Liam, Liam, Liam !!!

What can it be ?
What can it be ??
What can it be ???

As Barack Obama might describe us here on this blog  ---  We are just getting all "Wee-wee-d Up" waiting for Liam's Groundhog Day event at the Lief

Judging from Liam's latest social media stuff  ---  he is just a human dynamo  ---  back to school,  handling TLC Enforcement, swapping spit with furry creatures that sort of look like Balto, being a married man and dutiful parent, and even being kinda "woke" on MLK Day  ---  It sure looks like this guy is running for something.....

If Liam were half as excited as I am,  there wouldn't be any safe carpets anywhere he visits..... [Yes, I can go there, but if anybody else tries, I'll take it down in a second (or when I next check this blog)  ---  Go ahead, make my day.....]

Similar articles evidence of conflict of interest & possibly collusion between Dolan & DiMarzio in the investigation of sex abuse charges against DiMarzio

Sometimes,  people think that they can get away with anything  >>> as long as they can control the narrative <<< 

Case in point:  the bodyguard of lies and half-truths being used to shield Brooklyn's  Bishop  Nicholas DiMarzio against the recent charges of a long ago act of sexual abuse involving an altar boy in a parish in Jersey City 

Recent articles from the Brooklyn Diocese and the New York Archdiocese raise the lid and release a stench coming from Dolan's so-called Vos Estis investigation of the pending sex abuse charges against DiMarzio  

If there is collusion in the messaging, what else is there collusion about ???

If one compares these two recent Catholic press articles about the Cardinal Timothy Dolan supervised Vos Estis investigation of the pending sex abuse charges against Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio,  one is struck by the blatant similarities and overlaps contained within them (See "Investigation of Bishop DiMarzio Follows Accountability Guidelines; Secular News Leaves Out Context and Facts in Reports" by Christopher White,  1/23/2020,  The Tablet/ Diocesan News  [https://thetablet.org/investigation-of-bishop-dimarzio-follows-accountability-guidelines-secular-news-leaves-out-context-and-facts-in-reports/];  and  "After Probe Is Announced, Bishop DiMarzio Says He Wants His ‘Good Name Cleared’ " by  Rhina Guidos, 1/29/2020,  Catholic New York  [http://www.cny.org/stories/after-probe-is-announced-bishop-dimarzio-says-he-wants-his-good-name-cleared,20505]).  In isolation, that would probably not stand out or even be particularly unusual;  however, in these instant circumstances, the two articles represent statements in official diocesan newspapers:  one, of the prelate leading the Vos Estis investigation of sex abuse charges; and the other of the prelate being investigated.  Immediately, one suspects a single PR source (and not for one second should anybody consider the possibility of true journalism in any way, shape or form in these articles);  and since the Brooklyn diocesan paper was first, I'd suspect it was from Brooklyn  ---  meaning some mouthpiece for the Godfather Bishop "Nicky Mars" DiMarzio..... 

"THE QUESTION BEGS ? !!! ?"  ---  Who is really running this investigation,  DiMarzio or Dolan ???  

After all,  isn't "Nicky Mars" DiMarzio the Pope's go-to guy for these kinds of problems in New York ?????

Cracks are showing in the PR facade built for Bishop DiMarzio

The charges of sex abuse involving a young boy in New Jersey are having a negative effect on Godfather Bishop Nicky Mars' ability to do his job as the Bishop of Brooklyn

Parental concerns conveyed to and by the school principal at St. Saviour's School in Park Slope were enough to cause DiMarzio to cancel a planned visit to that Catholic School  ---  while a national Catholic newspaper raised doubt about the appropriateness of the appointment of Cardinal Dolan to investigate DiMarzio,  as well as the continuation of DiMarzio's acting as Bishop of Brooklyn while under investigation

This week,  a single article in the New York Post blew up the well crafted fire wall around Bishop DiMarzio,  which pretty much stated that he had the full support of his diocese in his efforts to continue in his duties while being investigated by the Church and law enforcement with respect to recent charges about an old incident  (See  "Brooklyn Bishop DiMarzio cancels school visit amid sex abuse claim" by Sara Dorn, 1/25/2020,  NY Post/ Metro  [https://nypost.com/2020/01/25/brooklyn-bishop-dimarzio-cancels-school-visit-amid-sex-abuse-claim/]).  In addition, the Post reporter questioned the decision(s) which led to allowing DiMarzio to continue to function as the head of the Diocese of Brooklyn while under Papal and police scrutiny for the charges of sex abuse that had been lodged against him.  

