On the heels of his clergy group's endorsement of GOP AG candidate Dan Donovan, "true Democrat" Ruben Diaz Sr. is open to endorsing Carl Palin-dino for governor because Cuomo has so far declined to meet with Diaz's group of anti-gay bigots:
"(Cuomo) doesn't want to because he believes the gay community would get angry and he doesn't want to get the gay community angry," Diaz Sr. said.
"Now Paladino came and he's coming back. Soon. Soon. And we believe that anyone that wants to be governor should be governor for everybody - for everybody - gay, straight, Chrisitan, Muslim, Jews, Hebrews."
Yeah, it's all a conspiracy! But maybe Diaz has a point- why exactly would Cuomo want to give legitimacy to a bigoted State Senator who didn't even possess the organizational muscle to help his best "amigo" in the Senate win re-election in the neighboring Senate district? That is certainly not worth alienating the Gay Community for.
But then again with Diaz on board, Palin-Dino just might pull out the swing district of the Bronx.
Also check out this awesome video F-U to Diaz from Rosie Perez where she calls out Diaz for his bigotry in the name of New York's latinos:
Andrew Cuomo has announced he will indeed investigate Ruben Diaz Sr. for parking his campaign fans at his church, in clear violation of rules governing non-profit entities.
The good thing about Democracy is that there's always an election sometime in the not-too-distant future. Diaz may have cruised last Tuesday but if this investigation gains traction, voters in the district might treat Diaz's corruption the same way the voters of the 33rd treated Pedro's in 2012.
First off, the trash has been carted off to the dump. The single most foul, offensive, miserable, and corrupt waste of flesh has been removed from our legislature. Everybody who contributed to his ousting, from reformers to unions and the WFP to all the volunteers and voters who looked at this abysmal sleazy excuse for a human being and roundly said enough is enough, should be commended for their contribution. A clear message has been sent to the rest of the pack up there that you cannot get away with just anything.
The GOP nominated Carl Paladino for Governor. But the great thing is that Rick Lazio won the Conservative nomination, thus making it even more impossible for Cuomo not to win, not even considering Paladino's history of racism and general wingnut teabagging lunacy.
It appears Eric Schneiderman will pull out the AG race. This is a very good thing. Schneiderman has been a lifelong reformer. I am very happy to think that the man who had Hiram Monserratte's scalp will now fill a position with powers to regulate all of Albany.
Unfortunately, Ruben Diaz Sr. soundly defeated Charlie Ramos, 81-19 at this point. What we've learned from the Pedro race and the Squadron/Connor and Newell/Shelly races from 08 is that pork-spewing incumbent legislators can be defeated, but it involves a full-court press by reformers, democratic clubs, unions, and the WFP. If that full spectrum coalition isn't all behind the challenger, it is unlikely that incumbents lose. Another anti-gay Senator, Shirley Huntley beat challenger Lynn Nunes by an over 2-1 margin.
Charlie Rangel won re-election. Rangel certainly doesn't deserve this victory but it was clear this would happen with the divided nature and weak candidates of the opposition.
Crazy person Greg Ball won his GOP primary for the 40th Senate District to face rockstar Mike Kaplowitz in November.
Doug Hoffman is losing the GOP nomination for NY-23 but will ensure we keep the seat because he will run on the third-party Conservative line.
Carolyn Maloney soundly defeated Reshma Saujani. Saujani could have tapped into an anti-incumbent mood this year but was defined early as the pro-wall street candidate and never shook that association.
Bill Stachowski lost to a Steve Pigeon candidate. Stach was stupid for voting against marriage equality and for that he deserves to lose. But Tim Kennedy didn't deserve to win. It would have been better if that pro-equality energy were directed at Ruben Diaz Sr. instead.
Overall, I'm sad that Diaz Sr. won by such a large margin but the race in the neighboring 33rd district took most of the reform resources. Next time, that might not be the case. In many of the other races, the best result happened for us happened, so everyone should feel good after today's results. Nights like these are what make politics great.
