Following up on John’s post, I thought you might want to see this display of Andrew Cuomo’s fear and loathing, as delivered to my house. Four pieces of direct mail in two weeks, two of which arrived today. Add to that two polls, some robo-calls from Democratic luminaries (like Kirsten Gillibrand) urging me to to vote for Kathy Hochul, and Andrew hiding from view, I think he’s a running scared.
So, New York Democrats, you know what to do. If you want to see Andrew’s worst fears come true, vote for Zephyr Teachout in tomorrow’s primary. Only about 350K Democrats are expected to vote, so your vote counts a hell of a lot more than in the average New York statewide election.
Even if you don’t want to vote for Teachout, if you want to give Mario’s kid some agida, split your ticket tomorrow. Vote for Wu for Lt. Gov. and Cuomo for Governor. Give him a hemorrhoid he won’t forget.
Polls open at noon and close at 9 so you’ll need to plan accordingly.
Update, via commenter BBA: “[V]oting hours for primaries are 6 AM to 9 PM in NYC and its suburbs (Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam) as well as Erie County (Buffalo), noon to 9 PM in the rest of the state”.
cmorenc
Polls open…at NOON !??
I think I see part of the problem here already.
Elizabelle
Yeah, noon is interesting.
How’s NY State on early voting? Are they stringent about who qualifies to vote absentee?
? Martin
Reminder to California residents: new law goes into effect next week requiring a minimum of 3 feet distance when passing cyclists.
Jerzy Russian
You have a double “to” in there, as in
“Add to that two polls, some robo-calls from Democratic luminaries (like Kirsten Gillibrand) urging me to to vote for Kathy Hochul,”
I think Zephyr Teachout has the coolest name ever. I hope she wins.
Helen
@Elizabelle: The info I got from the NYS Board of Elections says that NYC and 6 of the largest counties open the polls at 6am. Those are the most densely populated counties. I guess just for the primary the less populated counties open at noon.
ETA – and there’ no early voting in NY. Don’t know about absentee.
jl
There is something about that shot of Cuomo, where I guess he is smiling but it looks like he is pain, Maybe passing a kidney stone? Someone poking him in the rear?
Anyway, reminded me somehow of this I saw on TPB blog today.
Outgoing Politico Editor Never Fit In: ‘He’s Old School, We’re New School’
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rick-berke-politico-old-school
People at political think they are ‘New School’? Really. (Edit: I meant, ‘Really? WTF?’, just to be very clear)
BBA
From NYS election law, section 8-100.2, voting hours for primaries are 6 AM to 9 PM in NYC and its suburbs (Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam) as well as Erie County (Buffalo), noon to 9 PM in the rest of the state. General elections are always 6 AM to 9 PM statewide. Odd, that.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@? Martin: You are just getting that? Wisconsin has had it since 1973.
ETA: I learned to drive with the rule in place; the one I have been working on adopting since I started cycling is the Dutch practice of reaching to open the drivers door with the right hand. It causes you to rotate your body and makes it less likely that you will door some poor bastard on a bike,
PsiFighter37
Dude, there is no fucking way polls open at noon in NY. IIRC, they open at 6 AM on days where there’s an election (at least in NYC).
I have to move tomorrow, but I may go and cast my vote before the movers come (as opposed for after).
piratedan
why not vote for who you want, it’s a primary after all. have a good day those that are exercising their civic duty and participating in our electoral process.
can’t wait for the election to be here so I can stop being harassed via e-mail by whomever has set up the Dem strategy of reminding and touching base every 30 minutes. Not a great idea guys.
elftx
So I had to go listen to it but realized he may need to “shake it” as those winds are a’comin
Mike Jones
I’ve gotten robocalls supporting Hochul from Hillary Clinton. Disappointing. I’m particularly disappointed in Gillibrand; I think actually endorsing Teachout/Wu would be asking too much, but I’d have hoped she’d sit it out at least.
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@Helen: I think it’s absentee with a proven reason, you know, old school absentee.
Blanket absentee makes it easy for the bourgeois class to double vote or vote where they don’t actually reside, which is something they do and justify with reference to antique European voting by top property owner only systems. Or because their life is so complicated or some crap.
Poor people who move all the time get forced to file provisional ballots which don’t get counted because peasants.
