John Liu: Mayor Of NYC: 2013

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When I showed up for John Liu's inauguration and the after party, I got the sense that John Liu feels like Bill Thompson deserved to have another shot at the top job. It was not explicit, but it was implied, it was in the air. And that was a statement to how genuinely and strongly John Liu felt about Thompson's candidacy. They really like each other. Thompson's margin was closer than anyone thought, way closer than I expected.

Personally I was rooting for Bloomberg for deeply personal reasons. (Independent For Bloomberg) And I really liked the emphasis on immigration and immigrants that the Mayor put during the inauguration ceremony. Immigration colored the entire inauguration ceremony. (The Dumbfuck Immigration Laws) I loved that. He has been an excellent Mayor. He is a personal hero of mine. (Larry Ellison) He not only brought business sense to city government procedures, running for and being Mayor has been the best business move he ever made. Look at what that did to his net worth. His company's market valuation went up and up.

And it was great to have John show up for this Holi event put together by the Madhesis in town: Happy Holi. He did not show up for the votes. There were hardly any voters in the room. I greatly appreciated that. Although I feel like I have a doctor-patient relationship with the Madhesis of New York City. ("Madisey") Internalized prejudice is as big a problem as prejudice.

But then there are friendships, political loyalties, party affiliations, and then there is politics.

My Number One Prediction For 2013

All sorts of motherfuckers are going to run for Mayor in 2013. It is going to be one crowded Democratic primary. There is going to be no particular itch for Bill Thompson. If it is going to be Bill Thompson's year, the dude is going to have to prove himself all over again, almost from scratch.

That is going to be a statement on the long shadow Mayor Bloomberg has cast over this city for a decade. People are not going to wait in line. There is no line. There never has been. You don't wait in line. That is not how democracy works.

Three Years: A Very Long Time In New York City Politics

John Liu doing a good job as City Comptroller for three years and being in the news for three years is not going to be the same John Liu who spoke at his inauguration and introduced his brothers "Bobby and Teddy." The only reason for John to not run for Mayor would be because he feels it is better to seek guaranteed reelection than to take an iffy shot at the mayoral office.

The problem with that risk averseness is if he does a lousy job as Comptroller, his reelection is not going to be guaranteed. If he does a good job, it is going to be very hard for him to resist the enormous grassroots pressure he is going to feel to run for Mayor. Motherfuckers are not going to shy away and make room for Bill Thompson - already people are like Bill who; the same thing happened to Fernando Ferrer, two months after election day people were like, Fernando who - but many of the motherfuckers are going to wilt and wither if John Liu shows up as candidate. He is going to have a Bloomberg like aura for having done a good job as Comptroller.

One Shot: The American Way

Howard Dean did not run for president again in 2008. If it is about running for City Council, you can try it out a few different times, maybe, but that does not apply to the major offices. The office of Mayor of NYC is the number two political office in America. It is a big one. I don't see Bill Thompson even running. 2000 was close for Al Gore also. He did not run again in 2004.



Black Power?

Paterson imploded. Rangel is imploding. Thompson has evaporated already. Bill Perkins is the only black guy in town who appreciated the idea of the first black president. I am surprised he is not running for Congress from Harlem.

12% of America is black. 12% of New York City is Asian. Blacks have had their day. It is time for some Asian power.

As for Rangel, I think I am going to save my compassion for the tsunami victims.

Having What It Takes

John Liu has what it takes. He has the political ingredients. Either you have them, or you don't. John Liu has them. Just look at some facts. No politician in town today is on better terms with labor than John Liu. How did he do that? You got to marvel. He is more popular with blacks than any black politician in town. How did he do that? He earned more votes than Bloomberg last year. How did he do that? The story from last year's election is not that Thompson's margin was close, but that Liu got more votes than Bloomberg. John Liu could have beat Bloomberg, Thompson was not able to. Bill Thompson failed.

2013 Or Never

I am making the judgment call that either John Liu is going to be Mayor in 2013 or he is never going to be Mayor. Democracy asks for basic humility. It is ultimately the voters who decide, and that's the way it should be.

First of all, if he decides not to run despite being the best candidate around, that is going to show he has good political judgment but not good enough.

Second, his not running will mess up all future rounds for him. Look at a few scenarios. Someone else wins. If that person is Democratic, and is so bad that he/she is destined to be a one term Mayor, Liu still could not run in 2017. If he/she is good, Liu can not run until 2021. But if the 2013 person is a one term Mayor, and some other Democrat wins in 2017, that will bar Liu from running against the incumbent in 2021.

Obama needed to run in 2008 or he was just another Evan Bayh. Only John Liu can decide if he will run for Mayor in 2013. But if he runs, I am predicting he will win. (Jupiter And Obama) My grade for work done so far as Comptroller is an A+. If he runs, many of the motherfuckers who might otherwise run will stay out. That is not going to be true if Bill Thompson runs. John Liu has been casting a long shadow. That is remarkable for a dude who is not a billionaire. His power and potential for more power comes from sheer political skills. That is remarkable. That is beyond outstanding.

