This is lamentable. IND - the so-called Independent Neighborhood Democrats, profiled in the seminal Daily Gotham piece IND: No You Can't - has crossed the Rubicon from silly over to downright harmful.

Via Azi:

The usually ultra-liberal Brooklyn political club, Independent Neighborhood Democrats, endorsed a 27-year-old candidate who doesn't support same-sex marriage and who opposes abortion rights.

The club voted last night to endorse John Heyer over one of its own members, Bob Zuckerman, who is gay and fairly progressive. They’re both running for the seat being vacated by Bill de Blasio, who is running for public advocate.

As former IND President Bob Zuckerman put it:

"[T]he actions of some have continued to tarnish the progressive reputation of this club and it saddens me to think, as last night’s vote demonstrated, it’s no longer independent or reform.”

Per Mr. Heyer's web site - sorry, I'm not going to provide a link, just to underline utter, sheer contempt - his concerns are neighborhood and family. My family, apparently, since that whole marriage thing is a no-no for we homos. Mr. Hoyer would also like to be able to take an interest in your uterus: choice is a no-no. And though it's gilding the lily to note this, that though Mr. Hoyer currently works for borough president Markowitz, and previously for Assemblywoman Joan Millman, neither of them has seen fit to endorse him. Of course, it could also be that he's just been too busy agitating against your civil rights and mine to update his site. Needless to say, Mr. Heyer is married and expecting a child. What he has, you can't have, homos.

So how did this happen?

Simple answer: what is known as club-packing. Get a bunch of your supporters, fellow ass-nuts, to sign up to a club, hang out for a bit, cast an endorsement vote, and vanish into the ass-nut ether. Happens all the time, though some of these clubs have taken measures to prevent it. And most clubs would at least think about it before endorsing some no-name over their former club president - Bob Zuckerman - who has worked his little butt off for them for years, and who is solid on any issue you might choose to name.

So now what? Is this the moment when Brooklyn's clubs finally face up to the cold truth, that they need to change or risk becoming irrelevant?

Update: It appears that Millman did indeed endorse Heyer over her club's former President, Zuckerman; so report Mole and Gate.