Courier Life’s Brooklyn Daily Article actually reported on what the candidates said at “The Great Bay Ridge Debate”
Kemmerer shown to hammer at “corruption” issues — Golden responds, “Corruption is a very powerful thing, but you can’t just run on corruption....”
According to Max Jaeger writing for Courier Life’s Brooklyn Daily, “The Great Bay Ridge Debate between state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) and Democratic opponent James Kemmerer on Sept. 23 was mired in mud-slinging, with the challenger painting Golden as a corrupt Albany insider, and the incumbent calling Kemmerer a carpet-bagging one-trick pony....”
(See “Bay Ridge Senate race gets muddy” by Max Jaeger, 9/25/14, Courier Life/ Brooklyn Daily [http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2014/39/br-great-debate-bay-ridge-senate-2014-09-26-bk_2014_39.html]). Mr. Jaeger is certainly correct that the debate did apparently involve some “mud-slinging” back and forth between State Senator Golden and his 2014 opponent. However, the person responsible for the article’s headline was way off the mark by describing the either the performances or the results of the debate with this: “Bay Ridge Senate race gets muddy.”
Quite to the contrary, Max Jaeger’s 9/25/14 report of the September 23rd debate at Holy Angels Academy (OLA) is a bit of political reporting of rare clarity, as are the quotes of the candidates; there is nothing muddy about it. This exchange between the candidates that follows is a good example: “‘Corruption is a very powerful thing, but you can’t just run on corruption,’ Golden said, accusing Kemmerer of having a one-plank platform. ‘You have to know something about the community. You’ve lived in three states in the last seven years. You’ve got no qualifications to be the senator of this great district.’ *** Kemmerer, who moved to the district in 2009 after living in Chicago for a decade, said five years in Bay Ridge is long enough to qualify him. ***
‘You don’t have to live here that long to see the problems,’ Kemmerer fired back. ‘Donors control what gets done, so until we solve the problem, it will be hard to make progress on a whole host of issues.’...” Well-pointed lines — well delivered by the debaters — AND — well reported !
It didn’t end with that. Jaeger’s article continued as follows: “...[D]uring the debate, the challenger hammered Golden over his alleged pay-to-play politics. Kemmerer cited legislation Golden authored in 2013 that supposedly rewarded a major donor and Sunset Park tobacco wholesaler, a Borough Park charity for which Golden secured major grants and which was scrutinized by the anti-corruption Moreland Commission, and the state senator’s ties to Bay Ridge Manor, a catering hall his family owns that he frequently patronizes for political events — something pundits say may have caused a major rift in the Brooklyn Republican party. ***
The incumbent flatly denied any wrongdoing, noting the Moreland Commission’s investigation is now itself under investigation for internal bias, and that he was operating within the law when dipping into campaign coffers to rent out his family’s catering hall. *** ‘We did not funnel any type of money,” Golden said. “We’ve had events in many different locations, and we’ve had events in the Bay Ridge Manor, which we paid for and we did it correctly and by the law.’...”
In spite of the good and accurate reporting on the debate by Max Jaeger and Courier Life, Golden and his crew have to be very unhappy with the Courier Life article about the State Senate part of the “Great Bay Ridge Debate.” These captions as a synopsis for the whole debate on the 23rd are not complimentary to either Golden or his campaign for re-election: “Golden boy: State Sen. Marty Golden tried to shift focus from his office’s questionable spending to his record serving the district.” and “James and the giant pol: Democratic upstart James Kemmerer accused State Sen. Martin Golden of questionable ethics, and Golden attacked the newcomer for his lack of political experience.” Lines like that frame the debate exactly the way Jamie Kemmerer would want it to be framed.
Gail, don't you read your own blog?
ReplyDeleteYesterday you said that it was a romp in favor of Golden and the rest of the Republican slate, and that even J. Kemmerer's handlers were just saying he held his own, which was good because it was his first debate. Now your saaying that it was all bad for Golden.
Keep it up Gail, and nobody will believe a thing that you say.
Your are incorrect.
ReplyDeleteWhat Mr. Massey was doing is presenting to readers a report and analysis of others' first-person accounts of the debate. He is not giving us his own first-person editorial - at least not here. The first post addressed the reactions of regular folks who were present at the debate and transcribed their observations. The most recent post brought to our attention the important Courier analysis of the event. It is not inconsistent at all. It is good blogging.
Behave girls
ReplyDeleteIs this great writer from Courier Life old enough to vote?
ReplyDeleteQuit dreaming folks.
ReplyDeleteGolden has no race.
