Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez owes Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids an apology for staffer's tweet

[sheshe2]

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff sucker punched U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas with an indefensible tweet saying she casts votes that “enable a racist system.”

Saikat Chakrabarti’s Twitter attack rightly has prompted a storm of criticism from other Democrats. Many stated the obvious: Even hinting that Davids is racist, or enables racism, is offensive and shockingly misguided.

Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow Democrat who is from New York, should publicly apologize for her staffer’s tweet, and Chakrabarti should consider another line of work.

https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article232685017.html

One down and one to go. Chakrabarti, not just a staffer, Her Chief Of Staff announced in a Friday night news dump that he is stepping down. Now it is AOC's time at bat to apologize for her chief of staff calling a woman of color a racist. The 'Squad' is vocal about racism against them. Will they stand for our second only First Native American woman voted into congress?

Will she and they stand for her? Inquiring minds want to know. If she and the Squad remain silent, it will speak volumes to women of color everywhere.

It is your turn to lead, AOC. Do it!

[RandySF]

1. I'm sure they talked.

[Cha]

16. I'm not.. is there any

indication of what you're "sure of", RSF?

[RandySF]

17. I think AOC is realizing that a productive career in the House requires better relationships

with her colleagues.

[Cha]

21. I would hope so.. because her COS, Chakrabarti,

Blew it Big Time.

[sheshe2]

23. In that case she should stand up publicly.

Stand up publicly to renounce the attack on her colleague of color? The same racist attack that she spoke of loudly when she and her Squad was attacked.

Why is Sharice not deserving of that dignity?

[Lulu KC]

59. +1

[DURHAM D]

27. Never forget...

AOC (with Bernie) went to Kansas during the Democratic primary and campaigned against Sharice Davids.

Her opponent was a straight white male and the story goes that he moved to Kansas just in time to run for the office. I think he is from Iowa and was a Bernie organizer.

[Cha]

40. I know! So.. AOC's COS attacks

Rep Sharice Davids!.. Unreal!

[Lulu KC]

55. +1

I will never forget how Rep. Davids stayed on the high road through the whole thing, as she will continue to do. She's solid as a rock.

[Cha]

69. Durham..

Link to tweet

[LakeArenal]

2. Do they call themselves the Squad?

Curious if self-named or media induced.

[sheshe2]

3. Probably media induced, yet they claim it.

[dflprincess]

4. Supposedly AOC dubbed them that

in a photo of the 4 of them she put out on Instagram not long after the election last fall.

[sheshe2]

5. Fact is, that is beside the point.

She owes Sharice Davids an apology. Agree? Or do you disagree?

[cwydro]

77. I completely agree.

This is outrageous. I hope he is really gone.

[sheshe2]

83. Thanks, cwydro.

[nini]

6. Not the first time this kind of thing has happened

Yet he was still there to spew this crap.
He should have been fired after wearing a t-shirt with a Nazi sympathizer on it.

[George II]

20. Not a sympathizer, a collaborator. He was supported by Hitler in his war against AMERICANS....

...in India during WWII.

[FakeNoose]

7. Chakrabarti is no longer working for AOC as of today

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142349313

Ocasio-Cortez chief of staff to leave her office

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti is leaving the freshman's office after a series of controversies, according to a report in the Intercept.

“Saikat has decided to leave the office of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to work with New Consensus to further develop plans for a Green New Deal,” Ocasio-Cortez communications director Corbin Trent told The Intercept in a statement.

“We are extraordinarily grateful for his service to advance a bold agenda and improve the lives of the people in NY-14. From his co-founding of Justice Democrats to his work on the Ocasio-Cortez campaign and in the official office, Saikat’s goal has always been to do whatever he can to help the larger progressive movement, and we look forward to continuing working with him to do just that.”

-snip-

Chakrabarti sparked outrage from members of the Democratic caucus last month after he tweeted messages attacking centrist Democrats, insinuated that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is an ineffective leader and suggesting Native American lawmaker Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) voted “to enable a racist system” by voting in favor of a Senate border aid bill that didn’t include provisions backed by progressives.

