A curious political event occurred a few doors down from The Bowery Mission. Amongst the restaurant equipment merchant district just above ChinaTown and just over from the 'Village', is a bar/lounge called the Katrana (I hope). 
It was the host to the first third party gubernatorial debate in NY. It's participants were the Libertarian's own John Clifton and organized by Jimmy McMillan, candidate for The Rent is Too Damn High party. Or at least what Jimmy McMillan hopes is a new party. In order to be an 'official' party in NY, an individual who has agreed to carry the banner of an interested group must attain 50,000 votes for Governor. Mr. McMillan tells me he collected 15,000 signatures with the help of community activists and volunteers. Despite being on the ballot, he is certainly not being covered as even the other third parties are. He also grouses that New York State is trying to deny him the 'damn' part on the ballot. I was asked at the last minute to video tape this event on Saturday October 28. Here's what happened . . .
I think John Clifton expected something more like the debate in Staten Island on October 30th. Perhaps a stage, a chrasmatic Irishmen and an earnest young lady not old enough to serve, only run. I think there was little doubt that Elliot and Mr. Faso would have other previously organized event to attend this last minute invite. Mr. McMillan assures me that future debates will occur in an arena with much more media. Darren Johnson of Suffolk County's Integrity Party, moderated the event. I had a nice discussion with Darren about the plight of third parties.
Student journalists from NYU and Columbia were there, kudos their respective programs. I hope their copious note taking tells this story elsewhere. My strategist hat tells me not to post this (the reason you never saw the Hudson debate), but my sense of equity and justice demand that all voices be heard. I think John Clifton deserves a lot of credit for being the only other third party participant in this debate.
John and Jimmy have a few things in common. They are both African Americans and veterans. Other than that, they have a much different conception of freedom. Mr. McMillan is like a lot of other politicians, he thinks government has a right to control pricing, whether it be wages, oil or other items that should otherwise be the subject of contractual negotiation. Anytime a politician starts talking about controlling some aspect of the market beware. It's a shame Mr. McMillan refuses to move, he could have had a real managable mortgage upstate. I'm not inclined to be very sympathetic to an entire region who has rent control and still continues to grouse about it.
I'm sure I didn't spend as much time deliberating about whether or not to 'produce' this event for at least Internet consumption as Anderson Cooper and CNN did with regard to the sniper story in Iraq. I think Malachy McCourt is focusing on the major party candidates when he says he is, "the only candidate who has known poverty, degradation, humiliation and shame." If you peruse the Rent is too Damn High site you'll find a story about Jimmy getting kidnapped and tied to a tree during his run for mayor. That may not qualify as poverty, but it fits the criteria for the rest of Mr. McCourt's statement.
Mr. McMillan maybe on to something however. In my rush to catch trains and find this curious event, I had occasion to stop for brunch at some hipster restaurant around Mulberry St., the Colonial I believe. It reminded me of places I would frequent after a hedonic weekend in the city during the better part of my youth. Despite the lack of space, hearing too many conversations I'd rather avoid, French Toast, coffee and orange juice ran me twenty bucks after the tip. Maybe that's the cost of large white plates and a sprinkling of fruit, but it's more likely that Rent is Too Damn High in that neighborhood.