Asshole racist Steve Levy is switching parties and running as a Republican for New York State governor. You know the drill:
Mr. Levy, 50, the Suffolk County executive, said he wanted voters to see him as “Scott Brown II,” referring to the Massachusetts senator who pulled off an upset against a heavily favored Democrat in January.
[….]He can be particular about having his picture taken, telling a visiting newspaper photographer at his office, “Am I being too much of an image-conscious guy if I say, ‘Can you get my front?’ ” He then sheepishly explained that a recent photo of him that appeared in print had made his nose look too big. He is a sturdy 5-foot-6 with a broad chest built up from years of weight lifting.
Nominating Levy would be a terrible idea for Republicans. If they are ever going to make relevant again in New York State, they will have to make in-roads with non-white voters. Putting up the most blatantly xenophobic elected official in the state as your candidate for governor isn’t going to get it done.
Kryptik
Do you ever hear any lauditory stories about Reps who switch to Dem, ever?
The only thing that really seems missing from the NYT story is trumpets sounding.
dan
Must be a dilemma for Repubs. On the down side for them, he’s been a Dem, so it may be tough to rally around him. But on the plus side, he is the most blatantly xenophobic elected official in the state.
Punchy
Steve Levy, ESPN Hockey analyst and Sportscenter legend has gone wingy?
mass
He’s a sturdy 5-foot-6?!
The fuck?! He’s a feckin’ midget.
geg6
Well, now. A short man. With, apparently, short man syndrome.* Hope I meet him some day. I’ll be sure to be wearing heels so I can look down my nose at him.
*My apologies to any height-challenged BJers. I have no doubts that no sufferers of short man syndrome frequent BJ (with the possible exception of BOB or Bender). All the ones I know personally are wingnuts, which is virtually identical to short man syndrome. Which would explain why I’m not sure which possible affliction explains BOB and Bender.
Cat Lady
His claim to be quite sensitive to how he’s portrayed is followed quickly by the observation that he’s 5″6″. That’s the equivalent to describing a woman as “sturdy”. I think I know what the reporter thinks of him.
And, geg6 gets there first. Also, too.
Just Some Fuckhead
He represents the Lollipop Guild, the Lollipop Guild, the Lollipop Guild..
Osprey
Living in NY, and having to fight against him building some retarded (That’s right Palin you bitch, I said it) village/apartment/sports auditorium/business suite complex in our local area, I can honestly say fuck this smug, arrogant piece of shit.
He should get the same treatment that Harold Ford got. Pack your shit and GTFO, now.
Gordon, The Big Express Engine
What does this have to do with an NCAA open thread?
Scott
On the bright side, it sounds like he’s extremely thin-skinned. It shouldn’t take too much ridicule to get him to freak out in public and on-camera…
yellowdog
All you ‘short-man syndrome’ posters are going to get a call from the SPLF (Short Peoples’ Liberation Front). Watch out, you know we’re feisty.
Bulworth
@dan:
What are his xenophobic claims to fame?
someguy
So let’s see, DougJ. Your major premise is:
and your minor premise is
and your conclusion is:
That’s a conclusion fail, because got there using a couple epic premise fails.
Oh wait a minute. You were only joking about the possibility of finding a non-racist Republican, weren’t you?
Sorry. My bad.
Linda Featheringill
In a sane world, nobody would support this guy’s candidacy. But you never know. People are funny anyway and when it comes to elections, they can be downright strange.
HOWEVER, perhaps we should make sure everyone knows who they are dealing with. Just in case.
geg6
@yellowdog:
Ah, but few short people actually suffer from short man syndrome. It’s only the assholes, which is why it is indistinguishable from wingnuttery.
cat48
Don’t know him, but he wasn’t at Walmart in NJ recently was he?
kommrade reproductive vigor
Analogy Fail. The last time I checked the Teabagger’s Manual, Brown was a TRAITOR. Maybe he just wants people to think he’s pretty.
@Scott: Yup. I’m already looking forward to the Meltdown, the blaming of the media for the Meltdown and Meltdown II – The Meltdownining, when people jeer even harder.
Fergus Wooster
They got little cars
That go beep, beep, beep
They got little voices
Goin’ peep, peep, peep
They got grubby little fingers,
Dirty little minds . . .
schrodinger's cat
@geg6: Is there a short woman syndrome? I is petite, only 5 ft 3 inches
geg6
@schrodinger’s cat:
Nope. Seems to me that it must be connected to something in the Y chromosome.
jrosen
geg6 sez: “My apologies to any height-challenged BJers. I have no doubts that no sufferers of short man syndrome frequent BJ (with the possible exception of BOB or Bender). All the ones I know personally are wingnuts, which is virtually identical to short man syndrome. Which would explain why I’m not sure which possible affliction explains BOB and Bender.”
What is it with you guys? Today Milbank refers five times to Kucinich’s height (or lack thereof). I’m 5′ 4″, male, and definitely not a wingnut, as any number of posts here and elsewhere will show. Of course, any reference to the shortness of say, Beethoven, would be taken as “short-man” syndrome — so there’s no way to respond that doesn’t fit the stereotype. All I can say is, if being taller than somebody like me makes you feel better, go for it; but it’s really so easy to do that I wouldn’t get too excited about it.
And yes, I do still get somewhat riled up about the snideness. There are a lifetime of scars there waiting to be irritated, and I can’t always be as mature as I’d like to be. At least part of me would like to trigger the spam filter, but you can fill in the blanks for yourself.