It seems a few Democrats deserve apologies from AOC, including Speaker Pelosi and Rep. Davids.

[sheshe2]

15. They do.

Sadly they won't get one.

Picture has already been painted and hung on the wall for all to see.

It is not pretty.

[brush]

98. Nice of her to say he's leaving her office. Comes on the heels of the meeting with...

the Speaker about the anti-Dem tweets from her office by him.

It's a euphemism for him being asked to leave, shown the door, fired.

[Trenzalore]

8. I'm not going to shit on AOC's accomplishment of winning her primary in 2018

Congresswoman David winning a seat in KS as a gay former MMA fighter in a general election is still greater than her primary win.

[Cha]

18. No one is asking you to.

[grantcart]

51. And we are all grateful that you don't ask people to err well what he said

😊

[Cha]

52. Thank you

Thank you, grant!

[Lulu KC]

60. It was really dramatic!

Very proud of her.

[Chemisse]

9. AOC doesn't strike me as the kind of person who apologizes for anything.

There is a lot I like about her as an activist, but she is not very mature as a politician.

Also she tends to be purist, so I am wondering if she even thought the remarks were wrong.

[sharedvalues]

91. Good nuanced take on AOCs smarts from Paul Krugman

Link to tweet

?s=21

I basically agree with Paul. She’s smart, she’s a great communicator, she is incredibly valuable for the party and for us, and yet we don’t want a whole party full of her.

Diversity is good and we should embrace it.

[Chemisse]

112. Totally agree. n/t

[mcar]

10. She does

And I hope she picks better staffers next time.

[Me.]

11. I Always Wondered If He Was The One Who Wrote Her Come Back Tweets

and if so, who will do it now. After all, he recruited her to run in the first place and guided her thus far.

[George II]

22. I'm sure he'll still be working in the background, just not "officially".

[Me.]

84. That's What I'm Thinking

[EllieBC]

12. No one should have to tell her that but clearly she's choosing to ignore it.

And hope it blows over.

AOC should remember that the internet is Pepperidge Farms and ALWAYS remembers.

[sheshe2]

14. Unbeilevable.

One needs to walk the walk. Sigh.

[Liberal In Texas]

13. Apparently AOC has some staff that either need to be talked to, or replaced. n/t

[Cha]

19. Yes, she mostly certainly should

publicly apologize for her Chief of Staff, Chakrabart's, insulting tweet @ Rep Sharice Davids!

Wth was he trying to accomplish?

Thanks for your OP, she!

[sheshe2]

25. You are welcome, Cha.

Many thanks to you for responding.

[JoeOtterbein]

24. I thought we are supposed to attack Trump?

[sheshe2]

30. Tell that to Chakrabarti.

Joe, you speak often of your daughter. You post her articles with an adoring fathers pride. I think that is wonderful and have enjoyed reading them. As a dad, I am sure you would feel the same if someone attacked your daughter in a similar way, perhaps about her writing, or that she was a woman. You too would be demanding an apology.

Fact is Sharice Davids is someone's daughter too.

[JoeOtterbein]

46. You know I think you are one of DU's best, but believe me Holly Otterbein is well able to protect...

...herself. After all, I taught her how.

And she learned her chops as a journalist in Philly to the point she was Reporter of the Year by our nation's oldest press club; Pen & Pencil Club of Philadelphia.

And of course you know I would rip Holly's critics up rhetorically if I ever saw a real one. Which I never seen or had have had to do.

Because she's the best!

Just like AOC!

[Cha]

31. Right! So what the hell was Chakrabarti

doing attacking Rep Sharice Davids?

[JoeOtterbein]

37. Cool! I don't know in the faintest what you are referring to, but can I use it?

For my new DU name?

[Cha]

41. Then you should read the OP.

[George II]

44. Then why did Chakrabarti attack Democrats? Hmmmmm?

[JoeOtterbein]

26. Also, AOC is not running for POTUS.

[sheshe2]

42. Never said she was.

If so, this would have been in the Primaries forum.

Nice dodge though. Never answered my question.

[JoeOtterbein]

53. Dodging is the best way to avoid a punch.

Also, I'm sorry, but what was your question again?

