Friday, June 7, 2013

How some of the “Insiders” see the Golden-Eaton Feud — First of a multi-part series of related and unrelated analyses by various “Insiders” in and near that “...Feud”

One is kinda young, one is kinda old, one is analytic and one is kinda bold....


These first four interviews are with Republican insiders who at one time or another have functioned as part of my team of “Baker Street Irregulars.” I neither agree nor disagree with most of what they say, but I do think a lot of it is either obvious or probable; you judge for yourself. Some of them contradict the others. And, even some of the stranger things they say or might suggest are at least in the realm of the possible.

The first Republican activist to whom I spoke is different than the rest. He prefers not to say which way he is leaning at present, but he did say that he is open to vote with the Golden supported “Republicans for Change” if it makes sense to do that at the time of the GOP County Convention.

His key observation about this feud as a political contest is that neither side seems to be as organized for this “fight” as they should be going into petitioning. He says that he has spoken to representatives of both the Golden and Eaton sides; and he says that neither side was able to make meaningful  commitments to him and his people in the AD where he is active in GOP politics. The longtime activist said that he intends to run both for Republican County Committee and another position in 2013; and he hoped that he could run on a slate that he could support from top to bottom, but it’s possible that he might not be behind the mayoral candidate on his petitions 100%. He said, “Remember, there is no name for GOP County Chairman on any of the petitions, so that stays open for every elected County Committee member right up to when the September Convention is held.”

He thinks that the struggle for the GOP County leadership is more about personalities and ego than substantive issues, since neither Golden nor Eaton have a strong ideology or political philosophy. “They both say they’re conservative Republicans” so it’s not about differences of ideology, issues or political philosophy that have split these guys apart. Because of his recent communications with/from Golden and Eaton, he says that he will reserve his right “to make a final decision on who to back in their “WAR” until after the primary in September... I will base my vote at the Republican County Convention on the actions of Golden and Eaton, and those people who I know are their agents, between now and the convention. It will be all about real actions not words ...”

The second, who is a long-time GOP leader and activist said, “I couldn’t care less about giving a description or definition of this ‘fight’ between Eaton and Golden.” Even though they look like they are opposing each other, right now  —  “...they are both perpetuating the same divisiveness inside the Republican Party that started after Eaton became leader in 2007....  The only thing that’s different now is that they are each separately pursuing their personal interests without the other’s support....  This all happened at this time, because Marty Golden is trying to perpetuate his State Senate seat and wants a county leader that will do that for him to the exclusion of all other matters that are important to the survival of the Brooklyn Republican Party.”

This long-time Republican sees both Eaton and Golden as bad for the Republican Party in Brooklyn because both of them are working only towards their personal agendas. “Look at what they did this year endorsing candidates for mayor,” said the veteran Republican who has known both Eaton and Golden for a long time.  “Golden went with Lhota, a liberal Giuliani-style Republican who went to Mike Long the Conservative Party Chairman and made a deal before the Brooklyn Republicans had picked a candidate. Eaton backed two different liberal candidates for mayor who had a history of backing Barack Obama: first Adolfo Carrion a liberal Democrat who was part of the Obama Administration and then the liberal Republican John Catsimatidis, who supported President Obama and made donations to the Obama campaign. This Republican expects to be uncommitted to either Golden or Eaton right up to the Brooklyn GOP County Convention in September 2013

The third Republican is more an independent and active outsider than he is a GOP insider; he is also the youngest of the Republicans that I interviewed for this post. Nonetheless, he completely supports the re-election of Craig Eaton as the Kings County Republican Chairman. According to this independent community activist, who expects to be elected to the GOP County Committee, “I think that Craig Eaton has tried to build the Brooklyn Republican Party and almost at every step, Marty Golden has stopped him.” He then described how Craig Eaton was supportive of efforts to expand into the Russian and Orthodox Jewish areas of Brooklyn; and that when Marty Golden was in a position to make it possible to have two Republican State Senate seats in Brooklyn, he supported the Republican State Senate leadership that had other plans.” Making things worse, according to this young Republican, Golden and the State Senate leadership wants to control many other Brooklyn GOP activities even when they don’t involve state senate seats. “One elected Republican officeholder shouldn’t be running the whole Republican Party  — for a long time Golden has had approval over GOP candidates for other elected offices, both inside and outside his senate district, now he wants to control the county and the district leaders too.”  Not only does Eaton oppose that, most of the district leaders oppose it as well.

Our last insider for today’s post has very strong opinions about all of this, but said focusing on Golden and/or Eaton and their personalities and quirks would be a big mistake. Even though this long-time GOP leader and activist agrees that what is personally driving these two men into their very personal political confrontation is closer to something about egos  than something philosophical or ideological, or even about practical differences about how to run the Brooklyn GOP.

As a high Eaton insider, he clearly believes that this was largely the result of a few firebrands who simultaneously stoked Staten Senator Martin Golden’s ambitions and insecurities. They played on the state senator’s insecurity by saying that his poor election showing in 2012 was do primarily to a failure of a GOP County organization that Golden had no hand in, rather than failures that were uniquely his own, or his friends and allies, or those of his staff and retainers. AND they played on his ambition by playing up Golden’s necessary role in rebuilding a small part of the Brooklyn GOP, and to participate along with a new team to rebuild the statewide GOP behind somebody like Joe Lhota, especially if Lhota  by some fluke were to win the mayor’s office in 2013. The details of their advice and/or cajoling of State Senator Martin Golden is less important than the bottom line  —  those who advised Golden to take on this fight in 2013 be they staff members and paid advisors, and/or bigger-time players in the NYS Republican and Conservative Parties did not serve Golden well.

This key Eaton supporter said,  “It’s astounding how poorly advised Marty Golden has been in ALL of this  —  all of the practical downside is to Marty Golden and to those who closely identify with his side.... Even if Golden beats Eaton soundly at the GOP County Convention in September 2013, it will result in a net loss to Golden inside the small world of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst Republican politics particularly within the boundaries of the 22nd S.D....  The damage to the Marty Golden brand inside his bedrock Republican base is irreparable in the short run, certainly it won’t get fixed in time for the primary and general elections of 2014.... If State Senator Martin Golden had trouble getting good Republican signatures in 2012, watch what happens to him in 2014....  Anybody and everybody who advised State Senator Golden to do this in 2013 should have their heads examined." [UNLESS, of course, those advisers really wanted to see Marty Golden finished in GOP politics after 2014.  Note: this is my remark not this interviewee's]

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