The same Post article linked to an editorial in the national Catholic press which raised the issue of the possible appearance bias by Cardinal Dolan in his supervision of the investigation of his very close associate Bishop DiMarzio  (See also  " Editorial: Dolan investigating DiMarzio points up flaws of 'Vos Estis' "  by NCR Editorial Staff,  1/24/2020,  National Catholic Reporter/  Accountability/ Opinion  [https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/editorial-dolan-investigating-dimarzio-points-flaws-vos-estis]).
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This very late-breaking story.... Well, it appeared in October 2019..... It's new and fresh and challenging

Recently one of our regular readers sent me this link:
[http://www.star-revue.com/there-are-no-young-republicans-in-brooklyn-by-brett-yates/#sthash.imb4AY9M.XcF3x7e3.dpbs],  which keyed-in to an article in something called  "The Red Hook Review" by somebody named Brett Yates with this quite provocative title:  "THERE ARE NO YOUNG REPUBLICANS IN BROOKLYN"

AS A RESULT OF READING THIS ARTICLE, NOW I'M PREPARED TO ANSWER THIS AS YET UNASKED QUESTION:  "WHERE IS JONATHAN JUDGE ???"    [No, he is not in the New Jersey Meadowlands coaching the NY Football Giants.....]

Last night was Burns Night around the world  ---  and in among the verses of "To a Haggis,"  "To the Lads" and "To the Lassies," several hoistings of copiously filled quaichs of single malt,  and finally some recited or sung choruses of "Auld Lang Syne"   ---  well might have been somebody reciting "To A Louse, On Seeing One on a Lady's Bonnet at Church,"  which is a 1786 Scots language poem by Robert Burns whose final verse is always relevant to us all: 

"Oh, would some Power give us the gift
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!"
                                 [Mostly an attempt at an English translation of the original Scots]


That is the main reason why it is important to read Mr. Yates' article, cited above and below.  He was covering something called the BYRC’s #NextGenGOP Forum at the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce in Midtown Manhattan, which was held back in October. 

The piece starts off benignly enough with this:  "What do Alex P. Keaton, Carlton Banks, and Patrick Bateman all have in common? They’re all Young Republicans. All of them are also fictional....   In the real world, in 2019, conservatives below retirement age are sometimes harder to come by, especially in Brooklyn’s hipper enclaves. I live in gentrifying Bushwick, where everyone I meet is a 27-year-old tattooed graphic designer, and if any of them voted for Donald Trump, they sure aren’t saying so. That’s not to say they’re all socialist firebrands, but a certain cultural liberalism keeps them out of the hands of the GOP...."  (See "THERE ARE NO YOUNG REPUBLICANS IN BROOKLYN"   by Brett Yates, 10/24/19,  The Red Hook Star * Review/  Politics   [http://www.star-revue.com/there-are-no-young-republicans-in-brooklyn-by-brett-yates/#sthash.imb4AY9M.KdRSrx1I.dpbs]).

Here is the Bushwick author's main point  ---  ".... In short, [the GOP and its Young Republicans] must use new tactics of persuasion to sell its existing politics....   Apparently, Republican strategists’ lack of a comprehensive plan for the American inner city registers as a gaping hole most of all to the strategists themselves, who, at the #NextGenGOP Forum, worried that the party would be “relegated to the ash heap of history” as rural areas continue to lose population. They believe that Republican politicians won’t retool their approach until they’ve suffered a devastating loss on the national stage in 2020 or 2024."  

So, who is feeding Mr. Yates all that stuff on behalf of the so-called BYRC’s #NextGenGOP Forum ???   

Well, Brett Yates says it is none other than our old friend, Jonathan Judge,  who was called the "Moderator" of the event,  and described as a former BYRC president. 

A commenter asked, "Does anybody on this blog support GOP candidates?"

Well, let's see what the audience thinks.....

Have at it; comment as you will  ---  talk about us; talk about yourselves; talk about Nicole, Marko or Toonces the Driving Cat  ---  talk about Liam, "Q" or Capano;  talk about Vito Bruno or Vito Corleone, for all I care about it.....

