Dick Hubert’s Worldview: Bowman vs. Latimer in a debate and a race for our political souls
May 22, 2024 at 11:03 p.m.
Did you watch THE DEBATE?
I’m referring to News12 Westchester’s one-hour (with commercials, online without commercials) debate, moderated by an energetic and in command Tara Rosenblum, between incumbent 16th District Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman and Democratic County Executive George Latimer.
If you missed it, it’s available (with no paywall) on the News 12 website. You may want to watch it before reading this column. Just click here or put this link in your browser:
https://westchester.news12.com/watch-rep-bowman-and-westchester-county-executive-latimer-debate-in-race-for-16th-congressional-district
Our Democratic primary election June 25 is already one of the 2024 nationally reported bellwether primaries in the nation.
It pits two wings of the Democratic party (far left progressive; centrist liberal) against each other with candidates so different in style and temperament, and clearly with a distaste for each other personally, that it’s hard to wonder if there are any registered Democrats in this district who haven’t already determined to vote for one or the other.
In the News 12 debate, both Latimer and Bowman accused each other of lying.
Latimer accused Bowman and his fellow progressive Squad House members of being “outside the mainstream.”
Bowman accused Latimer of being “in the pocket and bought and paid for by AIPAC” (American-Israel Public Affairs Committee).
Latimer pointed to his multidecade record of accomplishment in the County Legislature, NYS Assembly and Senate, and as County Executive. He said that is the kind of Congressman he’ll be in an institution (Congress) that is broken.
Bowman spoke of his representation of the “marginalized and left behind” citizens of the District.
Clearly their base of voters is dramatically different.
So voter turnout will be key.
The curve ball in the race
I reached out to Latimer for comment on a debate statement by Bowman that got wide attention—his accusations that Latimer termed him an “angry Black man.”
Here’s Latimer’s account of that part of the debate:
“In the beginning I was respectful. I stopped and waited. Then the next time he cut me off, I said ‘excuse me, this is my time.’ And the next time he cut me off I started talking over him. Because that was the game that was being played.
So, in this particular exchange, he was gesturing and carrying on, and being negative to me.
So I said to him at the time and turned to the audience, ‘This is why he has such difficulty working in the Congress. He yells at people, he lectures them, and you need to make friends and build coalitions with people.’ So he says ‘you called me an angry Black man.’ I never used those words. I never said that. I never referenced his race, just his general behavior.
Then he talks about ‘bringing Southern politics up here to the North.’ I’ve been running for office here for 35 years. It’s never been the case. I ran against Ken Jenkins seven years ago (Jenkins, a Black opponent from Yonkers in the County Executive primary race against Latimer, is now his Deputy County Executive). None of this ever came up. It’s him. I think this is a purposeful effort by him to inject race into a campaign that is not about race because I think he thinks it is advantageous to him if he can make it about race. As opposed to it being about merit and results.”
As I wrote earlier, it’s mandatory, if you want to be an informed voter, to watch this debate.
The character of both candidates comes through in dramatic fashion.
What’s left for Bowman to fight about?
Absent race, Bowman’s chief argument against Latimer is where some of Latimer’s donations are coming from, namely AIPAC, and other political action committees whose members support Israel and the Netanyahu government’s war against Hamas.
As a Bowman e-mail to me stated:
“…this race is larger than NY-16. We’re fighting to defend our community here in New York, but we can’t ignore the fact that MAGA megadonors are using my district as a testing ground.
Right-wing extremists are scared of the world we’re trying to build. That’s why they’re funneling millions into this race to try and defeat the movement we’ve built. They think if they win in NY-16, that they’ll be able to win across the country. But they don’t know that money will never defeat the power of the people!
Our movement defeated these right-wing megadonors in Pennsylvania during Summer Lee’s race, and we’re going to defeat them again in New York on June 25th.”
Bowman then went on to announce a rally where he’ll be “joined by Bend the Arc, New York Communities for Change, Make the Road Action, Working Families Party, Our Revolution, NYPAN, Jewish Voices for Peace Action, Alliance for Quality Education, Justice Democrats, If Not Now, Sunrise Movement, and more special guests.”
It’s hard for me to believe that Latimer supporters are “right wing extremists.”
Then again, it’s not hard for me to believe that Bowman’s supporters are left wing extremists.
But I am a multi decade registered “NON” who changed registration to Democrat in January so I could vote for Latimer in a primary that will determine our next representative in Congress.
I may well switch my registration to Republican if there’s an opportunity to support Centrist Republicans (like Maryland’s former Governor Larry Hogan and former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker) in a future Republican primary pitting Centrists against Trumpists.
In the meantime, in the middle of this political storm, I’m heading for the safest port.
Maybe you are, too.
Dick Hubert, a retired television news producer-writer-reporter living in Rye Brook, has been honored with the Peabody Award, the DuPont Columbia Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Journalism Award.
Editor’s Note: This column, written by Dick Hubert, represents his opinion and not that of this newspaper.
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