NY 2022 - Zeldin/Esposito, Libertarian & WFP updates

[brucejoel99]

Hopefully he gets a better primary challenger this time around.

This, but not gonna lie, it'd still be pretty cool to see him pull off what his dad couldn't.

EDIT: off, not of

[brucejoel99]

I thought he promised in the 2018 primary debates that he would limit himself to 3 terms, of which 2018 was going to be an election to the 3rd of those 3.

I don't recall such a pledge, or any talk thereof, having been made.

[brucejoel99]

Jumaane Williams considers a challenge to Cuomo now. Go ahead, buddy, King Andrew will handily defeat another challenger like he did last time around. He'll be governor as long as he wants.

He won't beat Cuomo in a million years - no-one will - but may be a good way to prepare the ground for 2026?

Bold of you to assume that Cuomo won't run for yet another term in 2026

[brucejoel99]

George Pataki eyeing another bid?

At least one Pataki confidante said the situation has angered him enough to even consider running against Cuomo in 2022 and denying him the same fourth term Pataki denied his father, Mario, in 1994

NY Post

Quite frankly, I don't see it he's actually getting in again, even though the Republican bench seems thin here. Since New York 2022 is vastly different from 1994, Pataki would have a chance of nearly zero against Cuomo. He's a moderate for sure, but I don't think New Yorkers have any desire to return to a man who has been irrelevant for many years.

"People didn't like me before. Based on no evidence, I think that's changed!" - George Pataki, probably

Seriously, though, it's amazing he thinks anybody still cares what he thinks. Remember when he ran for President? All that showed was that his fans have been practicing social distancing for years

Sorry, Pataki: nobody wants you backi.

[brucejoel99]

Former NY governor George Pataki may rekindle the Cuomo-Pataki feud, by running again.

https://nypost.com/2020/07/18/george-pataki-warns-big-apple-on-brink-nyc-is-going-to-die/

Scroll up, bronz, it's already been discussed.

[brucejoel99]

Somebody high-up needs to sit Cuomo down (a-la Goldwater & Nixon) & tell him it's over: Idk if we're necessarily at "resign or you'll be impeached & convicted/removed" levels yet, but at the very least, he needs to be informed that he won't have the party's support in seeking a 4th term next year. If he chooses to step aside for the good of the party like David Paterson did for him once upon a time, then Kathy Hochul can be to him what he was to Paterson. If not, then Jumaane Williams or maybe even Tish James (if she thinks she can pull it off) needs to launch a primary challenge yesterday.

[brucejoel99]

Somebody high-up needs to sit Cuomo down (a-la Goldwater & Nixon) & tell him it's over: Idk if we're necessarily at "resign or you'll be impeached & convicted/removed" levels yet, but at the very least, he needs to be informed that he won't have the party's support in seeking a 4th term next year. If he chooses to step aside for the good of the party like David Paterson did for him once upon a time, then Kathy Hochul can be to him what he was to Paterson. If not, then Jumaane Williams or maybe even Tish James (if she thinks she can pull it off) needs to launch a primary challenge yesterday.

I wish Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer would take this role. Their word matters as Biden is prez and de facto leader of the party, and Schumer is the most powerful Dem in NYS. And neither of them were previously known as Cuomo critics. If they abandon Cuomo, he's in trouble. Unfortunately, Mr. Cuomo's ego won't allow him to admit is failures and resign.

Biden doing so would be yet another parallel to the Paterson situation, as it was Obama who was the Goldwater to Paterson's Nixon in terms of making it clear to him that the party was gonna be supporting Cuomo over him in 2010.

[brucejoel99]

I agree Uncle Joe and Chuck Schumer should step in and push Cuomo out. Or Hochul and James pull a Frank Underwood and get rid of Cuomo by working to impeach. I used to like him before, but he's grossly incompetent with Covid and an arrogant fool. I understand the pandemic is a difficult task nobody was really prepared and mistakes routinely happen when humans are involved, but the negligence and attitude Cuomo and some in his team are handling this is unacceptable. If he at least would acknowledge his mistakes and be transparent, he's just not doing it. If he were consequential, he'd resign from office.

I say this with the utmost fondness: welcome to the light side, President Johnson.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/katieglueck/status/1362836605937930241?s=21

Politicians working to hold other politicians accountable for things, even if they're members of their own party!? Wow, you never see the GOP do stuff like this anymore.

