One of my best political decisions lately was taking a pass on the GOP debate at the Bay Ridge Manor last night.....
After all that I saw streaming on Facebook, I have to say that I doubt that anybody saw the next City Council Person from Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and parts of Bensonhurst and Bath Beach show up last night at the GOP City Council Debate at the Bay Ridge Manor.....
If anybody was there or watched the proceedings on Facebook disagrees, I'd love to know what they saw and I didn't. (I hope nobody comes up with anything nearly credible, because that will mean I'll then have to play back this darn thing and watch those parts of it some more..... AYEEEEEEH ! ! ! The mere prospect of it.....)
BTW, for a while, especially after the three opening speeches, I thought I might be watching tape of that old game show, "To Tell the Truth"; with all three contestants seeming to say over and over and over: "I'm John Quaglione.... I'm John Quaglione.... No, I'm John Quaglione...."
36 comments:
Before last night, I've only seen politicos ban campaign literature and posters once in my life -- at a county committee meeting they were scared shitless they were going to lose.
Aside from the fact that last night's last minute ban contradicted the previously agreed ground rules by all three candidates, last night forced the Golden forces to tip their hand.
They know Q is in serious trouble. And they are going scorched earth to make him the nominee.
Any pretense of neutrality is going out the window, probably later this morning.
McCabe is a lock
Almost everything those guys said will cost them votes. Even if the Democrats are worst, I will vote for them.
Gale,
if the event had an open bar would you have stayed home?
Who can turn down a mint julep
RESPONSE: THE "NOT THE FRED ALLEN" EDITION
TO: "ANONYMOUS SAID... AT 8:28 AM"
Boy, I say "BOY" ! I do believe that you seem to be speaking as if you are addressing Senator Beauregard Claghorn..... You couldn't be further from the truth, unless you were a candidate for the Civil Court in Brooklyn..... Truth be told, I am closer to being "Canadian" than being a julep sipping "Son of the South".....
Then again, taking a sip of the julep is the nectar of the aficionados of the Kentucky Derby..... So, my good sir or madam, just call me Colonel Claghorn, if you please, and show me to the nearest FREE mint julep, even if I have to listen to an hour of JQ.....
I had a great time last night at the GOP Debate. Liam paid for my train fare from Manhattan and I thought he was the best candidate by far. He also bought me drinks at Dorian's.
Gail, you did have it right, when before the thing was off the ground, you called it a 'mass debate'.
How could you watch even a half-hour of it? It felt like 'this is your mind on drugs'.
UPDATE: THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" EDITION
PRE-DEBATE INTRIGUE FAR MORE INTERESTING THAN THE DEBATE
BROOKLYN GOP OPERATIVES AND GOLDEN STAFFER PUT FINGERS HEAVILY ON SCALE TO FAVOR JOHN QUAGLIONE
Ted Ghorra, James McClelland and Maureen Daly were instrumental in changing the entire format of yesterday's debate so as to "level the playing field" very much to the benefit of John Quaglione.
Already reported in some of the comments above was the change of "debate rules" so as to prohibit free speech or expression, and open show of support for any of the candidates --- most notably by prohibiting leaflets, posters and campaign buttons and stickers. Not previously brought out was a complete change in the seating and dais arrangements at the debate --- the room was supposed to be set up stadium style, however somehow the room was set up with parallel tables right and left; the dais was supposed to be more in the shape of an inverted "V" with the podium at the apex, the three candidates were supposed to sit across from the moderator and partially face him and the audience. Instead the tables were arranged in a single straight line, and the original dais seating was to have been McCabe and Capano on one side, and the Moderator John Alexander, Senior Editor at the Brooklyn Eagle, sitting next to John Quaglione. After a strong protest by the others, Quaglione was made to sit next to the other candidates. More important than anything else, Maureen Daly (more on her in a second) set up her microphone for the video feed on the Brooklyn GOP Facebook page close to the tables dominated by John Quaglione's co-workers on Marty Golden's staff, making it sound like he had the most support in the house; in truth Quaglione's groupies were easily out-manned by those of Liam McCabe; and together with the Capano supporters, Quaglione was outnumbered "in the house" by more than two-to-one.
Almost all of the pre-debate flim-flam was to the benefit of John Quaglione and the detriment of Liam McCabe and Bob Capano; and the actual organizers, Ghorra, McClelland and Daly took an almost take it of leave it attitude.
Now for even more dirt on Maureen Daly, it seems that she has quickly shifted her loyalties from Liam McCabe to John Quaglione. Some say that it's because he wouldn't change her position from "volunteer" to "paid campaigner"..... (Four years ago Ms. Daly did some similar maneuvering vis a vis Andy Sullivan and Mr. Quaglione, but then it was supposed to be something more personal than a paycheck.)
