Just a reminder that there’s a primary election in New York State today. Cynthia Nixon has Andrew Cuomo piss-pants scared, and pretending he’s a progressive in bro’s clothing.
In the less than two months since Nixon declared her candidacy, Cuomo all but reversed his opposition to legalizing recreational marijuana, which he called “a gateway drug” as recently as last year; proposed a ban on single-use plastic bags, again barely a year after he signed legislation barring New York City from imposing a tax on them; vowed to use his pardon power to restore voting rights to as many as 35,000 felons; and declared a state of emergency at the city’s public-housing authority.
If you think that Cuomo is going to do any of that, I have a prematurely opened bridge to sell you.
Getting rid of Cuomo would be a dream, and if dreams came true, hey, wouldn’t that be nice? Still, we’ve seen other unlikely winners in Democratic primaries recently, most notably Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren. So, if you’re goddam sick and tired of this feckless bastard who constantly pushes to the right just to keep his delusional Presidential aspirations on life support, get out there and vote.
LCS
As a New Yorker, I approve of this message.
germy
So if Nixon loses today’s primary, will she run third party as spoiler and get a Republican in the governor’s mansion?
I like her and I like her ideas, but I didn’t know what to make of the fact she wouldn’t have run if Bloomberg was running for governor. Bloomberg?
I don’t like Cuomo, but I wasn’t impressed with her debate performance. I didn’t like his either.
CarolDuhart2
This looks like a lost opportunity. If someone with enough electoral and managerial chops had taken on Cuomo, he would have lost/may still-but if he survives this scare, he needs to focus on succeeding Schumer for Senator. And what’s this with most of your state having 12-6 voting hours? I can understand cow towns having those hours, but Buffalo and Albany? And that Independent Democrat stuff which keeps Republicans in the majority, what’s up with that?
Hoping from Ohio that Democrats at least take back the legislature.
Dupe1970
@germy: She could but I don’t think it dent Cuomo too much.
Dupe1970
@CarolDuhart2: Possibly but it will likely force Cuomo to the left on many issues (depending on how well Nixon does) or it opens him up to being primaried in another 4 years. Additionally, if he has Presidential aspirations then he will need to follow through on many of his promises or his campaign is DOA.
Donl140
Welcome back, Mistermix!
rikyrah
On Tuesday, Senator Merkely uncovered $10 million being transferred from FEMA to ICE for the internment camps.
Last night, it was up to $29 million.
……………………….
Document shows DHS transferring $29M from Coast Guard to ICE
Rachel Maddow reports on a DHS document from Senator Merkley that shows nearly $10 million dollars being transferred from FEMA’s budget to fund ICE detentions, and $29 million being taken from the Coast Guard, ahead of the 2018 hurricane season. Moira Whelan, a former DHS official, joins to discuss how FEMA budgets its money.
OzarkHillbilly
I’ve got flight booked for 10:25 Am into La Guardia. Should be able to beat the poll closings.
MazeDancer
So wish someone worthy had challenged Cuomo.
Nixon has never run anything. Call me hopelessly old-fashioned, but I want some experience from a Gov.
Going to write-in “Hillary Clinton” if that is possible. Recognize that’s a defacto vote for Nixon, but cannot bring myself to vote for Cuomo until have to in Nov.
rikyrah
Trump argued Mueller hurt his overseas credibility: Woodward
Rachel Maddow describes reporting in Bob Woodward’s new book, “Fear,” that reveals that there were 37 witnesses sharing a joint defense agreement with Donald Trump, and describing Trump’s efforts to get Mueller to back off the investigation because it was cramping his international credibility.
Sep.12.2018
schrodingers_cat
So what are the chances that Nixon’s victory?
Gelfling 545
I’m heading out to vote – for Cuomo. I don’t like him at all but there’s too much at stake right now to turn the governing of the state of NY over to an amateur, though in actual fact I think we’d be turning it over to a Republican if Nixon gets the nomination. If she had any governmental experience whatsoever I might feel differently about her. Surely we’ve learned what happens when people with little understanding of the job achieve high office by shortcuts due to celebrity. I’m not willing to bet my grandkids healthcare on her.
RedDirtGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: MEET-UP!!!!!
foucault swing voter mistermix
@Gelfling 545: Nixon would win running away. New York is not going to elect a Republican to a statewide seat this cycle, if ever again.
CarolDuhart2
Governor HIllary Clinton? Maybe that was the lost opportunity-or a future one. Jerry Brown, his presidential ambitions long dead and old as dirt, is apparently doing a great job in California. Health permitting, could that be a next step? Hillary no longer on the Presidential campaign trail just might be the ticket.
