Brooklyn

  One of my childhood homes was on East 17th Street between Avenues O and P in Brooklyn. Manny Cellar was the powerful congressman from that district from 1923, long before I was born, to 1973, long after I had moved away. The district has been redrawn many time since then and it is divided between the current 8th (Hakeem Jeffries), 9th (Yvette Clarke) and 11th (Max Rose) districts. About 2 blocks from my old house, Yvette Clarke's district ends and Max Rose's begins-- the corner of East 15th Street and Avenue P.

  When I was growing up in Brooklyn, there were always rumors of Republicans being there-- just not very many, and certainly never enough to be an electoral factor. Even last cycle, decades later, Hillary won Brooklyn 595,086 (79.7%) to 133,653 (17.9%). Still... where the hell did those 133 thousand people come from? Oh, basically Russia... and Israel.

Gut Shabbos. I'm sure I'm not the only person in America who's never known an ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jew and who has been learning about them and their culture via Netflix during the shutdown.

Another colorful lesser of 2 evils race shaping up in NY: Rose v Grimm?There's a subway stop on the corner of Kings Highway and East 17th Street in Brooklyn, a few feet from the famous Dubrow's Cafeteria where JFK came for a rally in 1960. Back then that area around Dubrow's was the heart of Brooklyn's liberal Jewish bastion.

Manny and HakeemThe way Brooklyn was divided up into congressional districts when I was growing up was different back then.

Blue America is primarily a PAC that endorses candidates in congressional races, but occasionally we endorse in a state legislative race. With thousands of legislative seats up for grabs, we look for men and women who will strengthen Democratic benches in their states or who have an important and extraordinary contribution to make.

Let's start by listening to the worst Democrat left in the New York state Senate, Simcha Felder. In fact let's start by listening to the 23 second clip from Felder's May 2 presentation at the the Bay Democrats club. It's sort of a confession. "For those of you who are loyal Democrats," he told the roomful of loyal Democrats, "that believe that the only person that can represent you is somebody that's a loyal Democrat-- I'm not that guy ." He sure isn't. Blake Morris is... which is part of the reason he has been endorsed by Blue America.

I have to admit... it's fun to beat up on a puffed up bully like Michael Cohen-- Trump's bargain basement Roy Cohn wannabe. Since childhood, Cohen has been a Mob-connected asshole and his Mob connection helped acquire a once valuable collection of New York and Chicago taxi medallions-- once but no longer.

Staten Island is the most Mafia-friendly place in America. And the other portion of NY-11, south Brooklyn-- just happens to be the most Russian Mafia-friendly place in America.

A photo that probably won't help Grimm much anymoreBy asking the question Where are Staten Island's congressional race donations coming from? Staten Island Live is making a civic contribution media outlets should follow everywhere.