What it is ain't exactly clear. But it is.
No one thinks Fordham Law School Prof . Zephyr Teachout will beat Gov. Cuomo in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary — but she could hurt him, experts said.
Now, experts of the political persuasion in New York should rarely be listened to about anything other than...ok...nothing...but this
is getting interesting.
If he were the kind of person who admitted that things don’t always go according to plan, Gov. Andrew Cuomo would probably concede that his Democratic primary opponent, Zephyr Teachout, had a good few days last week.
And while it is easy to find the "experts" at this site tearing down Teachout, it would seem most people on this site should support Teachout (and Wu) in this effort. They are for the right things. They have taken on a Democrat who takes money from the Koch Brothers and is supported by a billionaire backed effort called Republicans for Cuomo.
What is happening right now in NY seems like the type of opportunity people on this site are longing for - someone right on the issues taking on someone very wrong on the issues. A political new comer not tainted by the system against a fortunate son who owes his career to his father.
It should be noted that Teachout mentioned Mario Cuomo this week.
Zephyr Teachout says she’s a Cuomo Democrat — Mario Cuomo, that is.
Teachout, who won the first round last week in a fight to be on the Democratic primary ballot against Gov. Cuomo, told ABC News that she’s a “traditional Democrat” who would have been “right at home in Mario Cuomo’s cabinet.”
She believes the current governor hasn’t lived up to his father’s example.
She isn't alone in that belief. And now there have been calls for a debate. The Nation has been one to
make that request.
Election seasons are supposed to provide an opportunity for sitting officials to explain their records, and for challengers to question them. And when a top official is facing intense scrutiny based on recent revelations—as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is in the aftermath of reports regarding his administration’s handling of a corruption inquiry—the need for election season accountability is that much greater.
Isn't this what the community at DailyKos wants? Accountability? Debate? Of course Cuomo won't debate. Because "experts" always say never debate an opponent when you are ahead in the polls.
And yet as much as some want to dismiss this campaign as not being "serious", when your campaign for governor of NY is endorsed by PEF (Public Employees Federation), it is serious.
What is happening here in New York is something no one could have predicted a few months ago. And it would seem to be the type of exciting opportunity to move the political conversation left for Democrats. In a blue state. And yet at the leading Democratic website and community, it is receiving very little attention. As a New Yorker, I'm very intrigued by this development. And with the low turnout in primaries here, this could be very interesting. The sort of thing political junkies at Dkos would thrive on. But it just doesn't seem to be getting much traction here. Why is that?