I think it's just about over for the GOP in Brooklyn  ---  and Staten Island, following fast, ain't that far behind  ---  so, I am not that motivated anymore, but maybe that's just me.....

No turnabout likely in the Gounardes State Senate District --- And where is Ross Barkan now that we need him ?

Apart from a little chatter on behalf of a few unworthy prospective Republican "candidates" for the NYS Senate seat formerly held by Marty Golden, there has been no push to unseat first term Democrat State Senator Andrew Gounardes  ---  Compare that to a similar period in the 2018 election cycle and what the Democrats were doing to rev up their campaign to unseat State Senator Martin Golden

When it comes to the State Senate,  Brooklyn Republicans and Conservatives seem completely enervated when it comes to any attempt to succeed and flourish in the PMG (Post-Marty Golden) era                    

In fact, so far, the only real GOP-Conservative Party news that has come out with respect to any prospective candidate(s) in the 22nd State Senate District is that Marty Golden won't be in the mix for 2020  ---  And all of the names that have been mentioned as "in the mix" are more farcical than fanciful

If there are any Republicans out there interested in showing some life in the local elections in 2020,  I can suggest one possible state senate candidate that stands out above all the rest  ---  somebody like Andrew Gounardes, who had run in the district before and has some real street cred.....   That prospective candidate would be  >>> ROSS BARKAN <<<  

The Republicans and Conservatives have done it before  ---  both of the two prior Republican State Senators from the district(s) including Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights were former Democrats, as were some prior members of the assembly from the same area;  and they endorsed an unopposed Democrat State Senator in an adjoining district.....

Somebody like Barkan would be a chance for a new start for a Republican Party that has become no more than a badly infected appendix to the Brooklyn Conservatives.

If the Brooklyn GOP and the Conservatives don't attempt something as dynamic as that, whoever their candidate might be will struggle to even attain the status of  a respectable "also ran".....

Much Ado About..... Bishop DiMarzio --- the Pope tells "The Cardinal" to look into it

Another blip on the radar  ---  Cardinal Timothy Dolan has been put "in charge" of an investigation of Brooklyn's Godfather Bishop Nicholas "Nicky Mars" DiMarzio for the alleged sexual abuse of a child, together with another priest, that took place in a Jersey City parish in the 1970s in the Archdiocese of Newark  ---  other reports indicate that such "investigation" is to be conducted pursuant to Pope Francis' recently promulgated and implemented "Vos Estis" procedures

IT NEEDS TO BE NOTED THAT  >>>  today's NY Post report did contain this particular and very significant bit of news  ---  ".... 'Cardinal Dolan earlier notified the Holy See of the allegation that was raised concerning Bishop DiMarzio from his time as a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark,' the spokesman said in a statement...."  ---   that "spokesman" is Joseph Zwilling, of the Archdiocese of New York  

That raises this question,  IF IT DID HAPPEN AS ZWILLING SAID,  WHEN EXACTLY DID CARDINAL DOLAN NOTIFY THE HOLY SEE OF THE ALLEGATION AGAINST BISHOP DI MARZIO ???

According to a report in a sectarian Catholic journal,   "Cardinal Timothy Dolan is conducting an investigation into Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, following an allegation of sexual abuse. The investigation is being conducted under the provisions of  Vos estis lux mundi, the new law issued by Pope Francis last year on dealing with accusations against bishops....  In a statement released Jan. 18, Joseph Zwilling, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of New York, confirmed the investigation....  'As directed by Vos Estis, Cardinal Dolan earlier notified the Holy See of the allegation that was raised concerning Bishop DiMarzio from his time as a priest in the Archdiocese of Newark. On January 7, 2020, the Cardinal received instruction from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that he is to begin an investigation.'...”  (See "Cardinal Dolan conducting ‘Vos estis’ investigation into Brooklyn bishop"  from feed by CNA, 1/18/2020, The Catholic World Report   [https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/01/18/cardinal-dolan-conducting-vos-estis-investigation-into-brooklyn-bishop/]).

