Senior editor at the Village Voice, Wayne Barrett, talks about Charles Rangel's stepping down as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; the shifting field of candidates for the New York's Senate seat; and the continuing shake up in Albany.
Right on Naomi but to be blunt I'm more concerned about the crimes against tens of THOUSAnDS of Iraqi women and children, which to you is apparently 'meh' compared to the more salacious and emotional Paterson story
and to be frank your enthusiasm on this topic isn't the problem
if you'd bothered to read what I had actually written, my puzzlement is why the times puts so much emphasis on this story while bush's far more serious crimes, which the times aided & abetted, are relatively ignored
and if you'd read my post, you'd know I didn't criticize wnyc
Witness tampering in a domestic violence case is not and never will be 'meh".
Imagine ten years from now and Patterson is out of office.
Imagine there's a news report about a domestic violence incident that turned deadly.
Imagine the then governor intervened to help this assailant stay out of trouble for similar problems while he was his aid.
Then you'll all be shouting that WNYC and the Times didn't do what they were supposed to in this instance and this woman is dead because no one said anything.
If we can get people like Patterson/Johnson out of office now, away from influence, we won't have to worry about going to wars we shouldn't be in. We'll have people with sound judgement in positions of power.
Naomi that may all be true and we all take issues of violence against women very seriously ditto the possibility of witness tampering and yet there would seem to be a totally disproportionate amount of attention focused on patterson's crime or misconduct when compared to the times apparently completely ignoring far worse criminality of the bush admin I would add that with the times there is an element of hypocrisy that is they were complicit in the bush lies pre Iraq invasion after that, witness tampering is a big 'meh'
This is a simple matter of your opinions versus the facts. You know what they say about opinions...
Facts:
David Johnson has a criminal record and a history of domestic violence complaints against him.
Patterson has defended him against criticism for having such an influential position w/o qualification in the past.
His administration has intervened in past scrapes with other women Johnson has been involved with. The severity is unknown.
State Police showed up at this woman's home on Patterson's orders.
Patterson contacted her the day before she was to appear in court on the matter against Johnson. She didn't show up in court as a result.
How you feel or your opinions about the Times or WNYC doesn't nullify the facts.
He tampered with a witness. He's a lawyer and the Governor of the State of New York.
He had no business intervening AT ALL. Not even to bless her after she sneezed. He needs to resign, may be censured by the by the NY State Bar Assoc. and may never be able to practice law in this state again.
My point hjs and Naomi is that WNYC and the NYT seem to be running more on vigilantism when it comes to Governor Paterson that journalism and unless what they say is substantiated by widely accepted facts over innuendo, inferences, and gossip, I take what they say with the same grain of salt that I do a supermarket tabloid. To me, the tone and content of the segment did not speak well for a station in the middle of a pledge drive running on journalism over talking heads. I find it odd that the resignation bell is ringing so loudly for Governor Paterson when the Legislature, the City Assembly, NY state US senators, and former governors have been investigated or found guilty for much worse. Something about this inquisition isn’t passing the smell test for me.
She stated in open court that she was attacked by Mr. Johnson and then contacted by State Police as well as an aid for Mr. Patterson (who asked her to call the governor) before she was to appear in court in regards to the complaint against Johnson.
He said, she said? This is not the first time David Johnson has been accused of domestic violence. More llike he said, THEY said.
Hey Bilionaire,Canadian Born right wing Likudnick Mort Zuckerman bows out on NY Senate race.PHEW!!!!Senator Joe Liberman beating that war drum needs to find another pal.Ford would not sign on I suppose!checkboock closed. Ah yes more Jewish Canadian NeoCons is not what this country needs. Krauthammer,Frum,the Kagans,Black,.....Ah,the "Canadians"!!!.With their US Neocon counterparts(Feith,Libby,Pearl,Wolfowitz,....) marched the US into Iraq debackle and now Iran is the next war they are planning for America. The war agenda and it's agent need to be discussed.WMD you say?? You gots our attention!
