Even though I do not live in the state of New York, I have become highly interested in the Gubernatorial race of the state since reading the many diaries on the topic by kos and from this recent diary thanks to the Community Spotlight, and have tried to read up more on it as a result. And while most everyone would agree that the most likely scenario is that Cuomo wins re-election, I think there are many reasons to still look at this race as a chance for those of us on the Left to send a powerful message.
First of all, it is no secret that with less than a month to go until NY's primary (which is September 9th), any primary challenge is running much too short on time to chip away at Cuomo's electoral advantage.
Second of all, regardless of what happens in the Democratic Primary, Cuomo will still be on the general ballot in November, as he will be running on the Working Families Party line thanks to a lackluster deal, and the Indepedent Party's line. And as long as he is on the ballot, his incumbency advantage all but makes his re-election a lock.
Despite these two major points, I still think that those of us who consider ourselves the Democratic base should make it an objective for Andrew Cuomo to lose New York's Democratic Primary. And at this point in time, the best alternative to vote for appears to be Zephyr Teachout (waited to post this until it was confirmed that she would be on the ballot).
Because if the base can come out and make a splash in the New York Democratic Primary, it speaks volumes of what we can do everywhere else in the country this midterm cycle.
Cuomo is not a true Democrat.
Cuomo does not have a Democratic record as Governor. He targeted a fellow Democrat for a free Republican challenge. And he has presided over a state Senate where rogue Democrats conspired to hand control to Republicans. If Andrew Cuomo's record is not enough of a reason to vote against him in a Democrat Party Primary yet, then imagine that record continuing into 2015 and beyond. Unless you are one of the people that think he will keep the promises he made when he made a deal with the WFP. I'm not.
And lest anyone want to pick up the tired argument of a Civil War brewing within the Democratic Party, much like the Tea Party on the Right, that is not what I am calling for. This is not about primarying any and all Moderate or Centrist Democrats that vote against core Democratic values occasionally. Cuomo is one of the worst offenders at corrupting the Democratic brand, in one of the bluest states in the country. If he is not exactly the type of false representative primaries are meant to unseat, then who is?
The scandal factor
No matter how unlikely it is that Teachout beats Cuomo in the Democrat Party nod, the scandal factor makes it imperative that the Left maintains as strong an alternative option as possible. And as long as New York politics is the subject, a disastrous scandal that ruins Cuomo's electability is never something to discount. Let's not forget how scandal played a role in Cuomo's predecessor Eliot Spitzer's tenure. And if there's any option New Yorkers will be able to use to register their outrage over New York political corruption, it's Teachout.
One need only look to neighboring New Jersey for a recent example of the electoral ramifications of scandal. In many regards, Barbara Buono was also a longshot at unseating Gov. Chris Christie, and Democratic groups both instate and out rewarded her with ambivalence at best. But imagine if the revelations of Bridgegate and other scandals had been unearthed just a few months sooner. Not only would it have made Buono's campaign far more competitive, but it would have made the Democratic Party's choice to overlook her campaign look all the more foolish.
If the Democratic base can turn out to beat Cuomo, they can do it all over the country.
According to conventional wisdom, Democrats do not stand a chance in midterm elections. The expectation is major losses to the party who controls the White House. Then there is the turnout problem. Given these historical disadvantage, the Democratic Party can be all but written off in 2014.
The New York Democratic Primary offers a chance to challenge that wisdom. If Democrats throughout the state of New York can mount a serious primary challenge, this late in the game, relying mostly on grassroots organizing, then it offers hope, and data, for Dem groups throughout the country, mounting challenging uphill battles of their own.
Taken another way, the NY Democratic Primary offers a chance at a dry run for the Democratic Party before the General election in November. We all know how important it is to energize base turnout this year; we can learn from New York's example. What works, what doesn't work. Obviously, the tactics should evolve depending on the target state, but regardless, the battle for the control of the Democratic ticket in New York will resemble the battle against Republicans in the general in other states. Whatever seriously hampers Cuomo's campaign, will undoubtedly prove useful in other campaigns as well.
No matter how likely it looks that Andrew Cuomo wins re-election, this race offers the chance for the the Democratic base to send a powerful message, that reverberates throughout the party, and throughout the country as well. The Conventional Wisdom is wrong, and mainstream pundits are twisting the perceptions to suit their preferred narratives. Liberals will not allow Corporatists to run roughshod over our values and social institutions, and the NY primary is our best attempt to spread the word before November. 2014 will be the year Liberals reclaim the Democrat Party mantle for true Progressivism. You Centrist Democrats can have your corporate backing and backrooms deals. But you will no longer be able to contain the discontent of the Democrats who truly value core Democratic values.
Obviously, it would be better to have a stronger candidate against Cuomo. Not to downplay Teachout's credentials, but there is truth behind the assertions that her current campaign is too weak for a gubernatorial bid. Perhaps we would prefer someone who has better name recognition, someone with a better track record at winning elections, someone with deeper roots in NY, someone who stands a decent chance in the fundraising department. It may be true that Zephyr Teachout and the other Democratic challengers are lacking in all these areas and maybe more. But no matter how many drawbacks there are to Teachout or any other alternative Democratic candidate, do any of these even remotely register near all the drawbacks to another Andrew Cuomo victory? Given the realities of this primary season, Teachout offers the best alternative, and should not be written off just because she is not the ideal candidate. The perfect should not become the enemy of the good.
Because in New York, the good already has an enemy in Andrew Cuomo.
In the world of American politics, the opportunities to make a real difference are few and far in between. Let's not make the New York Democratic Primary one of those opportunities we pass up.
Here is the link to Zephyr Teachout's campaign website where you can see where she stands on the issues, and donate to her campaign.