Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A Marty Golden Gaffe or Something More Ominous ?


According to “Politicker” Scribe: State Senator Golden Claimed “Extra Credit” for Equal Pay Bill, but  Democratic Opponent, Andrew Gounardes, corrected the record very quickly.


Sometimes State Senator Martin Golden is like the Brooklyn Republican Party’s very own Joe Biden. Brooklyn Republicans and Conservatives, like party chairmen Gerry Kassar and Craig Eaton, never know what Golden is going to say next, or what they’ll have to do to walk back the Silver-haired Golden’s most recent gaffe.

This time, GOP State Senator Marty Golden's gaffe didn't sound very conservative at all.  And it was the Golden Campaign team that was johnny-on-the-spot trying to sort things out; but not before the Gounardes Campaign team caught the State Senator off base on a false claim of co-sponsorship of a bill that made it into law.

It  was reported by Colin Campbell that State Senator Martin Golden had written in a recent campaign mailing that “Beverly Neufeld, President of the New York Women’s Agenda and Director of the Equal Pay Coalition, called legislation >>> that I co-sponsored, <<< ‘…a welcome accomplishment for Equal Pay advocates and women across New York’....  The Women’s Workforce Bill is now law and is the first piece of State legislation that acknowledges and addresses the gender wage gap. It will not be the last.”

Ms. Neufeld seems to be a very liberal-sounding woman; and our State Senator's ultimate line that  "It will not be the last [piece of state legislation]” sounds quite ominous. Let's leave that for later on.

Acording to Colin Campbell writing on the Politicker blog, Mr. Golden’s Democratic Party opponent, Andrew Gounardes, pointed out that Mr. Golden was not among the co-sponsors of the bill, which did pass the State Senate unanimously.  Mr. Gounardes’ press  statement added insult to injury by connecting  State Senator Golden’s false claim of co-sponsorship of the recently-passed “Women’s Workforce Bill” with Golden’s earlier vote against the “New York Fair Pay Act” in 2011.  —   And, of course, lest anybody forget, the Andrew Gounardes release also reminded everybody about Golden’s  now-infamous government-paid  mailer promoting something described as a “feminine presence” class, which had been cancelled by Golden without explanation, when the “class” or “seminar” scheduled at Golden’s family’s Bay Ridge Manor was threatened by protests.

According to Colin Campbell, “When they were asked about the mailing, Mr. Golden’s campaign said it was a simple error, and not exactly a big deal.”  In a statement to Politicker. Golden’s people said “The statement in the letter was in error, but does not diminish the fact that the Senator did strongly advocate for its passage and voted for it.”  And in a remark completely in character for their boss  —   “.... [G]iven the opportunity again, he would do so [wait a minute: would he a) falsely claim co-sponsorship for the bill again; b) vote for the bill again; or c) actually co-sponsor the bill for the first time on the second try?] .”

Btw, as a commentator for conservative Republicans, I’d like to know exactly what other “piece[s] of state legislation that acknowledge[ ] and address[ ] the gender wage gap” is State Senator Martin Golden planning to co-sponsor or back in any way?  In line with that, “given the opportunity,” would the venerable state senator have reversed his 2011 position on the “New York Fair Pay Act”?

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