[elias7]

66. Do you know what the OP is referring to?

You’re responses are confusing me

[lapucelle]

28. I wonder if Saikat was planning on arranging for a primary challenger to run against Rep. Davids.

The editorial board is clearly in David's corner.

And who is Saikat Chakrabarti anyway? He’s a congressional staffer working for a freshman member of Congress. For a first-term staff member to question the vote of any member of the House, voting his or her conscience and district, is inappropriate.

“Why is he singling out a Native American woman of color?” asked a tweet from the House Democrats’ account. “She is a phenomenal new member who flipped a red seat blue. Keep her name out of your mouth.”

[George II]

39. He did last year, no doubt he'll do it next year too. He's not her "COS", but not out of the picture

[sheshe2]

45. Boom.

For a first-term staff member to question the vote of any member of the House, voting his or her conscience and district, is inappropriate.

“Why is he singling out a Native American woman of color?” asked a tweet from the House Democrats’ account. “She is a phenomenal new member who flipped a red seat blue. Keep her name out of your mouth.”

Thanks!

[Cha]

57. OUCH!

[DURHAM D]

29. AOC owes Sharice an appology for going out to Kansas

to campaign for Sharice's opponent during the Democratic primary.

[sheshe2]

32. Oooh yes.

That slipped my mind completely. It explains a lot.

[sharedvalues]

33. Some context on Hakeem Jeffries (staffer wrote tweet) NY-AOC ties m

AOC and Jeffries have had some bad blood because Jeffries is part of the NY machine that AOC beat when she beat Crowley.

In the documentary on AOC, she discusses how the NY machine stacked the deck against her.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5d2cb605e4b032ea741220ad/amp


But the House Dems’ tweet carries a symbolic power that a turn of the news cycle can’t erase. One of Pelosi’s top lieutenants, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the caucus chair, effectively declared war on Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti on Friday night. Nobody in leadership has apologized for it, recanted or publicly rebuked anyone. The tweet is still live. Not since Anthony Weiner’s sexual misconduct scandal in 2011 had the Democratic Party leadership targeted one of its own with such ferocity. Divided over how to oppose Trump and his agenda, party leadership attempted to purge its own ranks

On Sunday ― the same day as Trump’s Twitter rant ― Axios published selective results from a whites-only poll that some Democrats were circulating in an attempt to discredit Ocasio-Cortez. Axios didn’t say who was pushing the poll, or even who had conducted it, or what questions were asked ― only that “some of the most influential Democrats in America” were giving it a look, and some of the numbers didn’t look great for Ocasio-Cortez.

The divide between Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi represents just about every split in the modern Democratic coalition ― generational, ideological, race, class, strategy, values, all of it.

But beneath it all is a simple struggle for power. House Democrats and their agenda have been hijacked by the corrupt machine politics of New York state.

Though often described as a liberal state, New York exhibits all of the horrors Democrats typically associate with right-wing rule. It has the highest income inequality of any state in the country, its police officers rape and kill citizens without facing criminal consequences, and the state imposes nakedly racist restrictions on voting. Each of these outrages has its own distinct characteristics, but they all share one thing in common: corruption.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and his office have aggressively sought leniency in cases involving elite offenders. Vance declined to prosecute Harvey Weinstein, despite a mountain of damning evidence, after receiving campaign contributions from Weinstein’s lawyers.

In 2012, Vance decided not to pursue what looked like a slam-dunk criminal fraud case against Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. after the Trumps’ lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, donated $25,000 to Vance’s campaign. Vance’s office even pressed a New York judge for leniency with convicted underage sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Vance’s coziness with New York’s power elite was so flagrant that the New York Attorney General’s office began investigating him for misconduct ― only to have Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) personally intervene to crush the inquiry. Cuomo’s campaign got a check from Weinstein’s lawyers after the probe was called off.

