Posted on 04/23/2018 3:23:58 PM PDT by Kaslin
The New York Post checked in on the New York gubernatorial race this weekend to see how Empire State Governor Andrew Cuomo is holding up now that he has a celebrity primary challenger in the form of Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon. If we’re only going by optics and perceived “coolness” of the Governor, not very well apparently. There’s been some typical state campaign maneuvering going on, none of which is particularly out of the ordinary around here, but Cuomo has reportedly been issuing threats and strongarming people across the liberal spectrum. And there are signs that he’s not as scary as he once was.
Gov. Cuomo insists he’d never dream of threatening anyone in his war on the Working Families Party, let alone going after the WFP’s nonprofit allies: “Punishment is for God,” he told reporters.
Guess that means his staffers and campaign aides were doing God’s work when they pushed several City Council members to skip a City Hall rally in support of the nonprofits facing the vendetta. More than half a dozen sources confirmed being lobbied.
And this follows Cuomo’s reported “lose my number” threat to the unions that had long backed the WFP if they didn’t withdraw from the party — which they all quickly did.
The allegations also ring true since the gov’s been bullying journalists, nonprofit execs, union leaders and elected officials for years.
Yes, Cuomo has allegedly been reading the riot act to the state’s major labor unions, City Council members and a variety of non-profit groups. It was a stark reminder that if any of them were thinking of supporting Nixon or casting their lot with the Working Families Party, he would have a long memory once the election was over and he was still in office.
Just for a bit of background, New York has a rather chaotic political makeup. There are the Democrats and Republicans, just as you find all across the country, but there are also some third-party groups who hold unusual amounts of power. The Republicans control much of the usual electoral traffic you’d expect, but they have to contend with the Conservative Party of New York. The CPNY attracts conservatives who find the state GOP to be far too RINOish and they pull a significant number of votes every election cycle, always having a line on the ballot. They frequently endorse the GOP candidate for most offices, but not always. (By way of disclosure, that’s my party.)
The Democrats have a parallel situation. They have plenty of registered voters, but they have to similarly contend with the Working Families Party. They were formed as a coalition of the socialists and most of the state’s labor unions. The regularly support many Democratic candidates… but not always. And this year they supported Cynthia Nixon, an act which Cuomo found unforgivable.
He quickly went on the warpath, telling the unions they could either abandon their support of the WFP or “lose my number.” They bent the knee and ditched the WFP. More threats followed for others who might have thought of jumping ship. At this point it seems as if Cuomo is becoming more obsessed than Nixon’s character on her old television show and it’s beginning to wear on him.
But why? As of last week, with Nixon having had plenty of time to tour the state and get out her campaign message, little has changed. She’s narrowed the gap between them a bit, but in the latest polling Cuomo is still leading 58-27, with an even wider margin in New York City. Yes, his lead in February was over forty points, but 31 is still nothing to sneeze at and Nixon is quickly running out of time to move the game.
So what has the Governor so frazzled these days? Is he honestly worried that he might actually lose? Or is he just incredibly annoyed that anyone would have the audacity to challenge him or consider backing his opponent? Either way, it’s not an attractive look.
I use the name with thanks to the late, great Bob Grant.
Acting just like his father did when his 1990 environmental bond issue was rejected by the voters of NY State. The Act would authorize borrowing $1.975 billion for land purchases, recycling programs and closing landfills.
I was working in NY State's Correctional Services, and he retaliated against all the State agencies, cutting jobs and budgets, hiring freezes, wanting to force furloughs with no pay on all State workers. The proposal was that the State would withhold our salaries for that week, and then we'd get it back when we left State service or retired. Of course you wouldn't get it if you died. We'd already had two weeks held back when we started working for the State, now he wanted a third week, all so he could close a 900 million dollar gap in the budget. He had hoped to do that with the Bond, but he didn't get his way. In the end, the State Legislature wouldn't approve the furlough plan, and poor Mario was left sucking his thumb. Four years later he was defeated by George Pataki, and I'm betting that pi$$ed him off even more. Andy Panda is just like his father...used to getting his way, and if he doesn't, he threatens and intimidates.
Why aren’t I 50 points ahead? Another elitist NY goofball?
GO Nixon.
the boy will legalize pot before the election
He should be taken on a Chester Gillette canoe tour of Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks.
Gillette murdered his pregnant girlfriend Grace Brown in 1906, taking her out on a canoe ride on Big Moose Lake, and disposing of her body. Her body washed up, he was caught, convicted, condemned to death in the electric chair, and sent to Auburn Prison, Auburn, NY. Theodore Dreiser's 1925 novel, "An American Tragedy", was the basis for the 1931 movie of the same name, as well as the 1951 film "A Place in the Sun."
I worked as an officer at Auburn Prison from September 1980 to December 1983, before transferring to a facility closer to my home. Auburn was the site of the first execution by electric chair in the United States. There's a State historical plaque outside the prison reporting this. Convicted murderer William Kemmler was executed at New York State’s Auburn Prison on August 6, 1890.
Vote for Cuomo not the Lesbo
Not a good look for him.
Frankly I detest this POS. He is dumber than his father, who was painfully stupid.
Me too, and I want the new bridge to still be called the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Good ole (not) Mario The Pious.
A pox on both candidates houses.
the spawn of a despicable arrogant bottom dweller
Very interesting history there. Thanks!
Odd behavior...
Popcorn...get your popcorn...
How is Andy Cuomo NOT in prison for any of a number of illegal shakedowns?
Oh yeah, N.Y. doesn’t go after lib dems.
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