It's just five days until the primary elections in New York. This year, the epicenter of efforts to cleanse the Democratic Party is squarely in the Bronx, in the 32nd and 33rd Senate districts. There's no need to remind everyone how terrible Pedro and Ruben DIaz Sr. are. What needs reminding is how bad things will be next year if both of them win re-election. If Pedro wins, it sends a message to every corrupt legislator that elections provide zero accountability. And if Ruben wins, we can probably forget about passing marriage equality in the next two years. That is why if you care about either of these races, the next few days are the time to get involved. Here some opportunities:
For the 33rd District race, the amazing grassroots volunteer group, ACT NOW is putting together a canvassing event this Sunday. You can RSVP here. Additionally, Assemblyman Dinowitz sent me the following information on how to get involved with the Ben Franklin Reform Club to help knock off Pedro:
We are doing the following in the 81st AD for Gustavo:
- dear neighbor letters into any buildings in the district signed by residents of the building in support of Gustavo
- Stuffing flyers, letters and palm cards under doors, especially in the big buildings with lots of Dems - especially the last few days before 9/14 with palm card (Schneiderman/Rivera)
- phone banking evenings at the Ben Franklin Club
- shopping areas such as W 231/Broadway and Gun Hill/Jerome - especially on Saturdays and on 9/13
- most important - primary day - campaigning at polling sites (and also shopping areas and transportation stops) - we need as many people as possible for 9/14
Anyone who is interested in working in the 81st AD portion of the district should call the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club at (718) 796-6177.
For the 32nd, Charlie Ramos could use help on election day:
Charlie Ramos Campaign office
1554 Westchester Ave.
Bronx, NY
Come out and help Charlie defeat Ruben Diaz Sr. on Sept. 14th
We need folks to help with shifts during the day. Here is list of the shifts:
5:30am-9am
9am-12pm
12pm-4pm
4pm-9pm
Please email Natasha.Equality@gmail.com to let us know what shifts you are available. Also, if other time slots are better for you --please let us know and we will fit you in :)
I know that all good progressives don't want to wake up on Wednesday seeing these two jokers re-elected and feeling like we didn't do everything in our power to prevent it. We all want to cleanse Albany and now is the time to do it.
"Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. represents neighborhoods that have some of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STD transmission in the city, yet Diaz has consistently opposed every piece of legislation aimed at addressing these issues," said Matthew Traub, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Action Fund, in a statement.
The group is also mailing against Diaz, with a story from one of its young activists who says she had an awkward encounter with the senator in an elevator at the capitol, during a lobbying trip to Albany.
"Senator Diaz Sr. must have known I was with Planned Parenthood from the t-shirt I was wearing with the logo and asked me how such a pretty girl could volunteer with Planned Parenthood," she writes. "I was speechless! I mean, what would you say if a State Senator asked you that?"
What a creep!
As for Espada, his coup last summer destroyed the Reproductive Health Act. Both the 33rd and 32nd districts will be much better off without the reckless representation of these two clowns. Election in 6 days!
"Pedro's going to win. I'm going to win. And we're going to come back stronger, faster and better," said Diaz, who remains the only elected official to have endorsed Espada.
This is footage of Pedro's victory party in 2008:
If the two jokers in the 32nd and 33rd districts get re-elected, it will send a message to every member of the legislature that they can get away with anything. Imagine the legislature starts its first session in 2011 and the rest of Albany looks around and sees Pedro and Ruben with another 2-year term under their belts. What would the rest of them think? They would think the reform movement is a paper tiger and that the voters just don't care enough to hold any of them accountable. Is that really how we want to the future of Albany to play out?
Don't look now folks, but Charlie Ramos just scored a major endorsement in his progressive, reform-oriented campaign against Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr. Today El Diario, the spanish-speaking paper of record in New York, endorsed Charlie in his bid for the State Senate. The endorsement focused more on Charlie's community involvement and record of civic engagement while noting that Diaz Sr. simply hasn't represented his constituents in the Bronx.
