What's the Matter with...... NEW YORK?!?

[Smarmie Doofus]

Forget about Kansas. Why does this supposed mecca of political super-sophistication produce such an unending daisy-chain of political meidiocrities, scoundrels , blatant, shameless opportunists and and a limitless supply of moral and ethical political retardates? ( google "Bloomberg"+"term limits"+"City Council", if you need to be convinced of my premise.)

This was the city and state that produced FDR, RFK, Lehman, Wagner, Lowenstein , Cuomo,, ODwyer, Abzug. and countless others. Now we produce Kirsten Gillibran and Hiram Monnseratte. Good god.

I'd lay the blame at media consolidation... more blatant here than elsewhere in America. But perhaps there's more going on than just that.

Here's a snippet from Clyde Haberman ( my favorite local observer who seems to forever slip somehow thru the media monolith) in today's NYT.

Remember it's just a snippet. You should really read the whole thing. And *everything* Haberman writes for that matter.





http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/nyregion/16nyc.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion


One, Hiram Monserrate of Queens, is charged with slashing his girlfriend’s face with a broken glass. The other, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx, has been the target of more investigations than an Enron executive.

We’ve strayed exceedingly far, have we not, from the selfless heroics of D-Day.

New Yorkers are running out of ways to describe Albany as a political version of clown school. Perhaps it is time, then, that they examine what the state of the state says about them. If one believes that people in a democracy get the government they deserve, then we in New York should be unable to look in the mirror without cringing.

We overwhelmingly elected a governor, Eliot Spitzer, who turned out to be hooked on prostitutes. His replacement, David A. Paterson, was never thought of as governor material and now has approval ratings at Cheney levels, somewhere in the subbasement. Albany under Governor Paterson is reminiscent of Afghanistan: nominally commanded by a weak leader, but with powerful warlords ascendant.

We elected a state comptroller, Alan G. Hevesi, who was forced out of office by scandal. Now, some of his closest associates have been indicted on charges of bribery and grand larceny. A reasonable person may infer that Mr. Hevesi either knew about these shenanigans or was out of touch to the point of dereliction.

To boot, we have an appointed United States senator, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, who immediately upon taking office swiveled on so many major issues that you could have suffered whiplash trying to keep up.

[eleny]

1. It's like two states - upstate and the city

But the city has a history of scoundrels.

[Smarmie Doofus]

7. Albany and Buffalo have had legendarily corrupt political machines.

Fact, that's what spawned Gillibrand.

You'd make a better case if you said: urban vs. rural. But I think we hear about urban transgressions because the cities dominate the politics. The small town bodies remained buried.

[Captain Hilts]

12. Hey - don't forget Utica!

[eleny]

14. I referred to it as "upstate and the city"...

... because when I was growing up in Queens, that's how we used to refer to the division in the state. Could also be because when I was growing up, Long Island was still quite rural. Nassau County had lots of farms back then. "Downstate" would probably described it better.

:hi:

[ColbertWatcher]

2. Now you know how Californians feel after Prop H8 passed.

We're still trying to figure out what happened and why.

Most importantly, how we can prevent it from happening again.

[billyoc]

3. "New York -- We're Not California" is our new motto.

[GodlessBiker]

4. It's totally embarrassing. I apologize for our state.

[Me.]

5. Patterson Is A Big Part Of The {rob;em

Whatever you may think of Spitzer's fall from grace this would've never happened on his watch imo.

[Smarmie Doofus]

9. The current Albany chaos... yes.

But Elliot was supremely flawed. I don't mean just about sex; I mean flawed as a political leader. A healthier DEM party would have found someone better. And less crazy.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Paterson was an infamously incompetent party leader in the senate. nt

[rug]

6. New York hasn't had a clean politician since Jimmy Walker.

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. Surely you jest. nt

[rug]

10. Surely.

[Smarmie Doofus]

13. And don't call me 'Shirley'. nt

[Captain Hilts]

11. The Bad: Boss Tweed, Jimmy Walker. The Good TR and ER, the Morgenthaus. nt