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): Florida got it a few years ago but it’s not enforced.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Another Holocene Human (now with new computer):
Bullshit. Blanket absentee makes it easy for anyone to vote. Despite the fact the Wisconsin has limited its in person absentee rules, it is still very popular and makes it possible for who might have complicated lives (like someone with kids who has two jobs) to find a time when it is comparatively convenient to vote.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
Apparently some cities are re-doing their streets so you have the driving lane, the parking lane, and then the bike lane, with the bike lane closest to the curb. Here’s Cincinnati’s plan (scroll down for diagram). It seems much more sensible than having bike traffic squished between car traffic and parked cars. Plus you reduce the number of potential doorings since every car has a driver but not every car has a passenger.
laym AKA albany layman
@jl: I picture that smile being the prelude to his entire head opening up, like in the Monty Python Terry Gilliam animations, in order to eat people in one gulp.
Cuomo sucks. Don’t vote for him.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Mnemosyne: Not every city or every street can be done that way. That is why I really like the right hand open concept (reverse in RHD countries) even though I only manage to remember to do it about 40% of the time. Habits die hard.
Poopyman
OT, but I wanted to point out the nice Newsmax headline before I trot off to bed:
Just throwin’ that out there. You’re welcome.
askew
@cmorenc:
Yeah, polls open at noon? That is bullshit. How is that happening in the Dem controlled state?
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
Something better needs to happen. I’m getting tired of seeing new ghost bikes all the damn time.
PurpleGirl
Polls in NYC open at 6 AM and close at 9 PM. My polling place is a quick 3 minute walk across a play area. I’ll be voting early. Voting for Teachout/Wu. I’ve been getting phones calls for a number of candidates and I’m just tired of the phone calls.
ETA: If you are not sure of the polling times and your polling place, check on-line with the Bd of Elections.
jl
@Poopyman:
‘ Ben Carson on Ray Rice: ‘Let’s Not Demonize This Guy’ ‘
So… losing it for a second and slapping some one is bad. But you beat someone until they don’t move anymore, let’s think about that one carefully for a a while, lest we judge too harshly.
I’ll look for a Ben Carson Mel Gibson panel on anger management. It will be interesting.
Edit: actually Carson would probably say just losing control for a sec and slapping somebody is just shit happens, if its the guy. I admit I don’t understand the ‘Carson Scale’ of physical assault very well.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Mnemosyne: Each of my two main cycling routes has at least one ghost bike. One of them in a place where it make no sense at all – at the top of a hill on a two mile straight stretch.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@jl: The ins-and-outs of whether losing his job or being indefinitely suspended are one thing; judging him a less than good person for what he did is another.
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@Poopyman: He knows who signs his paychecks. Especially if, as I’ve heard, Johns Hopkins cut him loose. Really sad.
Then again, Jack Kruse is a neurosurgeon, too. That link is a very small taste of the crazy. Very small. His website was a couple of step away from Time Cube.
askew
@? Martin:
What if the bicyclist is riding in the middle of the lane? That happens in the MN burbs all the time even though we have beautiful bike paths that go unused. We have bikers who bike down the middle of the lane and refuse to move over even though they are blocking the entire road. Then, they blow through stop signs and almost cause accidents. So many asshole bikers in MN.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@PsiFighter37: Dude there’s more to NY than just the city (or the island, depending on whom one has to remind).
Happy moving and nuptials, btw. Very busy time for you.
jl
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): Unless the consequences of Rice’s actions were an unfortunate accident of him briefly losing control, I think he is a bad person, and should get a very severe penalty. Seems like he beat her pretty badly and knew he was doing it, but I admit I do not know for sure.
Ernest Pikeman
@? Martin:
Hey, nice, I was just thinking of biking my commute for the first time tomorrow. Not that this makes any difference to the psychos driving around downtown SF. But I do look forward to the street theater of the, err, more excitable San Francisco bike fanatics quoting the letter of the law to some beemer-zoomers.
mai naem
I’m surprised at the number of people on this blog who’ve not heard of Teachout before. She did some pretty important stuff in the Dean campaign. Has Dean endorsed her? I would be pretty disappointed in him if he endorsed Andrew Cuomo over Teachout.
askew
OT – I am seeing so many racist tweets from Obama supporters towards Latinos because they are angry that Obama is delaying immigration executive order. It’s turning my stomach.
jl
@mai naem: It will be interesting to see what Dean does. I think, like Obama, Dean is not as progressive in some ways that people assume he is. Also, like Obama, Dean was not considered ‘in the club’, partly because like Obama, he was not a complete sell out hack, so people, especially corporate media, wanted him down and out and eager to help make that happen. That is setting aside the race angle of course.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@askew: And what about the asshole drivers who bring their right mirror right ott my left hip and then honk their horn? The cyclists do have the same right to use the road as cars. Moving over is a matter of politeness.
