uncle were judges. There are many individuals who are so much more qualified. "All in the Family" appears to be more than just a sitcom in Queens. What a lot of crap! Those in the Queens Democrat Organization who run the show ought to be ashamed of themselves.
They all no good, better off with this Alexix Cortez as president.
I can no longer afford my $35K a year healthcare (my $15K deductible applies due to CPOD) + the $1200 a month premium.
This country is finished, I'm now just voting for free stuff !!
STand up for Millenians Ascendant, see: https://sites.google.com/site/rtdlies/
STand up for Millenians Ascendant
I wouldn't join or own anything on Google platform. They are in bed with the communists. One wrong word they can call "hate speech" or about "guns" you get a knock on your door in the future.
Especially if the next congress & president is a democrat or worse a woman democrat who will toss all of the Constitution down the toilet
Post a Comment