Sunday, August 20, 2017

WHO DO WE BACK TO PRIMARY CUOMO?

The left of the Democratic Party is not happy with Andrew Cuomo. The new "Bernie Sanders lite" version of our governor might be fooling some but not us. Zephyr Teachout's grassroots campaign against Cuomo netted 34% of the primary vote back in 2014 . It looks like some notable challengers are ready to primary the governor as he seeks a third term in 2018. Smart money says the governor will use 2018 to help launch a likely presidential run in 2020. That thought is just so repulsive.

Two of the potential 2018 primary challengers appear to be possible heavyweights who could make this contest truly competitive. If voters can throw out the governor and shut down his presidential bid before it starts, that would be two victories for teachers in one shot. Remember how Cuomo ran against us in 2010; backed charter schools and called public schools a monopoly he wants to bust. He pushed through the Legislature the Education Transformation Act of 2015 that truly hurts us and has denied public schools proper funding throughout his seven years as governor.

 Actress Cynthia Nixon has the name recognition, probably has some money and has sent her kids to the public schools that she supports. Her youngest is in Kindergarten. This is from Diane Ravitch's blog:

The story has circulated in the media that megastar Cynthia Nixon may run against Andrew Cuomo for governor. You may have seen her on television or on Broadway, but what you don’t know if that she is a public school parent in New York City and cares deeply about public education.

In this article, she explains that New York City public schools have been denied funding that was promised by the courts. She also explains that Andrew Cuomo is no friend of public education. He is a cheerleader for the charter industry, whose wealthy patrons have underwritten his past campaigns.

Nixon knows more about education that any other candidate who will be on the ballot in 2018 in New York state. 

Now if Nixon is not to your liking, Councilman Jumaane Williams from Brooklyn is also considering primarying Cuomo.

This is from the Daily News:

He (Williams) ripped Cuomo for the MTA mass transit crisis, accused him of “emboldening a Republican state Senate majority” by not doing enough to reunify fractured Senate Democrats, and knocked his support for charter schools and big-money hedge fund donors.

Charles Galbreath, senior Pastor of Clarendon Road Church in East Flatbush, said the minority community is looking for someone “who can step up and speak for our community.”

“I think he’s someone who has the ear of the people and a lot of people who are dissatisfied with what’s taking place in Albany currently,” Galbreath said of Williams.

The Daily News reports that there are two others possible Cuomo challengers. They are Mayor Stephanie Miner of Syracuse and former Hudson Valley State Senator Terry Gipson. Miner started out as a labor lawyer so that's a plus. We need to examine her record before saying more.

Hopefully, the left can come together and stick with one serious challenger to knock Cuomo off.

9 comments:

RBE said...

Stephanie Miner hates unions even more than Cuomo does. She's not an option.

Terry Gipson is very good on the issues. Not sure how much traction he could actually get in a primary. Fundraising would be an issue. Name recognition as well. I think you're looking at a Teachout-like performance from him, denying Cuomo a big primary win but not having a chance of knocking him off.

I don't think Jumaane Williams runs. He's very good on education issues and economic issues, but his weakness is social issues. He has not supported gay rights or gay marriage and is pro-life. Cuomo will go directly at those issues and, in a Democratic primary, that will be the death knell of Williams' candidacy. Williams has to know that and I suspect it will keep him from running.

Cynthia Nixon has name recognition, fundraising ability, she's got close ties to the unions (including the UFT) and can obviously handle herself in the media well. I'm not convinced she actually runs eitrher but if she does, she's the best bet to do real damage to Cuomo. Still, if she ran, I'm pretty sure many of the unions, scared to death of Cuomo, would not support her in a primary against Cuomo.

In the end, I think the best we can hope for is to do real and lasting damage to Cuomo to weaken him for a third term and put an end to his 2020 pipe dream of the White House.

I do not minimize the importance of doing lasting damage to Cuomo and weakening him for a third term, thus setting him up for failure both in that third term and in his run for president, but I don't think we'll actually get anything good out of it policywise. I would love to see APPR changed, but like herpes, cockroaches and Newt Gingrich on FOX News, that seems to hang around no matter what. Part of the problem is, our union leaders, "meritocrats" all, are in favor of APPR.

So while a Cuomo primary could be real fun, alas, I don't think it will make our lives as educators any better.

As always, hope I'm wrong with my cynicism!

James Eterno said...

Thank you for the analysis RBE. As usual, you are onto the political situation in detail.

I think Cuomo is vulnerable on his left. From what you say, Cynthia Nixon would make the ideal challenger, particularly in our celebrity obsessed culture. I would enjoy seeing her do it.

Anonymous said...

Cuomo shmomo. In two weeks it's back to drive by Danielson BS for 10 months. I got bigger things to worry about than Cuomo.

Dr_Dru said...

I thought our Union UFT/AFT supported Cuomo?

We definitely did not want Zephyr Teachout in the last primary, and Randi robocalled for Kathy Hochul in Long Island.

Randi/Mulgrew want Cuomo, so the C.O.P.E. will go there somehow, ask Paul Egan.

We don't need statues to remember our history

Anonymous said...

A statue of Mulgrew?

Anonymous said...

Now that's something I'd take a sledgehammer to.

Anonymous said...

How about a Randi statue?

Anonymous said...

Too horrid to even contemplate.

Anonymous said...

Yes! Halloween will be here before you know it. The UFT could charge admission.