Conservative Leaders are flexing their muscles in-to-and-at the GOP all around the town: Mike Long is taking a look at telling the NYC Republican Party >>> DO IT MY WAY ABOUT MAYOR — Meanwhile in Brooklyn Jerry Kassar is taking a look at telling GOP Chairman Craig Eaton to take a walk

At the same time the NYS Conservative Party Chairman eyes the mayor’s race, the Chairman of the Kings County Conservative Party is in the middle of plans to dump Brooklyn GOP Chairman Craig Eaton

The Mike Long part of the piece is easy to see because it’s open and above board. The day after several potential GOP mayoral candidates spoke at a Brooklyn Conservative Dinner honoring Mike Long, a report appeared in the Crain’s Insider saying,  “New York State Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long has not lined up his organization with a mayoral contender, but he has no intention of leaving its ballot line blank in this year's election.” (“Conservative Party eyes mayor's race –  Mike Long, the party's state chairman, is considering John Catsimatidis, Joseph Lhota and George McDonald for the Conservative ballot line” by Andrew J. Hawkins, 2/22/13, Crain’s Insider [http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130222/BLOGS04/130229946]). In the Crain’s report Long is quoted as saying, “We will definitely have a candidate for mayor and that's still under discussion.”  According to Crain’s,  Mr. Long said he expected to pick a candidate before September's primary vote, but didn't have a deadline for a decision (maybe somebody needs to remaind Mike about petitioning and Wilson-Pakula deadlines).

All of the potential GOP candidates for mayor and their relative chances of getting Mike Long’s nod are specifically dealt with in the Crain’s article by Andrew J. Hawkins, but a far clearer picture emerges if you read the Hawkins’ piece together with Colin Campbell’s article of the same date, “BORROWING PHRASES –  Joe Lhota Channels Jimmy McMillan in Front of Brooklyn Conservatives” in the Oberver’s Politicker column ([http://politicker.com/2013/02/joe-lhota-channels-jimmy-mcmillan-in-front-of-brooklyn-conservatives/], previously mentioned in a comment to the post below, “Local boy makes good in front of “hometown crowd” at the Dyker Golf Club during the Brooklyn South Conservative Club’s President’s Day Dinner” 2/22/13 ).

According to Hawkins and Crain’s, and most others in the know, about the only thing that can be said with certainty is that Mike Long’s Conservative-endorsed candidate for mayor will not be one of the Democratic Party’s nominees.

The Jerry Kassar part is not nearly so obvious. However, with a few slashing Bobby Fischer-like moves, Kassar has virtually disemboweled Brooklyn GOP Chairman Craig Eaton inside Eaton’s king-side castle with Eaton stuck in the corner waiting for an almost certain checkmate by Kassar’s key piece on the board, State Senator Golden. The possibilities for the soon to be next Brooklyn GOP Chairman were being discussed openly and frankly at a table full of Senator Golden-oriented Brooklyn Republicans at the Conservative fete last Thursday.

Whether it’s GOP election commissioners, mayoral candidates, council candidates or GOP State Committee members, the strongest picks are overwhelmingly those backed and backing the Kassar-Golden faction inside the Brooklyn GOP and not Eaton’s.