The Winners & Losers
of the Albany Coup;
Shooting Up Times Square?

SILVER TARNISHED? Since our piece last week revealing the then impending, now defeated coup by upstate Assemblyman Mike Bragman with the backing of Queens Dem Chief Tom Manton, the inside political game has been to assess who really won and who really lost.

Allow us to play for a few moments.

Silver, Manton and a who’s who lineup of NYS Dems went to Albany to coronate Hillary Clinton as their Senate candidate and first lady of the party. They came back with Hillary duly crowned, Carl McCall popularly applauded prince-in-waiting and Speaker Sheldon Silver under attack.

By now, you know that the attack has been countered; Silver survived and has made peace with each of the NYC Assembly delegations including Queens, whose county leader was one of the coup architects. Assemblyman Clarence Norman, Brooklyn’s County Leader, is, we hear, to be interim Majority Leader to temporarily replace Syracuse’s Mike Bragman whom Silver ousted in retribution for the coup attempt. Silver, will look for a non-NYC Assemblymember who he can trust to serve as his permanent Majority Leader. Look for the Bronx Dem Leader Assemblyman Roberto Ramirez to be rewarded by Silver with a lucrative perk and/or perhaps a deal where Silver will be backing his mentor, Fernando Ferrer, in his bid for mayor. Silver, you can be certain, got to Ramirez with a real attractive offer. Manhattan Dem Leader Assemblyman Denny Farrell will also not be hurt by sticking by Silver.

Who really won?

Hillary — the big winner — has a united party, which will likely remain united, until at least election.

Al Gore also gains by having a united Democratic Party in NY.

The initial take is that Silver is the other really big winner and Queens’ Manton, perhaps the loser.

We think not.

Silver remains Speaker. But Bragman, now clearly out of power, still has a large block of upstate Assemblymembers ready to stand up and oppose the Speaker’s authoritarian and vindictive ways, weakening Silver’s heretofore-unchallenged unilateral rule. Silver reached out to Manton to make peace and in so doing gave up on his support of insurgent Walter McCaffrey’s challenge of Manton protégé Congressman Joe Crowley. (We wouldn’t be surprised if Manton pulls insurgent candidate Patrick O’Malley from the race to challenge Silver-backed Assemblywomen Cathy Nolan as part of the deal).

Manton went up to Albany to support Hillary and came home with the Speaker support for Crowley — not a bad loss.

Furthermore, although the truce will likely hold, as we said, until Election Day, insiders are already looking at Silver’s likely successor (other than Bragman who may be injured beyond repair). That change could come by popular will of the members as soon as January next.

A victory for Silver? Yup; but does it have legs?

CYBER POLITICS: As the self-proclaimed online political conscience of Queens, we try to monitor how government and politicians use e-mail and the web.

It took just a day, until Friday last, for Shelly Silver to beat back Mike Bragman and oust him as Speaker.

However, as we write this almost a week post coup attempt, the Assembly website (above) still lists Mike Bragman as Majority Leader.

We’ll bet that his name is off his office door, the keys changed and the Speaker is having everything in Albany that suggests Mike Bragman has power decommissioned.

Somehow, they never remember the official website. Soon, the guys who make the laws will have to realize that the web is the quickest way to reach the people – second most effective (to community newspapers, of course).

GUNS: So this was the one-year anniversary of the tragic Columbine massacre — perhaps the mother of senseless shootings at school.

Thoughts of Columbine and tragedy and the sorrowful out-of-control gun situation that exists in our country creep into our consciousness every time we hear the words guns, kids and schools spoken together. Children – our children – are dying at the hands of guns in the hands of our children. They are also dying at the hands of guns in the hands of criminals.

Our children, our brothers, our sisters, our mothers and fathers — all of us — are at danger from the guns in our homes, in our streets, in our society.

Like the moms who marched in Washington and across the nation on Mother’s Day, I blame the guns. They should all be equipped with locks, registered, and their users licensed.

Yeah I know, "Guns don’t kill people, people kill people." Boshwabble! Guns kill people. They did at Columbine; they will again; they do every single day.

This weekend, the New York Times reported that the National Rifle Association is planning to open a restaurant and arcade in Times Square.