Ocasio-Cortez represents a greater threat to this machine than Trump, which is why Democratic leadership in Congress is now diverting time, attention and resources to defend the machine’s turf, instead of focusing on the president. Her primary defeat of then-Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in 2018 challenged this system. This year, she endorsed Tiffany Cabán in a race for Queens district attorney. On election night, Cabán ― a queer Latina socialist ― appeared to have narrowly defeated machine-backed candidate Melinda Katz. After a controversial accounting in which thousands of ballots were rejected, Katz now leads Cabán by less than two dozen votes.


A fair accounting might vindicate Cabán, and it might vindicate Katz. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and the rest of the machine don’t want a fair accounting. New York state legislators are blocking a voting rights bill that would requalify many of the ballots thrown out in the Cabán-Katz contest. The legislature actually passed the voting rights bill earlier this year ― they’re just refusing to send it to Cuomo’s desk after several conservative Democrats lost their seats to more liberal challengers in 2018.

After Ocasio-Cortez ousted Crowley, House Democrats selected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as caucus chair, the fifth-ranking slot in House leadership. Jeffries has a modestly liberal voting record, but he’s a dedicated machine man with a more conservative record than his opponent in the leadership contest, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). True to the New York machine playbook, Jeffries courts large campaign contributions from wealthy individuals and corporate Political Action Committees. And his district, like Ocasio-Cortez’s, includes parts of Queens.

Jeffries controls the @HouseDemocrats Twitter handle that attacked Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff over the weekend.

[dem4decades]

34. Is this an attack on Jefferies now? I hope not. He's proven to bee

An effective member of House

[sharedvalues]

48. The article stands alone I think

I’m not taking a position.

[lapucelle]

103. Yes, the article you link to entitled "Nancy Pelosi Has Lost Control:

Last edited Sat Aug 3, 2019, 09:40 PM - Edit history (1)

New York’s Corrupt Machine Is Running Its Own Show for House Democrats" written by a 2016 Jill Stein supporter certainly does "stand alone".

[lapucelle]

106. The HuffPo piece is an attack on Hakeem Jeffries by a Green Party voter

who appears to believe that the NYS/NYC Democratic Party is a corrupt political machine that must be stopped at any price.

[sharedvalues]

109. You're right

This prior article by Zach Carter STINKS

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-hillary-clinton-lost-podcast_n_58420694e4b017f37fe4c532

[George II]

110. The title of that one:

Why Hillary Clinton Lost
She wrote off working people.

Does he ever say anything positive about Democrats? Seems on a one man Democrat-bashing crusade.

[lapucelle]

114. Zach Carter did his best to ensure that people did not vote for the Democratic candidate

in the 2016 general election. In doing so, Zach helped put Trump in the White House, and it looks like he's gearing up to do it again in 2020.

It's not surprising that one of Jill Stein's acolytes exonerates himself for his part in ensuring conservative courts for at least a generation. After all, that may have been his goal all along.

But I will not exonerate him and neither will history. And I certainly wouldn't cite him as a trustworthy source when it comes to Democratic politics.

[sharedvalues]

115. Fair. I searched but couldn't find him

advocating for Jill Stein. If he did that, he needs to be fired by Huff Post right now.

[lapucelle]

127. Why would HuffPo fire him? They've known know what he's about for years.

I'm sure his late October 2016 clickbait in celebration of right wing talking points proved his revenue generating value.

[sharedvalues]

129. That is a very crappy article.

Someone needs to put together a list of reporters and their backgrounds and biases.
Not outlets. People.
I’ll do Bret Stephens and Peter Baker and John Solomon if you do Zach Carter.
Mea culpa citing him.

[George II]

36. There is no "NYC Machine", nor is there a "Queens Machine". PERIOD!!!

[sharedvalues]

56. Ryan Grim on Cuomo

https://theintercept.com/2019/03/04/working-families-party-ny-cuomo/

DEMOCRATS AND PROGRESSIVE groups across the state of New York are pushing back hard against an effort to ban fusion voting, a system that allows multiple parties to nominate the same candidate. The assault, according to those on the receiving end, is being driven by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s ongoing hostility toward the Working Families Party, which has been a primary beneficiary of fusion voting in the state.

A majority of Democrats in the state Senate, the entire New York congressional delegation, and a large swath of grassroots groups have all weighed in against the move, which would gut the Working Families Party and handicap the Democratic Party along the way.