While the incumbent Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. has received attention for opposing marriage equality legislation, Ramos says that his votes against community interests and silence on notorious landlords are among the other issues that compelled him to run.
Diaz's narrow mindedness and grandstanding are inadequate for a district that deserves much more. The solid, consistent work of activists like Ramos would build up ample leaders and organizers poised to move a community forward.
Charlie's campaign isn't about only marriage equality (although civil rights for all is a critically important aspect of his platform and beliefs). This is a race about who can better serve the citizens of the 32nd Senate district. While Diaz Sr. has been fighting against all things marriage equality, his constituents have been struggling on issues such as job creation, affordable housing, and quality education. Charlie gets that, because he gets his fellow neighbors. Diaz Sr. is simply out of touch.
Disclosure: I am a proud volunteer for Charlie Ramos's campaign for State Senate.
I can tell why these two clowns are best friends- they both think that they are above the law:
By law, a candidate must declare the costs of any events paid for by the campaign; even if someone donated the food, the candidate would have to count the value of it as a donation and report it, which Espada didn't do. "He has violated election law by failing to report the expenses associated with it [the giveaways]," said Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union, tells the Post. Espada's spokesman, Frank LaBoy, said they plan to add the costs associated with the giveaways on their next report.
I wonder what other expenditures Pedro is failing to report... given his history, probably a lot.
Diaz, a Pentecostal minister, could be jeopardizing the tax-exempt status of his Christian Community Neighborhood Church by parking his fleet of campaign vans and trucks in the church's parking lot, a lawyer familiar with nonprofit tax law says.
"Anytime [nonprofits] are interacting with candidates, it often raises questions," said Abby Levine, legal director for the Washington-based advocacy group Alliance for Justice.
The Internal Revenue Service's regulations state nonprofits, including churches, are "absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in or intervening in any political campaign."
An IRS spokesman declined comment.
Diaz, as the Daily News revealed yesterday, spent campaign cash to buy seven vans and trucks that he dispatches to spread the "Vote for Diaz" message.
Click the link to see a pic of another absolutely faaaabulous completely straight cowboy outfit being worn by the Rev. Also notice that his campaign vans say that he is a "true Democrat." Yes, such a true democrat that he is running on the Republican line for the second cycle in a row.
Things are happening up in the Bronx. Charlie Ramos is fighting and support is starting to build for his insurgent campaign to defeat Ruben Diaz Sr. and bring some real change to the Bronx and the Senate. On the eve of a big dollar fundraiser for Diaz hosted by Majority Leader Sampson, Charlie Ramos is starting to roll out a new base of support among the working class in his district and throughout the city.
First, the Painters Union came out with a strong and vocal endorsement of Charlie's grassroots effort;
"We are proud to endorse Charlie Ramos for State Senate. I have personally participated with him in protests and have witnessed his commitment to working people. I know his years of community organizing provide him with the experience to be a great legislator not only for the Bronx, but for all New Yorkers. If you believe in real democracy and reform, then you know we need to bring a true and hardworking leader to Albany in 2010."
-Jack Kittle, IUPAT Political Director
Then today, another big trade-oriented union; the joint council of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for the New York City area.
"As president of the Teamsters Joint Council 16, I am proud to endorse Charlie Ramos for New York State Senate. His work ethic and commitment to working people make him an ideal candidate to clean up Albany and protect the needs of Teamster families in the Bronx and across the State."
-George Miranda, President of IBT Joint Council 16
Two observations from these endorsements. First, it's notable that these are trade unions. Neither IBT or IUPAT are considered to be stalwart progressive unions in New York City. These are blue collar, working class, trade-oriented unions that made a determination that Charlie Ramos is the candidate representing working class interested in the 32nd Senate District. Take note people; Charlie is building a coalition that extends to varied interests. This is not just a one issue campaign on marriage equality but a varied effort to bring progressive change to the Bronx.
