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May 05, 2006
Winners; Yassky and None of the Above
Last night, Brooklyn's Independent Neighborhood Democrats endorsed David Yassky for congress in the 11th congressional district, and decided not to endorse incumbent Ed Towns or any of his challengers in the 10th (even though there was this passionate plea from the head of Develop Don't Destroy, Dan Goldstein: "I'm Jewish, I'm white and I love Charles Barron.").
The club's ability to carry petitions for challengers in a crowded race is crucial. So are the bragging rights of having "grass-roots support." And that is especially true for Yassky, the best financed and only white candidate running in a majority-minority district.
But a club-packing scandal threatened the whole process, and the date of the endorsement was moved back.
Did it help? One woman woman in the back of the standing-room only crowd said she not only got some elbow room but an actual seat only after Yassky and his entourage stepped outside.
In speaking to the club, Yassky asked people to think of who'd they trust to lead the district for the next generation. Chris Owens, son of the retiring incumbent, said Democrats lost their way nationally, and his election will help the party find its consciousness. Yvette Clarke showed up too late to speak (but did have a nice chat with me and AG candidate Sean Patrick Maloney on the sidewalk).
Barron's own pitch seemed to win over the crowd:
"I'm not going to sit here and not talk black cause all of you are white. I want to let you know, you elect me and I'm going to take care of black people cause we have been in trouble, but I will take care of your interests too."
The votes are after the jump.
On the second ballot, the club vote for the 11th was:
45-Yassky
22-Chris Owens
13-Yvette Clarke
(Assemblyman Nick Perry got 0 votes, and it's unclear how many State Senator Carl Andrews got. Neither attended nor sent representatives and were dropped after on the first ballot.)
On the second round of balloting for the 10th, IND voted:
33-no endorsement
19-Barron
17-Towns
Towns, the incumbent who voted for the Central-American Free Trade Agreement and a Republican-supported bankruptcy bill, was dropped from the club's choices.
The next round of voting went:
31-no endorsement
8-Barron
1-abstain
Barron's progressive rhetoric apparently didn't match his actions. Gay activists, along with Towns supporters, stumped for the no-endorsement vote.
Posted by Azi Paybarah at May 5, 2006 08:42 AM
Comments
What Azi seems to have left out of his first paragraph is that Mr. Goldstein was responding to a outburst by a member who screamed of his outrage claiming that Charles Barron was a racist and anti semite among other things. Mr. Goldstein was responding, he was not simply stating his religion for the fun of it.
The rest of the IND endorsement votes were like a kindergarten playground at best. They endorsed a status quo schlub who came with a canned speech and a smirk, telling folks to vote from their heart and refused to acknowledge the passion and actual speaking from the heart that someone like Chris Owens can bring to a room. Yassky will be eaten alive by Washington. This is not a progressive group by any stretch. Fresh ideas, and real passion are lost on this bunch. It's business as usual at the ole IND.
Posted by: Not Mr. Goldstein at May 6, 2006 01:06 AM
