Well, for those of us living in New York this has been, shall we say, an "interesting" week. I discuss the scandal surrounding Eliot Spitzer in some detail in this newsletter. In the end it just may be a good thing. Our new governor, Governor Paterson, is untested in many ways...and some consider him a bit weak. But I have a better feeling about him than I did about Spitzer when he was elected. But time will tell.

This week also has been horrible for our economy. Things are getting worse and worse and no end in sight. I am seriously concerned about the economic situation. But Bush has been "reassuring" America that the economy is just fine. This reminds me of his father telling us "Don't worry, be happy." Which, of course, led to the brilliant counter line, "It's the Economy, Stupid." Well, "It's the Economy Stupid" applies more than ever, as I write on Culture Kitchen. Halliburton, Exxon/Mobil, Shell Oil, Chevron etc. rake in record profits while you and I have trouble making ends meet...and Bush "reassures" us. Pardon me, but to Hell with that! This economy has sucked during the entirety of Bush's term, with this being the SECOND recession he has given us. And inflation has been a problem at the very same time. I am not reassured.

But change is coming. Whether our nominee is Clinton or Obama, I am eager to see a change. Either way we will see some of the nastiest attacks from the Republicans we have ever seen. Be prepared. And be prepared to fight it tooth and nail. They will be as sexist and/or racist as they need to be to win. They will lie, steal and cheat to win. We are poised to take the Senate solidly, win more House seats and take the White House. This week alone we won yet another House seat (in Illinois) and successfully defended a threatened seat (in Indiana). But they have more dirty tricks up their sleeves and we have to be ready for it.

Last week I started something without even realizing it. I posted my second ever recommended diary on Daily Kos called "The Articles They Don't Want You to See." The success led me to even start it as a new blog, as well as a regular Daily Kos article.

The response was good enough that it is clear I should try and make this a weekly thing. The idea is to highlight articles/infromation/videos , new or old, that are important, under-reported and/or forgotten. And to provide YOU to post articles that YOU think need more attention. Last week I focued on Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain as well as a Republican Congressman named Vito Fossella (also called Bagdhad Vito or Bush's Lap Dog) in NYC and his challenger, Steve Harrison. This week I will review last week's articles, YOUR suggestions from last week, and present a new set of articles that I think deserve more attention. And if you think I forgot anything, please post in the comments! New articles come first, last week's articles are at the end.

The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

Citizens across the political spectrum are preoccupied by numerous high stakes issues such as Iraq, Afghanistan, corruption, corporatist greed, genocide, global warming and healthcare to name a few. There is also the ongoing rule of an administration subverting the Constitution and undermining our democracy. As a result, some topics of importance have dropped off our radar screens. One subject meriting renewed scrutiny is the prison industrial complex.

The prison industrial complex are entities or organizations that have a stake in construction of correctional facilities, such as prison guard unions, construction companies and vendors specializing in surveillance technology. Just as sectors in the military industrial complex are more concerned with profit than national security, players inside the prison industrial complex are more concerned about making money than actually rehabilitating criminals or reducing crime rates.

The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal and crossposted at The Albany Project.

Three-decade incumbent Republican Roy Goodman represented the 26th Senate District of New York. He was a "Rockefeller" Republican and symbol of Albany's unchanging status quo. Goodman had delivered for this district covering Manhattan's east side and midtown. He appeared invulnerable and his continued success helped the GOP maintain their Senate majority for decades.

The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

Is New York's Eliot Spitzer for real? Is it possible my home state elected a governor who knows what he means and means what he says? Politicians promising reform and boasting about their prowess as culture breakers is nothing new. Spitzer's predecessor, George Pataki also promised to reform Albany's corrupt culture and he proceeded to embrace it. Mario Cuomo didn't embrace Albany's inside game like Pataki but he didn't confront it either.

Caveat: this excellent post was written by MBNYC. I'm posting it with his permission.

There have been a number of diaries posted here recently about a special election (and a related fundraiser/blograiser) scheduled to take place in New York's Seventh Senatorial District on February 6th. The contenders are Craig Johnson, the Democrat, and Maureen O'Connell, a Republican. A Democratic win in this election is considered predictive of whether the state Senate will flip to the Democrats for the first time, essentially, since 1932. The state Senate, which Theodore Roosevelt quipped was 'constitutionally Republican', is colloquially known here as 'the place where good legislation goes to die'.

More after the jump....

From The Albany Project

I would imagine, the easy speculation as to why Craig is getting my support, time, effort and some money, is that he is a Democrat running for the State Senate, something I just did myself. But that would be selling Craig (and me) a bit short.

First of all, I have met Craig and find him to be engaging, energetic and passionate about his job (serving the people of his county legislative district), and, quite frankly, I think he would make a good State Senator for the people in the 7th District. But, what sold me is the fact that he is passionate about reforming the absolute mess in Albany.

In preparation for the TAP Book Club with Seymour Lachman, I am reading "Three Men In A Room." I'm hoping that everyone does the same and joins us for the discussion at The Albany Project on January 29th, but, by doing so, you'll understand why Craig Johnson is getting my full support.

The diary below was originally posted in my blog the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

On July 10th I posted a podcast interview with congressional candidate Chris Owens of Brooklyn, New York's 11th congressional district. As I am new to podcasting, the host site I used at the time wasn't very good. I've finally come up with a better one. Since the Democratic primary for the 11th district is Tuesday, September 12, I thought it made sense to repost the podcast.

This district is a human mosaic of 654,000: 60 percent blacks, 20 percent whites, 12 percent Hispanics, 4 percent Asians and 4 percent other ethnicities. The minorities, mostly Caribbean Americans and other immigrants, comprise 80 percent of the district.

The interview below took place on Sunday, July 9th and was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

The 11th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York is a human mosaic of 654,000: 60 percent blacks, 20 percent whites, 12 percent Hispanics, 4 percent Asians and 4 percent other ethnicities. The minorities, mostly Caribbean Americans and other immigrants, comprise 80 percent of the district.

This district is historically significant because it was created pursuant to the Voting Rights Act. In 1968, the 11th elected the first black woman to Congress - Shirley Chisholm. Since then the predominantly black population has been represented in Washington by one of their own. The incumbent, Major R. Owens is retiring after serving in Congress since 1984. An African-American, Representative Owens is highly regarded among progressives for his commitment to strengthening public education.