Among other matters, that article went on to state,  "....  The allegation was made shortly after DiMarzio himself concluded his own investigation into another bishop on behalf of the Vatican....  A spokesman for Cardinal Dolan said that the cardinal would be using experts to assist him in his task but did not give a timeline for the enquiry into DiMarzio....  'As is our practice, the Cardinal will rely on outside professional forensic investigators to assist him in this matter,' he said....  'The archdiocese will have no further comment on the matter while the investigation is undertaken.'..." 

More about this in due course, as developments warrant.....

"Cisco and Pancho"* need to play "King of the Hill"**

In 2017,  Liam McCabe did the right thing.....   Well, at least once.....   When John Quaglione tried to sweep in and take the Republican nomination for City Council as his by "Divine Right"  ---  Liam stuck to his guns and took JQ all the way to a primary,  and a very bitter one at that.....  Bottom line, Quags is still wandering in the desert,  and Liam is edging closer and closer to the promised land

If the coalition makes sense for their main supporters, Liam and Marko Kepi need to hookup, petition jointly, and tell the rest of the Brooklyn GOP to get on board or get the hell out of the way

These guys need to climb into the octagon and let everybody else know that they are the Brooklyn GOP tag team to beat.

Certainly, Marko needs something else in the bigger, Staten Island side of his assembly district;  and needless to say, the 64th AD is only a sliver of the 22nd Senate District.  Nonetheless, setting up a bastion in the Brooklyn part of the 64th would be a solid "High Castle" move for both Liam and Marko.

The best part of all of it, is that it neuters Nicole,  making any big pitch for Toonses the Driving Cat by the congressional hopeful very near to a poison pill for her chances in November.

___________________

* Since Marko has been so solicitous to the Mexican element of late,  "Cisco & Pancho" might be a more appropriate name for the Liam-Marko tag team than, something more Gringo, like "Butch & Sundance".....
___________________

** The game,  not the decade-long animated series on Fox.....

Republican Joe Caldarera is still running against Nicole Malliotakis, but the Brooklyn GOP, the GOP string pullers in Washington and the local media would prefer that you didn't know.....

Why do you think that is ?

One of Donald Trump's biggest fights is against the denizens of "The Swamp"  ---  mostly located in Washington, D.C., but with outriders among New York's media and financial elites,  the Hollywood crowd, and all through colleges and universities across the country

Does anybody believe for a second that Nicole Malliotakis will be there to help Donald Trump drain that "Swamp" any more than Max Rose has ???

Nicole needs to be tested on that and other issues in a full GOP Primary by somebody just like Joe Caldarera  ---  and nobody is more like Joe Caldarera than Joseph M. Caldarera himself

In spite of an apparent recent conversion to Trump's side,  Nicole Malliotakis is not a reliable supporter of the Republican President of the United States,  Donald Trump.

Unlike the faceless and soulless GOP Executive Committee crowd that recently "endorsed" Nicole on behalf of nobody but themselves, many in the Republican Party in Brooklyn and Staten Island believe that Nicole needs to be tested and probed more deeply on a host of matters.  Nicole needs a Republican opponent and a Republican Primary in 2020 to test her bona fides and her loyalty.

Joseph M. Caldarera, a conservative Republican candidate for congress in NY's 11th C.D.,  is somebody ready, willing and able to confront Nicole, and ask the important questions of any candidate who wants to run as the Republican standard bearer for congress against Max Rose.  Also, as a candidate himself, he appears willing to answer those very same questions honestly and in a straight forward manner.

"Marty Golden's gone, Danny Donovan's gone, the 2019 Holidays are gone --- AND --- The Party's Over...."

[Cue Nat King Cole.  No! make that "Sammy"]  

The party's over

It's time to call it a day

They've burst your pretty balloon

And taken the moon away

It's time to wind up the masquerade

Just make your mind up the piper must be paid 

....  The party's over

It's all over my friend....  It's all over my friend

                             --- Styne, Comden & Green

There has been a lot of happy horseshit that's been peddled by the Jerry Kassar, Fran Vella-Marrone, Marty Golden, Ted Ghorra cabal throughout 2019;  and I don't expect any changes in 2020. 

