Paula Katinas’ Brooklyn Eagle feature about the current situation of the Brooklyn GOP didn’t mention the heavy hand of Jerry Kassar and others in the Conservative Party in the so-called “Republicans for Change” initiative or the absence of any mention of rank and file Republicans in the effort
The recent emergence of an open split between Kings County Republican Chairman Craig Eaton and Republican State Senator Martin Golden has been re-circulated as news, because it upsets somebody described as a “longtime GOP leader.” ( See “HOUSE DIVIDED: Republicans fear fallout from Golden-Eaton feud, source says” by Paula Katinas, 5/17/13, Brooklyn Eagle [http://brooklyneagle.com/articles/house-divided-republicans-fear-fallout-golden-eaton-feud-source-says-2013-05-16-180700]). According to Paula Katinas’ report, “‘It could set us back 20 years,’ said the Republican Party member, who agreed to be interviewed by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on the condition that his name not be used. ‘It’s a very divisive situation,’ said the source. The party’s rank and file members are hoping the two men can patch up their differences before the campaign season goes into high gear, but no one is holding their breath, the source said. ‘They’re both strong headed individuals,’ he said.
Ms. Katinas was almost correct when she identified the source of all of this tempest in a teacup, as follows: “The feud blew out into the open last month after Golden sent a letter...” However she mis-identified the letter that caused the current brouhaha as being the one that went to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. Although related to the cause of the split, that letter merely showed that State Senator Golden was grandstanding the issues involved with the indictment of Malcolm Smith and others, and that Golden was guilty of extremely bad form and completely uninformed as to the workings of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. (Btw, why not send the U.S. Attorney a similar letter about another Republican in Brooklyn, asking the U.S. Attorney to release the details connecting Golden’s political ally Congressman Michael Grimm to those under charges and connected to the investigation of Grimm’s campaign finances ?) The actual letter that caused the damn to burst was the one that Golden sent to Brooklyn GOP Executive Committee members calling for the replacement of Eaton (only a handful responded to the entreaty, most have apparently stuck with Eaton, and a few others remain unmoved toward/by/against either Eaton or Golden).
Another interesting item raised in the Katinas article involves something called "Republicans for Change." According to Paula Katinas, "... another source, one close to Golden, said the senator is seriously worried about the direction of the party and has formed a new committee called Republicans for Change to mount a serious effort to overhaul the party’s leadership. 'He has a lot of support on this within the party. People want change,' the source said." Although Paula Katinas identified her source as "one close to Golden," she did not indicate whether or not they themselves were in the Republican Party. This is important because the Katinas article is silent as to whether anybody in the GOP rank and file supports Golden's attempt to completely take over and "overhaul the party's leadership."
As I had pointed out in earlier posted material on this blog, “Republicans for Change” is a name that seems to have sprung full blown from the head of Jerry Kassar, who is State Senator Martin Golden’s Chief of Staff, but who is not in any way a “Republican.” In fact, Jerry Kassar is the chairman of the political party that competes most directly with the Republican Party in Brooklyn for both influence and patronage — the Kings County Conservative Party (See my “... Brooklyn Independent GOP Fountainhead” post “Really Not Quite ‘Republicans for Change’ mailer appears in some of our mail boxes,” posted below on May 14, 2013).
The Paula Katinas article is not the only place where there is nary a mention of any rank and file Republicans in the “Republicans for Change” operation. A careful reading of the recent mailer announcing a May 23rd event sent around by “Republicans for Change” of 7304 5th Avenue ( which “address” is a commercially operated “mail drop”) would disclose that there are no Republicans named on that flyer as the “host” of the event. The only “Republicans” named in it are the guests, Joe Lhota, who Marty Golden endorsed for mayor, and John Quaglione, who works on Marty Golden’s staff and who has been endorsed as a City Council Candidate by both Golden and Golden’s Chief of Staff Kassar, in his capacity as Brooklyn Conservative Party Chairman.
In a related matter, it has also been reported by one of my Baker Street Irregulars that one of Jerry Kassar’s key operatives in the Brooklyn Conservative Party has been making phone calls in an effort to coordinate Golden’s efforts to pack the Kings County Republican County Committee.