“Banning fusion is both substantively misguided and costly for Democrats,” wrote the state’s congressional delegation in an open letter in February, signed by everyone from Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “It could threaten to put marginal members, who won by just thousands of votes, in jeopardy, and also make it harder to gain more seats in 2020. Without fusion, it leaves the WFP ballot line open to be hijacked by opportunistic spoilers and damages Democratic prospects.”

The dynamics of the fight have implications for the future direction of the national Democratic Party, as well. At its core, the debate is about whether centrist Democrats are willing to be partners in a coalition with progressives if and when the progressives are the ones driving the agenda — as is increasingly the case in New York. Should an Elizabeth Warren or a Bernie Sanders become the party’s presidential nominee, Democrats like Cuomo would be forced into a difficult decision: Support the Democratic Party and back the left, which means upsetting the status quo; or support the status quo, which means keeping Republicans in power.

Cuomo’s approach to the rising progressive energy in New York suggests that, at least for him, the decision is an easy one: Attack the left.

[Cha]

64. lol@ryan grim.. I'm not taking

his word or the intercept's word on Anything.

[sharedvalues]

71. Ok, if that's how you roll.

That’s why I put the author in the title.

[George II]

74. The Intercept.

[lapucelle]

107. What is Ryan Grim talking about?

Cuomo’s approach to the rising progressive energy in New York suggests that, at least for him, the decision is an easy one: Attack the left.

Does this guy even live in NY?

In his 2014-2018 term, Cuomo secured the $15/her minimum wage, free state university tuition, and a gold standard paid family leave statute that protects all New Yorkers.

Since his re-election, Cuomo successfully worked against fierce opposition to codify Roe v Wade into a state statute and recently signed gender pay parity legislation into law. Continuing the fight for the legalization of recreational pot is on the agenda for the next session.

Everyone should check the facts before they buy into any of the anti-Democratic Party narratives framed by the folks at The Intercept and Jacobin.

[George II]

108. Here's what Governor Cuomo has done in the last couple of years:

Instituted a $15 an hour minimum wage
Implemented a FIRST IN THE NATION free tuition for state colleges
Signed an abortion bill making Roe v. Wade the law of the state

What Governor anywhere has ever has signed three such bills?

"Attack the left"? Three progressive bills and he's "attacking the left". SMH.

[Cha]

43. Oh Stop trying to Smear Rep Hakeem Jeffries..

Freaking ".. NY machine.. " BULLONEY!

[sharedvalues]

58. "Brooklyn Democratic machine"

And I like Jeffries. He’s a good speaker.


http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/03/is-hakeem-jeffries-the-next-speaker-or-ripe-for-a-primary.html


They aren’t gaffes; Jeffries is incapable of making those. Asked whether it is really elevating the discourse to call the president of the United States the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, the congressman shrugs. “It is unfortunate that someone with the tendency to act like a racial arsonist now finds himself as president of the United States of America, who should be trying to bring us together instead of tearing us apart. ”

If such language shocks the delicate sensibilities of the pundit class (it doesn’t really — Jeffries remains a favorite of cable news bookers) or leads to reprimands from parliamentarians on the House floor (as has been known to happen), it causes Jeffries no trouble at home.

“He feels his district,” said Cedric Grant, his former chief of staff. “When he talks about President Trump, he is saying the things they would say and feel. It may be a shock to some, but it reflects his constituency back home.”
Jeffries got his position in the leadership when Joe Crowley, the two-decade incumbent congressman from Queens, lost in a shocking upset to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Crowley lost in part because he had moved his family down to the Washington suburbs and was more focused on replacing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker than he was to the concerns of his district. Jeffries still lives in the neighborhood where he grew up with his wife, a social worker, and his two teenage sons, both of whom attend public school in the area. And although it can be jarring — Jeffries does after all have a law degree and is over a decade into a political career — he drops hip-hop references with ease, paying tribute to Notorious B.I.G. on the floor of the House and nominating Pelosi for another term as Speaker by declaring that “House Democrats are down with N.D.P. — Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi,” flourishes intended to remind his constituents back in Brooklyn that he hasn’t forgotten them.


