Updates

It is not simply a matter of big money in politics. There is big money in all of American life. The more pervasive problem is that we now have self-interested political institutions — the parties — that are considered “too big to fail.” Are we supposed to protect them and their refusal to share power with the people at all costs?

Gotbaum Urges Halt to Charter Revision Drive
August 1, 2002

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and a group of elected officials, labor leaders and government watchdogs called on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg yesterday to stop his attempt to revise the City Charter this year. Mr. Bloomberg has appointed a commission to...

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A Short History of Racialist Politics
March 20, 2002

Eight years ago there was a Black candidate in the Democratic Party primary for Governor who ran against someone named Cuomo. The Cuomo in question was Mario Cuomo, then the three-term sitting governor. The Black candidate who challenged him in the Democratic primary was me.

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Plato, Platitudes and Power
March 12, 2002

Last week Governor George Pataki attended the annual Black and Hispanic Caucus dinner, causing something of an uproar in Democratic Party circles. Predictably, he was criticized for showing up on the grounds he hadn't come to the Caucus

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There’s No Such Thing as a Black Vote
November 20, 2001

The pages of Big Apple newspapers have been filled with spin on the results of the mayoral race. For the first few days, the story (made up by pundits who have nothing much else to do) was that the Giuliani vote put Mike Bloomberg over the top.

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