Barackface

Sunday, September 05, 2010

New York Daily News Is Da Bomb

New York Times Also Endorsed David Yassky: Yassky Who?

New York Daily News: Saujani for Congress: It's Time To Pump New Blood Into The Tired New York Delegation: It has been 18 years since a challenger has defeated an incumbent member of Congress from New York City. So it takes more than a little moxie for an upstart not only to take on a veteran, but to run strong..... she has highlighted how badly the city's Washington delegation needs fresh ideas and energy....... with the theme that longevity alone is not good enough. She's right, and the Daily News endorses Saujani in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary....... Saujani, 34, began her career at a major New York law firm and did stints as an attorney at three investment houses before resigning to run for Congress. Up to speed on a broad range of issues, she takes impressively clear stands. Her vigor is refreshing....... she outdoes Maloney on cutting-edge topics like education reform. ....... Her work as a lawyer in the financial sector - the lifeblood of the New York economy - is also a plus. She supports reasonable regulation while ruling out destructive demonization of Wall Street. ..... She urges new tax credits to spur business innovation - and pledges to be a champion on immigration reform, which, based on her life history, she is likely to do with passion...... Maloney ..she has essentially been a lockstep member of a congressional majority that joined with President Obama in pushing through legislation that has proven fiscally irresponsible...... Ill-designed, the $800 million stimulus program bought far too little economic bang for the buck, while health care reform fell a long way from controlling costs....... it must be said that nine years have passed since 9/11, and the sick still await help....... So much for the value of Maloney's seniority....... it is distinctly disappointing that Maloney refuses to debate Saujani on television......She knocked all previous challengers off the ballot before they could even start campaigns...... the truth must be told: Maloney has complacently maxed out. The time for new vision and higher energy has arrived. Vote Saujani.

Yes, we are running strong. Yes, we got fresh ideas and energy. Yes, she is up to speed. Yes, she takes clear, bold stands. Yes, she is a breath of fresh air. Why only education reform? She outdoes Maloney on health care reform, on Wall Street reform. She is already dreaming of Health Care Reform 2.0 and Wall Street Reform 2.0. And this below is the clincher for me. Finally a paper that "gets" it.

Her work as a lawyer in the financial sector - the lifeblood of the New York economy - is also a plus. She supports reasonable regulation while ruling out destructive demonization of Wall Street.

We are Reshma 2010, and we are here to win. We are not here to make a statement.

it is distinctly disappointing that Maloney refuses to debate Saujani on television.

This is my idea of a ringing endorsement.

the truth must be told: Maloney has complacently maxed out. The time for new vision and higher energy has arrived. Vote Saujani.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

New York Times Also Endorsed David Yassky: Yassky Who?

Image via CrunchBase

Mainstream Media Kept Saying John Liu Was Losing
John Liu: Mayor Of NYC: 2013

Politico: The N.Y. Times Endorsement Edition: Against Rangel, For Lazio And Maloney

It is a testimony to the white racialism within the power structure of the New York Times that the newspaper should go ahead and endorse the Reshma Saujani opponent. It is not racism, but it sure is racialism. (Charlie Rangel: Monkeyface, Carolyn Maloney: Radioface)

The New York Times has a lot of catching up to do. The Times does not seem to have a clue as to where this country and this world is headed. The Times is not even making an attempt as to grasp the strong insurgency mood sweeping this country as we speak. Tectonic shifts are underway, and the Times is asleep at the wheel. Tomorrow is another day, but today I am not feeling particularly proud of my hometown newspaper.

This is a mistake on the part of the New York Times just like endorsing David Yassky was a huge mistake.

Or perhaps we need to pay attention to the hidden message. The Times has endorsed Rick Lazio and Carolyn Maloney. Both will lose. Andrew Cuomo will win, as will Reshma Saujani. Yassky also lost. Go Times!