The NRA is a lobbying group. They collect oodles of money from gun-worshiping citizens and then spend it promoting the "sport" and lobbying or convincing the government not to regulate their precious freedom. They are within their rights.

Citizens have a right to "bear arms" — the Constitution says so. We have lots of rights; they are all precious to us and are the foundation of our freedoms.

Free speech and a free press are limited by libel laws, as they should be. The cliché, "you can’t shout fire in a crowded theater" is an old form of limiting free speech, our most precious freedom.

We’re not trying to take their guns away. The moms who marched want to register guns and license gun owners. They want trigger locks.

The NRA responds with a restaurant and arcade promoting firearms to children. Isn’t that who arcades and theme restaurants appeal to? And they respond with Charlton Heston and his cold, dead hands speech. We should not be surprised that these guys don’t fight fair.

Limit their freedoms, perhaps — if that is what registration and safety is considered. Deny their freedom? No!

However, when the gun-toting NRA wants to open up shop in Times Square, that’s another thing. Freedom or not, we can finally find a need for the former not-so-kind, not-so-gentle Rudy Giuliani. Although, they may have a right, so do the people! The City should check permits and codes, regulate and inspect, harangue and harass their gun toting asses back to Montana or wherever people of violence come from.

Not in our City.

Not with our children.

CONGRATS! Bronx Assemblyman Jeff Klein and Laura Hevesi, daughter of Comptroller Alan and wife Carol, are about to announce their engagement.

THERMOS: Kimon Thermos, has announced his third try to unseat longtime Astoria Assembly-member Denis Butler. Thermos was a candidate against Butler for the 36th Assembly District in 1996 and 1998. Both races were extremely close with Thermos falling just a percentage point behind the incumbent in ’98.

This year we hear that operatives from the Mark Green organization are involved in guiding Thermos. Green, concluding that he has no friends in the Queens Dem organization has started early lining up with candidates certain to challenge Dem County. Sheldon Leffler appears to be Green’s Beep guy and now Thermos for Assembly. Look for a hot one this year. The Primary is Tuesday, September 12.

The newest Democrat in Queens County. Meaghan McLaughlin, the smiling daughter of Assemblyman Brian and wife Eva.

WEISENHOOHAH: Jeff Weisenfeld, longtime assistant to the Governor and occasional almost Queens candidate has tendered his resignation to the Guv effective in June. He will be joining the international investment banking firm of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Jeff will still keep his public policy posts with the governor as a Trustee of CUNY, member of the United Nations Development Corp and the Long Island North Shore Commission. Those who worked with or encountered Weisenfeld know he pulls no punches. His lack of political adroitness alienated many. However his hard work and forthright approach helped many. We wish Jeff well!

 

E-MAIL: In response to our column about our new publication the PRESS and my son Lee, the college newspaper editor, we received the following e-mail:

 

* From former Queens journalist and P.R. man Doug Gladstone: Forget about your nice, flowery sentiments about Mother’s Day.... the stuff you wrote about your son, Lee, and his venture into the fourth estate was a great Father’s Day preview! Keep up the good work.

 

* Congrats on the new Press and Lee the editor. Great photo. –Barbara Nadel

Barbara Nadel of Forest Hills, an occasional contributor to these pages, was just elected National Vice President of the American Institute of Architects. Congrats to her.

 

JUSTICE: Taking his seat in his chambers, the judge faced the opposing lawyers.
"So," he said, "I have been presented, by both of you, with a bribe."
Both lawyers squirmed uncomfortably. "You, attorney Leon, gave me $15,000.
And you, attorney Campos, gave me $10,000."
The judge reached into his pocket and pulled out a check. He handed it to Leon.
"Now then, I’m returning $5,000, and we’re going to decide this case solely on its merits!"

Picture of the Week

"Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" The words above were originally popularized by Waylon Jennings. The City Council Citation is in the hand of Councilman Alfonso Stabile as he presents it to the Federation of Black Cowboys for their dedication and commitment to entertain and inform local youth about life in the wild west. The Cowboys operate out of the stables in Lindenwood, Howard Beach. No report on whether Al went riding.

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Michael Schenkler can be reached at: MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com

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