Common Sense: The Democratic Dilemma

Eliot Spitzer should be soundly defeated in his race for city comptroller. If admitting to paying prostitutes for sex as governor was not enough to disqualify him for life from holding public office, he also was shown to have used the state police to spy on public officials for political purposes.

If Spitzer had been tried and convicted of a felony at the time for the prostitution, as he should have been, then we might very well have been spared of this national embarrassment. The public should not be fooled.

Those 27,000 signatures obtained in three days by individuals who appear to have been inappropriately paid to provide a certain number of signatures in violation of the election statute are highly suspect.

Regardless, Scott Stringer chose not to challenge the petitions. He is an incredibly weak organizational candidate and will likely be defeated in the primary unless Democratic primary voters come to their senses.

I wonder if Councilmember Domenic Recchia wishes he had stayed in the race for comptroller instead of entering an uphill battle for Congress against Mike Grimm?

In any event, the Republican and Conservative Parties are running a highly qualified candidate in John Burnett. Burnett, unlike Spitzer and Stringer, comes to the race with a substantial background in finance and auditing.

What would have been a candidacy that might have become lost in the mayoral rhetoric will now take center stage. And Burnett, an affable and highly motivated individual, is up to the task.

Another winner in all of this Democratic Party chaos is Joe Lhota. With Spitzer and Weiner looking like they could very well be two thirds of the November Democratic ticket, Lhota — who is often described as the only adult in the room when talking about the mayoral field — benefits.

I think it is safe to say that the Democratic primary voters are next up in straightening out their party on Primary Day September 10. If they should choose Weiner and Spitzer, and also Vito Lopez for City Council, they will be sending a strong message that all of the many supposedly progressive positions they hold on equality and women’s’ issues are nothing more than hollow rhetoric. Actions – in this case, voting – really do speak louder than words.

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One last note on voting: If you wish to vote in one of this year’s Democratic or Republican primaries, you only have a short time left to register. This only applies to non -registered voters. If you are presently enrolled in a political party and hope to vote in the primary of another party, a change in enrollment takes a year to go into effect.

Nevertheless, it is well known that a full third of all eligible voters in Southern Brooklyn are not registered. So here is your chance to register and vote in some very important primaries.

Oh, and if you simply want to register in a party that gets it right the first time, join with me and register in the Conservative Party.

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The Summer Strolls start this Friday night along Third Avenue. A success last year, they promise to be even better this year with lessons applied from the past experience.

The event offers an opportunity to enjoy outdoor eating and street cultural events in a more subdued atmosphere than happens during a street festival. The only thing that needs to cooperate is the weather.

So if you are planning to be in town this Friday night for the first of several Strolls, come on down to Third Avenue any time after 6 p.m. to enjoy Bay Ridge putting on its best.