If what you are saying is accurate hjs, then everything I have to say about WNYC, The Village Voice and The New York Times can be summed up in six letters: Y-E-L-L-O-W
TO (deliberately?) misquote JRR Tolkein, Politics corrupts, Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
And yes, I remember Basil (Pattersons' father) and why Charles Rangel took over Adam Clayton Powell's old congressional seat just before he was jailed for corruption.
Here's the problem (and I've said it for over 3-4 years now BRIAN!--on my blog!)
We need political reform.
We need:
1) political donation/campaign reform. No more then a (say) $250 per candidate contribution, VIA a website... per person...
2) NATIONWIDE Political reform and term limits.
a) a single six year presidency (no releection campaigns!!!) b) three senate (18 years) AND 9 House re-elections (also 18 years) seats.
c) Governor/state/local term limits. I think the 3 term limit (12 years) is a good start.
And the key to this is TRANSPARANCY.
It's the political GREASE that is paid by corporations that causes this stuff.
Look at the dysfunction in Albany. (NJ is almost perfect compared to that environment!)
Harold Ford may have bowed out of the race because the unreported story was his meeting in the village with Stonewall Democratic club where he really went into the Lions Den and got such a hostile reception that he had to leave early. It was ugly. It really may have made him decide to bow out.
It’s nice to finally hear someone admit publically that the failings of Black politicians, which are paltry compared to the egregious acts of white politicians, should always result in resignation as Mr. Barrett has all but directly stated. This explains the Times, WNYC's and the Voice's rush to call for resignation when no verdict on wrongdoing has been made. By the way, has the alleged victims claims been substantiated or is this a he said she said. Mr. Barrett stated it as 100% fact. I have not been following the scandal so I do not know, but unless this is an undisputed fact, then WNYC is just peddling rumors and innuendo.
Your guest hit the nail right on the head. This is not just a black issue where it pertains to Patterson. The victim in this crime is the woman who was brutalized and then intimidated.
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Comments [18]
I find your contradiction interesting.
You think I'm not reading what you wrote?
I'm not sure you are either.
"and we all take issues of violence against women very seriously"
"after that, witness tampering is a big 'meh'"
Right on Naomi but to be blunt I'm more concerned about the crimes against tens of THOUSAnDS of Iraqi women and children, which to you is apparently 'meh' compared to the more salacious and emotional Paterson story
and to be frank your enthusiasm on this topic isn't the problem
if you'd bothered to read what I had actually written, my puzzlement is why the times puts so much emphasis on this story while bush's far more serious crimes, which the times aided & abetted, are relatively ignored
and if you'd read my post, you'd know I didn't criticize wnyc
Paterson. Sorry for the spelling error.
Witness tampering in a domestic violence case is not and never will be 'meh".
Imagine ten years from now and Patterson is out of office.
Imagine there's a news report about a domestic violence incident that turned deadly.
Imagine the then governor intervened to help this assailant stay out of trouble for similar problems while he was his aid.
Then you'll all be shouting that WNYC and the Times didn't do what they were supposed to in this instance and this woman is dead because no one said anything.
If we can get people like Patterson/Johnson out of office now, away from influence, we won't have to worry about going to wars we shouldn't be in.
We'll have people with sound judgement in positions of power.
One hopes...
Naomi
that may all be true
and we all take issues of violence against women very seriously
ditto the possibility of witness tampering
and yet
there would seem to be a totally disproportionate amount of attention focused on patterson's crime or misconduct
when compared to the times apparently completely ignoring far worse criminality of the bush admin
I would add that with the times there is an element of hypocrisy
that is
they were complicit in the bush lies pre Iraq invasion
after that, witness tampering is a big 'meh'
This is a simple matter of your opinions versus the facts.
You know what they say about opinions...
Facts:
David Johnson has a criminal record and a history of domestic violence complaints against him.
Patterson has defended him against criticism for having such an influential position w/o qualification in the past.
His administration has intervened in past scrapes with other women Johnson has been involved with. The severity is unknown.
State Police showed up at this woman's home on Patterson's orders.
Patterson contacted her the day before she was to appear in court on the matter against Johnson. She didn't show up in court as a result.
How you feel or your opinions about the Times or WNYC doesn't nullify the facts.
He tampered with a witness.
He's a lawyer and the Governor of the State of New York.
He had no business intervening AT ALL.
