Many think it's kind of a shame that we elect our judges in a way that means they have to raise money and campaign like every other office, but that's the system we have, so, as with every other office, it is up to us to help out the good candidates. (Adapted from a snail mail invitation):

A coalition of three local, community-oriented Democratic clubs, Lambda Independent Democrats (LID), Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND, where I'm on the board), and Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID, where my wife is an officer), join together to invite you to a summer garden party fundraiser of Devin Cohen, our endorsed candidate for Civil Court, 1st district:

Wed. July 9, 2008
6:30-8:30 PM
at the home of Harley Diamond and Jonathan Lovett
363 Washington Ave., Clinton Hill, Brooiklyn

Compare and contrast the two candidates:

DEVIN COHEN:
*Strong supporter and friend of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and equality
*Lifelong reform Democrat who has only supported and worked for Democratic candidates and causes
*Appeared before and endorsed by Lambda Independent Democrats

Jimmy Dahroug picks up two good endorsements in his bid to turn the State Senate blue. Remember, Jimmy was one of two Democrats who came closest to picking up a State Senate seat in 2006 and has a better shot this year thanks to a better organized campaign and an earlier start. From Jimmy Dahroug's campaign:

Legislator Ricardo Montano, Islip Dem Chair Ivan Young Endorse Dahroug

Today Dahroug for Senate campaign received two major endorsements. Suffolk County Legislator Ricardo Montano, (9th L.D.) representing Brentwood, Central Islip and Islandia, and Islip Town Democratic Chairman Ivan Young officially endorsed Jimmy Dahroug's campaign for New York State Senate (S.D. 3).

While Legislator Montano moved to suspend his bid for the State Senate, he has decided to put his full support behind Jimmy Dahroug. In a letter to Democratic Party Committee Members, Montano stated, "I believe that with hard work and the right candidate we Democrats will win the 3rd Senate District and the State Senate this November. That is why I am endorsing Jimmy Dahroug for State Senate.

It is time to gear up for November with some serious voter registration, Effort now can win big in November. There are already voter reg efforts in nearby states. This comes from someone at Independent Neighborhood Democrats:

Dear Friends,

I'm excited to announce that our first voter registration trip to Philadelphia will take place Saturday, July 5th. I'm very pleased that we are partnering with Pennsylvania ACORN. Upon arrival in Philadelphia, we will report to their office for a brief training session, after which we will be dispatched to the streets crawling with unregistered voters eager for our assistance.

Pennsylvania has been a pivotal swing state over the last several presidential election cycles. Indeed, Republican strategists have made no secret that they view Pennsylvania as a key target in 2008. We must make sure that Pennsylvania is firmly in the Obama column. At stake is not only the White House, but most certainly the Supreme Court, where 88 year old John Paul Stevens holds the deciding vote on issues such as a woman's right to choose, Affirmative Action, right to trial, and a host of other civil liberties.

Huffington Post blogger Howie Klein in his other blog, "Down with Tyranny", says the DCCC is spreading false rumors that NY 13th Congressional District Democratic candidate Steve Harrison is dropping out of the primary against Councilman Michael McMahon. The winner faces Republican Frank Powers for the right to replace Vito Fossella. Against Fossella in 2006, Harrison received a higher percentage of the vote than any Democrat ever under the district's current configuration.

Here's Howie's blog. http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2008/06/in-case-youre-sick-of-hearin....

This comes from Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century:

Friday night, June 13, DL21C, along with Screening Liberally, invite you to the first of several special screenings of the recent HBO movie, Recount, about the historic 2000 election starring Kevin Spacey, Denis Leary, Laura Dern and Tom Wilkinson.

Joining us will be Christine Jennings, a Florida Congressional candidate ( Sarasota ), who lost her 2006 election by fewer than 400 votes, prompting a machine recount and special investigation. Jennings is running again in one of the hottest Congressional races this cycle, so this is a fun opportunity to enjoy a (free!) Friday night movie and hear from a candidate who has lived through hanging chads and butterfly ballots!

Christine will be introduced by our very own State Senator Liz Krueger.

We'll be screening Recount again later this summer, but hope you can make it Friday night to meet Christine and Senator Krueger!

