Saturday, July 30, 2011

Machine bullies candidate off ballot

From City Hall News:

How high are the odds stacked against independent candidates in special elections? Ask Justin Wax Jacobs, a college student who wanted to run for the Queens Assembly seat vacated by Nettie Mayersohn. He first asked a local district leader if he could interview for the Democratic nomination - but says his offer was flatly rejected. He then somehow gathered 1,600 signatures in six days to run as an independent. Yet even though he posed no real threat to Mayersohn's chief of staff Michael Simanowitz, Queens Democratic election lawyer Frank Bolz was on hand at a Board of Elections hearing Tuesday to make sure Jacobs was thrown off the ballot over a technicality.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our politicians are bold. They have no problems lying, cheating and stealing, but you have to be in their gang to do it. They are afraid of a fresh face, with new ideas. Someone who will expose them for what they are! Queens is like nursing home for politicans; there old, cranky, and hate change.

Uncle Sham said...

Ain't Democracy grand?

Anonymous said...

the correct question is :Is not DEMOCRAT DICTATORSHIP IN QUEENS grand ?

Anonymous said...

This technicality clause is done to everyone. It's the first lesson you learn about gathering signatures - gather 3x the amount you need.

But, members of the machine do it to each other. He needs to hack it!

(But yes, this pointless campaign game is a sign of our worthless political system)

Anonymous said...

this is what happens when you don't employ paid professional petitioners.

I thought the Independents were all about capitalism. but it looks like they were trying to get off cheap by not hiring anyone.

that's politics for ya.... on with the show.

Anonymous said...

has anyone seen this district? it is as jerrymandered as it gets.
1-nettie new she was retiring and should not have waited to suddenly "retire"
2-samanowitz doesnt even have to leave the office on election day, he only needs 2 or 3 of the apartment buildings that surround nettie's office to walk downstairs and vote "in the building"
3- so again we see how jerrymandering and b.s. politics allows a "few" selected voters and 2-5 apartment buildings to control the entire district of hundreds of thousands of voters.
4-this is far from a democracy and gives no one a fair chance, this is just another fine example of a "fixed" race here in queens.

Anonymous said...

this is a textbook example to why

queens needs al centola more then ever

Anonymous said...

"This technicality clause is done to everyone. It's the first lesson you learn about gathering signatures - gather 3x the amount you need."
- - - - - -- - -- - --
He still had more than 3x, as only 500 are needed for the Assembly seat. But how many days did he have to gather the signatures? Cuomo made sure that the kid could not get enough, by announcing the date to hand in petitions, July 13, on the friday afternoon (July 1) ahead of the long July Fourth weekend. In practicality he only had July 5 to July 13. Not fair.

Anonymous said...

Anon No. 3:

Correction: Is not the political establishment's dictatorship grand? I don't see the RepubCons establishment in Queens inviting dissenting candidates either.

Anonymous said...

What about the fact that the University at Albany's fountain day was canceled on his watch as Student Association president. That alone should have had him thrown out.

Anonymous said...

well all know sheldon silver will keep this district, and weprin's as safe as possible and not allow an opportunity for anyone else to run or compete.

Anonymous said...

this is a textbook example to why

queens needs al centola more then ever
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

AGREED!! Al Centola for Northeast Queens.

This kid should start a write in campaign. If he was able to get 1600 signatures you never know! Politics should not be about how much money you spend, rather what you can do for the people and community. LETS MAKE AL OUR NEXT COUNCILMAN!!!

Cav said...

Anonymous posted:
"Correction: Is not the political establishment's dictatorship grand? I don't see the RepubCons establishment in Queens inviting dissenting candidates either."

Response:

That's because there are no "RepubCons" to offer dissent. It seems that you believe there are conservatives in the Republican party who might act as opposition. This is not the case.

The current inhabitants of the Republican party in this city are venal moderate-liberals who have apparently decided that Phaemon's dog was right. The Republican mantra is now if you don't have a seat at the table of power, then you're on the menu. Expect nothing from these poltroons.

Anonymous said...

That was my point, Cav.

Anonymous said...

You can protest against machine politics by voting for Justin Wax Jacobs as a write-in candidate. It's more realistic than writing in Mickey Mouse.

Anonymous said...

