Tuesday, 27 July 2010 00:00
Nathan Burney
Over the weekend, the NYT printed an article calling the Supreme Court under C.J. Roberts the "most conservative in decades." "The court not only moved to the right," the article said, "but also became the most conservative one in living memory, based on an analysis of four sets of political science data."
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 July 2010 15:30 )
Tuesday, 27 July 2010 00:00
Stuart W. Mirsky
Writing in the Juniper Park Civic Association monthly magazine this past September, Association president Robert F Holden offers an eerily familiar description of our Congressman, Brooklyn-based Anthony Weiner. A former aide to one-time Congressman Chuck Schumer, Weiner succeeded to the seat vacated by Schumer when Schumer went on to claim a United States Senate seat. It's a common practice in this town, where political competition is hard to come by, for staffers to inherit the mantles of their bosses when the bosses move on. Just ask Assemblywoman (23rd AD) Audrey Pheffer. She took over for her old boss back in 1987 when former Assemblywoman Gertie Liphschutz, rocked by a local scandal, had to step down unceremoniously. As with Weiner, Pheffer stepped up and grabbed the boss' chair and has had an easy time of it ever since. New Yorkers, even those in Rockaway, tend to vote the Democratic line out of long, atavistic habit and people like Weiner and Pheffer benefit. Pheffer's been in her seat for so long that few under the age of fifty can remember anyone else.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 July 2010 15:33 )
Friday, 23 July 2010 00:00
Quickjustice
By attacking Charles Rangel, the heavyweights in the New York Democratic Party are playing a subtler political game here than the headlines suggest. Charles Rangel was elected with the support of GOP New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller in a primary contest with the corrupt and legendary Democratic Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., who himself succumbed to ethics charges.
It's useful to remember that the original ethics charges against Rangel were brought by the New York Times, a pillar of the N.Y. liberal establishment. The motive for the Democratic Party attack on Rangel was not moral fervor, but the desire of Democrat Adam Clayton Powell IV to replace Rangel in the seat formerly held by Powell's grandfather. Rangel is 80 years old, and his time is short, regardless of the outcome of the ethics investigation. Congressional Democrats investigating other Democrats? It would never happen, except that a ambitious young Democrat with powerful friends wants to replace Rangel. This is not about ethics, but about succession, New York style. Few people remember that Harlem Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel originally was elected with the support of GOP N.Y. Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Why? From Wikipedia:
Last Updated ( Saturday, 24 July 2010 11:58 )
Friday, 23 July 2010 10:44
LoyalGOPer
The race in NY-1 keeps getting stranger and more interesting. Now, in the midst of a heated Republican primary, the NY Democratic Party has launched a campaign to "out" Randy Altschuler as a job outsourcer, as some here at UE have already commented about. They call into question Altschuler's claims to have created American jobs, and have created a commercial to explain their position. Here is the Dems commercial. The accompanying press release is below.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010 12:44
Herb London
 If there was one overarching goal of the Marxist project, it was refashioning human nature. Whether religion or politics, the Marxists argued that an obsession with God and a belief in national identity had to be challenged and defeated. An ideology based on the common man ultimately had little confidence in his beliefs. Marxists maintained they were endowed with an understanding others didnt possess. While Marxism is dead; this distaste for the opinion of the common man persists. Instead of Marxism, it now takes the form of expert opinion or what I would call the fraternity of experts who are eager to regulate human behavior. These are the new progressives, many of them former Marxists and many who believe that American patriotism should be subordinated to transnational loyalty. Some call these people liberal internationalists who rely on U.N. prerogatives and other international bodies for guidance. On the home front this fraternity of experts has answers for everything that ails us. If health care is a problem, the experts contend a government engineered system must be put in place, rather than rely on the aggregate intentions of the marketplace.
