Towns Is Certainly No Waxman

When Congressman Waxman left the House Government and Oversight Committee for the Energy and Commerce Committee, there were big shoes to fill for his replacement. Unfortunately, thanks to seniority, that man was Brooklyn's Congressman Ed Towns. It isn't that he has the worst record among Democrats, but that he has hardly any record, in twenty-six years of representing his district. His tobacco connections also do not look so good. Naturally, I did not have high hopes for his very first Committee Chair position.

And well, neither does he:

California Democrat Henry Waxman, Mr. Towns’ direct predecessor, was the paradigm, leveraging the position for maximum influence by spearheading high-profile investigations and afflicting the powerful with his peevish demeanor. “Waxman showed what could be done in that committee,” said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. “The chair has got a roving commission to go after almost anything, from the spill in Tennessee at that coal impoundment pond to hauling in Citibank executives.”

Expect Mr. Towns’ style to be somewhat different.

“I’m not one of the guys who jumps in front of the cameras,” he told The Brooklyn Paper in August 2008.
Video of Mr. Towns, a North Carolina native, at committee hearings and giving Congressional testimony depict a mild-mannered politician who sticks to his talking points.

Now sure, he does have plans to do oversight, but nothing along the lines of what Congressman Waxman has done in the last Congress and before Republicans took over in 1994 as well. Personally, I believe that in this crucial role, one must be a passionate advocate for reform and exposing crooked activities, whether it be in the public or private sector. Waxman had that tenacity. Going on Towns' quarter of a century in Congress, he doesn't.

Ed Towns' Chairmanship: Fox, Meet Henhouse

Seniority has a funny way of working in the House of Representatives. Yes, it provides some sense of order in a chaotic chamber of our government, but it can also put very peculiar people into jobs that they might not be truly deserving of. This certainly applies to Brooklyn's very own Ed Towns. One of his critics' issues with him is that in a quarter of a century, he never once chaired a committee. Well now he can cross that off the list, but his "Washingtonian" ways are far worse, and now compounded by the fact that he chairs the House Government and Oversight Committee.

From The Village Voice:

Poised to succeed the legendary Henry Waxman as chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Brooklyn congressman Ed Towns was once the target himself of a federal probe.

While Towns was not indicted, his videotaped receipt of a cash payment in an undercover operation raises questions about his appropriateness to head the House's premier investigations committee, particularly at a time when it may be called upon to probe the financial scandals that led to the current economic meltdown.

Brooklyn federal prosecutors and the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) caught Towns on videotape stuffing $1,300 in cash into his pockets in an undercover sting in 1982, when he first ran for Congress. Apparently, he was tipped off that the three Salini Construction Company executives were actually cops, and he returned the money a few days later and wasn't indicted.

And that was before he truly learned his way around town. Wayne Barrett's article goes more into depth about that particular incident back in 1982. Though that doesn't mean his shadiness ended there. He's known to be a good friend to Big Tobacco (as they are good friend$ to him) and a vote for CAFTA was a terrible deal for his constituents back in Brooklyn.

Now Towns' isn't all bad, he did co-sponsor the bill to impeach Bush. He generally votes the right way for his party, but from that district, there are better Democrats that could represent them in Congress. Likewise, there are also more stand-up Democrats in the body that could exercise reform and oversight and if merit played a factor in choosing Waxman's successor, Towns would certainly not be it.

NYC's Own Ed Towns Will Chair Oversight Cmte

It was a great victory for those interested in changing the direction of the country when Congressman Waxman was selected to chair the Energy and Commerce Committee. He'll make a huge difference by replacing John Dingell, but the only problem is who will fill in for him at the Government Oversight and Reform Committee. The rules of seniority will apply here and the next Democrat (INO) in-line is straight from Brooklyn K Street.

From TPM:

We've now learned that Rep. Ed Towns of New York is the favorite to take over the House Oversight Committee chairmanship, as a potential rival has indicated he won't oppose Towns.

This is a sign that the new Dem-controlled government is taking shape in a mostly smooth fashion, sparing the House Dems another brutal internal fight after current Oversight chairman Henry Waxman ousted John Dingell from the Energy and Commerce Committee.

There had been press coverage and rumors that Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland might have run against Towns for the now-vacant chairmanship, but it looks like Cummings won't oppose Towns, after all.