Another Dude Called John



John Liu Inauguration January 1: I Am Invited
Tibet Is Not The US South Of The Civil War Era
John Liu: Victory
John Liu Has Me Excited
NYC Local Races

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400 Phone Calls In 5 Hours For Reshma 2010

Image of Reshma Saujani

Yesterday I showed up at the Reshma 2010 headquarters and made phone calls from 12:30 PM to 5:30 PM. I did not make the 1,000 phone calls for the day, but then I started a little late and ended the exercise earlier than planned. And the next time my push is no longer going to be on the total number of calls made. Now I am going to measure success in terms of how much time I actually spend talking to voters, next time I do it, which might be as early as Tuesday 7 PM. I want to maximize my chances of actually being able to talk to someone.

It was a nice day out on a Sunday afternoon. A lot of people were not at home. 35 of the 400 calls went through. That compares to my first day making calls: around 10%. But this last Tuesday the rate was 20%. It went back down to 10%.

Although I must say one good supporter to talk to makes up for a lot of calls that did not go through. Next time I try it I am going to focus more on the conversation. Deviating from the script is okay, but I was also skipping big chunks in my race for numbers.

Have you heard of Reshma? Do you plan to vote for her on September 14? And next. That was my attitude. I got talking about issues with only a few voters. And that was a big thing to miss. I learned the campaign likes to send out mailers to those voters based on what issues they might be interested in. My calls yesterday did not help out in a big way in that department. But I got rid of a lot of wrong numbers though.

Some people said they had not heard of Reshma, and I said, well she is running for Congress, and I need you to vote for her on September 14. That's not in the script. None of them said no. Have you ever come across an ad for Coke that says, please drink Coke? There is no please.

I had it down like an industrial process. Do you let the phone ring four times or five times before you end the call and call the next person? I was thinking seconds, cutting corners here and there.

After I was done, I walked over to Union Square. I kept thinking, I hope people are looking at me, because I am wearing a Reshma 2010 shirt. Once at Union Square, I decided, what the heck, I am just going to walk home, it is a nice day out. While I was crossing the Williamsburg Bridge the thought crossed my mind that I had just left Reshma's district.

The 400 phone calls exercise made me think in terms of making better calls next time I do it, it also got me thinking of all those people who only have cellphones, no landlines, and who can best be reached through social media.

The most heart warming thing to learn while at the office though was not tech. It was the immense push for field work that the campaign is undertaking. The best part of Obama 08 was not that it used social media profusely, the best part was that it got people to meet each other in person in large numbers. Reshma 2010 is focused on that face time element in a big way.

70 phone calls to 100 phone calls to 400 phone calls is progress. But the best part is when you actually get to talk to someone.

My preferred method of involvement continues to be digital, but you need to balance that out with conversations. I have a blog post in mind that will probably be next.

And, by the way, at the office I saw Reshma's face splashed across the front page of a major Indian newspaper. On page two was an article written by Vinod Khosla, the biggest Indian in America. That is how you know the paper is big.

A lot of Indians are going to end up in Congress next year, but Reshma is going to be First In The Class. Her run is the most audacious of all Indian runs this year.

Vinod Khosla is a billionaire. Last year he raised half of all money all VCs raised in America. Tony Blair works for him. Reshma is on her way to becoming a political billionaire.

The political billionaire concept is this. In the 1990s Bill Clinton was a political billionaire, and Bill Gates was the money billionaire as Microsoft Chairman ("Chairman Mao"). After one event in Silicon Valley Bill Clinton invited Larry Ellison to come over to his limo to talk some more. When Larry showed up, he said, "The limo I came in is bigger." To that Bill Clinton said, "That might be true but this is much safer." That is political billionaire talk. Money can't buy the secret service that a POTUS has.

Larry Ellison's Personal Life

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Reshma 2010 Party Tonight

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I am headed to a party tonight. Reshma 2010 has new offices.

Reshma 2010: New Office: Party: June 21 Monday

Food and Drinks
Monday, June 21st at 6:30 p.m.
The fifth floor of 143-145 Madison Avenue
(between 31st and 32nd Street)
Office opening party!

I am excited.

Full Timer Or Volunteer

I Want To Go Full Time With Reshma 2010

I have thought in terms of going full time with the campaign. But it is very possible the campaign would prefer to have me continue as a volunteer instead. That would be more than fine with me. One, that would mean the campaign is very confident of winning on September 14. Two, the best things I would do as a full timer would be the few things I would do as a volunteer. Meeting ordinary people is the best part of working on a political campaign. Three, going to work some kind of a tech sector job might be best for the startup I intend to work on in about 15 months: I got one very good lead as of now.

Politics is to me what sailing is to Larry Ellison. It is more than a hobby, but it is not my career. I am a Third World guy. I want to devote my work life to help bring more people online. The tech scene is where I belong.