Wild Cat
No time for bullshit. Cuomo is an ass, but we can’t splinter. Remember, my “liberal” city elected turds like Koch, Giuliani, Bloomberg, and built Billionaires’ Row. No time to fuck around. If she moved Mario’s son a tad to the left, yes, bully for her, but she’s never even balanced her checkbook in public.
tobie
Is there any chance that the “Independent Democrats” who caucus with the Republicans will be defeated in the primaries? A real Democratic majority in the state legislature would be great for New York.
B.B.A.
Cuomo’s signature accomplishment was handing the state senate to the Republicans by convincing a handful of “Democrats” to caucus with them. Under pressure from Nixon, he disbanded the IDC this year (though one Orthodox asshole in Brooklyn continues to cross the aisle).
Mark my words, Cuomo wins and the IDC will be back next year.
B.B.A.
@germy: Bloomberg governed to Cuomo’s left on a lot of issues.
MazeDancer
@Gelfling 545:
Your courage may inspire me.
Had totally overlooked if Nixon wins, that will increase GOP turnout in Nov smelling an opportunity. The “Molianaro” signs are already up in my Village.
Important that Delgado beats Faeo, so, keeping GOP turnout lower matters.
p.a.
Checking the correct policy boxes is one thing. Running one of the biggest states in the union and getting those policies enacted is just a bit more when you’re seemingly a vanity candidate (this is my view as a NY outsider withe only the slimmest knowledge of the state’s politics.)
Anything Nixon’s campaign can do to fuck up Cuomo’s national ambitions (pipe dreams?) is good.
The GOS takes some deserved hits, but ‘more better Democrats’ is what we need, and politics is not for amateurs at the NY statewide level.
Brachiator
Cuomo is an easy choice over Nixon, who may be a nice person, but is a rank amateur. I’d like to see her run for some other office.
Yeah, someone like Franken was an amateur also, but he worked hard to become a good senator. To be a good governor, you need to be able to get going right away.
cynthia ackerman
From the title, I honestly thought this was another post about hurricanes.
Nicole
As much as I hate when celebrities use their name recognition to jump the line, whether it be running for mayor, governor, or senator, let alone the White House, I think I’m going to vote for Nixon. Finding out Cuomo recently asked the attorney general to put a hold on the investigation into why Cy Vance dropped the investigation into Harvey Weinstein a couple years ago was the last straw for me. Vance also dropped an investigation into the Trump kids a few years back after he got a donation from their lawyer to his campaign. Had he followed through on that, we might not be dealing with the Cheeto in the White House now.
Nicole
Though, regardless of my primary vote, I’m voting for whoever’s on the Democratic line in November.
ruemara
@schrodingers_cat: slim. Hollywood slim.
And hard pass on Nixon. Next time Our Revolution should try supporting a decent candidate. Unless there’s no republican on the ballot, there’s always a chance one wins. No thanks.
jonas
Nixon’s been good at getting Cuomo to (grudgingly) move left on some issues, but New York is a large, diverse state that consists of more than The City. Nixon, who has never held any kind of either elective or appointed office, was basically running a one-note campaign that focused on fixing NY transit. That’s definitely an important issue, but think of how NYC voters would feel if a gubernatorial candidate from Lowville talked about nothing but dairy and commodity prices the entire campaign?
I’m watching the NY state senate vote today — that will decide if we finally put a nail in the IDC coffin and win back a working majority in Albany that Cuomo can’t fuck around with anymore.
Stan
Polls in New York are open Noon to NINE so get out and vote folks.
I’ll be voting for Nixon and Teachout. I wish I could vote for Anthony Delgado but not in his district.
Cuomo is no democrat – he has personally ensured republican control of the state senate for years. And frankly, NY state bureaucracy is so gigantic it runs best if left alone. Cuomo has been a micromanaging moron who has only f-ed things up. Nixon could do no worse.
Teachout seems an obvious choice to tackle our massive levels of corruption in New York.
PSpain
I honestly do not get how anyone can vote for Cuomo. Even my 84 year old TV watching Dad gets he is a lying POS who triangulated to keep the Repubs in charge of the Senate through the IDC.
He crossed the line. He does not deserve a Democrats vote.
And yes Nixon is an Amateur but she would not run things as Cuomo does not. She would put people in charge of the State Departments who run things day to day. Does anyone thing Trump or Reagan ran things?
Gelfling 545
@foucault swing voter mistermix: I don’t feel awfully confident of that. There are some pretty conservative areas in this state which is what makes the state legislature what it is. And if Nixon did win, she is totally inexperienced. She would be easy prey for the fairly conservative state legislature. What could she do while she’s learning politics? Hire the “best people” ? As I said, to me there is just too much at stake right now with the ACA up in the air federally, we need to rely on the state to protect medical care
Gelfling 545
@CarolDuhart2: Hours are 6 am to 9 pm.
MazeDancer
@Gelfling 545: Alas, upstate polls don’t open til noon.
Saw a map, it is, basically, Weschster, LI, and the city that have the extended hours.
