Monday, April 12, 2010

NYLCV's "Street Cred"

Daily Politics' new host Celeste Katz has an interesting post on the New York League for Conservation Voters amped up political posture: "The New York League of Conservation Voters is launching a full-court press to make sure that everyone up for re-election this year knows if they're not committed to green policies, they can forget about getting the environmental group's help staying in office."

Well, as Derrick Coleman of the New Jersey Nets once said, "Whoopty damn doo!" The League, according to Katz has enhanced "street cred" from its support of Senator Brian Foley's successful bid to unseat Ceaser Trunzo: "Now, with the street cred of having helped Democrat Brian Foley unseat GOP Sen. Caesar Trunzo in Long Island in 2008, the NYCLV is back for more."

If, however, the League really wants to earn genuine stret cred, it should begin by rescinding its support of the Willets Point development boondoggle. It had given Mayor Mike the glad hand for the project arguing-against all evidence-that the development would be a "green project."

Now that it has been demonstrated that the Willets Point plan will generate 80,000 car trips a day-with all of the concomitant carbon emissions-it should join with the NRDC in calling for an independent traffic study under the National Environmental policy act before any ramps off of the Van Wyck get built to snarl traffic even further.

Until it does, the League will not only lack street cred in our view, but it will be seen as nothing more than a muñeco of the hypocritical Kermit the Mayor.