Thank you, and a simple plea

To the editor:

(re: “Another year, another win for Jeffrey Dinowitz,” June 30)

Thank you to the Democrats of the 81st Assembly district who overwhelmingly re-nominated me in the recent Democratic primary.

My winning percentage was even higher than two years ago. I am especially grateful because I won in every neighborhood of our district — Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Van Cortlandt Village, Norwood, Woodlawn and Wakefield.

However, my gratitude over this vote of confidence is tempered by the ever-increasing polarization of our politics and the increasing vitriol — both in New York and across the country. Extremism, vicious attacks and repetition of lies are serious threats to our democracy. And these threats come from extremes on both ends of the political spectrum.

The radicalism of the far right is on display on a daily basis. In the period of just a few days, the new extreme right-wing majority of the U.S. Supreme Court took the unprecedented steps of taking away the rights of millions of women by overturning Roe v. Wade, overturning a key environmental protection law, and overturning New York’s century-old concealed gun-carry law.

(And this majority exists because Trump made three appointments that were made possible, in part, by Democrats in 2016 who stayed home, voted for Trump or voted for the Green Party. Elections do have consequences.)

And most Republicans in Congress either support Trump’s “Big Lie,” or have remained silent and, notwithstanding the recent very limited changes to gun laws, have for decades blocked meaningful gun control legislation.

We in the Democratic Party also have to deal with the advance of extreme views within our party. A small but growing minority support the antisemitic, anti-Israel boycott divestment and sanctions movement. Some Democrats support “defund the police,” and advocate slashing the New York Police Department budget in amounts that would result in eliminating thousands of police officers.

I am distressed that the Democratic Socialist of America and the Working Families Party and many of the members of its constituent organizations fall into this category.

WFP used to be a coalition of many labor unions and advocacy groups. I supported them and ran with their endorsement for many years. But a few years ago, most of the labor unions left their ranks, calling into question their use of the words “working families” in their name.

Sadly, it has devolved from a legitimate third party to more of a fringe party, one that lost every primary challenge of an incumbent — including me — in the city this year.

The challenges to our democratic systems are real. Only by expanding broad, public participation in our civic and political life can we dilute and marginalize those on both the left and right who would use elections and politics to undermine the principles we long took for granted.

Democrats and like-minded citizens can speak out and make their choices known by voting in this November’s general election, and in 2024, on the Democratic line, when the country may have to face its greatest electoral and political threats.

Jeffrey Dinowitz

The author is the Assemblyman representing the 81st district, which includes Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge Heights and Marble Hill