How Do We Put This? Let’s Just Say Identity Politics Still Exists . . .

The Daily News delicately tries to sort out the race (heh) in the 11th Congressional District:

When City Councilman David Yassky formally announces his run to represent the 11th Congressional District today, he’ll roll out a rainbow coalition of supporters to deflect “colonizer” accusations.

Black, white, Jewish and Pakistani leaders plan to bless Yassky’s controversial campaign at the Wyckoff Houses today, the Daily News has learned.

. . .

Yassky said, “I think that the campaign has support from every part of this congressional district.”

He has drawn criticism for running in a district created by the 1967 Voting Rights Act to give more representation to minority voters.

The other four candidates, who are black, are Councilwoman Yvette Clarke, Assemblyman Nick Perry, Chris Owens and state Sen. Carl Andrews — the last also a front-runner with a series of black and white endorsements.

Besides Hamilton, community activist James Caldwell and public housing leaders Charlene Nimmons and Marguerite Scott, all black, also will be at Yassky’s side.

The support from Hamilton and the others is crucial for Yassky because he’s the only white candidate running in a district that includes Brownsville and Flatbush.

Black support also could galvanize white liberal voters who might otherwise shy away from backing Yassky for a seat first occupied by Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

“White voters need to feel that blacks will not be upset if they vote for Yassky,” said political consultant Hank Sheinkopf.

Previously on: Nothing Against Your Policies, It’s Just The Color Of Your Skin, Barack Obama: Some Guy They Stuck In There.

Barack Obama: Some Guy They Stuck In There

Cracker carpetbagger David Yassky got the opportunity to meet with the community the other day, the Brooklyn Paper reports (.pdf):

City Councilman David Yassky finally got a chance to speak to a group of black church leaders in East New York last weekend — and later learned what people say about him, and his dream of defeating four black candidates in the mostly black 11th Congressional District, once he leaves the room.

“David Yassky shouldn’t even be running in this race,” said City Councilman Charles Barron, who spoke to the same group after Yassky had left. “David Yassky is an opportunist who sees the black vote divided and thinks he can sneak in there.”

As Barron spoke, slamming his fist onto the podium for emphasis, church leaders bobbed their heads up and down, at least one saying, “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Yassky had addressed the group — Churches United for Worldwide Action — after being barred from appearing at the organization’s candidates forum two weeks earlier. “Bygones are bygones,” Yassky said, explaining why he accepted the group’s invitation to speak at Grace Baptist Church in East New York Saturday.

. . .

Barron, who has often praised his colleague’s record in the Council, attacked Yassky’s candidacy without prompting.

“One hundred percent of the presidents have been white men!” said Barron, who is actually running for Congress in the neighboring district, where he hopes to beat incumbent Rep. Ed Towns.

“One hundred percent of the vice presidents — white men! Just 42 members of the House are black. And only one senator is black — some guy named Barack Obama, and I don’t know who that is. Some guy they stuck in there. So if you vote for Yassky, it goes down to 41 members of the House. Let him run against a white guy!”

After his broadside, Barron said his top priorities for the district are “jobs and health care,” the same two priorities Yassky had mentioned.

If By “Arrogant” You Mean “Optimistic” Then I’m The Biggest, Most Arrogant Sonovabitch Out There

The Post, in an EXCLUSIVE, reports on the details of an internal memo from Attorney General candidate Mark Green’s campaign:

A secret “talking points” memo from Mark Green’s attorney-general campaign dumps on “lightweight” Andrew Cuomo — and instructs supporters how to defend against oft-heard charges that Green is arrogant.

The 3 1/2-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, gives surrogates for the onetime public advocate and mayoral also-ran answers to tough questions including: “Isn’t Green arrogant?”

“No staff or friend or family member who knows this believes this. It’s the slander of opponents,” says the memo.

“Mark is a confidant (sic), optimistic person, which some confuse for arrogance. It’s impossible to think MG arrogant in a field with Andy Cuomo,” the memo continues.

D’oh!

The problem with Eliot Spitzer’s plan to score political points by going after the rich and powerful is that they’re rich and powerful:

Two of Eliot Spitzer’s major enemies — former New York Stock Exchange honcho Ken Langone and billionaire Tom Golisano — huddled last week in Florida to discuss a multimillion-dollar effort to thwart the Democratic front-runner’s charge for the governor’s office, sources told The Post yesterday.

The sit-down between Langone and Golisano, who ran unsuccessfully for governor on the Independence Party line in 2002, took place in Naples, Fla., on Monday.

Sources familiar with the powwow said Langone wanted to feel out Golisano about launching a well-funded independent political group that could do things like an “issues-based” ad campaign.

Millions of dollars could be spent focusing critically on Spitzer’s record as state attorney general.

“He’s looking for about $5 million from Tom,” said one source, saying Langone is trying to see if he can cobble together a string of large donations. “[Golisano] is considering it.”

. . .

Langone has been targeting Spitzer’s run for governor for months. Langone, a former NYSE board member, is a co-defendant in a suit brought by Spitzer’s office against former stock exchange head Dick Grasso.

Langone has been actively raising money for Spitzer’s primary opponent, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, and according to sources is looking for any way possible to damage the attorney general during the campaign.

And Golisano is said to be angry with Spitzer for promising last year to bulldoze over him if Golisano decided to throw his hat in the ring for governor.

Nothing Against Your Policies, It’s Just The Color Of Your Skin

The Brooklyn Paper reports on a recent candidate forum in the 11th Congressional District, a picture postcard of a harmonious post-racial political landscape (.pdf):

The only white candidate for an open congressional seat in a predominantly black Brooklyn district was barred from a candidate forum held by a coalition of black churches last weekend. The decision to block City Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn Heights) from the March 11 event — which drew about 30 people — was part of an effort by Churches United for Worldwide Action to ensure that a black person is elected to replace retiring Rep. Major Owens.

. . .

The moderator of the forum, the Rev. Kermitt Williams, of Agape Fellowship Church in East Flatbush, received the loudest applause when he declared: “As we know there is a candidate who is campaigning for this seat who’s not black. The fact that’s even being allowed to be pursued by someone that is not a part of our struggle and someone who is not black is of great concern to us.”