Batson for Brooklyn
Hey look at this: A local political race that’s actually about something.
Bill Batson, a David Paterson aide and Brooklyn activist (and accomplished artist -- see right), has his Web site up with the note that he’ll be announcing his challenge to Roger Green this Sunday.
The issue: The Atlantic Yards project, which Batson has opposed and Green backs.
Great! Batson is cool and a fighter. He is smart and knows tons of people. He’ll rock Albany.
I though Roger was running for Congress?
And when he says "Shazam" he is transformed into Captain Marvel!
Wish I had a real election.
To me the Atlantic Yards project is a good news/bad news issue, with decent arguments on both sides. Hopefully the challenger will broaden to other issues, such as why we have the highest state and local taxes in the country (conservative take), or given that we do, how come we don’t have decent schools and univeral health care (liberal take) and are going deeper into debt (generational equity take).
i agree with cranky independent. why send a single issue candidate to albany? i dont understand why bill wouldnt run for carl andrews seat. since he’s already working for paterson the senate seems like a better fit and a better opportunity to win an open seat than take out a 20 year incumbent.
Insider’s feel that Green is not running for re-election because of his guilty plea, so there won’t be an incumbent. But insiders have been wrong before
Guilty plea’s are par for the course in Brooklyn. Look at Markowitz, it has not held him back.
Batson rules!
Is Roger running AWAY ?
1) Batson is put up by certain unions and splits the anti-Green vote
2) Hakeem "How long do I have to live in this shitty neighborhood to get elected" Jeffries loses because Batson splits the anti-Green vote.
3) Results: Green 42% Jeffries 37% Batson 21%
4) Batson gets taken care of by his friends with a nice new job.
5) Hakeem Jeffries moves back to Park Avenue and moves in with Corey Booker.
6) MTV premieres new reality show: Moving On Up: The Life and Times of Two Wannabes with No Base
Location: Park Avenue
That is not only some funny shit but one hundred pecent correct
deal i lol.
So is Green not running for Congress? He can’t run for both, right? Well, I guess Ed Towns wins again.
Didn’t Jeffries grow up in that neighborhood?
Hakeem Jeffries lived on Park Place in Prospect Heights for 6 years but had to move because Roger Green gerrymandered him out of the district by ONE BLOCK.
Before that, Hakeem lived on Sterling Place in Crown Heights for 18 years.
Why is it when a Black man gets an education all of a sudden he somehow is the enemy and people assume he has left his community? Doesn’t the guy get some props for getting an education and instead of moving on to Park Avenue as "The Real Deal" says, movess to Park Place?
Give me a break.
how long has batson lived in the district? it can’t be that long.
Bill has lived in brooklyn since 1979. He went to school at Pratt. You want the info on Bill, Batsonforbrooklyn.com is there for you to read. His record is out there for all to see and talk about. Take a look and keep the dialogue open
Batson’s not a single-issue candidate. He’s also been on top of the arson issue in Crown Heights-
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/398857p-337981c.html
-so that’s two issues, and he hasn’t even announced yet.
I’m not Scott Levenson. I know who he is, but I’m not him (in fact, I’m a she...).
Tara, I just wanted to make sure the record was clear; Hakeem has never lived on Park Avenue...
...as for Bill Batson, I really did want to know how long he has lived in Brooklyn since for some reason, a guy like Hakeem who was born in Brooklyn and only left to go to school is being villified by "The Real Deal." Instead of knocking Batson, I instead wanted "the real deal."
come on all you haters. it’s cool to have an artist running for anything. and roger’s not running.
prediction:
Batson 67%
Jeffries 33%
those atlantic yards opponents turn out to vote like crazy. see norman siegel’s results in those EDs.
after his time with patterson in the senate, batson knows the action is in the assembly.
I am running for re-election.
no! if he represents me i will have to move.
bill used to live in harlem with his ex-wife. check your facts.
i wish roger green really contributed to the politicker. that man is super witty and charming. i wish roger would not run for anything so charles barron had a better shot at towns’ seat. roger, what are you thinking on that one?
At last, a real human entering the race... and, it so happens, the one most worthy.
get on board.
after they moved from harlem
Hey Real Deal-
I am a Batson partisan, and I think the most likely scenario is that Batson will beat Jeffries by 2 to 1 in a two-person race. But I don’t want to rest on my laurels, so I’m curious to understand your viewpoint.
First, to be blunt, do you expect any white people to vote for Green? I live in the 57th and worked on several campaigns here, and there is broad opposition to Ratner across most demographics, and why do you think that these motivated voters will vote for Green?
Why do you think that Batson has no base? Are you aware of his activities on Community Board 8 and his relentless involvement in the anti-arson campaign?
Why do you think that Green will run again? Most people close to him that I have spoken to say that he will not run, though there are some people who think he will.
Aside from his *presumed* money advantage, why do you think the Jeffries will run a strong campaign? If Jeffries and Batson are both baseless, why do you think Jeffries will get twice as many votes?
Batson has a good amount of electoral experience, and he appeals strongly to the pro-community/anti-Ratner groups, and he also appeals to the pro-Ratner crowd. He is also infinitely more personable than Jeffries.
I am not trying to insult anyone. Jeffries is obviously a very capable, intelligent person. I have spoken with him at length, and while I wish him well, I am frustrated by his failure to take a stand on anything. This is one that the pro- and ant-Ratner crowds can agree on.
Scott Levenson will deliver this race to Batson.
raulstic: The pro and anti-Ratner people can certainly agree on Jeffires. His "mend it, don’t end it" position, which seems to me the right one, pleases almost no one. Whether they agree on Batson remains to be seen, but I am skeptical.