HAL
@Gelfling 545: Niagara County is 12P to 9P. Depends on where you live. I’m off today so I guess I’ll do a Trader Joe’s run, come back and go out again. I’m right down the street from my polling place.
jonas
@Stan: Cuomo sucks, but a Nixon win means an actual Republican governor come next November. She couldn’t beat Molinaro, even in a wave election.
That said, I’m totally in for Zephyr Teachout. She’d be great. The NY AG race has basically been about seeing who can promise to kick Trump’s ass the hardest — that’s been fun. The GOP candidate is an African-American lawyer from Manhattan nobody’s ever heard of, but who has promised not to pursue “partisan investigations” (= won’t investigate Trump).
schrodingers_cat
@ruemara: How goes your citizenship application?
er in bk
long time lurker, i love and read you all. i voted for nixon this morning. i don’t think she’ll win but i think a strong showing of support for her will speak loud and clear to cuomo, or at least the democratic machine in this state. also i think it will set her up for a future candidacy, perhaps at a more local level. but in any case i can’t in good conscience vote for cuomo.
Amber
I despise Cuomo, but Nixon’s credentials are nonexistant, which just isn’t enough for me. I was against celebrity candidates jumping ahead based entirely on name recognition with Trump and I’m against them now, too, plus following Brexit I cannot bring myself to cast a ~protest~ vote for someone I don’t want to win. IMO, better Cuomo than Nixon getting A, outvoted by Republicans in November, or B, sitting in office going “wait I can’t just do stuff???”
seriously, though, why couldn’t they have run someone competent? with even a smidgen of experience? I would’ve voted for them in a heartbeat…
jonas
@foucault swing voter mistermix: I’m sorry, no. NY is a blue state because of the City and some of the surrounding suburban counties. The rest of the state, outside a few small cities like Syracuse and Binghamton, is very rural and red AF. Nixon would have a very, very steep climb against a Republican (Molinaro) who could credibly campaign as a “moderate reformer” with experience in Albany.
The Moar You Know
This is how we got Trump. I know Cuomo sucks, but trying to elect a dilettante with zero political experience (literally far worse an idea than Sanders) is not the way to move the Overton Window to the left.
Domestic short hair tabby (fka vheidi)
@tobie: working on it! Zellnor Myrie in my district
But her emails!!!
@The Moar You Know:
I thought we got Trump because
1. Crazy right wingers are crazy
2. Racists turned out
3. Russian interference
4. Republican voter suppression
5. Electoral college
6. Purity ponies staid home
I’m trying to figure out which of these uniquely applies to Nixon if she wins the primary.
But her emails!!!
Oops. Forgot.
7. FBI Ratfucking
Doug R
@CarolDuhart2:
Well, once you get to Yonkers….
tobie
@Domestic short hair tabby (fka vheidi): Yay, you! Thanks for canvassing for local offices. This is so important.
Anotherlurker
@jonas: I went to SUNY Binghamton, many, many years ago and still somewhat follow its goings on.
It is a red, red, red city that couldn’t keep a Democratic Mayoral Candidate, in the race. Why? He received multiple death threats.
NYS is a beautiful State, but a good portion of Upstate is North Alabama.
Domestic short hair tabby (fka vheidi)
@tobie: you are inspiring me to get off my ass and over to the office, thank you!
speedyG
@rikyrah: Rumor has it that NIH dollars were also funneled to ICE. I have this from two entirely independent sources.
So, now we know FEMA and Coast Guard, and very likely NIH, were robbed. The sources for the NIH stories said that the need for additional ICE funding is in the Billions. That’s with a “B” and that’s additional. It’s hard to see how that could be true, but the rest of it fits with everything else we know about this administration.
No doubt they’re stealing from every agency, including CDC. I mean, why be prepared for disasters at the start of the hurricane season?
The cherry on top is that, at least for the NIH stories, the agencies weren’t told about the “transfer of funds.” They found out when the equivalent of bounced checks started happening. What a mess.
Sister Golden Bear
Love the headline reference, it’s a great song. And as a trans person, I loved a song that’s about being trans amorous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf_l3EGQvL8
Jon
The polls had Cuomo up from 37-41 points. I know this is a year supposedly about upstarts turning the tables, but I just don’t see Cuomo running that scared.
I’m sure he’ll only beat the GOP guy in November by about thirty points.
NeenerNeener
@Gelfling 545: What you said.
MazeDancer
Good turnout news – at an hour and a quarter after poll opening, I was the 115th voter in my teeny-weeny village.
Last Village election, there were 144 voters in total.
Feeling good about Dem enthusiasm.
Tazj
Turnout was very low at my polling place in Hamburg. Apparently it’s very low in Erie County in the primary this year. I don’t think it means anything in regards to November.
I got a robocall today saying Cuomo was letting felons vote, especially sex offenders.