[brucejoel99]

Incumbent Gov. Hochul when?

https://twitter.com/decider/status/1362833588102823948

[brucejoel99]

(Cross-posted in the USGD Cuomo thread too)

Not to seem like a doomer, but given how Trump managed to completely upend the landscape of what constitutes an actual resignation-triggering scandal, what's stopping Cuomo - who, at this point, is unambiguously the Democratic Trump in terms of personality - from just saying "f**k off, haters" & continuing in office for the remainder of his term, if not then going on to even be re-elected to a 4th?

Like, at least Spitzer & Schneiderman had the wherewithal to understand that their time & political support were up (or about to be), & Northam was pretty much prevented from resigning by the circumstances of his entire line-of-succession having their own issues, but I don't know, it just seems like even with everything terrible that's coming out about Cuomo right now (& even though he has a scandal-free successor ready & waiting in the wings), his political support still isn't going away, at least not to an extent that it'd need to in order to actually trigger a resignation, or an impeachment, or - at the very least - an announcement that he won't be seeking a 4th term?

Seriously, what the hell's going on here? Am I just being overly worried/crazy & something unbeknownst to my eye but earth-shattering is indeed happening here that's actually gonna result in his being gone relatively soon, or - as I fear - does truly nothing matter anymore & he's here to stay?

[brucejoel99]

Cuomo expert's take:

https://twitter.com/RossBarkan/status/1366578721826701313

[brucejoel99]

Cuomo expert's take:

https://twitter.com/RossBarkan/status/1366578721826701313

That depends on if more allegations come out and if more people turn against him.

Yeah, the guy touched on that in his latest update:

https://twitter.com/RossBarkan/status/1366607698867986434https://twitter.com/RossBarkan/status/1366608817920888833

[brucejoel99]

It's wild to me that even if you solely consider just the politics of this, NY is (& NY Dems in particular are) basically rolling over for somebody so mediocre as Cuomo when they could have just about literally anybody better they want as their Governor:

https://twitter.com/TweetBenMax/status/1367586975700590594

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1367663578136928258

He's done.

That's what we said last time, albeit legislative leadership has now finally drawn its line in the sand - at least in terms of the sexual harassment allegations - as to what it'll take (just 1 more) for them to push him out:

https://twitter.com/morganfmckay/status/1367628243810066432

[brucejoel99]

I asked this in one of the polling threads, but it’s probably a better match for this megathread.

If Cuomo runs and wins the Dem nomination, will the WFP and WEP nominate him too?

The WFP didn't even (willingly) nominate him in 2018, so they definitely wouldn't do so in 2022. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure he &/or his allies control the WEP, so I'd have to presume that they'd still nominate him, yeah.

[brucejoel99]

Earlier in the week, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Majority Leader of the NY State Senate, said that Cuomo would be compelled to step down if one more accuser came forth.

At that point, there were only three accusers.

She already led the successful effort to remove his emergency powers - time to for the legislature to finish the job.

Legislators agree:

https://twitter.com/lawler4ny/status/1368408704522067969

[brucejoel99]

In further proof that Cuomo has learned absolutely nothing, he's now threatening members of the legislature who call for his resignation.

https://twitter.com/harrysiegel/status/1368628976948813841

(The deal here is that investigations into NY senators is handled by JCOPE, which only releases details once material evidence emerges in support of prosecution.)

Jesus christ, how can somebody this tone deaf rise so high in politics?

[brucejoel99]

If Heastie does the same, then it's truly game over.

[brucejoel99]

If Heastie does the same, then it's truly game over.

Game over.

https://twitter.com/ZackFinkNews/status/1368660475316232200

[brucejoel99]

If Heastie does the same, then it's truly game over.

He's so close....

https://twitter.com/JonCampbellGAN/status/1368658817907589139

He's already there. If "(he) too share(s) the sentiment of Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins regarding the Governor's ability to continue to lead this state," & her sentiment is "resign," then...

[brucejoel99]

Looks like the state government press corps knows where this is headed:

https://twitter.com/mahoneyw/status/1368660490373726209

[brucejoel99]

Also, just said the same thing in the relevant USGD megathread, but can please we get a thread title change to "RESIGNATION WATCH: Leadership Turns on Cuomo" or something along those lines here too, since that now finally appears to be the point which we're at.

[brucejoel99]

Dominos:

https://twitter.com/LizKrueger/status/1368666830911463433

[brucejoel99]

Does he make it through the night?

He'd probably do it in some big, overly-dramatic press conference tomorrow morning. Gotta keep that acting reputation up.

Gotta justify the Emmy somehow.