In The News

New York Post: Maloney's Big Money:ust-filed preprimary figures show Maloney, 64, with $207,268 raised between July 1 and Aug. 25 and Saujani, 34, with $165,664 raised during the same period .... And yet it was Saujani who outspent Maloney during the filing period, $366,000 to $300,000. ..... scandal-scarred .. Rangel, who faces a congressional disciplinary trial on ethics charges later this month, used a quarter of his $445,000 in campaign spending on legal fees.

New York Observer: Reshma Robos, Mails Against Maloney:Says Reshma spokesman James Allen, "It's disingenuous for Carolyn Maloney to accuse Reshma of negative and dishonest campaigning by sending negative and dishonest mailers to voters. Maloney's campaign has not disputed the fact that the Congresswoman held a fundraiser at the home of a financial services lobbyist while negotiating financial reform. Voters should know about these ethics transgressions — and we'll continue to make them aware of Maloney's questionable conduct."

The Lo Down NY: The Times Endorses Maloney: Reshma Saujani, an impressive and energetic young lawyer of Indian descent who argues that New York needs the voice of a new generation and a new slice of the city’s ethnic pie.

Capital Tonight: Times Dings Rangel, Boosts Maloney:The paper noted Johnson has been “a strong advocate for women’s rights and civil rights for many years” and said she’s the best choice of the field of Democrats trying to unseat Rangel, even though her campaign hasn’t received nearly as much attention as Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV’s bid to win back the seat Rangel took from his father in 1970..... (Interestingly, the same day the Times is endorsing someone against Rangel, it’s also running a story about a poll it commissioned on the congressman’s future that found an “overwhelming majority” of Manhattan voters think he should either resign of end his re-election bid to clear his name).

Or Maybe Bill Clinton Is Running On Empty

Newsweek: Bill Clinton Campaigns for Obama ... or Does He?: So into the top-of-the-ticket, presidential-level campaign void has (happily) stepped Bubba, as charming as ever, as sharp as ever at stating his case to voters. Plans are still “up in the air, but expect to see him out quite a bit” ..... “Somebody’s got to get out and make the case nationally for a Democratic Congress...... As a lawyer and salesman, Clinton knows that touting Obama as The One is a nonstarter given the president’s plummeting job-approval numbers. ...... I always love listening to Bill Clinton. If you listen carefully, you can see all the gears in motion: he makes himself clear to people who bother to take him seriously. ...... So what is he saying? That this president has “done a better job than he has gotten credit for so far.” (Which is not the same thing as saying that Obama has done a good job.) And: “All elections are about the future, so what is the alternative?” (Pay no attention to Obama, look at those scary Republicans!) And: “Give us two more years—two more years until another election. If we fail, you can throw us all out.” (Hillary will then be free to pick up the pieces!)

"This president has done a better job than he has gotten credit for so far.” (Which is not the same thing as saying that Obama has done a good job.)
“All elections are about the future, so what is the alternative?” (Pay no attention to Obama, look at those scary Republicans!)
“Give us two more years—two more years until another election. If we fail, you can throw us all out.” (Hillary will then be free to pick up the pieces!)

Hillary is nowhere in the picture for 2012. This Newsweek writer is also running on empty.

The country is in an insurgency mood, and it is hard for a two term president to pose as an insurgent. Bill Clinton is a Democratic asset going into November, but he is not in the best position to capture the mood of the country right now. Reshma is.

Bill Clinton has the option to be the master of disaster to Carolyn Maloney during these final 10 days and help out Reshma Saujani. If all elections are about the future, Reshma Saujani is that future. Bill Clinton is still sharp, but he himself will admit, he is the past. He has said he is too old to sit on the Supreme Court. He knows.

Throwing his weight behind Reshma, however indirectly (Hillary Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani, Credit For Credit Card Bill Goes To Barack Obama, Barack Obama Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani), is the single best thing Bill Clinton could do to ensure a Democratic victory in November. If nothing else Bill Clinton needs to say thank you to Reshma Saujani for all she did for Hillary 08. Reshma gave Obama 08 its first scare. Remember the Democrat from Punjab? The New Hampshire victory was the second scare in which Bill Clinton played a major behind the scenes role.