@jl: I thought it was rather clear that I felt the same.
askew
@mai naem:
Teachout seemed to have burned some bridges post-Dean. kos is not endorsing her because of some bad blood between the two even though Daily Kos endorsed Wu. Don’t know if she burned bridges with Dean or not.
Ben
@jl:
Yeah, Dean had A+ ratings from the NRA, and lobbies for the health care industry. Had he won, we’d be seeing the same complaints from the Purity Brigades…
askew
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
You don’t have the right to ride down the middle of the road and shut it down because you are a selfish asshole. Nor do you have the right to blow through stop signs and ignore other traffic laws because they are inconvenient for you. I almost got in a car accident with kids in the backseat due to a biker ignoring traffic laws so I am a little sick of the BS peddled by bikers that they are always in the right.
jl
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): OK. I thought probably so. Cole hasn’t banned me yet, so was just putting in my two cents. Sorry if it sounded like i was all up in your grill.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@jl: Dean was a smart, personable, centrist Democrat who was against the Iraq War. As far as being as in the club, he is a distant cousin of GWB and a Yale fraternity member. He isn’t an outsider.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@jl: It’s cool. As we all know, tone is sometimes hard to determine on the ‘net.
Kay
This is a review of Teachout’s book.
We could hold them to a higher standard than the statutory definition of “corrupt” when we choose to elect them, and we could do it without passing any laws :)
jl
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): But unless you are an insider it is not for you to say who is in and who is out. And, among the powerful people ‘in the club’, any deviation from groupthink on any important topic is betrayal enough for banishment.
So,you have some points, but I think Dean’s dissent from Iraq marked him for outcast, even if his views on different topics span a wide spectrum, and he is not the pure progressive some assumed he is or was.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@jl: Like I said, he was a smart, personable, centrist Democrat who was against the Iraq War. That’s it. Kerry was actually left of him on the vast majority of positions.
Culture of Truth
‘Let’s Not Demonize This Guy’ ‘ — yeah, it’s not like he got shot by a police officer or something
trollhattan
@? Martin:
Am not expecting to get any extra breathing room come the morning–the Suburban mirrors will still be trying to decapitate me on the way to work.
I’d settle for some of these assholes learning what the funny stick on the left side of their steering wheel is for. “Hey, it’s mah bidnez where ah’m turnin’, not yerz!”
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@trollhattan: I run into more problems on country roads than I do in Madison proper.
trollhattan
I brought my plane to Reno, just to crash and die.
Mentioned back in ’11 a friend was close enough to the crash to be hit by debris–bruised pretty bad but luckily that was all. The next year one of the race officials intoned, “The crash was a tragedy, but the real tragedy would be to cancel the race.” Their brains are screwed together a little different up there.
trollhattan
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
There are a couple counties in my region I simply won’t ride. Too much attitude &/or too many close calls. That and no repaving since 1994.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@trollhattan: Les 24 Heures du Mans continued after this.
? Martin
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): We’ve still got some wild west in us. Lane splitting is legal here. Nothing like having a motorcycle whiz 6″ from your driver mirror going 60MPH faster than you – at night, and you never saw him coming up on you.
trollhattan
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
Yup, the German love for (small bits of) France can’t be denied. Ironic it was a gullwing.
Alison
@? Martin: Wait, really? And what if doing so means crossing the double yellow line into oncoming traffic? We’re just supposed to chill behind the bicyclist until one of us turns?
? Martin
@trollhattan: My mom had tickets in the section where the crash happened in 2011. She and her husband were out seeing another sight that day. They would have certainly been killed had they been there.
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): But that crash changed motor racing completely – not just endurance racing, but everywhere. They created an isolated pit lane and introduced a massive number of rule and safety changes in almost every segment of racing. Thankfully an event like that can’t even be conceived of today.
trollhattan
@Alison:
An arterial with a double-yellow line should have enough room, per code, to still be legal (not that everybody follows code).
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@? Martin: I don’t disagree with you. OTOH, I was responding to a specific comment.
? Martin
@Alison:
So, we’re not early, but we are above average.
???
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
@Alison: Yes, I have an equal right to the road on my bicycle as I do in my car. I love riding one, and I love driving the other.
trollhattan
@? Martin:
Wow, what a relief.
IIRC the plane hit the VIP seating area on field level. My friend and his buddies had passes for there but stayed in the stands instead, not knowing they made the best decision of their lives. The amount of gore was unfathomable and it was fortunate that many badly injured folks were saved–the EMTs were very prompt.
Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)
OT: I just saw a TV ad that had a song with lyrics saying “I am looking for someone other than my wife” and then giving a website. At least, it is honest.
? Martin
@trollhattan: The codes have changed, and have exceptions granted by CalTrans. Older roads don’t have those clearances. Consider Trabuco Canyon road. The trees overhang the road that there are places that a cyclist can’t be right on the shoulder (along with the occasional drain). The road is narrower than current code (excluding the current requirements for bike lanes and buffers) – only 10′ in places, so some cars couldn’t stay inside the double yellow and still allow for 3′ to the cyclist.
Little Boots
nobody is pure. nobody is righteous. I’m okay with that.
? Martin
@trollhattan: Yeah, she called as soon as she heard where the crash was and was really shaken. They were at the show alone and didn’t know anyone else in that seating area other than who they chatted with the day before.
That left me a bit rattled as well. She sent me the photo of the plane just before it hit with her seat circled. They almost certainly would not have survived. They’d never been to Reno before and took half a day off to go check out some other stuff. They chose wisely. They’re not going back, though they have gone to see a few Red Bull races since then.
cckids
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):
Here in Vegas (around the airport) there are billboards advertising some service that will create a paper trail for you to cheat on your spouse (receipts, etc) so that you can make it look like a business trip. Oy.
Little Boots
for some reason, this really works right now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4wcNVbYOQ
? Martin
@Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name): Ashley Madison? Their whole business model is sneaking out on your spouse. Their slogan is “Life is short. Have an affair.”
Little Boots
the right gets awfully cynical, sometimes, but the left gets awfully precious. maybe we need to just back off sometimes with the pearl clutching. it ain’t that good a world. deal.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Mnemosyne: In the past week, most recently tonight, I’ve almost been hit by a car while on my walk. It seems that drivers in Glendale don’t stop at stop signs, they slow but don’t STOP. I don’t have much hope that the new law regarding bicycles will have much of an effect.
Little Boots
just ask omnes. my music alone. which, by the way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww
Mnemosyne
@BillinGlendaleCA:
I can’t find the statistic, but at one point I was told that Glendale had the highest pedestrian death rate in the entire state. Part of that is stubborn old people insisting on jaywalking across 4 lanes of traffic, but there’s also that huge segment of bad drivers in expensive cars they can’t control. (Is it a stereotype if I’m talking about my fellow Europeans?)
ETA: Weirdly, I have very few problems on my bike in GDL. I’ve run into far more asshole drivers in Pasadena and Burbank.
Little Boots
seriously? no omnes. nancy sinatra, and no omnes?
Little Boots
moody blues?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9muzyOd4Lh8&list=RDN-aK6JnyFmk&index=6
Alison
@? Martin: Okay, I guess that sounds doable. I know people love to hate on car drivers, but plenty of bike riders are assholes too, and I’ve had a few pretend that there’s no bike lane and ride along the edge of the driving lane. Frustrating.
Little Boots
@Alison: they are annoying, sometimes.
A Humble Lurker
@Little Boots: it ain’t that good a world. deal.
Little Boots
@A Humble Lurker:
exactly.
Little Boots
needs more omnes.
Richard Shindledecker
I am so going to enjoy this vote!!!!!
Little Boots
@Richard Shindledecker:
it will be interesting.
Steeplejack
@Little Boots:
Written by Joe South, who also did this, which is hitting me tonight. Two weeks in Vegas with another week to go.
Little Boots
as long as steeplejack is back, all is well.
Little Boots
seriously, my one comment about cuomo is awaiting moderation? that’s the comment.
johnny.
Steeplejack
@Little Boots:
Aw, shucks.
Joe South is a favorite of mine. Wrote a lot of songs for a lot of people. Billy Joe Royal, “Down in the Boondocks.”
Steeplejack
A song from around the same time: the Bobby Fuller Four, “I Fought the Law.” Bonus—go-go dancers!
Trigger warning: potentially unsafe gun practices depicted in video.
Steeplejack
@Steeplejack:
FYWP! Moderation for no good reason.
The Bobby Fuller Four, “I Fought the Law.”
Steeplejack
@Steeplejack:
Test: Apparently FYWP just doesn’t like the YouTube URL.
Steeplejack
Wait a minute? Does FYWP not like me?!
Little Boots
oh, don’t you aw shucks me, and also, still moderated?
what did I ever do?