Do you mean like in 2013?
ReplyDeleteQuit dreaming folks.
Hynes has no race.
Or way back when Chris Mega and Angelo Arculeo both had no races the very same year.
You gotta point
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of interesting parallels between Hynes 2013 and Golden 2014. Some of it was evident at the debate the other evening but, most importantly, more will be reveled if a Hynes' indictment comes out of the AG grand jury that has been empaneled on his misuse of public funds in paying campaign workers and other matters before the grand jury.
ReplyDeleteBACKFILL: THE “BACK UP, BACKTRACK AND BACKBITE” EDITION
ReplyDeleteKASSAR, COMMON SENSE, THE KOCH BROTHERS, AND BIG AND SMALL BUSINESS
JERRY SPENT TWO-THIRDS OF HIS COLUMN ON WHAT HE CALLED “SOMETHING THAT MEANS NOTHING”
WHY KASSAR SAID IT IS REALLY ALL ABOUT GOLDEN AND WHAT’S COMING UP IN THE DEBATES
Sometimes Jerry Kassar is a like a good-ole- fella hound chewing and slobbering on a cooked-over soup bone. That’s how he was earlier this week in his Common Sense column, which easily could have been entitled, “Why are the mean local Democrats actually running a candidate and making public statements about my boss Marty Golden ?” Actually, Kassar’s complaints are about how “the neighborhood Democrats” (not any of those higher up generally OK Democrats who probably made or tried hard to make their deals with and for Golden-Kassar and company for 2014) implied, explained and straight out said that State Senator Marty Golden was endorsed by “The Koch Brothers” when a formal endorsement for the re-election of Marty Golden came from the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) (See “Common Sense: We can do better” by Jerry Kassar, 9/22/14, Home Reporter/ Spectator [http://www.homereporternews.com/news/government/common-sense-we-can-do-better/article_bb25ce4e-429d-11e4-a5b3-03f6300f6c48.html]).
Kassar’s real message was that “the neighborhood Democrats” are BIG BAD LIARS in what they are saying about his boss Marty Golden. Here’s exactly how JK said it: “‘Is this not what’s wrong with politics these days?’ -- made up claims designed to mischaracterize a solid record on an issue and mislead the public. At a time when people talk about reform in the political system, would not the best reform simply be candidates and political parties sticking to the truth?”
I have some real problems with this column, but I’ll start with a simple, formal and really pat criticism — how can Kassar start by saying “When you [neighborhood Democrats] have nothing to say, [you] say something that means nothing and hope that no one figures it out....” and wind up by making the charge that those neighborhood Democrats, “...made up claims designed to mischaracterize a solid record on an issue and mislead the public.” Jerry, you just can’t start with “nothing” and finish with “something” so nefarious.
My real problem is that Kassar “the columnist” is again acting as an agent for his boss Golden; and both of them are trying to hide in plain sight. The pitch is that Golden, the local small businessman, is being endorsed by a longtime small business advocacy group, NFIB – “YAHOO ! HURRAY ! YIPPEE !”
The problem with this column is that Kassar [and Golden] don’t want anybody to know that NFIB gets a lot of big business and big money financing, some of it actually from THE KOCH BROTHERS. A bigger problem is that Kassar [and Golden] don’t want anybody to know that Golden’s Campaign gets a lot of big business and big money financing. An even bigger problem is that Kassar [and Golden] don’t want anybody focusing on the issue of corruption and the “pay to play” kind of politics that has become a hallmark of the State Senator’s political machine.
You see, Kassar’s column was an attempt at a preemptive strike at “neighborhood Democrats” [and the Kemmerer campaign] to keep them from focusing on the big money flowing into Marty Golden’s campaign coffers, the local schemes of channeling money into Golden-owned entities and the general whiff of corruption tainting Golden coming out of all of the Moreland Commission pushing and shoving. It’s no accident that Kassar’s column appeared on the eve of the first Golden-Kemmerer debate and the ensuing cycle of debates.
btw, I am not a “neighborhood Democrat[ ]”
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ReplyDeleteThe hall monitor is back
ReplyDeleteWhoever thinks that Theodore W. General was a fair choice to moderate the BRCC debate should look at his report of the Ragged Muffins Parade from last year.
ReplyDeleteDoes this seem fair and balanced?
“It was very apparent at the festival that Kings County District Attorney Joe Hynes is vigorously seeking re-election, this time on the GOP and Conservative Party Lines. Hynes, with his wife Patricia at his side, and State Senator Marty Golden, plus a large contingent of loyal supporters toting Hynes election signs, trolled the festival route back and forth.