This Is Not 1994
Obama Needs To Ride The Reshma Insurgency Wave To November Victory
A President Is Like A Political Billionaire
Extrapolations

Friday, September 03, 2010

I Have Become A Cloud Person

Sometimes I can talk like I were someone still looking for a career, as if I am still trying to figure out what to do with my life.

During Obama 08, Jordan Thomas, the founder of Brooklyn For Barack, once insinuated that I was not showing interest in running for public office myself because I did not have the option to run for president some day. Jeff Kurzon, the founder of Manhattan For Obama, at an Upper East Side rooftop party at the residence of a Harvard Law classmate and family friend of Barack, Terrence Yang, said the country should amend its constitution so I could run for president some day. Whereas I was posing as a guy who just so happens to be excited about Barack, and as soon as it is done and over with, I was going over to my startup. I did raise the 100K I said I would raise for my startup's round one. The company was in my name because all you need is a social security number to do that. But the money was in my partner's name ("Are you sure you want to trust me with all this money?") because I was out of status. I was going to regain my status down the line somehow and turn it into a joint account.

I was born into a political family on both sides. They made me House Captain in Class 5, and again in Class 10. A year and a half later they offered to make me School Captain for being the obvious candidate although they did not want to. After high school I became Vice General Secretary to a political party with two MPs. Someone who was a central committee member and hence junior to me is currently a cabinet member in Nepal.

I came to America. I came, I saw, I conquered. Within six months of landing I got myself elected student body president at the number one liberal arts school in the South: Bible Belt. They had to amend the constitution so I could run as a freshman. I shared that story with Jeff at the rooftop party.

I was a Deaniac in 2004. My enthusiasm for Obama is well documented right at this blog.

Why tech entrepreneurship? My backgrounds have played larger roles in my life than I would have liked. I relate to my family, to NYC, to my work. I have had to drop high school and college as institutions like stones into sea water. I was born in India, but did not grow up there. In Nepal you generate hostility when you look like me. Kentucky cured me of what my idea of America was.

Bill Clinton is a telephone guy. The internet is my telephone. Bill Clinton is the ultimate reunion guy. He likes to go to all sorts of reunions. He is constantly reconnecting socially. Me? I don't see me going to high school and college reunions. It is called being Madhesi in Nepal, being nonwhite.

Perhaps there are post-ISMs individuals.

To get myself elected student body president within six months of landing, I had to have been super social. I must have shaken many, many hands. But the person today, I have atrophied social muscles.

I have had to drop so many identities, so many social circles. I draw such sustenance from the net, that somewhere along the way I became a cloud person.

I have no desire to stop being a cloud person, but at some point down the line I want to actively reclaim my social self. For that NYC is my chosen place. If you love people, this is the city to be. Perhaps this city will let me reclaim my social self.

When you are rootless like I feel I am, NYC is the place to be.

Tech entrepreneurship is not an option right now. I don't have a green card. I could blog. I could do the Iran work. Those are some options. And those are good options. Iran intrigues me.

The Nitty Gritty Of Politics And Idealism

Image via WikipediaSometimes in the nitty gritty of politics, in all those hourly, daily details that have to be taken care of, in yet another hand that has to be shaken, yet another speech that has to be given, one more time of telling the same story, sometimes it can feel like the idealism has been diluted, possibly even lost, especially when it has been a down hour, or a down day. But the idealism has to continue to burn. The purpose can never be lost sight of.

It is important to learn the mechanics. It is important to get to know the tools of technology that are so important. But beneath it all it is all about the larger goal.

I have long maintained meeting "ordinary people" is the best part of being part of a political campaign.

You can have the best intentions, but if you can't navigate the political process, your ability to deliver gets hindered. Good politicians are like good doctors. They know their stuff.

But often times a lot of politicians get lost in the process. The process took over the purpose a long time ago for them. They are going through the motions. Incumbency can do that to you. You can lose touch.