And as TPM points out as well, my Congresswoman (Carolyn Maloney) won't challenge him either, so the job is as good as his. I understand that the Democratic caucus wants to stop the internal fighting over committee assignments but that doesn't mean Towns' selection isn't a disappointment. Philip at TAP knows exactly how he'll run the committee, just as well as he's conducted himself as a Congressman for the last quarter-century. Sure, Towns is on the right side of a lot of issues, but he also knows who butters his bread.

It was a shame that we didn't have a candidate stronger than Powell who could knock Towns off. Hopefully we'll get more competition for the Democratic primary in 2010 and a challenger who can unify the district to effect change in that part of Brooklyn. Meanwhile, the Government Oversight and Reform Committee will just have to languish until Elijah Cummings won't have to go up against the strict seniority system.

Calling Sarah Palin Out For Racism

Obama himself might not be able to call John McCain and Sarah Palin out on the "substance" of their attacks, but his surrogates certainly can. In the last few days the Republican candidates have gotten nasty, especially Sarah Palin. She was out and about across the country, slamming Obama for "not being one of us" and wondering "who the real Barack Obama is." She did all of this dressed like a typical politician in a business suit, but she might as well have donned the white robes and hood of a Ku Klux Klan member. Finally, she is getting taken to task for her ugly and racist remarks.

From The NY Observer:

As the McCain campaign ratchets up the intensity of its attacks on Barack Obama, some black elected officials are calling the tactics desperate, unseemly and racist.

“They are trying to throw out these codes,” said Representative Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York.

“He’s ‘not one of us?’” Mr. Meeks said, referring to a comment Sarah Palin made at a campaign rally on Oct. 6 in Florida. “That’s racial. That’s fear. They know they can’t win on the issues, so the last resort they have is race and fear.”

“Racism is alive and well in this country, and McCain and Palin are trying to appeal to that and it’s unfortunate,” said Representative Ed Towns, also from New York.

You betcha it is. No matter how many fake, folksy and flowery words you use, the ugliness of racism comes through when Sarah Palin steps up to the podium. The sentiments of ignorance, hate and bigotry are evident from the crowd's reactions. While the thousands in the audience may love her speeches, the nation as a whole is horrified by her and have stated as much when you look at her plummeting poll numbers. There may be a certain percentage of people that tap into that type of hate, but thankfully it is a small minority. If anything, it is a good thing that these people's actions are spotlighted so that the racist attitudes in McCain and Palin's campaign can ultimate bury the GOP for decades to come.

The Post-Primary Election Calm

It is a cool and calm Wednesday morning outside, a wonderful contrast to the intermittently humid and stormy Tuesday primary election day, a perfect analogy to the day of voting and the day after. The Lower East Side, Downtown, Upper Manhattan, parts of Brooklyn and many other sites across the state yesterday were a buzz with campaign staffers and volunteers, doing all that they could to get their candidate elected.

One guy I talked to down on Grand and Clinton had no less than 20 leaflets handed to him within a few blocks of the train. When I asked him whether it swayed his choice, he mentioned that he couldn't vote but that he was sick and tired of Sheldon Silver. Too bad, because Newell and Henry needed his vote. I was hoping for the two of them to break fifty percent together, but Silver did what it took to win a crushing victory and all it took was 6,743 votes to get 68%. These primary elections hang on so little because so few vote, despite all the publicity on the street and in mailboxes. In this race at least, change lost out to the power of incumbency and the raw power of the guy being Speaker of the Assembly.

In the State Senate however, change won a huge victory in the way of Daniel Squadron. His supporters were everywhere from morning till night and then some even before Tuesday. After more than thirty years in the State Senate, an old do-nothing Democrat was defeated by the young challenger. Squadron did what it took to beat him, having the help of major players such as Chuck Schumer, winning over the Satmars among others and conducting a massive GOTV effort. It'll be a refreshing change to see him represent the 25th district, especially when the Senate changes hands to the Democrats in less than two months time.

Over on the Congressional side of things, two races were up for grabs. Kevin Powell tried to ride in like Obama to the 10th District in Brooklyn. The tenth needs change from Ed Towns, but despite Powell's Obamaesque campaign style, he could not raise the funds nor recover from the problems of his past. In the end Towns beat him handily, nearly by two to one.