Also not taking for granted his recent Democratic Party Primary win was Kenneth Thompson accompanied by former Councilmember and recent mayoral candidate Sal Albanese, Democratic District Leader Kevin Peter Carroll and a Thompson posse of supporters and sign carriers.” (GENERALLY SPEAKING, OCT. 9, 2013) Ted General’s photo selection wasn’t fair either.
Ted General was a shill* for Republican Joe Hynes during the general election campaign. The article the above commenter references was orchestrated by the D.A.'s campaign. Mary Hughes herself knew that a good piece was coming out by Ted in a Brooklyn paper before it was published.I was unfamiliar with the papers but I recall Hughes saying it was the one people read. It seemed to cross lines of journalistic integrity to do that. Hence, when I saw him at the Great Debate - a face I only knew from the Republican Joe Hynes campaign and he appeared to be an organizer of it - it made me suspect the event's non-partisanship. No wonder Mr. Recchia did not come. He would do better to debate in a balanced forum as I am sure he will. General, like Morrish, Jack Malone, Denise Endall (I think Senator Lanza sent her to work on the campaign - but he is from Staten Island - one has to wonder why he even cared)and other local Republicans (and/or Conservatives - I do not know the difference. Like the Catholics who live on Falls Road say, "Everyone else is a Prod.")were active campaign hands. Mr. Hynes was all about paying people during the general election so it would be interesting to see if these workers were paid with fraudulent funds as was Morrish. That is not to say that they themselves would be culpable in any way.
ReplyDelete* If shill is construed as a pejorative term in any other way than to mean a person who is devious in his actions, I apologize beforehand.
Teds column about Hynes and Thompson did seem fair and balanced as Hynes was the Bay Ridge guy.
ReplyDeleteIf its true that Hynes operatives were working the Home Reporter for the election than its amazing the idiot actually got 25%.
Ted General is not a shill for Republicans, hes a shill to whoever holds office.
ReplyDeleteAt the time Ted General permitted the office of the District Attorney to manipulate his reporting on this event in favor of their candidate, Ken Thompson was the Democratic candidate voted in by the people of Brooklyn. Thompson on the date of this article was the choice. According to your statement, it should follow then that General would have given cursory mention of Hynes and focus more on Ken Thompson's appearance at the parade. But let us await and see how this local paper and others report the Golden/Kemmerer campaign events. That will be telling.
ReplyDeleteLooks like someones been drinking the Kemmerer cool aid
ReplyDeleteLooks like a contest between Kemmerer Cool Aid and Golden rubber chicken
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Kemmerer is that he had no shot. But now he appears to be the epitome of the New Bay Ridge v Golden the Old Bay Ridge pol.
ReplyDeleteJamie Kemmerer needs to keep hammering away at the corruption issues associated with his opponent Marty Golden. I think Kemmerer has tapped into something that resonates even with staunch Golden Bay Ridge supporters. At the Great Debate at OLA almost the entire audience was comprised of pro Golden/ Grimm/ post-Hynes supporters. Yet, the audience seemed uneasy when Kemmerer raised the issue of Golden's funneling money to his family run Bay Ridge Manor. Looking at the faces in the crowd, it appeared the even these staunch Golden supporters are deeply troubled by that. There are many parallels between Marty Golden and disgraced Former DA Joe Hynes. Perhaps they will come out as the campaign proceeds.
ReplyDeleteUPDATE & BACKFILL: THE “RELATIVE & RELEVANT PRESENT” EDITION
ReplyDeleteHOME REPORTER’S COVERAGE OF THE OLA DEBATE BETWEEN GOLDEN AND KEMMERER MAKES “THE GREAT BAY RIDGE DEBATE” MORE THAN A ONE WEEK STORY — AND IT FOCUSES ON KEMMERER’S CHARGES THAT GOLDEN IS CORRUPT — AND — GOLDEN’S RESPONSE THAT IT’S LEGAL AND OTHER LEGISLATORS DO IT
ALSO KEMMERER BEATS GOLDEN IN THE FIGHT OF THE PHOTO
[See the full 10/2/14 “UPDATE & BACKFILL” about the Home Reporter’s coverage of Golden and Kemmerer at the BRCC Debate in the comments thread to the 10/1/14 post “Jerry Kassar’s Column Says It All When It Comes to Corruption and the Conservative Party — AND — Marty Golden’s S.E.I.U. endorsement highlights what it means to be a "Conservative Party Candidate" in 2014” above]