NYDailyNews.com: NY-14 Money Matters: Carolyn Maloney V. Reshma Saujani
NY-14 Hopeful Reshma Saujani No "Uptown Girl"
UK Asian: Interview w/ Reshma Saujani At Netroots
Inspire@BTHS: “Don’t Ever Let Anyone Tell You That You Can’t Do Something”- Reshma Saujani:Ever since she was a child, Reshma Saujani was extremely passionate about law and public service. Saujani says her father, a prominent figure in her life, provided her with the tools for a successful career in both law and politics. “Law and politics were always in my interest. I always wanted to be an attorney. My father would read to me about Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt. They were inspiring because they were always working on social justice issues. That was very empowering to me.”.... Saujani used her teen years to build experience in social work. ..... “I did a lot in high school to prepare for attorney skills. In college, I was part of student government. I led marches and I was an activist. .... I want to make this country a better place.” .... asked if being a first-generation Indian-American woman has ever held her back from doing anything, Saujani was very firm in her answer. “No,” she says. “It has never held me back.” On the contrary, it seems that being a first generation Indian-American woman has pushed her forward...... the strong, confident and incredible woman that is Reshma Saujani. ..... She constantly stresses one idea:dreaming big...... Don’t worry about making money. Money will come. ...... Favorite fictional character: Atticus Finch, the lawyer from To Kill a Mockingbird ...... Your most treasured object: A bracelet my father gave me when I was thirteen. .... Greatest achievement: Running for office. ...... Greatest influence: My father...... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again .... if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. ..... A passionate, determined and strong-minded woman, Saujani is working towards winning the Congressional seat. Brilliant, courageous, and caring, this woman is undoubtedly reaching for the stars. She’s working ardently to help rebuild Main Street and work with Wall Street. ..... cannot wait to see what this phenomenal woman will do once in office.
Pennsylvania Lemon Law: “Maloney and Saujani spar on Wall St., L.G.B.T. issues”: includes America's wealthiest voters on Manhattan's Upper East Side, as well as some of the nation's largest and most troubled public housing projects in Queens .... will experience a very rare event later this month — a Democratic primary challenge to its nine-term representative. ..... an effort she describes as generational, ethnic and based, as much as anything else, on "leadership style." ..... could in time land the congresswoman in front of the same sort of ethics investigation currently plaguing Charles Rangel ...... Saujani now explains that her concern about the banking industry's health has to do with the availability of credit, which she said is vital to the prospects for small business owners in Queens to survive. ....... the press has uniformly ignored an inspiring immigrant story ..... widespread frustration among L.G.B.T. voters with the slow pace of change two years into the Obama presidency and after four years of Democratic control of Congress. ..... Her passion for not waiting, Saujani explained, is "generational," an example of her willingness to emphasize her age difference with Maloney. She would challenge the House speaker in the same way that she took on the organizers of the Aug. 15 India Day Parade, whom, she said, she threatened to "call out" prior to their agreeing to allow the South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association (SALGA) to march openly. ...... Saujani readily acknowledged that she has no endorsements to speak of, saying she really never expected any. True to her insurgent form, she turned that lemon into lemonade, noting, "Membership has its privileges."
MSNBC: NYC House Race Boils Down To Wall Street Visions

Community Conversations Wrap-Up

Thursday, September 02, 2010

The Hammer Effect, The Butterfly Effect

The hammer effect was Bush invading Iraq. The hammer effect was Barack pushing an almost trillion dollar stimulus bill through Congress.

Iran
A President Is Like A Political Billionaire

The butterfly effect is a much more delicate exercise of power except when it isn't. The conditions have to be optimal for the butterfly effect to come into play.

Get Out The Vote For Reshma 2010

The moment we have been waiting for is fast approaching.

Get Out The Vote

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

This Is Not 1994

I am sick and tired of people suggesting the Republicans are going to storm the House like they did in 1994. 2010 is not 1994. Barack Obama is not Bill Clinton. Here are some reasons why.