Last Updated ( Friday, 23 July 2010 10:43 )
Tuesday, 20 July 2010 11:01
Robert Hornak
 Lifelong Independence Party member and Party leader Frank Morano, who is also the producer of the Curtis Sliwa radio show on 970AM, has officially resigned from the IP's State Executive Committee and from the Party itself. The final straw he cites is the Party backing incumbent Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer over reform-minded GOP challenger Nicole Malliotakis in Staten Island's 60th district. Hyer-Spencer is widely seen as a proxy for Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has thwarted every effort to reform the State Assembly in spite of it being ranked the most dysfunctional legislative body in America. I have personally known Frank for a number of years. He a very bright, committed and passionate person who truly believes in the tenets that the Independence Party was founded on. I can attest that his dissatisfaction with the IP and its leadership has been building for some time. The endorsement of Hyer-Spencer is part of a pattern in recent years where certain power brokers have dictated endorsements to the Party's Executive Committee. This year it has been Silver dictating to MacKay on many key Assembly endorsements, like in the 60th as well as in Queens 26th district, where GOP hopeful Vince Tabone was passed over in an open seat race (where he appears to be the favorite) for a Silver staffer, Ed Braunstein, whose father is also a powerful Albany lobbyist. Where ever Frank Mornao winds up in politics, he will surely make his presence known. I wish him well, expect great things from him in the future, and extend an invitation to join with the reform wing of the NY GOP. We can use his passion and idealism to really shake things up in NY. His full letter is after the break. Statement from Frank Morano, a longtime member of the Independence Party's State Committee and State Executive Committee:
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 July 2010 11:23 )
Friday, 16 July 2010 17:27
Jay Golub
Although I will not go into the details on the subject, as it would just continue the discussion of the story, I will say that deciding what to "allow" be posted and what not to is a difficult question at times and, as editor of UE, I try to allow an open forum with as little censorship of views as possible. In the few hours this post was up, it is clear that this certain post needed to be removed and I want to express my apologies to all those affected by it. Urban Elephants always welcomes the views, complaints, concerns and praise - if anyone ever deems it is warranted :( - of its readers and if there is ever something on this site that you believe crosses that line please reach out to us. If anyone needs to contact me personally, there are many ways to do so on-line, via phone or through the Urban Elephants website. The mission of this blog has always been to discuss political matters that affect Urban America - NYC in particular. Inside baseball, outside baseball, national politics, local elections, party matters and even local scandals are fair game - on most occasions. It is also the goal of this blog for us to have a laugh and be entertained. I appreciate the comments made by many on the site as well as to me directly today. I'd like to think we can self-police these matters and I try to allow that to be the case on a day-to-day basis. If I wasn't in a post-petitioning daze, I'd probably have been able to correct it faster than just a few hours. Let's try to keep it above-board, everyone. It makes for the best forum for discussion...
Last Updated ( Saturday, 17 July 2010 06:08 )
Tuesday, 13 July 2010 00:00
Quickjustice
From http://blog.heritage.org/2010/07/12/morning-bell-oil-spill-response-is-stuck-on-stupid/ The first thing we actually heard from every single Louisianan we spoke with had nothing to do with the capping or cleanup of the oil — it was the devastating impact of the Obama drilling moratorium. Legally, the moratorium has been struck down in two major court decisions, yet the administration continues on, trying to reshape it to survive future hearings, and creating the necessary uncertainty for a de facto moratorium to exist anyway. As Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA) said: “We have very serious concerns that the Department of Interior is going to announce a second moratorium. As members of the court pointed out today during the hearing, despite the injunction against the original moratorium, we currently have a de facto moratorium because of uncertainty from the Department of Interior.”...
Last Updated ( Friday, 16 July 2010 18:06 )
Monday, 12 July 2010 18:51
LoyalGOPer
The fight amongst Conservatives in NY-1 is increasing, as the head of the Conservative Society for Action is now circulating a letter attacking candidate Randy Altschuler and the head of the Suffolk Conservative Party, Ed Walsh. This battle could destroy Altschuler's campaign, as CSA is one of the most active Tea Party organizations on Long Island. The letter from CSA is here: Steve Flanagan, CSA: Time to Take out Randy Altschuler and Put Chairman Walsh on Notice! Time to Take out Randy Altschuler and Put Chairman Walsh on Notice!
Suffolk Conservative Chairman Ed Walsh should have resigned the first time we asked him because his judgment and arrogance keeps getting worse. It was bad enough he selected RINO Randy Atlschuler as the Conservative Party nominee to run in the first Congressional district. Now he wants one of Randy’s opponents (Chris Cox) to drop out because he has the nerve to exercise his right to run for public office. Chairman Walsh thinks the fight for the Conservative nomination is over. But he’s WRONG!
NY State election law says a non-conservative candidate can petition for the right to primary if 5% of registered Conservatives sign petitions making that request. We have printed those petitions and we are ready to ask members of the conservative party in Suffolk County to let the people decide!
WE NEED YOUR HELP, especially if you are a registered Conservative.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 July 2010 09:19 )
Monday, 12 July 2010 00:00
GOPNYC
 Say what you like about the current occupant of the White House as a person, he is the President of the United States.
A president is Chief of State -- "American Royalty" -- , in a sense, as well as head of government for the time he holds the office. After that, he "gets promoted", as Truman said; he becomes a mere citizen; he becomes, again, one of us. But while in office -- and especially overseas -- the president represents the hopes and aspirations of our country and our countrymen. He is our nation's face to the world. He is the embodiment of America, which is why brave Secret Service agents will willingly give up their lives to save the president's. But THIS president seems to have little -- if any --respect for the office he holds or regard for his conduct as president...
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 July 2010 09:16 )
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