The spin and coverage coming out of last month's Brooklyn GOP "Holiday Party" is a perfect example.  For some reason, John Alexander of the "Brooklyn Reporter" has just gotten around to reporting about it lately  ---  and still daring to call it "News" (See  "Brooklyn GOP host festive holiday party"  by John Alexander, 1/3/20,  The Brooklyn Reporter/ Dyker Heights/News   [https://brooklynreporter.com/2020/01/brooklyn-gop-host-festive-holiday-party/]).

First, look at the headline for the article;  then look at the first picture in the feature.....  Can anybody alive in the Brooklyn GOP tell me if they see a problem ???

Here's how John Alexander kicked off his narrative:  "The Brooklyn GOP and its Chairperson Ted Ghorra hosted a packed holiday party at Dyker Beach Golf Club on Tuesday, Dec. 17 with almost every prominent member of the party in attendance {Hmmmm !!!  Is that so ???]. It was as much a warm gathering of old friends as it was a rallying cry to regain some of the offices the party lost in 2018...."  And then, a little further on, there was this:  "....The theme of the evening was keeping President Trump in office and rebuilding the party’s standing within the district. The event brought out party leaders including Malliotakis; Staten Island GOP Chair Brendan Lantry and Vito Bruno, president of the Edmund G. Seergy Republican Club; as well as New York State Conservative Party Chair Jerry Kassar and Brooklyn Conservative Party Chair Fran Vella-Marrone....  'The Brooklyn Republican Party is very pleased to host its holiday party and to share time with our many, diverse and wonderful friends,'  [Brooklyn GOP Chairman Ted] Ghorra told this paper. 'The party is energized and excited for the year ahead, as demonstrated by the packed house. We wish all of our friends and neighbors blessed holidays and a healthy and happy new year,'  added Ghorra...."

Read the whole article by Mr. Alexander;  and then tell me how there is any hope that things might turn around for the Brooklyn GOP in 2020.

The song above,  "The Party's Over" is very sad and quite melancholy.  However, compared to the evocation of pathos and even bathos at the 2019 Brooklyn GOP Holiday Party, it almost sounds like "Happy Days Are Here Again"  or "Strike Up the Band" by comparison.

Vito Bruno is unfit to run for any public office --- as a Republican Candidate or anything else --- unless.....

If anybody thinks that Vito Bruno is the answer to any question related to a  >>> future <<<  for the Republican Party in Brooklyn, they just aren't asking the right question(s)

Nothing proves that Vito Bruno is unfit for any leadership or avatar position atop or even inside the Brooklyn GOP more than this quote in a recent KCP article by Stephen Witt:  "....  [Vito Bruno said that he] will wait to see what Quaglione will do because [Bruno] believes it’s [Quaglione's] turn to run...."

Mr. Bruno also obviously has too many real scary skeletons locked-up in his closet that he knows will not stay locked-up if he is held up to the kind of public scrutiny to which candidates in contested political races are held nowadays

One does not need an Ovaltine "Little Orphan Annie" or "Captain Midnight" decoder ring to understand what Vito Bruno is talking about when he said this:  "....  What’s holding back lot of great and talented people from running is they don’t want to deal with all the negative politics going around. The political climate needs to change. They have to stop opposition research and negative campaigning. There are competent people that own successful businesses that are not running. None of us are saints in life. We’re not running for Pope, we’re running for public office....”  (Let's let the vagueness of the "Pope" part of Vito Bruno's remarks go for now  ---  how good or bad recent people that have become Pope have been earlier in their lives is not the subject of this post).

Suffice it to say that this nugget  ---  "....  Bruno, 63, [is] a businessman in the entertainment industry...."  ---  covers a multitude of sins  ---  sort of like "Victor-Victoria" meets "Saturday Night Fever,"  "TGIF" and  Whit Stillman's "Last Days of Disco."

Vito B. should stick to buying and selling flooring and other things that meant something in the 1970s.  After all, this AM-PM promoter's motto once was,  "Long live the club world!";  and one who sees the days of "Outlaw.[and] Rave Parties" as "great times" and very much missed.

Besides, how can anybody that needs to let John Quaglione decide what either or both of them will do lead anybody to anything.

Then again,  if Vito Bruno wants to try to raise up a libertarian-style Republican Phoenix out of the ashes of current NYS Republicanism, then that might be something worth looking at seriously as an H.G. Wells-type  "Things to Come"  (or as I prefer to see it, another Raymond Massey classic).