There is no Newt Gingrich in the picture.
There is no Contract On America. There is not likely to be one. The only things the Republicans have is obstructionism and the Bush policies. The voters already decided in 2008 how they felt about the Bush policies. And obstructionism does not get you votes. You have to have a positive agenda. The Republicans don't have one.
Barack Obama is not Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton's economic record was outstanding, but Obama has beat Bill Clinton in the greatness department. To me that was a foregone conclusion on the campaign trail itself. And the greatness went official after he passed health care reform, something presidents struggled over for half a century.
Bill Clinton's health care reform had failed as he headed into November 1994. Barack Obama's health effort passed. That is his backdrop as he heads into November 2010.
Barack Obama has been compared with JFK, with FDR, but never with Bill Clinton. Now is not the time to start on that. Clinton and Obama are just different. Their styles are very different.
Bill Clinton did not campaign much for 1994. He was considered too unpopular to be effective. Barack Obama's popularity is not the same it was in December 2008, but it is still good.
Barack is going to be able to explain that the Wall Street meltdown was an unexpected inheritance. The bailout happened before he got there. He is going to be able to explain the stark necessity of the stimulus bill. Without it the country would have been in Great Depression II right now. The unemployment rate would have been closer to 30% than 10%. The American people are going to understand that.
He is going to be able to say he wants to focus on Congress reform and immigration reform in 2011. That he is a foe of debt and deficits and they will be at the center of his 2012 agenda going into the second term. But these past two years have not been the time for balanced budgets. These past two years have been the biggest economic crisis in 70 years. And the government had to step in to avoid Great Depression II.
The Tea Party "movement" has made the GOP even more of a minority party. The harsh voices that are known to alienate people in the mainstream have taken over.
Barack is going to be able to energize the Obama surge crowd of 2008, not to the same extent perhaps as 2008. But he is going to make the case and they are going to come out in large enough numbers. One important point he has to make is that grassroots electioneering is not the same as grassroots governance. The netroots/grassroots need to acquire governance literacy. You can't attain power and then lose interest in it once you have it. But governance does require that you become more knowledgeable of the contours of power, of the compulsions of the opposition party, the compulsions of the various interest groups within your own party. Energizing people to show up to vote one day is comparatively simple. But governance is about conducting complex transactions on a daily basis. And the grassroots has to take an interest in that exercise of power like it took great interest in attaining that power. So far the grassroots has not lived up to the idea of grassroots governance. It does not have to be that way. You got to act like a party that feels being in power is but natural to you. You can't be feeling awkward and out of place once in power as if you miss being in opposition. Some of the netroots/grassroots act like they miss being in opposition. That has to go.

Keeping The House And The Senate
Iran, Obama 2010, Reshma 2010
Perfect Time For Congress Reform
Save Immigration For 2011
Sep 15 - Oct 31: Obama-Reshma Should Crisscross The Country
September 14 Will Birth The New Woman
Reshma Saujani Is The Second Stimulus Bill This Country Needs
Reshma: Obama's Number One Weapon For November 2010
Obama Needs To Ride The Reshma Insurgency Wave To November Victory

Maloney Dismantled Glass-Steagall And Gave Us Great Recession

I read a reader comment at the New York Daily News that tells you all you need to know about Carolyn Maloney and the dismantling of the Glass-Steagall Act. That dismantling is what brought about the Great Recession, it is now widely believed in most intelligent circles. And this entire time Maloney has been telling the media and whoever else will listen that Reshma Saujani is the Wall Street's candidate.

In The News

New York Daily News: Reshma Saujani Launches New Anti-Carolyn Maloney Site: Updated: TheRealCarolynMaloney.com

