Of Kennedys and Carpetbaggers
Father Komonchak beat me to the punch in citing the NY version of the Senate Replacement Sweepstakes, as detailed most recently in the NYTimes. I wouldn’t say the political machinations rise to the level of actually profiteering from public office, as the Illinois governor (I refuse to attempt to spell his name) appears to have done. What I think is fascinating about the NY case is how often “outsiders” have made themselves a home here–and then been elected! Hey, they’ve often been pretty good, so why not import talent? Some beg to differ, most notably the denizens of the Old Town bar, a favorite watering hole (especially beloved of Fordham alums and Jesuits, it seems). As I stumbled, er, strode purposefully, out of the Old Town the other night I saw this pasquinade in the window, and had to take the picture. It sums it up pretty well. (And the bridge reference was to the November renaming of the Triborough Bridge–a perfectly good and descriptive name for a workaday span–after Robert F. Kennedy. So it goes.)
NB: As Gene Palumbo noted below, click on the picture to enlarge it and make reading easier, indeed, possible. My computer skills are still primitive.
I’m not so sure how much of a “carpetbagger” Caroline K. is -she’s been around NYC for some time and has made some real community contributions.
Of course, many rising stars in the big apple and beyond come to the big city from afar in many fields.
Guess they should be evaluated by the content of their character (and, given the election process here, how much dinero they can raise.)
In case you’re struggling (as I was) to read the signs on the window, here’s something I just stumbled on: if you click on the picture, an enlarged version will pop up on your screen.