Here’s three news flashes:
Kings County Politics (KCP) doesn’t believe in objective journalism. KCP survives as a business by taking money from advertisers across all political spectrums, and Zellnor Myrie, the progressive Democratic candidate for the 20th State Senate district is a phony.
Let’s break it down per news flash.
KCP is a leader of a new media movement and has coined the phrase “Real American Journalism,” which traces its roots to such journalists as Mike Royko of Chicago and Dr. Hunter Thompson.
Near the top of the “Real American Journalism” school of thought is not accepting the premise of objective journalism as taught in most J-schools across the country. This idea of objective American journalism is what helped create the term “fake news”, that politicians on the right and the left now use whenever something is reported that they don’t like.
In terms of government reporting, “Real American Journalism’ adheres strongly to covering from the ground up as opposed to from the marble corridors of power down. We believe readers and the American public would be better served if they knew about local elections and local political clubs, who runs them, their bylaws, etc. We believe this engages the American public in a way they can touch, smell and feel.
Secondly, Never Sink Media, the parent company of both www.KingsCountyPolitics.com and www.QueensCountyPolitics.com is a for profit business and our main source of revenue is advertising. We have sold advertising to the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) when it existed, to Democrats, Republicans, Progressives, unions and any sector with business before government. We are nonpartisan and favor ideas over ideology.
For those who feel we show favor to our advertisers, please feel free to level your perceived playing field by taking out an ad. There’s an old saying in business about what happens for those that don’t advertise? Nothing!
Thirdly, Zellnor Myrie is a phony.
A case in point is last week’s candidate’s debate/forum at CUNY’s Medgar Evers College (MEC) in the heart of the 20th State Senatorial district, across the street from Hamilton’s office, and quick walk from Myrie’s campaign headquarters.
While both Hamilton and Myrie were invited and expected at the debate, Hamilton showed and Myrie did not.
The co-sponsors of the event were about as impartial and respected as could be. It included the DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy, the Center for Law and Justice, the MEC Society for Public Administration, the MEC Department of Public Administration and Community Board 9, which is in the heart of the district.
The moderator of the forum was the very well-respected Esmeraldo Simmons, the founder and executive director of MEC’s Center for Law and Justice. It would serve readers well to click on the link here to get an idea of her credentials.
Among the organizers included MEC Professor Dr. John Flateau, who like Simmons is one of Central Brooklyn and the city’s most respected people in political academia.
Organizers told KCP they fully expected Myrie to show up, and that his campaign manager Andre Richardson as well as several members of the Myrie campaign did show up, but at the last-minute it was announced he couldn’t make it.
Emails to Myrie’s campaign as to why he didn’t show up went unanswered. Also went unanswered were questions as to why Myrie passed the bar, but is not licensed to practice law in New York. What the campaign did do was call the media site Politico to do a hit job on KCP because we took advertising money from the IDC before it was disbanded.
Lastly, KCP endorses Hamilton. Prior to becoming state senator, he was the local school board president for a number of years, headed his block association, is a homeowner, has two kids in the district, was a district leader, has been a licensed and practicing attorney, and as a state senator and IDC member he brought both money and jobs home to his district. He is also not afraid to cross the aisle and party lines to get legislation passed.
To be clear, KCP would have no problem showing favor to a progressive candidate with both solid credentials and good ideas about governing, even if that candidate were running against a former IDC candidate or any other KCP advertiser.
But to even consider this, progressives need to put up real properly vetted candidates such as Jumanne Williams, who is running for Lt. Governor, and who like his beliefs or not, gets our respect because he has real experience in the neighborhood, and both the political and government arena.
But to put up phony and unvetted candidates with greatly embellished backgrounds like Myrie and Julia Salazar (the progressive candidate running against State Sen. Martin Dilan), who know little or care less about the leaders and institutions of the district in which they are running, makes no sense.
As for Myrie’s endorsement from the New York Times, that’s just ignorant journalism. The Times very seldom reports on issues in or shows up at events in the district. They may or may not cover the marble halls of Albany just fine, but their coverage of politics and government on the ground is shitty.
That’s right. I said and wrote it. Shitty!
The primary is this Thursday, Sept. 13. The neighborhoods of the 20th senate district include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, and Sunset Park.