Comment by Jonri: I live in the district. Way back when, I voted for Maloney when she ran against Bill Green. She won because of redistricting. The redistricting included Roosevelt Island, Astoria, LIC,etc.--areas which Green had not represented. Green carried the areas that had been part of his district. Maloney won because of Roosevelt Island and Queens. Since then, Maloney has ignored the rest of the district and catered to big money donors from the Upper East Side and from outside the district. I really chuckle when Maloney claims that she is in favor the small fry and anti the financial industry. Go back and check the record. Like a lot of people, I think the current economic mess, especially in New York, was caused by the dismantling of Glass-Steagall. That bill created lines of separation between banks and riskier investments. It was dismantled by the Gramm-Leach-Biley bill. Maloney not only voted in favor of the bill, she was one of the conferees. Yes, the bill had a few consumer protection clauses in it and that's what Maloney touts. But the whole subprime mortgage fiasco is in part the result of the gutting of Glass-Steagall and Maloney was an active participant in the gutting. Maloney was more than willing to do what the BANKS (not the securities firms) wanted her to do back then. And the result was a disaster. When the crisis hit, Congress didn't react quickly enough. And given her committee position, Maloney is responsible for that too. I've gotten invited to several Maloney events. The cheapest ticket to any of them was $1,000--out of my league. I saw Maloney at a community event a couple of months ago--the first time she's attended in over a decade. I tried to talk to her--a line formed. Maloney ignored all of us and talked to local elected officials--people she already knows. I gave up and left the line. Got about 2 feet when 2 of her campaign workers blocked my path and asked me to sign her petition. Of course, I said no--but now at least I knew why she bothered to attend this annual event after so many years of absence.

Our Town NY: Reshma Saujani: New Solutions To East Side Problems: a jobless recovery with no end in sight and politicians in Washington and Albany that are failing to act...... Public spaces like Ruppert Park may close, bus lines are being cut and bedbugs are a growing problem.......Right now, creating jobs must be our first priority ...... I’ve proposed a new 21st Century Jobs Corps to provide educational training grants to help unemployed Americans, like construction workers, find work in emerging sectors. I’ve also proposed a National Innovation Fund—a public-private partnership to invest seed money into start-up businesses in next-generation industries. I believe we should eliminate capital gains taxes on investments in micro-enterprises to empower entrepreneurs with innovative new business ideas. And I am calling for a $15,000 student loan credit for math, science or engineering college graduates who go to work for a clean-tech, biotech or high-tech start-up in New York for at least three years. We should also double the $2 billion in grants awarded to our entrepreneurs through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs......... I will push for a national Tenants’ Bill of Rights to protect homeowners and oppose plans to privatize public housing...... The completion of the East Side Greenway must be a priority. I’m also concerned about the potential construction of a high-rise at the Ruppert Playground on 92nd Street........ The Second Avenue subway will ultimately be a positive addition to the community. But we need to engage the community throughout the building process. ...... New York is the greatest city in the world, but our politicians in Washington and Albany are failing to lead.

The Lo Down NY: Maloney/Saujani Quizzed On WNYC: The back-to-back interviews on WNYC last Friday will give you a pretty good idea what to expect during that midday radio-only encounter

Reshma Saujani: New Solutions To East Side Problems

New Solutions to East Side Problems
Posted by Our Town on September 1, 2010

Creating jobs, housing and infrastructure repair top agenda

By Reshma Saujani

In my campaign, I’ve traveled from the Lower East Side to the Upper East Side, from Astoria to Long Island City—and everywhere I go, I hear the same fundamental concern from voters: for the first time in generations, parents are worried their children will not have the same opportunities that they had. And more than anything, people in New York—from artists to taxi drivers to teachers to bankers—are anxious about the economy. They’re worried about a jobless recovery with no end in sight and politicians in Washington and Albany that are failing to act.

Compounding that anxiety are several factors. First, New York is one of the most expensive places to live in America. The overall cost of living here is an astonishing 364 percent higher than the national average—and it’s not getting any cheaper. The delayed and over-budget construction of the Second Avenue subway is pushing small businesses into bankruptcy. Upper East Side schools are overcrowded and students are being forced to go across town for a quality education. Public spaces like Ruppert Park may close, bus lines are being cut and bedbugs are a growing problem.

We can—and must—do better. In order to ensure a vibrant Upper East Side for future generations, we need new leadership and innovative ideas to create jobs, make sure that middle class families aren’t priced out of the city, and improve the quality of life for New Yorkers.