Queens County needs some TEA (TAX ENOUGH ALREADY) patriots.

Anonymous said...

Good idea. Fight it out with the Republicans and make it easier for the Democratic Party to dominate.

Anonymous said...

You can protest against machine politics by voting for Justin Wax Jacobs as a write-in candidate. It's more realistic than writing in Mickey Mouse.

That is exactly what needs to be done city wide.

Jacobs, Centola, et al...

enough with these Machine Elite controlling our destiny.

Anonymous said...

al centola is the light that will change queens forever

Anonymous said...

Jacobs had no chance with the Democrats- two of the four local district leaders are Mayersohn and Simanowitz. No wonder they ignored him.

Anonymous said...

the democrat/socialist, national community organizer, sure seated himself in the "BACK OF THE BUS" ,during the House GOP and Senate Democrat's DEBT DEBATE . Did he not ?

Anonymous said...

I'd say that he worked pretty hard to achieve a settlement and got one, Gramps.

By the way, the "community organizer" line (especially when espoused by the half-term Governor of Alaska) didn't work in the 2008 elections. You need to come up with some new cliches.

Anonymous said...

it absolutely resulted in 60 democrat/progressive/rinos being
voted out of the U.S. House of Representatives, in 2010.

Remember in november 1012.......

Anonymous said...

It also helped President Obama get elected in 2008.

People will remember how you guys have been behaving in November 2012. President Obama will be reelected.

Anonymous said...

in other words,people(voters )in 2012 will remember the TEA PARTY PATRIOTS, who demanded that federal government stop spending and not raise taxes and reduce the national debt ?

Is that what you are saying ? YES OR NO ?

Anonymous said...

And speaking of raising the national debt, how many times was it raised during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and the Bushes (and, to be fair, Bill Clinton)?

It's been long established. The only time that you guys care about the national debt is when a Democrat is President.

Is not RepubCon hypocrisy grand?

Anonymous said...

I'll answer your question in any way that I choose, Gramps.

You know exactly what I'm talking about. All of the birther crap and all of the name calling and all of the other stuff that went with it is going to bite you.

People will remember in November 2012. People will make a choice between a leader and someone who will be chosen between a group of lunatics, political non-entities and people who have sold their political souls to get a few votes (such as the guy who inspired Obamacare while serving as Governor of Massachusetts. What did they call it - Romneycare?).

Did I say yes or no?

Anonymous said...

again ,your logic is that of a liberal/progressive with an illness ....

Anonymous said...

obama's keynesian gamble for three years of spending and taxing has failed.

unemployment stalls at 9.2%,and underemployment is 16%.

the DOW has dropped 1000 points in eight days. the market has no confidence in obama's fiscal strategy.

the liberal/democrat/progressive government will be fired, by the enlarging TEA PARTY PATRIOTS ,in 2012.

Anonymous said...

Anon No. 28 -

You keep repeating the same slogans, the same catchphrases over and over without any sign of original thought.

Talk about sick, sick, sick.

Anonymous said...

Anon. No. 29:

The guy who really pushed Keynesian theory was Richard Nixon.

Nixon supported raising the debt ceiling as well.

Anonymous said...

Nixon's presidency (both democrat house majorities) had no unemployment (high tax revenues), did have a 4.7 % inflation, (high for the period) and high interest rates. . the congress (dem) granted him powers to freeze wages and prices.
they were unpopular and temporary.

i recall that Nixon followed LBJ and JFK,who began the costly Viet Nam War and left the U.S economy with a large budget deficit. LBJ'S expensive "GREAT SOCIETY" cost lingered also.

it is a fact that obama as U.S.Senator voted against raising the debt ceiling. Most of the former presidents and congresses rubber stamped past debt ceilings.

in the past, the U.S.A. did not have a $14 trillion debt....

Nixon did mimic the"tongue in cheek" quote by economist Milton Freidman, "WE ARE NOW ALL KEYNESIANS". ny times 1965. Freidman was opposed to the Keynes theories in the 60's and 70's.

Keynes said ,"GOVERNMENTS SHOULD SPEND MONEY
THAT THEY DON"T HAVE MAY HAVE SAVED CAPITALISM " nytimes 1999.

please detail how Nixon "pushed " Keynes theories ?

Anonymous said...

Type your question in English and I'll answer it.