'Rent's Too High' guy not so funny
By Athima Chansanchai
UPDATE: Jimmy McMillan doesn't even pay rent, missing payments and living rent-free in exchange for maintenance work, according to the New York Times and as reported on MSNBC.com.
Here is Lawrence O'Donnell's exclusive interview with him on "The Last Word."
I have to admit, watching New York gubernatorial candidate Jimmy "The rent is too damn high!" McMillan and his impassioned rant (see video above, or read this Gawker story) that spread like a virus amongst my Facebook friends last night amused me, especially the theme song that plays on his website. It made for some levity in an otherwise somber election cycle.
It was the kind of crazy that made me miss living in New York.
But this morning, I'm finding out things about McMillan that really aren't so funny, and why I'm not going to be plastering his meme on this post.
First, his rent really isn't that damn high: only $800 for a one-bedroom in Flatbush, which is just $100 or so more than what I was paying for my share of a teeny tiny 2-bedroom in Manhattan TWELVE years ago. (Thanks to the New York Post for the digging on that one and hat tip to Gawker for guiding us there.)
Next, the reason he thinks the rent is too damn high: Jews.
A New York Times article profiling candidates mentioned this: "A perennial candidate, he was called an anti-Semite during his mayoral run in 2005 for blaming rent problems on Jewish people."
New York political blog Room Eight, through a poster named Gatemouth (the self-described "blog world's expert on Jimmy McMillan's raving lunatic obsession with THE JEWS") has also put some things out there that should dampen enthusiasm for the karate kicking, black-glove wearing, Dali-moustached candidate.
Gatemouth claims he lifted this from McMillan's 2009 mayoral campaign website and posted to Room Eight under a page called "The Jimmy McMillan Show":
This is true all Latinos/ Hispanics/ Blacks/ Others... as well as every religious group other than Judiasm are being run out of this area. The Williamsburg Section of Brooklyn, NY. Don't take our word go to Flushings Ave and Bedford Ave/ Lee Ave and Nostrand Ave witness the Hate by the people of the Jewish Faith.
If you are not JEWISH you are "PROHIBITED" from living in this area.
After the world fought hard to free the JEWISH people from the hands of HITLER.
They should be shame of themselves for discriminating in housing against the people in the State of New York especially in the city of Brooklyn.
They are violating every Housing Act written in the constitution and no one will address it because they are afraid they will be called Anti-Semantic and accuse of Anti-Semitism.
Apparently, all this caught up to McMillan, who at some point issued this defense:
"During this campaign someone choose to label me Anti-Semantic and An ti-Semite. Let me correct this definition for you just incase you have an educational problem, and difficulties. Someone is trying to make the word/name Jew - Jewish a Race, and that will never happen. This definition must be correct at once. Some damages had already been done but it's not too late to repair what has been done. we must move quickly before the Dictionary and Encyclopedia put the wrong definition in there publications."
And we'll leave it at that. Unless you have something to say about it?
Read more at technolog.msnbc.msn.com
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