But I must admit the campaign has me excited, and I keep having thoughts of all I would want to do as a full timer. Maybe I should talk them into letting me do the full time thing for 2-3 weeks. But, no matter what, I keep having thoughts I want to share. What if I were to go full time?

Kayak.com

Everyone at Kayak.com does customer service. They are the leading travel website. Everyone on the campaign staff needs to engage with voters on a daily basis.

I would want to work a subway stop for an hour during the evening rush hour every day at work, say 5:30-6:30 PM. Then get back to the office, and make phone calls for an hour from 7-8 PM. Those three hours have to be the core of what I would do as a full timer.

Google.com

Maybe we can not afford to offer free food like Google does, and we can not afford to offer variety like they do. But I have an idea. How about a one item $1.50 cheap lunch? You can get 50 frozen dumplings for $8. That is five lunches. The campaign pays for ketchup and hot sauce. I could get this thing going for an initial capital of $200.

Mango lassi would be free.

Revenue Neutral

I think I could raise $200 per day or more from working the subway stops every single work day.

"Hi. Reshma is running for Congress. Please visit her website and donate $20." (Hand flyer)

I could do that ad infinitum. (Freehand Exercise: 1,000 Push-Ups, 1,000 Squats, 1,000 Crunches)

I would raise the money the campaign would have to dole me out to have me as a full timer.

2 Weeks, 12 Weeks, Or 18 Weeks

It is very possible I sign up and I am sucked in for all of 18 weeks. After September 14 it is going to feel like I am working not just for Reshma but also for Obama.

40 Hours, Or 70 Hours

1 PM to 9 PM is 40 hours a week. But if I were to do a 10-12 stint in the morning from home, doing the blog daily for Reshma thing, and instead of 9 PM, I start leaving at 10, then that is another 15 hours. That is 55. Then you go to an event, and you stick around for a long, long time. Or if you decide to work an extra day closer to September 14, that is closer to 70 hours.

I think at 70 hours it is going to give you that startup feeling.

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Going To A DL21C Event

I have decided to go to the DL21C event tomorrow. I have no interest in Bill Thompson. I have no interest in the mayoral race, period. But I gave my shout out to Bloomberg back in December. Better - way better - Gillibrand (Kirsten Gillibrand Is A Good Choice) than Thompson, but oh well. I guess I want to play my small part in rapprochement. Peace out.

Wikipedia: Kirsten Gillibrand On May 15, 2008, Gillibrand gave birth to her second child, Henry Nelson Gillibrand, making her the sixth woman to have a child while serving as a member of Congress. Her House colleagues gave her a standing ovation for working until the day she gave birth.

This country has a long way to go in terms of making the workplace gender friendly.

That last event invite from DL21C, (An Event Invite From DL21C: This Can't Be Real) I t

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hought through the technical ramifications. It came from Caputo. It also came from someone who knows I like women politicians.

If it were not for my immigration status glitch, the Caputo saga last year would have had another ending altogether. I myself was completely surprised on June 4.

I mean, I am on record at this blog having come out strong for Hillary 2008. That was until Barack said he might run. (Switching To Obama) Obama 2008 was the therapy I had been looking for all my life. I needed it. For me.

The go to event for me in town is the New York Tech MeetUp. But I think I like the idea of showing up for random DL21C events. I am as political as ever. I am open to the idea. You don't make peace with friends. Here's my contribution to peace in the Middle East. I am going to a DL21C event.

Mideast: Permanent Peace Is Possible
Mideast Peace: Tech Industry Style

It is just that an organization that calls itself 21st century is not as digital as it can be.

But I am going to first reply to that Caputo Facebook mail. I am coming, if DL21C does not want me to, an email back would be much appreciated. Just to be on the safe side of not having to go through a show-him-the-door experience.

Bloomberg has been a remarkable Mayor, one for the history books. I think he deserves another term if only as a reward for the good work he has already done. It also does not escape me that he happens to be Jewish. After Spitzer so flamed out, I like the idea of at least one high flying Jewish person still around. (Larry Ellison) There are black guy Mayors all over America, two in DC. This guy is the only Jewish Mayor. Right now I have no plans to, but later in Fall I

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might even show up for a few events. So it might not hurt to study the opponent who completely turned around on me the first (and last so far) Thompson event I went to. A few weeks later I endorsed Bloomberg. (Independent For Bloomberg)

I don't give a flying fuck about Charlie Rangel. By extension I don't give a flying fuck about Bill Thompson. Proof? I have not bothered to google him up. I don't know anything about him, and that is just so fine with me. Rangel endorsed him, didn't he?

I seem to be so blase about the local races. I got my startup. That is all the rush I need.

2009 has been a Twitter and a Netizen year for me, not a Facebook and Barackface year.

Okay, so here's an email to Cordelia Persen. Just checking to make sure.

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