DAN DONOVAN --- BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID; GENTILE IS PLAYING IT LIKE THE "LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD" --- AND YOUR SIDE IS PITCHING "INEVITABILITY" LIKE YOU'RE HILLARY CLINTON

Wake up boy !  How's that been working out for the likes of Bill Clinton's almost favorite girl ?  

Press report:  "Vincent Gentile Raises Almost $200K for Congressional Race"

Press report:   "11 CD Race: Analysis Reveals Gentile Catching Up To Donovan"

As I like to say, "Ross Barkan, the former Brooklyn beat reporter," has filed a story that looks like it should be good news for Dan Donovan.  According to Mr. Barkan,  "Councilman Vincent Gentile, a Democrat running for an open House seat in Brooklyn and Staten Island, raised nearly $200,000 and still has more than $100,000 in cash on hand with less than two weeks to go until Election Day, new filings with the Federal Election Commission show. ***   Mr. Gentile, a Brooklyn lawmaker, is facing Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, a Republican, in a special election. Mr. Donovan raised more than $600,000 and has just over $460,000 cash on hand, according a report in the Staten Island Advance...."  (See "Vincent Gentile Raises Almost $200K for Congressional Race" by Ross Barkan, 4/23/15, The Observer [http://observer.com/2015/04/vincent-gentile-raises-almost-200k-for-congressional-race/]).

WHAT LOOKS LIKE GOOD NEWS FOR DONOVAN  ---  WELL, MAYBE IT ISN'T

The coverage by the Obaserver continued with this:  "...   This campaign has been a grassroots effort from day one and that is something we are very, very proud of. We are running exactly the campaign we want to run,” said Justin Brannan, a spokesman for Mr. Gentile....  Unlike the last Democrat to run in the 11th Congressional District, Domenic Recchia Jr., Mr. Gentile did not receive any financial help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He raised $195,724 in total and spent $79,697.83, a far cry from the several million dollars Mr. Recchia raised and spent...."    In a what Ross Barkan described as dig at Mr. Donovan, who is expected to receive more support from national Republicans and political action committees, Mr. Gentile's spokesman said:   “We are not relying on shadowy corporate donors, super PACs or people like the Koch Brothers to get our message out to the people of New York’s 11th congressional district....”

So with a 5 to 1 advantage in available cash, that is likely to grow, why am I saying that Donovan needs to be afraid ?   [Offstage: deep male voice shouts --  "Yeah, why are you sayin' Donovan's gotta be afraid ?"]   ---  Well, I'll tell you , Alice.

From the very beginning of his campaign for Congress in the 11th Cong. Dist.,  Vinnie (or should  that be "Vinny") Gentile and all his folks have been making do and have had a real "less is more" "can-do" "never say die" attitude about everything.  Even closer to the mark, they all seem to be reciting the  "I think I can -- I think I can -- I think I can... " mantra over there.  You know, the one made famous by  "The Little Engine That Could"  --  back when we were all young.
 
Gentile has been way back since the beginning  ---  but everything seems to keep moving his way  ---   especially the whole thing about the  debates, first having them with Dan Donovan ( Oh, Dan, to have those chances back, again); and now, NOT HAVING THEM  ---  and what does everybody say ? "IT'S BECAUSE OF DAN DONOVAN." (Ugh, Dan, sometimes you can't win for losing !)

On that front, the gift that keeps on giving to the Gentile Campaign, Jessica Proud, said by E-Mail that "...  [d]ue to the tight time frame of a special election and scheduling conflicts, we were unable to attend a few of these events....   We felt it was important to do a debate in both Brooklyn and on Staten Island so that people from both sides of the bridge would have an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates."   ---    That's  it,  Donovan's done with debates  ---   or like the cop says at the sight of a fifteen-car wreck,  "Go home, it's all over, nothin' happenin' here...."  

By the way, that's what the Donovan campaign has been so far  ---  A FIFTEEN-CAR WRECK RIGHT BEFORE THE SLOSSON AVENUE EXIT WITH THE ROUTINE RUBBER-NECKING ON THE OTHER SIDE  ---   it's a real beauty, is what I'm sayin'.

THE BLOG ITEM THAT MIGHT BE THE STRAW [POLL] IN THE WIND 

A few days ago this item was carried into my Florida manse where I am staying by a little birdie:   "You don’t need a pollster to know which way the political winds are blowing to feel that Democrat Vinnie Gentile is inching towards a possible upset of presumed far-ahead frontrunner Republican Dan Donovan for the vacant 11th Congressional seat straddling Staten Island and a piece of Southern Brooklyn...." (See "11 CD Race: Analysis Reveals Gentile Catching Up To Donovan" by whoever does the stuff at Kings County Politics, 4/22/15,  Kings County Politics Blog [http://www.kingscountypolitics.com/11-cd-race-analysis-reveals-gentile-catching-up-to-donovan/]).

That story goes on like this:  "...  [B]oth camps confirmed they have done internal polling, and their response to KCP inquires is telling.  ***   Sources close to the Gentile campaign said the poll showed the race is tightening up, while Donovan spokesperson Jessica Proud refused to discuss internal polling.   ***   “If they (Team Gentile) reveal any information regarding a poll, they are required by law to release the whole thing to the public,” she noted...."

You gotta love that girl....   Jessica Proud can even make a gaffe by not saying very much at all.  You see  Chris McCreight, Manager of the Gentile Campaign, took the opportunity to make hay while the sun shined on him from the folks at the Kings County Politics blog.

According to McCreight,  “It’s going to be a low turnout – between 30,000-40,000 voters....  Our job is in getting our vote out just like their (Donovan’s camp) job is to get their vote out....   We know there’s 20,000 people willing to vote for Vinnie. Our job is to get them to the polls to vote...."

And then the Kings County Politics [Guy, Gal or Committee] said this:  "Then there’s Gentile, a battle-hardened political veteran, who served three terms in the state senate before becoming a city councilman. He’s proven to be a very able, smart and charismatic debater against Donovan and continues to pile on points every time Donovan fails to show up for a debate as he did at today’s scheduled Bay Ridge Senior Center debate.  ***   Team Gentile also has a good finger on the pulse for controlling the political narrative, painting Donovan as an out-of-touch candidate with little knowledge of several key issues such as raising the minimum wage....   The takeaway feeling is that Donovan is beginning to feel like a GOP version of Domenic Recchia, the very-flawed Democrat who lost to convicted felon Michael Grimm for the seat last year. And just like Recchia, it’s Donovan’s election to lose.... "

IN CLOSING --  A MESSAGE to DANDY DAN DONOVAN 

You know, Dan, I think I read somewhere recently that a funny thing about special elections, as opposed to long drawn out general election cycles, is that it’s not the momentum that money buys and endorsements bring, but the ground game and tight organization that wins.  Well, your organization ain't wrapped too tight, if you know what I mean.

And for all that, Vinnie (or should  that be "Vinny") Gentile appears to be closing the gap with you.