The Man on the Chair

GA snapped this at my cousin's Bat Mitzvah yesterday.

The man on the chair is the honoree's brother, who was a terrific sport about being hoisted aloft and spun around, as we danced around him in (many) concentric circles. This is tradition at Jewish weddings and bar/bat-mitzvahs (for my Italian friends, perhaps like your Tarantella).

The meaning is simple.  You can glean it from the lyrics of the Hebrew Folk song, Hava Nagila,  which is always played for the 'Chair Dance' (Hora).

Hava nagila הבה נגילה Let's rejoice
Hava nagila הבה נגילה Let's rejoice
Hava nagila venis'mecha הבה נגילה ונשמחה Rejoice and be happy 
Hava neranenah הבה נרננה Let's sing Hava neranenah הבה נרננה Let's sing Hava neranenah venis'mecha הבה נרננה ונשמחה Sing and be happy 

Let's rejoice!

A boy becomes a man.  A girl becomes a woman.

Thank goodness, there's no secular version of this dance for those who triumph in elections or get picked to run on.... oh, the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) tickets.

(Didja like how GA segued into that?  No?  You didn't?  A tortured analogy, you say?)

Imagine, winning candidates being seated on a chair, hoisted up and spun around like a centrifuge.... skinny Dawn Zimmer would fly off, Ruben Ramos would likely be fine unless he's got vertigo.

Well, GA was chatting with a friend about Al Sullivan's column this morning while downloading my pics, and the above caught my eye.  Because, According to Al, the highly contested 'Hoboken slot' on State Senator Brian Stack's NJ Assembly ticket may coming into focus, and soon we'll know WHO will be the 'Man on the Chair'.

And he will rejoice.

GA is saying "he" because sources have told me that Stack thinks Mason has too much "baggage" and could not be controlled. On that basis, GA thinks the Man on the Chair is either Frank 'Pupie' Raia or Ravi Bhalla.

Make no mistake, Raia is formidable. He has personal wealth, personal charm and (GA believes) he would not disobey Stack.  That means no self-serving press releases, no gaggle of political operatives dedicated to his own interests, no stunts.  As far as I know, Raia has never sued the City (am I wrong?) and would be willing to support the Mayor on many issues- including encouraging the NFL to host events in Hoboken.

According to Al:

However, the rumored price tag for peace may be that Stack has been forced to accept Hoboken Councilman Ravi Bhalla and retiring Jersey City Councilman William Gaughan as his Assembly candidates.

GA doesn't understand Stack's resistance to Bhalla.  Maybe because he ran (and lost) on an opposing ticket last go-round?  Did he dis Stack last election?  Who knows.

Bhalla's no match for Raia's bank account, but if Stack is not running a Latino after removing Ruben from his ticket, that may not go down well with a plurality of his Union City Latino constituency.    Ravi Bhalla is an ethnic minority- of Asian descent and a rock star in the Sikh community.

Well, GA's a bit discouraged by all the testosterone on that ticket- it needs more estrogen, IMO.  That's an argument for picking Beth Mason.  But GA hears that ship has sailed. 

Who knows.  So, whomever gets spun around on that chair (metaphorically speaking), his supporters will rejoice.

So who weighs more: Raia or Bhalla? Any volunteers to lift that chair?