Alrighty, I'm back
Well, unfortunately, the primary campaign I worked for ended in defeat. Therefore, normal blogging can resume; and I would add that defeat notwithstanding, it was really quite the experience.
New York's Eleventh District was created under the influence of the Voting Rights Act, which (to simplify considerably) guarantees the right to vote to historically disenfranchised minorities in certain jurisdictions throughout the United States, primarily in the Old Confederacy, but also in three counties of New York State: New York, Kings and The Bronx. To comply with the Act, New York's legislature carved out three districts that have a majority-minority polulation: the Tenth, Eleventh and Fifteenth districts respectively. The Tenth, in Brooklyn, is currently represented by Ed Towns, the Fifteenth, in Harlem, by Charlie Rangel.
The reason this race was different was that a white Member of the City Council, one David Yassky, moved into the district with a war chest of a million dollars. I've always taken a rather dim view of the councilman, and in this case, was aghast at his run. What happened was this: Yassky cleverly manipulated the racial tensions that exist in this district - 28% white, 61% black, partly stunningly rich, mainly devastatingly poor - to solidify white (and especially Jewish) support behind his candidacy.
Long story short, Yassky lost, and most amusingly, some people are blaming me for that; this because I have been a very public and vehement critic of his utterly cynical campaign. All amusement aside, however, this campaign revealed a depth of racism in that district I find stunning; Yassky, endorsed inter alia by the Times (!), simply declared that he was more competent than any black person could be. The problem was that many (white) people believed it; needless to say, the reaction in the black community was one of snarling fury. There were fist-fights, I hear, the night before the election, between Yassky supporters and those of other candidates. The bitterness left over from this primary is appalling; lifelong neighbors and friends are literally spitting at one another in the streets.
In any event, it's over. Now to deal with some republicans. Yum.
New York's Eleventh District was created under the influence of the Voting Rights Act, which (to simplify considerably) guarantees the right to vote to historically disenfranchised minorities in certain jurisdictions throughout the United States, primarily in the Old Confederacy, but also in three counties of New York State: New York, Kings and The Bronx. To comply with the Act, New York's legislature carved out three districts that have a majority-minority polulation: the Tenth, Eleventh and Fifteenth districts respectively. The Tenth, in Brooklyn, is currently represented by Ed Towns, the Fifteenth, in Harlem, by Charlie Rangel.
The reason this race was different was that a white Member of the City Council, one David Yassky, moved into the district with a war chest of a million dollars. I've always taken a rather dim view of the councilman, and in this case, was aghast at his run. What happened was this: Yassky cleverly manipulated the racial tensions that exist in this district - 28% white, 61% black, partly stunningly rich, mainly devastatingly poor - to solidify white (and especially Jewish) support behind his candidacy.
Long story short, Yassky lost, and most amusingly, some people are blaming me for that; this because I have been a very public and vehement critic of his utterly cynical campaign. All amusement aside, however, this campaign revealed a depth of racism in that district I find stunning; Yassky, endorsed inter alia by the Times (!), simply declared that he was more competent than any black person could be. The problem was that many (white) people believed it; needless to say, the reaction in the black community was one of snarling fury. There were fist-fights, I hear, the night before the election, between Yassky supporters and those of other candidates. The bitterness left over from this primary is appalling; lifelong neighbors and friends are literally spitting at one another in the streets.
In any event, it's over. Now to deal with some republicans. Yum.
posted by Michael at 7:21 PM
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