But since Democrats won control of the House in November, Jeffries’s uninterrupted rise has at last run into turbulence. In December, Politico ran a story soon after his ascension to the House leadership, that allies of Ocasio-Cortez were preparing to challenge Jeffries, arguing that he was too much of a centrist, especially after he had beaten Barbara Lee — a 72-year-old member of Congress from the East Bay beloved by liberals, in part for being the only lawmaker to vote against the war in Afghanistan — for his post as caucus chair. In print, Jeffries shrugged off the story, quoting Notorious B.I.G. again: “Spread love, it’s the Brooklyn way.”


Jeffries on the day he beat Barbara Lee in the House leadership vote. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.
Ocasio-Cortez ultimately denied that she was targeting her fellow New Yorker, but the story clearly bothered Jeffries. “Mr. Jeffries is nearly as moderate as a safe seat Democrat gets,” proclaimed The Economist before the election, touting his support of charter schools, his relative hawkishness on foreign policy, especially around the Middle East (his district is one of the most Jewish in the country), and his friendliness with the party’s pro-business wing.

[Cha]

63. Good.. I like him, too, and..

I stand with him and the House Dem Caucus..

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday stood by the tweet his leadership office sent calling out freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff for his Twitter attacks on a moderate freshman Democrat.

Several Democratic lawmakers have privately told The Hill that Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, should be fired for tweeting that votes from freshman Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), a gay, Native American mixed-martial arts fighter, “enable a racist system” and that the large bloc of moderate Democrats are modern-day segregationists because they backed a Senate border-aid bill.

But Jeffries, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, declined to say whether he believed that Chakrabarti should be ousted, saying that is Ocasio-Cortez's, or "AOC's," decision.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/453308-jeffries-defends-democratic-caucus-tweet-slamming-ocasio-cortez-chief-of-staff

[sharedvalues]

72. Hold on. The Hill is run by a Trumpite billionaire

Last edited Sat Aug 3, 2019, 08:19 PM - Edit history (1)

I have problems with the Intercept too (though Grim can be good.)

But THE HILL? You can’t criticize the Intercept on one hand and then come back and post articles from the Hill.

NO Democrats should be reading or reposting The Hill. It’s owmed and run by a Trumpite Republican billionaire, Finkelstein. Who was a Trump fundraiser. And who tilts the opinion pages heavily to the right. And who hired John Solomon to attack Hillary over lies.

Please: do not read or repost the Hill.

[George II]

76. Recent work by Zach Carter:

July 16, 2019 Nancy Pelosi Has Lost Control
July 13, 2019 Nancy Pelosi Doesn't Know Who The Democratic Party Is Anymore
June 30 What The Hell Is Nancy Pelosi Doing?
June 22, 2019 Joe Biden Is Bad At Politics

[sharedvalues]

89. Cuomo has blocked progress for years.

NY State has long been a “liberal” state governed by people willing to ally with conservatives to retain power, and preserve their ability to run nationally.


https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/09/26/cuomo-could-throw-state-senate-to-republicans-by-stalling-on-special-elections/

As an enabler of the Republican majority in the senate — when liberal bills fail to become law under his watch, he can conveniently blame the GOP — Cuomo has done little to help senate Democrats as governor. He has rarely funneled funds from his massive campaign war chest to Democratic candidates and has refused to allow the New York State Democratic Party, which he entirely controls, to aid its candidates.

https://jacobinmag.com/2019/01/cuomo-new-york-schools-funding-state-senate

Cuomo and many of his funders have long held that the solution for “underperforming” schools is not to fund, but to privatize them. Austerity can be a tactic toward accomplishing this goal: starve public schools and make them fail, so charters seem like the only solution.

https://www.vox.com/2018/9/13/17854554/andrew-cuomo-new-york-president-2020-no

Cuomo was first elected in 2010, the exact same year that national Democrats lost their majorities in Congress, and his New York could have been the proving ground for the next great progressive policy agenda. But he actually had the opposite fear — that governing as a progressive in such a heavily Democratic state would push him to adopt policies that would make him unelectable in a national contest.