In the open seat of the 13th down in Staten Island (and a sliver of Brooklyn) Steve Harrison, a progressive with past support and a close election with Vito two years ago went down in flames. Michael McMahon was the establishment's candidate and their help this year (which was non-existent in 06') put him over the top and on his way to a race against Straniere. November is looking good for the Democrats to pick up the seat, though I think we could have done that with either Harrison or McMahon.

All the results can be found here.

Meet Ed Towns, The Marlboro Man

Kevin Powell's latest ad (on YouTube) attacks incumbent Ed Towns for his close association to the cigarette industry and how it relates to central Brooklyn.

Powell Fights Back Against Towns, Refutes Lies

As we get further into primary season here in New York, entrenched incumbents are starting to get anxious and mean-spirited as their challengers gear up and the constituency demands change. There are plenty of these people in office across our state, but one of the larger spectacles is Ed Towns. He has been in office for a quarter of a century and long ago cast off the wishes and concerns of the people in the district in exchange for big corporate money.

Now challenger Kevin Powell is ready to lead the fight to depose Towns, but it is going to get nasty and its going to happen quickly. While Towns can raise huge sums of money, Powell is not in as good a financial spot, since he gets contributions from the people as opposed to special interests. So what does he do when Towns starts throwing out barbs?

Write him back:

Dear Congressman Towns:

I hope you and your family are well.

I am forced to write this open letter because you have failed to stand up and be counted during this election. After a quarter century you have also not delivered for the people in your district. I am disappointed because I had thought that a senior politician such as yourself, a 25-year-veteran of Congress, would be more than happy to participate in our nation's democratic process and agree to a debate in the venue of your choice. The condition of the district and your track record may have motivated you to stay away from the spotlight with the hope that you can just manage to squeak by and get back into office for yet another term.

But rather than meet me face to face to discuss the issues and challenges we have as a nation, you have chosen the low road. Please allow me to remind you that this path is wide and has led many of our politicians to perdition. Your attempts to discredit my campaign for Congress by personal attacks and character assassination will not work. The people of Brooklyn are tired of the same old political tricks. They demand a change. Instead of recognizing the needs of the people you are supposed to represent, you have chosen to tell lies about me and to distort my life to make me seem like some sort of criminal.

These underhanded tactics are disturbing to me on so many levels. I really didn't expect this from you. As someone born in North Carolina in the early 1930s, during the era of legal segregation, I thought you would know better than most how it feels to be treated in such a rude and disrespectful manner. And as someone who participated in our Civil Rights Movement, I thought you would remember that the whole point of that struggle was to create a level playing field so that future generations of African Americans would be able to pursue their lives and their dreams in liberty and happiness.

I challenge you, Congressman Towns, to FIVE PUBLIC DEBATES, any time and any place, to talk about the real issues facing the people of Brooklyn:

Those issues include the war, the economy, education, health care and many others. Instead of talking about issues that concern residents, Towns resorts to character assassination and innuendo. He would rather skip out of town than debate a challenger from his district. Towns has shown both in his voting record and his involvement (or lack there of) in the community that he does not care for an honest debate on the issues, because he knows that if he does, he'll lose. That is why we must continue to hammer him from now till election day so that we not only have more Democrats in the House for the next Congress, but better ones too.

Dave Chappelle A No-Show At Powell Fundraiser

I haven't seen any news reports or blogs on the matter, so I'll just give my eyewitness accounting of the night. I showed up at seven to find a huge line of people waiting to get into 27 W.24th St. The event was supposed to start at 7 and go til 10, so I figured we'd get in soon enough. Unfortunately the line barely moved and I did not get inside until around 8:30. At the time Powell was speaking, but it was nearly impossible to hear him thanks to the acoustics of what looks like a decent sized club.

Volunteers at the door were generally helpful and gave out large palm cards and DVDs about Kevin. The bar was packed as was the entire venue. There had to be at least three hundred people in there. By the time I grabbed my $4 coke and found a decent spot, Powell was wrapping things up and everyone expected to see Chappelle walk out on stage soon thereafter. To my chagrin that was not the case.

The minutes and tracks from the DJ (very good I might add) rolled on and was interrupted once before 10pm to announce that someone had lost their cellphone. The crowd, as I'm sure you can guess, was booing that after 45 minutes of music.

Finally at 10:15, more than an hour after Powell went backstage, he came out again to announce that Chappelle had missed a first and second flight (from who knows where) and will not be attending. He told us he tried to get Comedian Chris Rock to come out and perform (who was backstage) but Chris declined to steal his buddy Dave's event.