Secondly, and relatedly, I was shocked to see Diaz 's reaction to these endorsements, which clearly illustrate how out of touch he is with the district and the needs of working families.
"Good for him," Diaz said. "I will continue opposing gay marriage no matter how many union votes he gets." source
I'm sorry, what? Diaz is actually equating two trade union endorsements to marriage equality? No Senator Diaz, this is about your failure to create jobs, enact progressive criminal justice measures, and your constant inability to work with the majority caucus to defend the interests of working families. If Senator Diaz is going to turn every endorsement for Charlie into a one issue campaign, he'll slowly but surely demonstrate that he stands for nothing but bigotry and discrimination. And no matter how well that plays at his own church, that's not a winning campaign platform in the Bronx in this sort of economy.
Disclosure: I am a proud volunteer of Charlie Ramos's campaign for State Senate.
A few days ago, Randy Jones Ruben DIaz Sr. came to Staten Island to denounce racial violence but told gay leaders they weren't welcome to join him. Senator Savino and Assemblyman Titone had a good response:
Diaz's bigotry apparently expands beyond the marriage issue- he doesn't even want to interact with gay people when they agree on an issue. And it seems this is not going over well with Diaz's colleagues in the legislature. Hopefully some of them will come out for Diaz's challenger, Charlie Ramos.
Disclosure: I am a proud volunteer for the Charlie Ramos for State Senate campaign.
Today Empire State Pride Agenda endorsed Charlie Ramos for State Senate. This might not surprise some of you; Charlie is running against the fiercest opponent of marriage equality and LGBT rights in the New York State Senate. But it's not just that ESPA endorsed Charlie, but rather that Charlie was the only candidate running in a competitive Democratic primary to receive the endorsement of the organization at this time.
As we've discussed previously, there are many targets in the fight for marriage equality, including 6 Democrats that voted against marriage equality (excluding Monserrate and Onorato). We have competitive primaries against three of them; Diaz Sr., Huntley, and Stachowski. As we get closer and closer to the primary, progressive advocates will need to start choosing races to invest their time and resources in order to maximize our success this cycle. After all, we're competing in an environment with more targets than ever before.
That's why I'm supporting Charlie. Not only is Charlie running a strong grassroots campaign in the Bronx with a great legion of field volunteers, but he's also the best candidate to maximize our strike against opponents of marriage equality. Taking down Ruben Diaz Sr. will send the strongest message to swing votes in the State Senate that voting against equality is a losing issue and we'll come after you if you vote against it again. It's the maximum bang for our buck.
It's clear today that Empire State Pride Agenda figured that out. They join Stonewall Democrats and Marriage Equality New York from the LGBT front (as well as many other progressive organizations). Will more progressive and LGBT organizations get it and start supporting Charlie? Stay tuned.
This year, bigot Ruben Diaz Sr.is pacing a spirited challenge from DFNYC-endorsed Charlie Ramos. Charlie needs all the support he can get to defeat Diaz, who will have the backing of Carl Heastie and the corrupt Bronx machine. If you can make it, I highly recommend attending this fundraiser next week (from email):
Tuesday June 29th
City Tavern, East 13th street between university place and 5th ave
25 dollar contribution
7-9 pm
For those who haven't met him, Charlie is a great guy with a wonderful political background and a great understanding of the Bronx. I am especially fond of his work starting and organizing through Bronx for Change, which helped attack party politics in the Bronx by engaging low-information voters through civic training sessions. We have a great shot here considering how many crazy things Rev Diaz does on a daily basis on how skillful Charlie is working the field.
Mole333 of the Daily Gotham is reporting that the possibly self-hating and certainly anti-gay bigot otherwise known as Ruben Diaz Sr. is going to get a primary challenge from a former William Thompson, Charlie Ramos:
One of the most venomously anti-gay members of the New York State Senate is not some Teabagger Republican, but is pseudo-Democrat, friend of Hiram "Slasher Monserrate" Ruben Diaz, Sr. This guy is one of the prime examples of what is wrong with Albany.