* * *
DL21C, along with Screening Liberally, invite you to

A Special Movie Screening of

HBO’s Recount

Friday, June 13
7:00pm (Movie begins promptly at 7:20pm and runs 110 minutes)
DCTV Screening Room

As John McCain is lying to try and get Jews to vote for him, it might be a good idea to review the facts about Obama and McCain from a Jewish perspective. This comes from the National Jewish Democratic Council:

OBAMA STANDS WITH PROGRESSIVE VALUES ON DOMESTIC ISSUES

• He supports reproductive rights and will uphold Roe v. Wade.
• Obama cosponsored the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007.
• He will provide affordable access to health insurance for every American.
• He has fought for increased investment in renewable fuels.

OBAMA PERFECT PRO-ISRAEL VOTING RECORD

The pro-Israel community has always used voting records to determine whether a candidate is “pro-Israel.”
• He has voted in favor of foreign aid to Israel every time.
• He has signed onto numerous pro-Israel letters and resolutions.
• When in the State Senate, he cosponsored a bill authorizing the state of Illinois to invest in Israel bonds.

OBAMA BELIEVES ISRAEL’S SECURITY IS PARAMOUNT

Once again I find myself attacked for what I write here on Daily Gotham. Once again I am being told I don't know what I am talking about and that I am too harsh. And once again, I wonder about people's ability to read what I write and absorb facts.

I have heard first and second hand of several complaints about my coverage of judicial candidate Roger Adler, running against Devin Cohen (disclosure: Devin is a friend of mine) for the 1st Civil Court seat in Brooklyn. Few people dispute my portrayal of Devin Cohen as having solid integrity, intelligence and a devotion to the community that goes beyond what most of us can do. There is some legitimate dispute as to which candidate has more appropriate experience: some conisder Adler more experienced because he has been a lawyer longer, but others consider Devin Cohen more appropriately experienced because he has more actual trial experience and more experience is Civil Court, the seat they are competing for. Almost everyone agrees that both candidates are qualified for the job, but may differ on their relative experience. All of this is legitimate dispute over two candidates.

This is it, folks. Through primary battles we have fought it out and we still have more fights to go before our local primaries are decided. But this is it folks. Whatever we do locally, this is the big game nationally and we have work to do...together.

This was going to be a historic moment no matter what. Once the field narrowed to Obama and Clinton, we KNEW we would make history. We would have either the first black or first woman nominated for President by one of the two major parties. Well, THIS, folks, is history. Real and amazing history. We have now done what our parents couldn't do.

Now is the time to get it right. Now is the time to come together. Now is the time...the Dream comes true this year bigger and brighter than it has ever been dreamed before. Let's do this thing TOGETHER.

Today I started petitioning for my local candidates. This is the beginning of the real push locally, statewide and nationally. We have the chance to solidify the House, take the Senate for real, elect a brilliant man to the White House, and win local elections across the nation.

Once again let me remind people that judicial races are at least as important as any other local election. Judges determine the fates of citizens more directly than any other elected position. We need good judges and we need judges we can trust.

This is a follow-up diary to one I wrote earlier about the 1st Civil Court District in Brooklyn. This year a friend of mine (Devin Cohen) is running. His opponent is Roger Adler. Both are good, smart lawyers who are fully qualified to be judge. Adler has been practicing law longer than Devin, but Devin Cohen has more actual civil court experience. So it comes down to a question of temperment and trustworthiness. In my earlier article I addressed both issues. But I have found out more about Roger Adler, who claims to be a Democrat with progressive values, yet I discover that by far his largest contributions are to some of the most conservaitve organizations and politicians in NY State.

Today I received the summary of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats' (CBID) first endorsement meeting of the year. This first meeting covered the Presidential election and uncontested local elections.

CBID endorsed Barack Obama. This doesn't surprise anyone because CBID's territory overlaps two of the districts in NYC that voted for Barack Obama: CD 10 (Ed Towns' district) and CD 11 (Yvette Clarke's district). CBID did not endorse prior to the primary because their membership was split among several candidates, predominantly John Edwards and Barack Obama with some support for Dennis Kucinich and even a little for Hillary Clinton. But now that it has narrowed down to two candidates, they decided to take the plunge.