Anyway, back to Mozart. he was short too.
Leelee for Obama
What area was Levy the Legislator for? I know he wasn’t from my area, Port Jeff/Setauket. I remember him vaguely, but I left Long Island in 2001 and I can’t place him. He seems to be a dick-that should make the Republicans happy. They are not nice folks, Long Island Republicans. My Mom was THE first registered Democrat in Brookhaven Township. Or so the story goes. It was frowned upon. Again, or so the story goes.
gbear
@Just Some Fuckhead: Ahh, but who will represent the Lullabye League?
YellowJournalism
If he really wants to be Scott Brown II, then he needs to wax his rear end and give Cosmo a call, for starters.
geg6
@jrosen:
Well, since I explicitly excepted you in my pre-apology, I’m not sure what you are taking exception to here. And, dude, if I whined about the things about me that people have made fun of all my life, we’d be here all day.
Osprey
@Leelee for Obama: Suffolk Co. Legislator.
gbear
@Osprey: Did you win the battle or did the complex get built? I’ve been through those battles in my neighborhood and they’re a drag to lose. Luckily we’ve won most of them. The neighborhood-fu is strong.
jrosen
I think you may have left something out of the “pre-apology” I quoted. The second sentence is just a fragment and I don’t know what you meant to say. Maybe that’s where I missed your point.
BTW I gave up w(h)ining when I joined AA 21 years ago. Why don’t you just back off a little and we’ll call it even and let it go? What’s the difference between a whine and a legitimate protest? you tell me.
Leelee for Obama
Dang, now I know why he sounds familiar. He grew up where I did, but he’s younger than my brother and me by a few years. It’s weird how he passed as a Democrat all this time. Things must be very different nowadays. When I lived there, the Dems were all hippies or the parents of hippies!
Osprey
@gbear: The whole thing’s still in limbo. There’s 250 acres of land near a beautiful local river/park that he wants to give away to his local contractor buddies. It’s being fought tooth and nail-most of the local township legislators seem pretty against it. We want to keep the east end of the island from turning into the west end.
Osprey
@Leelee for Obama: It seems like he’s just trying to hitch a ride on the teabagger express. He knows he’s toast as a Dem and wouldn’t touch the governorship as one.
The Grand Panjandrum
Speaking of assholes running for governor of your state.
.
Ash Can
@geg6: Ain’t it the truth? There’s a music teacher who works for the park district in this area of the city who’s an all-around mensch — brilliant musician, great family guy, terrific with kids, one of the nicest people you could ever meet. I’d already known him for a couple of years and it never dawned on me that he was shorter than me until he specifically mentioned it himself. True story.
gbear
@Osprey:
I wish you luck. I would imagine that the financial crash slowed down the momentum to build the complex. I know it killed some projects here (unfortunately, ones that we really wanted).
Mike E
Fix’t.
ThresherK
jrosen,
Kucinich’s problem is that he’s a lefty. It’s only when a pol turns R that all their physical traits are framed as more attractive.
“Short” becomes “sturdy”, with a float of “weightlifting” on top to precorrect the possibility of “tubby”, “stocky” or “fat” creeping into the reader’s mind.
But I’m sure you knew that.
HRA
“Mr. Levy, 50, the Suffolk County executive, said he wanted voters to see him as “Scott Brown II,” referring to the Massachusetts senator who pulled off an upset against a heavily favored Democrat in January.”
Huh? Forget it! No vote here for any R from now on anyway.
Pococurante
The fewer DINOs the better.
Mako
@geg6:
It has been my experience that short people do not like being patted on the head, nor do they like having things placed on their heads, no matter how useful such head might be for less height-challenged.
Just Some Fuckhead
He should settle for Scott Brown ½.
Dr. Morpheus
@jrosen:
Methinks the little fella protests too much.
Thin skinned at all?
Steeplejack
@Dr. Morpheus:
That was a pointless and unworthy comment.
Tax Analyst
@mass:
I think that might be a misprint. Fixt.
Yeah, but his height is gargantuan compared to his intellect and integrity.
I guess you’d have to say being 5’6″ is his highest attribute.
Tax Analyst
@jrosen:
I think a shorter comment would have been more apropos.
Thanks,
The Towering 5’8″ Tax Analyst
Mnemosyne
@jrosen:
If you want a more modern example, go with Buster Keaton. He was barely 5’2″ and an amazing athlete (in addition to being a great filmmaker).
Speaking of which, why does IMDb insist that no male actor is shorter than 5’5″? It’s just weird.
(The clip is a sequence from Steamboat Bill Jr. and includes probably his best-known stunt.)
PartyLikeIts1990
don’t forget the tunnel rats of the Vietnam War. Without them we might have lost that conflict and sullied America’s reputation for decades.
Makewi
Does it make you feel at all bad, DougJ, to equate a tough stance on immigration policies with xenophobia? Do you just do it for political reasons or do you really believe that a position on immigration that deviates from the “just let everyone in” position must be due to racism? Do you have something more on Levy than his immigration position?
Brian J
I wonder if this actually helps Lazio. He’s not exactly a DeMint-style Republican, but he’s not a Democrat, either. And while New York Republicans might actually have something resembling a shot with this pick, one can only wonder how much trouble Lazio could be if he decides to harness teabagger support, if possible.