BY JACKSON CHEN | Actress Debra Messing, a former Upper West Sider, joined City Councilmembers Mark Levine and Helen Rosenthal in rallying residents of the Hamilton Senior Center to vote for Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton in New York’s April 19 primary election.
Touting her neighborhood roots before addressing the crowd at 141 West 73rd Street on April 12, Messing — best known for her starring role in NBC’s “Will & Grace” — urged the crowd of senior citizens to vote for the Democrat she considers the best candidate around.
“I feel in my soul that she is the most prepared, the best equipped person to be president of the United States,” Messing said. “As one of the best secretaries of state in all of our history, I can’t think of anyone better to be in the Oval Office during this very scary time.”
Messing, who used to live at West 73rd Street and Columbus Avenue, said the former US senator from New York would be an advocate for affordable education and healthcare, women’s reproductive rights, and closing the gender wage gap.
“As a woman, she’s going to fight that I get paid the same amount as a man,” Messing said. “And wouldn’t that be nice for the first time in the world for that to happen.”
Despite her willingness to hit the stump on Clinton’s behalf, Messing has no plans to change up her career for politics. The two Upper West Side Democratic councilmembers, however, were happily on hand to offer insiders’ insight into why support for the former US secretary of state makes sense.
Rosenthal said that Clinton would be able to “hit the ground running” as president and that her career from her days going back to her time as the nation’s first lady was the inspiration that eventually led the councilmember to seek out public office.
“My role model was very much the Hillary Clinton way,” the District 6 councilmember said of her own political pursuits. “By that I mean getting out and doing the hard work that’s involved and getting to know communities… getting your feet dirty, sometimes making mistakes, but then learning from your mistakes.”
Despite Messing, Rosenthal, and Levine’s enthusiasm for pressing the flesh on Clinton’s behalf, the event was cut short when a man who identified himself only as Tom stood up from among the crowd and took to center stage to voice his anger.
“They shouldn’t use senior centers as a captive audience,” Tom said. “Go to an auditorium and make your speeches there. We don’t want mind control.”
Upset, as well, that the campaigning was delaying his dinner, the hungry man left shortly after, exclaiming that he wanted to eat but would also running for office himself.
Levine missed the opportunity to address the crowd due to Tom’s outburst, but in comments to Manhattan Express stressed the importance of the New York primary on April 19.
“Seeing how surreal it is that New York actually matters in the primary process, usually we’re an afterthought,” Levine said to Manhattan Express. “But we are critical in the Democratic primary –– and the Republican primary, for that matter.”
The District 7 councilmember argued that a Republican presidency would jeopardize the prospects for immigration reform, LGBT rights, women’s reproductive freedom, and also preserving Social Security as well as Obamacare.
Messing, even if committed to sticking with her day job, arrived on the Upper West Side with a certain political heft after her recent Twitter spat with longtime lefty activist and “Thelma & Louise” and “Dead Man Walking” star Susan Sarandon.
A Bernie Sanders supporter, Sarandon voiced doubts about her willingness to vote for Clinton should she become the nominee, even if she faced off against Republican frontrunner and real estate tycoon Donald Trump.
The two actresses traded several rounds of one-two combinations of tweets in an online argument that spanned March 29, 30, and 31 –– with Sarandon,toward its conclusion, urging Messing to “report me to the homeroom teacher,” and Messing responding, “Whose [sic] the adult?” Messing declined an interview at the April 12 campaign event, so no new punches can be reported.
While the Twitter undercard between Messing and Sarandon was left undecided, Clinton’s boosters this week were hoping they could help guarantee a victory for the Democratic frontrunner next Tuesday.
“We need a nominee who’s going to be able to go toe-to-toe with either Trump or [Ted] Cruz or whoever else crawls out of their convention in Cleveland,” Levine said. “Someone who’s battle-tested and proven –– and Hillary has survived decades of the most vociferous forms of Republican attacks and she’s still standing strong.”
