House party for Spitzer--Tuesday, June 27

karin g

Tuesday June 27
6:30 - 9 p.m.
Eastern Parkway & Franklin Ave.
RSVP: [email protected] (I'll send you the address and directions)

Come join your neighbors for a $5 fundraiser, sponsored by Citizen Action for Spitzer, for two excellent New York candidates and supporters of Citizen Action's Clean Money, Clean Elections project:

ELIOT SPITZER, NY State Attorney General and Candidate for Governor
and DAVID PATERSON, NY State Senate Democratic Leader and Candidate for Lieutenant Governor

Hear ELIOT SPITZER LIVE on a conference call at 7:15 PM!

If you can't make it by 7:15, the party will continue on until at least 9 p.m.

More reasons to come:

* DINNER--I'll be providing pizza, salad, etc., so you can come straight from work/get a free meal
* EASY TO GET TO--The house--yes, it's a full, enormous house--is located just a block and a half from the Franklin Avenue subway stop.
* GREAT PEOPLE and a GREAT CAUSE!: I've been volunteering with Citizen Action for 2 years, and they're a progressive, issue-oriented group that gets things done.

Please RSVP--BRING YOUR CHECKBOOK!!

EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Please pass this info along to anyone who might be interested. A door prize will be awarded to the person who brings the biggest group!

MORE INFO:
Why only $5 for each candidate? Citizen Action, a grassroots community organization, wants to demonstrate popular support for CLEAN MONEY, CLEAN ELECTIONS campaign finance legislation. This legislation allows candidates to qualify for public financing of their campaigns by collecting large numbers of small donations--like the $5 donations we'll be collecting for each candidate at the party. This legislation would also limit the amount of money each contributor can give, as well as limit the amount each candidate could spend on a given campaign.

For more info about Citizen Action for Spitzer and/or to donate, visit
http://www.citizenactionforspitzer.com/
For more info about Clean Money, Clean Elections, visit
http://www.citizenactionny.org/cmce/cmce_index.html

jml

This is from nolandgrab.org, and I don't have independant confirmation, but it appears that Spitzer supports the Atlantic Yards Project:

<quote>
Eliot Spitzer, NY Attorney General & Dem. Gubernatorial Candidate

In his own words, Spitzer shocked Brooklynites in a speech to the New York Building Congress: "I'm all for the development in Brooklyn, Bruce Ratner's plan, it is a spectacular development, it needs to be built, it should be built quickly, it will revitalize a critically underused portion of Brooklyn, right now, it'll build housing, it will generate jobs, tax revenue. It is a spectacular project and I think we should move forward on it immediately.
</quote>

escap

That's great news. I was feeling increasingly anti-Spitzer, but he just jumped up a big notch in my book.

ratnerville4ever

yes, Spitzer has said its a "spectacular project." but once elected he may change that tune, he may not want to stand on the side of the unconstitutional use of eminent domain when that day in court comes

rogersma

I'm a Spitzer fan, so all I can assume is that he hasn't paid much attention to Atlantic Yards so far. (It is, after all, in one of those outer boroughs, very far from the Manhattan media.)

However (regardless of the specifics of the project) the corrupt, favored-developer process that the Pataki-Bloomberg-Ratner cabal have perpetrated is the sort of collusive abuse of power that Spitzer should find abhorrent.

Even if Spitzer thinks that using public money to build the most expensive sports stadium in history is brilliant policy, he should by his very principles attack the process. He should ask that the clock be rolled back so that a process that protects and maximizes the public interest--not the coffers of Forest City Ratner--is put in place.

Brooklynites who care about the future of government should ask Mr. Spitzer to clarify why he thinks this secretive, developer-driven misuse of public land and eminent domain doesn't require--to quote him--"the disclosure obligations, transparency and ethical behavior" he has fought for as AG.

raulism

My feeling is that maybe Spitzer has done a great job as AG, but that doesn't mean he's going to be a good governor. Even his supporters find him extremely abrasive, which is fine if you're AG, but which will probably make him an annoying governor.

Also, I seem to be the only person who minds that there is a sort of conflict of interest being AG and running for the office of governor. If the head of some corporation gets a call and knows that Spitzer is on the line, you can bet he or she will be glad he's asking for a donation, not threatening to indict the company. I think he should resign from his current office, but I guess I'm an oddball for being concerned about conflicts of interest.

In any case, Spitzer has so much support that he can dis our neighborhood as much as he wants. It's completely pathetic that he can't even come to his own fundraiser. Even the political insiders in IND (a political club that meets on Court Street) were angry enough at Spitzer's failure to show up that they didn't endorse him.

Finally, here's something today's NY Sun:

Staff Reporter of the Sun wrote: SPITZER ENDORSES ANDREWS The state attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, endorsed Carl Andrew, a Democrat, for Congress yesterday, citing his “effusive personality” and ability to “get things done.” “The issue here is not about Clarence Norman,” Mr. Andrews said yesterday referring to his friend, the deposed Brooklyn Democratic Party leader, Mr. Norman. Mr.Andrews invited The New York Sun, which has documented the probe into Brooklyn corruption, to examine his personal financial disclosure statements, which he filed since becoming a school board member when he was 21-years-old.

jack krohn

I agree with you, Escap. I think that Spitzer will win (he has my vote), and it will be nice to have a pro-Atlantic Yards governor to replace the pro-Atlantic Yards Pataki.

raulism

I also agree that Spitzer will probably win, but if you work to support him, don't expect him to return the favor. He seems happy cozying up to the most corrupt elements of Brooklyn politics, and he won't bother to campaign here, even though our part of Brooklyn has the highest voter turnout in the state.

Do you supporters of Spitzer also agree with his advocacy of the death penalty? Do you think that's a good selling point around here?

drano

Ugh...can anybody break Albany? I rather doubt Eliot is the man, but I'm willing to be surprised...

Be sure to serve this drink I invented called the Eliot Spritzer...equal amounts gin, white wine and soda.

If that doesn't get you where you want to go, try a clear thinker...50% vodka, 50% gin. Just make sure both components are room temperature and serve on the rocks, otherwise...stretcher time...