Right now, creating jobs must be our first priority, because the solutions coming out of Washington simply aren’t working. Carolyn Maloney, my opponent, has not passed a single piece of legislation to create jobs since becoming chair of the Joint Economic Committee. Not one. To create thousands of new jobs starting this year, I’ve proposed a new 21st Century Jobs Corps to provide educational training grants to help unemployed Americans, like construction workers, find work in emerging sectors. I’ve also proposed a National Innovation Fund—a public-private partnership to invest seed money into start-up businesses in next-generation industries. I believe we should eliminate capital gains taxes on investments in micro-enterprises to empower entrepreneurs with innovative new business ideas. And I am calling for a $15,000 student loan credit for math, science or engineering college graduates who go to work for a clean-tech, biotech or high-tech start-up in New York for at least three years. We should also double the $2 billion in grants awarded to our entrepreneurs through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

Maintaining an affordable New York is critical, especially when it comes to housing. Only 30 percent of New Yorkers are homeowners, a far cry from the national rate of 68 percent, and people of color in New York are even less likely to own a home. New York must first take steps to mandate that a percentage of development projects be dedicated to affordable housing. In addition, I will push for a national Tenants’ Bill of Rights to protect homeowners and oppose plans to privatize public housing.

Quality of life is another important issue. I’m committed to maintaining our existing parks and public spaces and creating new ones. The completion of the East Side Greenway must be a priority. I’m also concerned about the potential construction of a high-rise at the Ruppert Playground on 92nd Street. I’ve written to both the City of New York and The Related Companies, urging them to permanently preserve this space as a public park.

Infrastructure will continue to be an important driver of economic growth, but the Second Avenue subway is an unfortunate reminder that when our leaders don’t properly consult the community, too often, businesses are adversely affected and many of our economic goals are not achieved. The Second Avenue subway will ultimately be a positive addition to the community. But we need to engage the community throughout the building process. To help businesses that are being affected by the construction of the Second Avenue subway, I will work with local, state and federal officials to provide an economic stability initiative to establish grants and property tax abatements.

New York is the greatest city in the world, but our politicians in Washington and Albany are failing to lead. As an example, Carolyn Maloney recently held a fundraiser at the home of a financial lobbyist—while serving on the committee negotiating financial reform. That’s wrong. I’ve pledged to never accept a penny of corporate PAC money in my career. And I will fight the special interests culture that brings Congress to a standstill. We can’t keep re-electing the same politicians and expecting change. Together we can change our broken system and build a new era of opportunity and prosperity for all New Yorkers.

Maloney Should Concede To Reshma Saujani

The Huffington Post: Murkowski Concedes Alaska GOP Senate Primary To Joe Miller: Sen. Lisa Murkowski was booted from office in the Republican primary Tuesday by a little-known conservative lawyer in arguably the biggest political upset of the year..... amid deep dissatisfaction with the Washington establishment..... defeated a sitting senator in a primary ...... Murkowski is the third senator to lose this year, along with Bennett and Arlen Specter, D-Pa. ..... after more than 15,000 ballots were counted, she remained 1,630 votes behind...... the Miller camp had no idea what to expect Tuesday. ...... Murkowski has proudly touted her seniority after eight years in office, and said her roles on the appropriations and energy committees put her in a strong position to ensure Alaskans' voices are heard ...... with Murkowski holding such a name-recognition and fundraising advantage ..... Miller connected with the voters and tapped into anti-incumbent anger ....... the Kansas-raised Miller had no experience running in political races ...... in the race's final weeks, when Miller's camp said it sensed momentum was on its side and that Miller would win.

Maloney should not wait until September 14. She should concede now. And here's why.

It is about the cause. It is now time for The New Woman to step forward. (September 14 Will Birth The New Woman) Conceding to Reshma now would be the biggest thing Maloney ever did for women worldwide. It would be a masterstroke.

It is about the party. Maloney could do her part in letting the Democratic Party ride the strong anti incumbency mood sweeping the country. (Obama Needs To Ride The Reshma Insurgency Wave To Victory)

It is about time. Maloney has had a 18 year run. That is long enough. She should exit the state in dignity.

It is about the ground reality. Reshma 2010 obviously has the momentum in this race.

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Sunday, September 05, 2010

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Saturday, September 04, 2010

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Friday, September 03, 2010

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Thursday, September 02, 2010

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Wednesday, September 01, 2010