Gale the event was a waste of time. Many people were bored and rolling their eyes. It was a big show by Gerry Kassar (boy did he get big) and the big cheese Golden, and Ghorra who is a very strange puppy. Doherty spoke but was barely literate and the three candidates all held their own, but proved nothing. Waste, waste, waste of time
Gail, yeah, yeah, yeah... al that stuff is great; now you rival Harper's for political muck-raking.
But I think I got you. It took a while, but I found something that makes the whole debate worth while. John Quaglione has a personal story that more than holds its own with Liam's promises talk to his father in the caboose in the rail yard.
I'll match Johnny Cakes' Wendy's talk to his five year old daughter about homelessness in the greatest city on earth with anything Liam has said about his own family.
Gail, I defy you to say I'm wrong.
El-Yateem wins it. Nothing else matters.
Something was missing. A debate.
RESPONSE: THE "DEFIANT ONES" EDITION
TO: "ANONYMOUS SAID... AT 3:21 PM"
I'M ALREADY TIRED OF YOUR "I DEFY YOU..." RIFF --- AND THE FIRST TIME YOU USED IT WAS ONLY TWO DAYS AGO
I didn't say your comment on May 3rd was "fake news"; and I won't say that your comment above on this thread is "wrong"..... However, I will say this: "Small minds are easily amused".....
One good line to use against one candidate is not worth wasting more than an hour and a half looking at and listening to all the pointless fluff and dense chaff.
RESPONSE: THE "THANKS FOR MENTIONING HIM" EDITION
TO: "ANONYMOUS SAID... AT 3:37 PM"
MAYBE, YOU DON'T KNOW THIS --- BUT THE REVEREND KHADER EL-YATEEM WAS THERE AT THE BAY RIDGE MANOR ON THURSDAY NIGHT
One of my operatives reported to me that the Democrat candidate clergyman was in the house to see and/or do something. El-Yateem was accompanied by a photo-video assistant, but both the candidate and his assistant slipped out without fanfare rather early in the proceedings. So it's anybody's guess why the "Democrat" duo might have been there.
I was there and Liam definitely had the most supporters in the room by a Mississippi mile
(None of Liam's supporters or volunteers actually live, work or vote in the 43rd Council District but that's another story. In actuality most of Liam's supporters are YR's from Manhattan which explains the otherwise random fundraiser at Dorrian's on the Upper East Side) I really found the forum's format to be a real boring night. I watched El-Yateem enter the room with his camera crew in tow (what an ego on that guy!) For a moment my friend and I thought El-Yateem was going to pull off a Liam and turn the forum into the Jerry Springer Show but eventually he left or was escorted off the premises after a brief shouting match with one of the people who seemed to be "working" at the event
RESPONSE: THE "FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH" EDITION
TO: "ANONYMOUS SAID... AT 9:38 PM"
THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERSION OF THE EVENTS --- ESPECIALLY THE PART ABOUT EL-YATEEM
You largely confirm a lot of what I reported above even though I wasn't there..... I really hope that you aren't the person that gave me the original information..... However, if that might be the case, then it adds clarity to what I said earlier.
In any case, your version indicates that El-Yateem and his assistant(s) left with at least a little fanfare.....
We all must continue to wonder --- WHY WAS THE EL-YATEAM THERE (Pretty slick, "THE EL-YATEAM") ? ? ? But, also this --- WHY WAS THE "EL-YATEAM" ESCORTED OUT ? ? ? WASN'T THIS GOP DEBATE A PUBLIC MEETING ? ? ? IF NOT, WHY NOT ? ? ? WHO IS AFRAID AND WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID OF ? ? ?
Liams Upper East Side fundraiser was attended by Hollywood elite with Bay Ridge connections such as Holt McCallany and others
The debate was pathetic! Is this the best that they can come up with?
John Q reminds me of Forrest Gump.
Liam reminds me of Mr. Haney from Green Acres.
Bob reminds me of Brian Wilson's from the Beach Boys father, Murray.
How many people were there at this debate?
Has anyone seen Capano's neck?
There were easily 150 people there. Ten full tables of ten, plus aisle seating and people standing in the back.
Vincent Chirico entered democratic primary.
Justin we hardly knew ya
Who is Vincent Chirico?
Chirico is a community board member and attorney. Unlike Justin and Kevin Carroll he works in the community without being on some politicians payroll.
Chirico has a following in dyker heights that justin and carroll dont. chirico, unlike the other dropouts, is a graduate of NYU law school an attorney for over 25 years, chair of opportunities for a better tomorrow and chair of Italian American organizations.
Chirico does not do this because he gets political patronage job. he cares
Isn't chirico the Spanish sausage in paella?
12:05 is a bragiole
Capano's web ads are bragging about delivering a knockout blow at Thursday's debate.