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@jl: To be fair to Rice, that could just be the person he’s become after being bashed in the head and suffering brain injuries.
Violence and traumatic head injuries seem to go together.
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@BillinGlendaleCA: Isn’t that the definition of the “California stop”?
Violet
@Alison: I bike commuted for years and hate asshole bike riders as much as anyone. They make life more difficult for all cyclists. The other day I had a geen light on a local road by my house and this cyclist just blew through a red light–not a stop sign but a red light–right in front of me. I had to slam on my brakes in the middle of the intersection to avoid hitting him. And I was the one with the green light! Asshole.
As for bike lanes, I guess it depends where you live but a lot of the ones near me are worse than useless. They’re right by the curb and collect all the road debris so unless you’ve got extra sturdy tires you’ll get a flat way more often than in the road. And that’s just the small stuff. Big crap collects there too, and you end up having to dodge it. It’s mostly not worth it. There are a few roads with good bike lanes but mostly I take back roads instead.
Violet
Gah. Stupid moderation. I guess I used some forbidden words. See if this works:
@Alison: I bike commuted for years and hate asshat bike riders as much as anyone. They make life more difficult for all cyclists. The other day I had a geen light on a local road by my house and this cyclist just blew through a red light–not a stop sign but a red light–right in front of me. I had to slam on my brakes in the middle of the intersection to avoid hitting him. And I was the one with the green light! Jerk.
As for bike lanes, I guess it depends where you live but a lot of the ones near me are worse than useless. They’re right by the curb and collect all the road debris so unless you’ve got extra sturdy tires you’ll get a flat way more often than in the road. And that’s just the small stuff. Big crap collects there too, and you end up having to dodge it. It’s mostly not worth it. There are a few roads with good bike lanes but mostly I take back roads instead.
Violet
This is funny. Still in moderation. Trying again.
@Alison: I bike commuted for years and hate a$$hat bike riders as much as anyone. They make life more difficult for all cyclists. The other day I had a geen light on a local road by my house and this cyclist just blew through a red light–not a stop sign but a red light–right in front of me. I had to slam on my brakes in the middle of the intersection to avoid hitting him. And I was the one with the green light! Jerk.
As for bike lanes, I guess it depends where you live but a lot of the ones near me are worse than useless. They’re right by the curb and collect all the road debris so unless you’ve got extra sturdy tires you’ll get a flat way more often than in the road. And that’s just the small stuff. Big stuff collects there too, and you end up having to dodge it. It’s mostly not worth it. There are a few roads with good bike lanes but mostly I take back roads instead.
Steeplejack
@Violet:
I think everyone was getting moderated for a while.
Fred Fnord
@askew: Depending on what state you’re in, cyclists may indeed have the right to take up an entire lane if they feel it necessary. (Most states, IIRC, in fact.)
It is certainly your prerogative to decide that they are Bad People™ for doing so, though. And, if history is any guide, should you feel the urge to run one over a couple times, you won’t be punished in any way. Because people who ride bikes aren’t important.
Violet
@Steeplejack: Guess so. I was working on removing potential offending words. Just guessing as to what the problem was. Whoever is in charge can delete two of my three similar posts. The second two were just trying to get past the mod filter.
Fred Fnord
@Ben: Or, to put it another way, some of us would be unhappy with some of his stances, and some of you would hate us beyond all rationality for such treason. So it goes.
tbhidk
@Alison:
I work in a major city, and am a public transportation/pedestrian gal for most of my day. Pedestrians and drivers are sworn enemies, but the one thing we can all agree on is that bikers are assholes. They think they’re some kind of pedestrian/automobile hybrid and blow through stoplights, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings with impunity. Oh, and to you “I have just as much right to the roads as you do” folks — No, you don’t. I pay money to register my vehicle to use those roads every year. Until you do the same, you’re second class citizens. Deal with it.
Mnemosyne
@tbhidk:
Uh, very few cyclists only have a bicycle. I pay to register my car, too, even though I use the roads less than you do. So what’s your excuse now for deciding I have to be a “second-class citizen” if I choose to ride my bike instead of driving my car?
Don’t get me wrong, I agree that there are asshole cyclists out there, but do they really outnumber the asshole drivers who are texting, putting on makeup, blowing through stopsigns, following too closely, etc. etc. etc?
Mnemosyne
Interesting survey here in California: everyone wants more separated bike lanes, including drivers. So which is it, drivers: continue treating cyclists as “second-class citizens” who have to ride in the same lane you do, or spend a little money on separated bike lanes that will make everyone happy, including drivers?