So in the end, Powell told everyone that wasn't comped that the event will be rescheduled and that everyone write down their email address on the notepads of the volunteers to get into the next event. People were visibly upset, but mostly wrote down their info before leaving.

I generally wouldn't have a problem with this (logistics of events can be a real pain in the ass sometimes) but the way it was handled was poor. The crowd could have been notified an hour earlier, but that would have upset the bartenders and the venue, so people were kept in the dark until fifteen minutes after the event ended.

Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't change my support for Kevin. Towns is a real piece of work and he needs to be replaced by a better Democrat and Kevin Powell is it in 2008. I am glad to have contributed to his campaign and relish the thought that we can replace bad Dems with better ones, especially after Wednesday's FISA debacle. Still, the campaign needs to fine tune the event-planning portion of the campaign....hopefully the snags get ironed out when Chappelle makes it to the next event.

Dave Chappelle Dives Into Politics For Kevin Powell

Comic Dave Chappelle is not one to abstain from talking about politics, he's even played the President before on film. Despite the copious amount of politics he has espoused from the stage, he has never actually dipped his feet in the political pool....until now. It isn't a Barack Obama thing, but a Kevin Powell thing.

From The Observer:

Dave Chappelle is doing a fund-raiser for former MTV Real World star Kevin Powell, who challenging Congressman Ed Towns in Brooklyn's 10th district.

Any event featuring Chappelle is bound to get a fair amount of attention, since he has stayed out of politics until now.

Powell's opponent, the 13-term incumbent Towns, has opted for a lower profile than his challenger, avoiding nearly all campaign events in 2006, and so far again this year.

Powell went on from The Real World (first season!) to a career writing about hip-hop and culture for publications like Vibe.

The event will be held two weeks from today, July 9th at Eugene on 24th St. between 6th Ave and Broadway. Tickets to event go from $100 to the max of $2300. So if you want to see history in the making, come out in two weeks to see Chappelle back Kevin Powell for his challenge to the crony currently sitting in the 10th Congressional District.

Can Obama Help Unseat Ed Towns?

Out yonder in Brooklyn there is a man by the name of Kevin Powell (yes, The Real World's Kevin Powell) that is running for Congress in the 10th District. Currently Ed Towns holds the seat and has done so for 25 years. Now his time doesn't make him worthy of a challenge, it is his actions and positions that do so. Getting rebuked by the party leadership, beholden to special interests and voting against working families definitely warrants the challenge.

Of course running against an incumbent in your own party is a tall order, especially in New York. However, there is a certain man at the top of the ticket that might just give Powell a boost he needs that Charles Barron did not two years ago. Barron almost took Towns out, but Powell could actually do it. Powell has the support of the Obama community and when you look at the voter stats, Obama won this district.

From The Daily Politics:

Towns, like the rest of the New York delegation, endorsed Hillary Clinton.

Last week, he and the two other New York House members whose districts Obama won - Greg Meeks and Yvette Clarke - were the first members of the state's congressional delegation to dump Clinton, announcing their endorsements of Obama even before it was clear Clinton would definitely quit the race.

On Tuesday, Obama bundler Arthur Leopold, who is helping Powell raise money, forwarded the following fund-raising appeal:

"Dear Friends,

I would like for you to join me in congratulating Representative Towns on his decision to finally support Senator Barack Obama in his run for the presidency. He waited until one day before Hillary Clinton withdrew. It's about time. This is a decision that the residents of his district already made many months ago.

As you know, the 10th Congressional District in Brooklyn overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in February’s Democratic primary. Towns’ response? He continued to call for Hillary Clinton to be the next President of the United States; completely disregarding the call for change from his constituents. Maybe that’s why 53% of the district voted AGAINST Representative Towns in the 2006 primary.

I have always supported Barack Obama and his platform and we need to move onto a new generation of leadership in Brooklyn in tune with the people. We need a Representative who shares Barack Obama's and the District's ideas and ideals and Barack’s call for real change. As I run, I pledge, like Senator Obama, not to take any money from federal lobbyists, PACs, or special interests.

Together we can make this campaign a success.

An unprecedented 65% of Rep Towns’ campaign funds come from PACs or lobbyists – those same lobbyists who have diminished the political voice of the average citizen. You can stand up to the PACs and lobbyists corrupting Washington by showing your support and contributing $10, $25 or $100.

(Snip)

Thank you for your continued help and support.

