Brooklyn must stand behind its Guardian Angel
COURIER L 28 IFE, MARCH 6-12, 2020
OPINION
A new coalition is ready to
bring a spark to the GOP
to prevent New York from
falling further into the abyss.
Curtis Sliwa, one of the
most recognizable voices
and faces in all five boroughs
and beyond, just announced
that he has formed an Urban
Reform GOP Coalition. The
popular Guardian Angels
Founder and media personality
is bringing together
Republicans, Independents,
and disaffected Democrats
to pursue common sense solutions
to save our city.
Key issues on the agenda
for the group include: the
deterioration of NYCHA
and lack of affordable housing
and school choice; the
increase in crime, which
requires rolling back bail
reform; our failing infrastructure;
and the rise of
homelessness and Emotionally
Disturbed Persons on
our streets and subways.
Sliwa announced this coalition
on Feb. 11 when he offi
cially registered as a Republican
and attended a meeting
of the Manhattan GOP. He
was enthusiastically welcomed
by their outstanding
Chairwoman Andrea Catsimatidis,
and NYS Chairman
Nick Langworthy. For full
disclosure, this columnist
also joined the event and is
part of the group leading this
new city-wide effort.
In short, one-party Democratic
rule has been a disaster
for New York, especially
since the party has caved to
their far-left fringe, led by
the AOC (Alexandria Ocasio
Cortez) crowd.
Let’s just look at bail reform
legislation that took effect
Jan. 1. Each and every
senate Democrat voted for it.
It took less than two months
for all to see the dangerous
effects. After all, how many
more headlines must we see
of someone released because
of bail reform and then immediately
committing yet
another crime against an innocent
New Yorker.
In spite of this, and the
rising crime rates, Democrats
just voted in lock step
against repealing the law
and taking a fresh look at
criminal justice reforms. Indeed,
Democrats have made
it clear that they view plastic
bags as a greater threat
than criminals being repeatedly
let back on our streets.
My sense is that there are
a growing number of registered
Democrats and Independents,
especially here
in southwest Brooklyn that
feels that our blue party has
capitulated too much to their
far-left base.
Perhaps this is why when
Sliwa posted about this coalition
on his facebook page,
he quickly reached over
92,000 people, with 14,000 engagements
and almost 400
shares, and only 9 negative
reactions. He tells me that
none of his previous posts
have ever got this type of
traction.
Maybe New Yorkers have
seen enough and are ready
for pragmatic, common
sense leadership, which is
what the Urban Reform GOP
Coalition offers.
The need for the city GOP
to broaden its tent is clear.
They are outnumbered
nearly 6-1 in New York City.
Curtis Sliwa has worked
with and helped communities
in all parts of the city
for decades and therefore is
uniquely able to reach out to
many voters often ignored by
Republicans and vice versa.
This can go a long way in
bringing much needed balance,
and sanity to our government.
Bob Capano has worked
for Republican and Democratic
elected officials, and
has been a professor of political
science for over 15 years.
Follow him on twitter @bobcapano
THE RIGHT
VIEW
Bob Capano
There’s more to politics than the presidential race
We’re living in anxious
times. We have more
information than ever
before, but so much of what
we’ve learned just highlights
what seems to be our own insignifi
cance and powerlessness.
Global warming, mass
migration, globalization, automation,
pandemic diseases:
all these issues are too big
for any single nation-state to
handle, much less any individual.
Our own country also
seems to be too large for
almost any individual to
make a difference. It seems
like most of us have been
very fixated on this presidential
election, for over a
year now, and somehow this
saga will continue for another
eight months. Yet who
among us has made a difference
in this election?
Tom Steyer and Mike
Bloomberg didn’t, despite
spending millions of dollars
of their own money. A score
of other candidates who
dropped out didn’t, despite
the fact that some of them
are US senators or state governors.
Every living mayor
of this city has gotten involved
in the 2020 presidential
election one way or another,
half as candidates.
They’ve earned our ridicule,
but have any of them
made a difference?
The entire Iowa Democratic
Party didn’t make
a difference. So many resources,
so much time,
was poured into that state,
by campaigns that mostly
dropped out before the voting
even started. And yet
it’s as if that entire disaster
of a caucus never happened.
Maybe you yourself have
donated to a presidential
candidate, or even traveled
to another state to knock on
doors for one. You might feel
good about that, but in no
case can you show that your
investment of time and treasure
made a significant difference
in the outcome.
We’ve become addicted
to following this presidential
campaign that none of
us can control because it
feels important and substantive
and certainly very
controversial. But actually
it’s a reality show. We think
we know the contestants–
excuse me, candidates–but
really we’re just responding
to elements of their personal
brands.
So we are stuck watching
this dumb competition that
we can’t really affect, as the
planet somehow melts and
burns simultaneously and
robots or immigrants or a
virus (take your pick, depending
on your ideology)
come for our jobs. How depressing.
How distressing.
Is there any way out?
The presidential campaign
distracts us from the
human-scale political arenas
in which we actually
dwell. Yes, you live in America,
but more importantly
you live in Brooklyn, New
York City, New York State.
I’m not sure you can make
a difference individually in
this state, though I know a
bunch of individuals who
do, but I know you can make
a difference on your block
and in your neighborhood.
No matter where you live
in Brooklyn, there is a local
organization that could really
use your time, money,
intelligence, and perseverance.
The local level seems
to be the only place left in
our culture where strangers
can build trust with each
other, even if they disagree.
It’s a lot harder to block out
and write off someone if you
know you’re going to keep
seeing them at the bodega or
the PTA meeting. Put your
hands into something local,
and you’ll see some results
and know you made the difference.
We’ll save the world
by stitching those local efforts
together a million or a
billion times.
Nick Rizzo is a Democratic
District Leader representing
the 50th Assembly
District and a political consultant
who lives in Greenpoint.
Follow him on Twitter
at @nickrizzo
WORDS OF
RIZZDOM
Nick Rizzo