N.Y. Today: New Yorkers for President

I remember reading it in Readers Digest. I was pretty much still a kid, but I found it lovely.

@ktg, I mentioned this earlier elsewhere, but one of our neighbors has almost the same name - This reminded me of our wonderful neighbor, actress Helen Hanft, who would have been 85 this April. This was her obit from 2013 https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/theater/helen-hanft-master-of-camp-way-off-broadway-dies-at-79.html She was sometimes called the Helen Hayes or Ethel Merman of off-off-Broadway. She joked that everyone comes to fill the house when she has comps, which was great for the actors feeding off the reaction but not great for the investors - the people who came on comps tended to recommend it to people who couldn't afford to pay but needed comps too. :) Thanks for reminding me by the similar name!!! When I was young, 1974 or so, I remember the ads and quotes for her in "Why Hanna's Skirt Won't Stay Down," and thinking it must be such an adult show with that title. (But the title was actually referring to air vents, in a way sort of like the air from subway grates.)

@PR While this is not a political column, nothing is apolitical these days. Ms. Gillibrand is exhibiting all the signs of a recent convert, in particular, vigorously attacking those things which she previously defended (kind of like a reformed smoker). Her previous defense of the tobacco companies, the NRA, and her promise to complete her term are bad enough, but her attack on Al Franken can not be forgiven. He was decent, honest, and was the best defense against the current administration. Her complete ignoring of his merits and his wish to stand for a Senate investigation were inexcusable. No way should she be the nominee. The fact that he resigned rather than drag the Democrats through the potential fight just shows what kind of mensch he is.

@PR In response to all the people who say that Franken was a big boy and it's unfair to blame Gillibrand, first, that photo was not evidence of sexual assault, but rather of a stupid gag, for which he apologized. Second, there has been a strong suggestion that Franken was set up in regard to the other accusations. Third, Franken, unlike Brett Kavanaugh, was willing to participate in an investigation and a public hearing. If those had yielded credible evidence, I'd have wanted to see him go, too. But there was a strong feeling that he was railroaded and Gillibrand was the engineer at the front of the train, tooting the horn. It seemed like Franken was sacrificing himself to avoid being a distraction for the Democrats. The Bill Clinton situation, while distasteful and showing incredibly poor judgment on his part, was not harassment. Lewinsky was 22 years old and pursued him. That Gillibrand would try to use that is very telling of her lack of nuance, opportunism, and disloyalty.