Sincerely,

Kevin

And, as Azi reports, Powell is opening up a campaign office that he will be sharing with Brooklyn for Barack, a grassroots group that helped the senator carry the 10th CD on Super Duper Tuesday.

The conventional wisdom says Towns wins his primary for the 14th time in a row and on to victory in this very blue district. Towns expects to go back to his usual business in D.C. next year without much of a fight. But this year is a change election and it is quite possible that Brooklyn can replace Towns with a better, more progressive representative.

Kevin Powell Shows Up For DfNYC Forum, Ed Towns Ignores It

Last night in Brooklyn Kevin Powell came out to speak to a small gathering of Democracy for New York City members. Unfortunately the lighting at the Boat Bar on Smith wasn't good enough to take a picture like this. Powell was reaching out for their endorsement in his primary challenge to Edolphus Towns in the 10th Congressional District of New York. Edolphus Towns has been in Congress for twenty-five years, so maybe he thought that he was above these sorts of things (Official response was that they don't do anything until after the petitioning process). Still, even though he didn't show, Kevin Powell still had a lot to say...and a lot to offer.

Powell is originally from New Jersey and attended Rutgers. He is a writer, community activist and most importantly supports progressive issues that affect his neighborhood of 18 years in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. He's committed to be "a new voice" and one that fights developers instead of coddling them. He's in favor of repealing Bush's bankruptcy law as well as scrapping all of "No Child Left Behind." Powell argues it is essential to helping the thousands of borough residents that have had their homes foreclosed on and have children that deserve better schools.

Even though Towns wasn't there, that didn't mean Powell couldn't talk about the Congressman. He mentioned Towns has missed well over a 1000 votes in Congress, doesn't even chair a committee after twenty-five years and takes money from industries such as those that sell tobacco. He thought it was "unwise and unfair" of Towns to not show up last night. Then he likened himself to Donna Edwards who defeated incumbent Al Wynn in a primary challenge down in Maryland earlier this year. He is raising money, "approaching $100,000" and looking to quadruple that amount for the primary. It won't match Towns' fundraising cash but that doesn't have to happen for him to win the primary on September 9th. If electing progressive Democrats sounds like a good thing to you (even in solidly Democratic districts), then check out Kevin Powell versus the incumbent Ed Towns for yourself.

NY-10 Showdown 5/28 Wed. Night, Towns? Vs. Powell

From Democracy for New York City:

Democracy for NYC is hosting a candidate forum this Wednesday in Congressional District 10, where Kevin Powell is challenging incumbent Congressman Edolphus Towns in the Democratic primary. Join us to ask questions and learn about important urban issues and how they are influenced by acts of Congress.

What: Candidate Forum in CD-10. Invited Candidates, in alphabetical order: Kevin Powell (invited & confirmed), Edolphus Towns (invited, not confirmed)

When: This Wednesday, May 28th, 7:30 - 8:30pm

Where: Boat Bar, 175 Smith Street, between Wycoff & Warren, in Brooklyn. Take the F train to Bergen Street, and walk one block south on Smith. Even if you're coming from Manhattan, it's a quick trip.

Why: This is a safe Democratic seat, so the winner of this primary is virtually guaranteed to win in November and represent Brooklyn in Congress. In our fight to take back Congress, many have expressed concerns about getting involved in primaries. I certainly respect every one's right to make their own decisions as to how they volunteer and contribute money. But if we ignore primaries in safe Democratic seats, we're basically ignoring the 40 or 50 seats across the country in urban areas, representing mainly African-American and Latino voters. The progressive community should be taking part in these races to ensure that urban issues are on the agenda of Congress. It is a mistake to believe that representation in these districts is satisfactory, as long as it is big-D Democratic. Forums and primaries provide a great opportunity to make sure we have a strong, progressive Democratic majority in Congress.

Of course this a solidly blue district, we're talking about Brooklyn here people. However, primaries are held to replace leaders we don't like in our own party or to "hold them to the fire." Healthy opposition for incumbents is a part of our democracy and anyone that thinks otherwise might want to look up the definition for 'fiefdom.'

I write question marks next to Towns' name because he hasn't confirmed his attendance and in all likelihood, he won't show up. Nevertheless it will be a good opportunity for people in NY-10 or any curious New Yorker to meet the people that put their names on the line to run for higher office.

In case you can't make it, count on me to blog the event and get a YouTube video up as well.