Is that Conservative Party operative Liam McCabe ?
ReplyDeleteI can neither confirm nor deny that at this time.
DeleteMaybe, tomorrow after a couple of meetings with lots of folks I can second source an identity or the identities of Conservative Party operatives working on the "Republicans for Change" thing.
Change the above to a simple "yes" ....
DeleteUPDATE/BACKFILL: The following item appeared in Jerry Kassar’s “Common Sense” column in the Home Reporter/Brooklyn Spectator, which was posted on May 14, 2013: “If you are interested in meeting Joe Lhota and local City Council candidate John Quaglione, make plans to be at the Bay Ridge Manor (476 76th Street) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23. A new group called Republicans for Change will be hosting Lhota and Quaglione as well as other candidates.” (See “Common Sense: Non-citizen voting a bad idea” by Jerry Kassar, 5/14/13, Home Reporter & Sunset News/Brooklyn Spectator [http://www.homereporternews.com/opinion/common-sense-non-citizen-voting-a-bad-idea/article_91519c2a-bcc4-11e2-b0e3-0019bb2963f4.html]).
ReplyDeleteWe wouldn’t expect Kassar not to toot his own whistle or that of his baby “Republicans for Change” would we ? Just another bit of proof that this is a raid on the Brooklyn GOP by Kassar and others in the Brooklyn Conservative Party.
The Conservative Party has been involving itself in Republican Primary fights like this for a very long time, and somebody needs to stop them again. In 1990 the New York State Conservative Party entered into a Federal Court Consent Decree stating that it had illegally engaged in a direct mail campaign during the 1982 GOP Primary (and two other cases). In addition to a fine against the Conservative Party, the Conservative Party agreed to a permanent injunction against future unlawful in-kind contributions to Republican candidates in Republican primaries (See FEC v. NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATIVE PARTY STATE COMMITTEE/1984 VICTORY FUND (87-3309) [this case lists the information for the other two case] .
Kassar says that Republicans for a change is Marty Golden and you say that it is Gerry Kassar who are we supposed to believe. Why should it be you.
DeleteDoesn't matter who is behind Republicans for Change. The elected leader of one political party should not be encouraging attendance at an event to change party leadership in another party.
ReplyDeleteIt violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the party-raiding statutes in NYS election law.
People should write to the editor of the paper where Kassar writes his column and demand that his column be removed....he should not be able to use the press to promote his own misdeeds..........
ReplyDeletePolitics it is becoming a sore spot in the eyes of many and maybe the average citizen is seeing this more and more.
ReplyDeleteMaybe many politicians should wake up to this fact, that the general public see's right thru all the lies and scams many of them pull and all the under the table deals that are made because of power and greed.
All you have to do is to read the newspapers everyday or listen to the radio or watch television
Very sad in deed.
I know in my heart all politicians are not in it for the power and the greed. Many politicians in office and many who run are in the game to give back to the public and not to line their pockets.
If you don't help your fellow human, your community or your country than you should not make politics your game of choice.
You know after a while it becomes like a circus.
Will it ever end, some promise this and promise that and than do the complete opposite who is the average man or woman to believe?
I talk to the average people in the streets and very few want to get involved with their community and I fine this also very sad.
To me who ever is running on The Republican line I will get signatures for if it's Lhota or if it is Catman and I am not looking for anything in return for in my mind The Republican Party has always been for the little man and if a rich man is running it is not to make money as most think, it's to give back what America did for them, the chance to become rich.
Besides who knows the 31st Vice President was an American Indian and his name was Charles Curtis and Hoover was The President and they were Republicans
This is what the Republican Party was all about and they should tell the voters this and let's not forget about another Republican President U. Grant and he also had an American Indian on his staff General Ely S. Parker who was a Seneca Indian from upstate New York and do all people of color know that after the Civil War, most people of color voted Republican.
The National Republican Party and The State Party should get signs and or a booklet and remind people of this and let the Chinese, Latino, people of color and all other ethnic groups know this and let them see in writing all the positive things every Republican President has done since Lincoln and let's see how many democrats we can get to switch over and maybe, just maybe The Republican Party will be The Party that Lincoln and Martin Luther King dreamed about, for Martin did have a dream!