As publisher of
The Daily Gotham and
culturekitchen, and a member of the DailyKos community, I think it's necessary for me to state my position on this hotly contested race.
I have come to realize that, if I were an uninformed progressive or feminist voter, my eyes would linger on another name on the voting machine : Yvette Clarke ... But, if I lived in Park Slope and the elections were today, there is no question about it : My vote would go to Chris Owens.
The short and sweet version : I think this race is only between Chris Owens and Yvette Clarke. Which is why I am going to personally contribute to both races and I would like you to consider doing the same.
The Daily Gotham's has been noticed by major media and the New York political machine for one thing alone : David Michaelson and Michael Bouldin's coverage of the Brooklyn CD-11 primary race. The impact David and Michael have had on the visibility of this race ought not to be taken lightly.
Now, mind you. David and Michael are two white guys. They ought to be commended for raising the flag over this district's potential loss of a black voice in Congress. How many white people have you seen doing that recently in New York politics? Exactly.
The New York Times has had several articles that are almost completely lifted off the work published here by both of them. At The Daily News, Al Sharpton published an editorial that said, yes indeed the race was about race. And all over the web people have been sumbling directly on our site or linking to their articles when trying to make heads and tails of this guy named Yassky. The buzz and momentum this race has gained is unprecedented and I would like to attribute most of it to the work that David and Michael have been doing.
Which is to say their work is not my work nor the work of The Daily Gotham.
I like to think I have created an open space they have successfully capitalized on to broadcast their interests and passions. If there are Clarke supporters or Yassky supporters or any other candidate supporters who wish they had the same amount of visibility, well, all I have to say is "Get off your asses and get on the blog". If you are not here doing what David and Michael are doing so well, it's your problem, not theirs.
I have been a writer all my life but a publisher for about 4 years. As a very tendencious and outspoken social libertarian feminist, I have made my mark in the blogosphere to the point of being the only Puerto Rican black woman in the top 100 of the progressive blogosphere.
Which is why this race pains me to no end.
I am going on record as saying that David Yassky is a divise, opportunistic, republican-lite Democrat that ought to be ashamed for cleaving a majority colored district (African American, Puerto Rican and Caribbean blacks) for his political gain. I am so furious by this .... this .... URGH! This is why I let Michael and David do the writing because I have no nice words for this republicrat.
That would leave me with Carl Andrews, Yvette Clarke, Chris Owens.
The elimination of Carl Andrews is easy : A black man who won't talk about a woman's right to choose and the need for better access to reproductive services in our black and latino communties is a man I won't give him the time of day.
Women carry most of the votes in the black and latino communities. Don't forget that. You won't recognize my right to choose how to live my life, I won't recognize you as a worthy candidate. It's that simple. And by the way, I have only met Carl Andrews once. Unfortunately, nobody from the campaign has stepped up to the challenge to prick up our ears.
Note to campaign managers : It's time you start calling on bloggers as you do with major local media.
It's a note the Clarke campaign should triple fax to everyone involved. If nobody from the Clarke campaign has stepped up to the challenge of writign on her behalf here at our blog, it's again, a waste of their time not mine. I am not going away for a loooong time, and this here networking and broadcasting platform can only get bigger. Carpe Diem people, carpe diem.
That said, I like her resume. I like what she has to say on her communications BUT because I have never met her nor been exposed to her campaign, I can't comment further than that. And this is a problem people. Maybe Yvette will pick up a few votes just because she is a woman --and hey, a black woman in Congress is a sweet thing. But again, if I am involved in politics in a daily basis and have nothing to say about her, can you imagine what it is for the voter who barely time to pick a newspaper and get acquainted with the names and faces that appear in the MSLM (mainstream local media).
Which is why, again, it's so important for all candidates to get off their asses and get to the communities blogs like The Daily Gotham, Room Eight, On NY Turf, hey even frigging Urban Elephants --just to have an exposure to your republican constituency. This is not only advisable, it is a must.
Which takes me to Chris Owens.
Chris and I have had a lot of tangential entaglements through our lives even though we met about a year ago at a friends party.
I happen to have studied acting with his brother Jeffrey; one of the funniest actors and best Shakespearean scholars I have had the pleasure to work with. His father, Major Owens, was part of the Civil Rights coalition of black, latino and jewish progressives here in the city that emerged in the late 50's and 60's. My parents were part of that coalition and that's how I came to be. Still, they did not follow the politicians life and went back to being private citizens after my brother was born.
It was my mother's second and present husband, Gilberto Gerena Valentin, who has had a long history of alliances and battles with Major Owens. Let's just say he was ... ahem ... cautious when talking about Major. Heh. Ahhh ... old school racial politics. They can't seem to get past the "it's only about the blacks" or "it's only about the Puerto Ricans".
I have met Chris and due to the shared political history in our families, all I can say is ... I believe he has a first hand understanding of old school racial and ethnic politics that people who have not been exposed to it in the kitchen tables and the board rooms of the civil rights movement can't truly understand. And I believe it is this first hand experience that allows him as an activist and politician to move beyond many of the cliches that have plagued "minority" politics in the United States.
For one thing, I am sure that given Chris's family background, he can move beyond being a black politician to being a progressive politician who happens to be black. I believe he is the best candidate to represent everybody in his district, not just black people.
What is more heartening about Chris is that he's his own man, ready to deal with issues like abortion and gay marriage in a way a lot of our black and latino elders would have never had the understanding, needless to say the courage to do.
I have a vantage point, having met Chris and having these common links in our past histories. But, I have come to realize that, if I were an uninformed progressive or feminist voter, my eyes would linger on another name on the voting machine : Yvette Clarke. Which is why I will be contributing to both campaigns.
But, if I lived in Park Slope and the elections were today, there is no question about it : My vote would go to Chris Owens.
That, my friends, is my official position.