Rep. Michael Grimm’s threat to a reporter wasn’t the only Bay Ridge-related excitement on State of the Union night!
Two dozen members of the Bay Ridge Democrats club gathered inside Third Avenue’s Longbow Pub on Jan. 28 to cheer on President Obama as he laid out his agenda for the coming year. Leaders said the Commander-in-Chief’s statements on the male-female wage gap and universal pre-K echoed the club’s longtime commitments.
“The pub erupted in applause when the President mentioned women’s pay equity,” club president Justin Brannan said. “The plan to bring universal pre-K to NYC was one of the hallmarks of DeBlasio’s mayoral campaign and on Tuesday night, President Obama told us that he too is serious about making sure all kids have access to preschool.”
Brannan even defended President Obama’s controversial vow that he would bypass Congress via executive order when the opportunity arose, blaming the GOP for legislative gridlock in Washington.
“House Republicans have proven time and time again that they would rather let America fail than work with the President. Obama has laid out the practical, common sense solutions needed in order to move the country forward — but since the moment he took the oath of office, he has faced a stone wall of unprecedented Republican obstructionism,” Brannan argued.
The party was also a chance for the organization to reflect on a successful 2013. The Bay Ridge Dems were the first Brooklyn club to endorse Mayor DeBlasio, and ran successful volunteer campaigns for him, Public Advocate Letitia James, Comptroller Scott Stringer, District Attorney Ken Thompson, and Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge).
“Every candidate we endorsed, right down the line, every one we worked hard for, knocking on doors, making calls, won,” Brannan declared to applause from the crowd.