Left unsaid is that he knocked himself out. His comments were roundly met with boos and hisses.
do his web ads show web feet
who the hell would be looking at capano web ads?
RESPONSE: THE "TANGLED WEB" EDITION
TO: "ANONYMOUS SAID... AT 8:55 AM" & "... AT 9:15 AM"
BOTH OF YOU OBVIOUSLY FIND SOME FAULT WITH BOB CAPANO AND/OR HIS CAMPAIGN..... HOWEVER, BOTH OF YOU DO RAISE LEGITIMATE POINTS
IF BOB CAPANO BELIEVES THAT HE SCORED ANY KIND OF "KNOCK-OUT" AT GHORRA'S DEBATE >>> HE IS DELUSIONAL..... AND FOR SOME REASON HE THINKS THAT HE CAN MAKE THAT DELUSION REAL BY PUBLICIZING IT
With one exception, I am agnostic wrt who >>> SHOULD BE <<< the GOP nominee for City Council.
I looked at what you called Bob Capano's "AD" on his campaign website --- the headline was, as I said "DELUSIONAL," and it makes Capano look quite benighted..... The text of his report was fine --- it was skewed toward what he thought were his best points, but that's OK..... He did the same with what looks like a piece of lit/ fund raiser announcement that so far he has distributed only by E-mail..... My opinion of that item is exactly the same as the one about his web page report --- it's glitzy, it tells the story, it makes Bob look delusional.
All three candidates barely held their own at the so-called debate on Thursday, but it was a dreary and bloodless affair. NONE of them (including John Quaglione) was well-served by what went down.
There was one and only one KNOCKOUT BLOW scored at the Ghorra-Doherty-McClelland-Daly presentation Thursday, the Ghorra team knocked out any chance for any candidate to get anything going at the Ghorra-Bay Ridge Manor GOP event last Thursday. Given what the Bay Ridge Manor event was supposed to be, a crowd -- generously called 150 souls by somebody obviously seeing double in some cases -- was dismal and abysmal.
*** >>> Unless there is some kind of game-changer none of these candidates will ever be a NYC Councilman. <<< *** Thanks to the Ghorra-Golden team, if I were sure that he could win his own primary, I would be ready to endorse Democrat Candidate "X" as the best choice for the City Council from my part of Brooklyn.
The following commnnt was moved by the moderator from it's former position slightly above:
Anonymous said...
No other Republican will win a race in Brooklyn as long as Marty Golden and Mike Long control the Republican party in Brooklyn. They don't want any other office holders besides Golden, that's why they put Ghorra in charge.
May 7, 2017 at 10:16 AM
ANNOUNCEMENT: THE "I GUESS HE WAS RIGHT" EDITION
CANDIDATE "X" TOLD ME THAT HE WAS SURE THAT I'D LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG.....
YET AGAIN, CANDIDATE "X" SEEMS TO KNOW ME BETTER THAN I KNOW MYSELF.....
'Nough said ! ! !
Chirico has gotten his share of patronage from Abbate. The new face will quickly blend in with the old faces.
Candidate X cant be much of a candidate if X sits at a computer all day.
Candidate X will learn the hard way that in order to campaign you have to leave the house.
Anonymous at 8:05 PM and Anonymous said at 11:17 PM are both posts by Vincent Chirico himself.
Welcome to the blog, Vince!
Just call me "a source from the old neighborhood"...
Vincent Chirico is a defense lawyer for corporations. For Democrats, he's sort of the exact opposite of Democrat John Edwards, if any of you Republicans remember him at all. Democrats will just LUH-UV that he made his bucks protecting big corporations against all of the little people. Good luck to him spinning that story.
I recall that he was Assemblyman Peter Abbate's first chief of staff; that was about a million years ago when Peter Abbate first beat your guy Arnaldo in what was then then the 49th AD in Dyker Heights and Bath Beach.
Chirico has been close with Sal Albanese; a while back, he was Sal's treasurer for his crazy 2013 mayoral bid. Chirico also looks like he is in tight with Dilia Schack; she had mentioned Chirico as a potential candidate against Pam Harris for Assembly in 2016.
This much is certain, as a candidate in his own right, Vincent Chirico has been absolutely nowhere on the political scene in Dyker Heights, Bath Beach or Bay Ridge over the last 20 years. But since he is obviously very cocky and self-confident, and since he thinks the rest of the field for City Council from this neighborhood suck and time has comefor him to save the world.
On the other hand, Vince now knows that he has grabbed a tiger by the tail. I just heard that Peter Abbate is suddenly pissed-off at Chirico, because Vince has been going around telling people that Peter is supporting him; Abbate is not; and now, it looks like he won't be getting Peter's support any time soon.
This guy also has his own longer term professional problems. There is pending litigation out there against Chirico somewhere. The judge in that outta-state case referred to him as "very unethical".
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