Sen. McCain Visits Brooklyn

"A View From the Other Side"
Sen. McCain Visits Brooklyn
by Bob Capano

Brooklyn is home to over 2.5 million people from virtually every race and religion from throughout the world. Many in our country can trace some part of their life to our borough.

If it was an independent city, as Brooklyn was prior to 1898, it would be the fourth largest city in the country. In addition to its size and the incredible cultural diversity that you will find here, Brooklyn has yet another defining characteristic that makes it unique – its politics.

The borough of Brooklyn is overwhelmingly Democrat by an over 7-1 margin. Indeed, there are almost 850,000 registered Democrats in Kings County compared to just over 115,000 Republicans. It therefore should be no surprise that of the sixteen City Council Members who fully represent Brooklyn, all of them are Democrats. Councilman James Oddo, the Republican Minority Leader in the City Council, represents part of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn along with parts of Staten Island. In addition, all 21 New York state Assembly seats from Brooklyn are held by Democrats, and of the nine state senators from Brooklyn, Marty Golden is the only Republican. Finally, of the six Members of Congress who represent all or part of our borough, Vito Fossella is the only elected Republican. Therefore, unfortunately, only one side is often heard by many in Brooklyn on important political issues and policies. The purpose of this weekly column is to give readers “A View from the Other Side.”

The goal of this column is not to attack Brooklyn Democrat elected officials. In fact, I have and continue to work closely with many of them. Rather, I want to share another view point then what you are accustomed to in Brooklyn. Balance is always a good thing in politics and in government. One of the key governing principles of our country is the idea of checks and balances as it relates to our branches of government. Similarly, although majority does rule, we place great importance on minority voices and opposing views being heard. Although there is no mention of political parties in the Constitution, they are the mechanisms in which opinions are galvanized and expressed in our country culminating in elections. Our elected officials, in addition to local party leaders, are the main conduits for espousing the views and principles of the political parties. Citizens, through their party registration, choose which party they tend to align themselves with during public policy debates and elections. Since there are so few Republican elected officials and registered voters in Brooklyn as compared to Democrats, the views of the Republican Party or the “other side” are difficult to come by. I hope this weekly column will help share the voice of this political minority in Brooklyn.

If you are a Democrat, hopefully you will appreciate the balance offered by opposing viewpoints. If you are a Republican, know that you are not alone - other Republicans do exist in Brooklyn. Most importantly, we should all appreciate the benefits of checks and balances in our government and a healthy two-way public discussion on the issues of our day. I also hope you, the readers, will feel free to share your thoughts, opinions, and ideas with me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Last week, I was pleased to join Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States, when he visited Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for a small business round-table. The event, at Windows We Are, a family owned windows installation and sales store on 5th Avenue, began with Mayor Bloomberg and Senator McCain addressing the media and small business owners. Mayor Bloomberg reminisced about Senator McCain’s visit to Bay Ridge at the annual 3rd Avenue festival during his first Mayoral campaign in 2001. Senator McCain, during his remarks and the round-table discussion, praised small business owners for their entrepreneurial spirit as well as their role in creating jobs; noting that a good job is the answer to housing, education, health care and other challenges people are facing today.

Senator McCain talked about four areas causing Americans to feel the most pressure: the housing crisis; the credit crunch, which is making all loans more difficult; rising gas and food prices; and uncertainty about jobs. Among the specific proposals that Senator McCain discussed was his HOME plan, which would offer American homeowners “the opportunity to trade a burdensome mortgage for a manageable loan that reflects the market value of their home.” He noted this plan’s reliance on people’s ability to make their own decision regarding whether they need help. In addition, the Senator called for a Department of Justice task force to “investigate potential criminal wrongdoing in the mortgage lending and securitization industry.”

As we all know, the rising cost of gas has increased the prices for almost everything else, including food due to an increase in transportation costs. Senator McCain discussed the need to diversify energy sources, including expanding nuclear power, and stressed the need for more energy conservation by all Americans. He expressed his view that we should stop adding to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Suspending purchases for this reserve, which has an adequate supply, would lessen the demand for oil therefore leading to a decrease in the price.

Senator McCain stated that he would be outlining his longer term vision for American economic growth next week but offered some specific ideas at this event in Brooklyn. Senator McCain looked in terrific shape and seemed energized by being in our borough. He even walked up the block to grab a slice at a pizzeria on 4th Avenue. Senator McCain’s visit to Brooklyn and his promised aggressive campaign to win New York State in November will offer a real choice to voters and an opportunity for two sides to be heard on the key issues facing our borough, city, state, and country.

(Originally published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and Bay Ridge Eagle, 4/18/2008)