Not even to bless her after she sneezed.
He needs to resign, may be censured by the by the NY State Bar Assoc. and may never be able to practice law in this state again.
I frequently disagree with voter, but something is fishy with how aggessively the times has gone after this
My point hjs and Naomi is that WNYC and the NYT seem to be running more on vigilantism when it comes to Governor Paterson that journalism and unless what they say is substantiated by widely accepted facts over innuendo, inferences, and gossip, I take what they say with the same grain of salt that I do a supermarket tabloid. To me, the tone and content of the segment did not speak well for a station in the middle of a pledge drive running on journalism over talking heads.
I find it odd that the resignation bell is ringing so loudly for Governor Paterson when the Legislature, the City Assembly, NY state US senators, and former governors have been investigated or found guilty for much worse. Something about this inquisition isn’t passing the smell test for me.
It is not rumor and inuendo.
She stated in open court that she was attacked by Mr. Johnson and then contacted by State Police as well as an aid for Mr. Patterson (who asked her to call the governor)
before she was to appear in court in regards to the complaint against Johnson.
He said, she said?
This is not the first time David Johnson has been accused of domestic violence.
More llike he said, THEY said.
voter
I just meant as far as I know the woman has not spoken out publicly, but that doesn't mean there is no story there.
Hey Bilionaire,Canadian Born right wing Likudnick Mort Zuckerman bows out on NY Senate race.PHEW!!!!Senator Joe Liberman beating that war drum needs to find another pal.Ford would not sign on I suppose!checkboock closed.
Ah yes more Jewish Canadian NeoCons is not what this country needs.
Krauthammer,Frum,the Kagans,Black,.....Ah,the "Canadians"!!!.With their US Neocon counterparts(Feith,Libby,Pearl,Wolfowitz,....) marched the US into Iraq debackle and now Iran is the next war they are planning for America.
The war agenda and it's agent need to be discussed.WMD you say??
You gots our attention!
If what you are saying is accurate hjs, then everything I have to say about WNYC, The Village Voice and The New York Times can be summed up in six letters:
Y-E-L-L-O-W
First of all this is NOT a black issue.
This is A corruption issue.
TO (deliberately?) misquote JRR Tolkein, Politics corrupts, Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.
And yes, I remember Basil (Pattersons' father)
and why Charles Rangel took over Adam Clayton Powell's old congressional seat just before he was jailed for corruption.
Here's the problem (and I've said it for over 3-4 years now BRIAN!--on my blog!)
We need political reform.
We need:
1) political donation/campaign reform.
No more then a (say) $250 per candidate contribution, VIA a website... per person...
2) NATIONWIDE Political reform and term limits.
a) a single six year presidency (no releection campaigns!!!)
b) three senate (18 years) AND 9 House re-elections (also 18 years) seats.
c) Governor/state/local term limits.
I think the 3 term limit (12 years) is a good start.
And the key to this is TRANSPARANCY.
It's the political GREASE that is paid by corporations that causes this stuff.
Look at the dysfunction in Albany. (NJ is almost perfect compared to that environment!)
markb in Westfield
Voter
just rumors, as far as i can tell.
mc
no but they said they are working on it.
Harold Ford may have bowed out of the race because the unreported story was his meeting in the village with Stonewall Democratic club where he really went into the Lions Den and got such a hostile reception that he had to leave early. It was ugly. It really may have made him decide to bow out.
It’s nice to finally hear someone admit publically that the failings of Black politicians, which are paltry compared to the egregious acts of white politicians, should always result in resignation as Mr. Barrett has all but directly stated.
This explains the Times, WNYC's and the Voice's rush to call for resignation when no verdict on wrongdoing has been made.
By the way, has the alleged victims claims been substantiated or is this a he said she said. Mr. Barrett stated it as 100% fact. I have not been following the scandal so I do not know, but unless this is an undisputed fact, then WNYC is just peddling rumors and innuendo.
Your guest hit the nail right on the head.
This is not just a black issue where it pertains to Patterson.
The victim in this crime is the woman who was brutalized and then intimidated.
Is the site working today?
BL Moderator: The site has been malfunctioning a bit, but the web team is on it. It should be working today.
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