First of all, my apologies. It’s been a crazy week — both in the wider world and here in my own life. I aspire to keep us on our regular schedule (Monday column by Jared, Wednesday Camden post, Friday round-up) — but last week and this week have just been two hectic. So forgive me as I catch the blog up (Jared’s column will run tomorrow). 

 — For me, at least, Camden news has been on the back-burner this week as we wrestle with tragedies in Las Vegas and Puerto Rico. I’m sure a lot of folks have personal connections to these events. I’m no exception, and in the last week I’ve had somber conversations over dinner with friends who still haven’t heard for relatives, and watched Facebook videos from a former student who has been without power for over a week. Please consider finding a way to donate or get involved. 

 — I’ve never run across Counter Punch, but the publication did a post arguing for a Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor. In making the argument, Richard Mosner rehashes the way that Democratic leaders sided with Gov. Christie to make a powerful coalition. It’s worth a read as the coalitions shift once again: 

Power in the Garden State is managed by a shifting alliance of political machines, ready to cut deals, share power and scratch each others back.  At least that is how its been since Chris Christie came to rule the roost.

60 Democratic officials endorsed Christie in 2013, including major Democratic machine bosses.

Let that sink in. 60 elected Democrats endorsed Christie.

 — On a similar note, I wrote a little bit about how Camden and the struggle over local control are giving us our first peak into how South Jersey’s Democratic power structure will interact with gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy. Here’s an excerpt: 

The result is an apparent compromise that gives the first window into how Murphy will deal with political power structures in New Jersey politics. Murphy seems to have pulled Congressman Norcross (and, by proxy, South Jersey Democrats) towards support of local control. There’s no guarantee of that, but if it plays out that way it would be a major progressive victory. In doing so, Murphy appears to have made a choice. He’s chosen not to directly fight South Jersey Democrats deeply invested in the charter school movement — a movement that benefited from state control, but with school systems such as Camden so profoundly altered, has less need of state control moving forward — and to focus on the more unifying progressive goal of local control.

It’s a profoundly pragmatic approach: trading for a critical progressive victory while not joining progressives in a second struggle that is in conflict with local Democratic power structures. It avoids head-to-head confrontation with deep-pocketed Democrats whose support (and votes) Murphy may need down the line. It’s also an early hint of how Murphy will navigate the tricky landscape of New Jersey’s political power structures: by pursuing progressive policies that can be achieved without directly confronting other Democrats.

The struggle over local control probably deserves its own post (maybe it’s own book!), but there’s a lot going on here.

 — That piece touches on the protest of Phil Murphy and Don Norcross at a fundraiser last week by our friends over at New Jersey Communities United. 

 — We’ve had some wonderful thoughts in our comments sections over the past few weeks. A quick thanks to those making such reasonable arguments in the comments section — it restores a little faith in humanity. I’ll be pulling up some of those comments as “guest posts”. Here’s a taste from Tom Dahan on placelessness: 

The city ceded to placelessness when it allowed bad design from suburbs to creep onto MLK Blvd with the construction of the TD Bank and CVS and the imposing Rand Transit Center. The preponderance of small parking lots throughout the downtown signals to the pedestrian that their mode of transit is subordinate to the car, and discourages the very idea that this grant program is trying foster. Connecting the waterfront to the downtown is impeded by the superblock of Market from 3rd to Delaware Ave with its incumbent parking lots and windowless walls will keep these places from ever developing this sense of place they are talking about in their plan and dooms the small business grant strategy to failure before it is even implemented.

We’ll be hearing more about his thoughts on Friday about what to do about it. 

 — I’m teaching Ta-Nehisis Coates Between the World and Me this week in class, and am constantly being challenged by the text. I had this quote highlighted in my notes and wanted to leave it with you as you go about your Tuesday: 

It is not necessary that you believe that the officer who choked Eric Garner set out that day to destroy a body. All you need to understand is that the officer carries with him the power of the American state and the weight of an American legacy, and they necessitate that of the bodies destroyed each year, some disproportionate number of them will be black.

We’ll be back tomorrow with Jared’s column!