(snip)
Diaz is also anti-choice and opposed to life-saving stem cell research.
(snip)
You can also meet Charlie Ramos in person at a Democracy for NYC event. From DFNYC:
You are invited to join
Charlie Ramos Jr.
CANDIDATE FOR THE 32nd SENATORIAL DISTRICT
Charlie Ramos Jr. is a community organizer in the Bronx with a passion for civil rights, community empowerment, and government reform.
Charlie recently served as the Bronx liaison for Bill Thompson, former Comptroller of the City of New York. Charlie has been a grassroots community organizer for over 7 years, working for organizations such as America Votes, the Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Coalition, the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, and Wal-Mart Watch, a nationwide campaign to reveal the harmful impact of Walmart. Charlie was an organizer in the successful movement urging the appointment of Justice Sonya Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.
Charlie is challenging Reverend Ruben Diaz Sr. - the incumbent Senator who has been a vocal anti-gay, anti-choice conservative Democrat. Diaz Sr. was a part of the "Gang of 3" that started the coup in the State Senate that brought government to a standstill last year. Charlie is proud to be part of the movement to change the way Albany works.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
6pm to 8pm
At the home of Bob Ginsberg
275 West 96th Street
New York, NY 10025
Cocktails and refreshments will be served
To RSVP or for more info contact Roxanne Pimental
By phone (718) 874-3644
By email roxpimental@gmail.com
From his website, Ramos appears to to be pro-gay rights, but doesn't explicitly endorse marriage equality. He does appear to be pro choice. Regardless, he would be a huge improvement over the incumbent. Here's hoping we hear a lot more from Charlie Ramos soon.
On the web:
This Tuesday, unless your incumbent legislator is personally known to you to be a genuine reformer (2 names come to mind: Senator Bill Perkens and Assemblyman Jim Brennan), vote for the challenger. Here are some endorsements in selective races.
SD-25:
This primary pits newcomer Dan Squadron against longtime incumbent and former Senate Minority Leader Martin Connor. Connor was sacked by his conference in 2002 because of his perceived failure to challenge the Republicans agressively enough either in the caucus or at the ballot box.
28-year-old Squadron is promising to make significant reforms to the Albany game. He is has also refused to accept PAC, corporate, and lobbyist money for his campaign.
It's too bad Shelly has 2 challengers who will likely split the opposition vote. Of those 2 challengers, Paul Newell is the stronger one. In the last filing he raised $40,015 to Henry's $510. He has deep roots in the district and is waging an energetic campaign. Newell has been endorsed by the New York Times, the Daily News, the Downtown Express, the Villager, and has the necessary grassroots operation to even have a chance of pulling off the upset of Silver. It's time to send a message to Albany that the ridiculousness ends now, with a strong message to the upper eschelons of power. Justin Sullivan, a filmmaker, is making a documentary about this race- let's give that movie a happy ending.
This congressional primary pits longtime Democratic Congressman Edolphus Towns against former "Real World" star and activist, Kevin Parker. Towns had some serious "wtf" votes considering he represents one of the most Democratic districts in the country, including his vote for the Bankruptcy Bill and for CAFTA. On the Bankruptcy Bill alone, Towns deserves to lose his job. Powell has a compelling life story and appears he will be a good representative for Brooklyn's 10th District.
Elsewhere: As mentioned earlier, our legislature is the worst in the country. Unless you can personally vouch for your incumbent legislator (there are maybe 5 or 10 incumbents that deserve to be re-elected), vote for the challenger. It's time for some long-overdue accountbility in Albany.
I just saw this and didn't want it to slip through the cracks- Ruben Diaz Sr. (not to be confused with his genuinely progressive son and Assemblyman, Ruben Diaz Jr.) is also a candidate in the Republican primary this year.
Not only is he running in the Republican primary, he is the only candidate running for the Republican party's nod in his district, thus ensuring he will be the GOP nominee.
