Fall of the House of Harlem | Room Eight

Fall of the House of Harlem
posted by NGD
Sun, 02/28/2010 - 3:49pm

Where's New York's Cory Booker or Mike Nutter--or even Barack Obama? Hopefully, he or she's out there, somewhere--because there's a whole crew of mortally wounded and deeply confused dinosaurs crashing around New York's political landscape looking for Darwin.

The dinosaurs' latest offensively dumb idea was for a "summit meeting" on David Paterson's future:

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime Paterson defender who has been divided of late over whether to continue his support of the governor, has called a summit of black elected officials Saturday - the day before the governor was planning to hold his re-scheduled Harlem campaign rally.

"We're going to talk about the obvious fallout from this," Sharpton told the Times. Sharpton said that Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, and Rep. Greg Meeks, Sen. Eric Adams would be among those in attendance.

Nice idea. Too bad you're not invited. But that's probably a good thing because these guys are the consulting engineers and fully-entitled beneficiaries of The Paterson Era. They believe themselves to be of something like a Harvard Club from Harlem.

[Update: I understand that this meeting of the minds has in fact taken place. And better yet, the proposition/concept of Paterson's resignation was officially banned.]

But here on Planet Earth, these people are so pathologically retro that they literally cannot distinguish shit from clay so much as distinguish "obvious fallout" from a woman getting beaten and humiliated--in front of her 13-year old son. And then getting hard-boiled by the New York State Police--on the orders of another member of their Harlem Club.

I mean this so-called summit thing of theirs is about as narcissistically non-bigoted as an invitation-only summit of Mario Cuomo, Diane Savino, Tom DiNapoli, and Peter Vallone on Andrew Cuomo's strategy for relieving Paterson of his state paycheck. And then announcing it to world. Like it's all copasetic. Because, you see, only Italians are this singularly omniscient and powerful. And nobody else is. And if you didn't already know that you're an idiot. Or a racist.

Actually it's even worse than that. It's more like a Bensonhurst confab of Guy Velella, Tony Seminario, the Gotti kids and Mario Biaggi on whether or not Joe Bruno should run for governor.

However, we probably don't need to worry about what's said at The House of Harlem Summit, that's because some federal law enforcement agency might be recording it--or it'll eventually show up in somebody's deposition because one or two of these clowns might be wearing a wire. But speaking of the Feds, maybe they can at least get some more subpoenas served. Or maybe another judgment on Sharpton for stiffing Steve Pagones. (Yes, as far as I know this poor bastard still exists. Although Freddy's still dead.)

(Here's a question for ya: What do these guys--especially Sharpton--do if DJ was white? Right?)

Or maybe Greg Meeks has a new Haitian charity that needs capitalization. That's a good Harlem Summit topic. After all, this guy's got himself a worldwide reputation to uphold now. (I wonder if he even realizes this.)

Ya think Charlie "Race War" Rangel's invited to The Harlem Summit, too? Of course he is, he's the chairman, plus he's just paid his annual dues. This guy's denial and cluelessness is utterly amazing. You simply cannot make up this kind of stuff.

No invite for Kevin Parker though. Too bad for Eric Adams, he could have sicced Kevin on another woman. Ah, but stupid me, no women are invited to The Summit. Question: You think these guys even get the permanent and relentless irony that the whole thing's not about them but about a woman catching a vicious beat-down from one of their Harlem-insider-homies? Hey, but maybe DJ was just keepin' it real. Who can fault a brother for that, right, Eric? Kind of like Kevin and Diane in conference.

The mind literally reels at the kind of rationalization, hypocrisy, conspiracy theorization and moon barking that'll spill forth at The House of Harlem Summit. In a couple years maybe this place can create an exhibit for it all.

The time has come for a next generation. It really has.

But not to worry, New Yorkers, by the time this thing's over, they will all be swept. And by their own presumptuous and entitled hands. Just like their governor. And hey, who knows, maybe even in cuffs?

Posted by: John Ross

Fall of the House of Harlem | Room Eight.