Consequently, Cuomo has consistently worked behind the scenes to keep the New York state Senate in Republican hands via the machinations of a small group of state senators who, despite winning election as Democrats, caucus with the GOP. That kept the most ambitious progressive ideas off the legislative agenda, allowing Cuomo to avoid both having overt fights with his base and endorsing policies that pushed the state substantially to the left.

It was a subtle, well-executed game — subtle enough to not be understood by most voters in New York’s Democratic primaries — but in retrospect, it was too clever by half. The mood among national Democrats has swung substantially to the left over the past five years,


——————————————-

New York is a more complex state than you think. Many of its politicians pretend to be progressives while they quietly back the very rich.

I’m just happy AOC got elected. Let’s not kneecap her. She’s doing good things for the party.

[George II]

95. Well, that first one (detailed in the Village Voice article) didn't come true....

Both State Senators left office in early January 2018, the special elections took place in April - hardly "stalled" by Cuomo.

The IDC wasn't Cuomo's doing whatsoever, but it's effect only lasted about two or three years anyway. Unfortunately republicans took control of the Senate outright and the IDC was essentially neutered.

I know a lot more about New York than you think, especially Queens politics.

[sharedvalues]

99. Ok, I'm open to learning

Were discussing in good faith here.

Did you see the Yglesias article above? At least in the Albany world it makes a convincing case that Cuomo blocked progress to position himself as a centrist nationally. What’s you’re take on that?
I’m pretty sure Josh Marshall has written similar stuff.

[George II]

100. One by one:

The first one has already been debunked, the special election was conducted about four months after the two State Senators left office, they were not delayed by Cuomo. Four months to conduct an election campaign is reasonable.

The Jacobin article is full of exaggerations or false comments. Andrew Cuomo was first elected to office, as AG, in 2006.

"For 25 years, Andrew Cuomo's Democratic Party has been blocking billions of dollars owed to New York schools."? It hasn't been Cuomo's Democratic Party for 25 years.

Then there's the statement "a series of governors beholden to the capitalist class — first David Paterson then Andrew Cuomo". That's two, not a series, and Paterson only became Governor in 2008 (after Spitzer resigned), eleven years ago. Neither are "beholden to the capitalist class", that's typical Jacobin rhetorical blather. For the 12 years prior to Spitzer New York had a republican governor, George Pataki.

There were many reasons why those "billions" weren't paid to the schools, and for at least half of that 25 years it was under a republican governor and alternating Democratic and republican majorities in the two houses.

A very poorly written and factually incorrect "article".

As I've already pointed out, the IDC was effective for two or three years, that was a horrible time for Democrats in the state senate, but it was far from Cuomo's doing.

I was disappointed to see that Tony Avella, my parents' City Councilman, eventually joined the IDC. They were instrumental in getting Avella elected to the City Council, they were close friends. In fact, the local "Democrat of the Year" award was named after my father, and Avella was the first to receive it under that name.

Thankfully he only joined the IDC several years after that. I suspect if my parents were still around they would have talked him out of joining it.

Andrew Cuomo isn't my favorite New York Governor, and he's certainly no Mario Cuomo. But those articles paint him in a bad light incorrectly. He's not the person those articles are trying to portray.

[lapucelle]

102. Mario Cuomo was an icon here.

Bill Clinton wanted to name him to the Supreme Court. Governor M. Cuomo would have preferred being named the baseball commissioner.

[George II]

105. He was an amazing man, a devout Catholic and family man. Yet he still didn't demand....

....that abortion be illegal in NY State. And he took a lot of heat from Catholics and "pro-lifers".

[sharedvalues]

113. Ok, how about the Yglesias article?

Matt Yglesias has connections to NY and is generally a very sharp guy.

https://www.vox.com/2018/9/13/17854554/andrew-cuomo-new-york-president-2020-no

But he actually had the opposite fear — that governing as a progressive in such a heavily Democratic state would push him to adopt policies that would make him unelectable in a national contest.

Consequently, Cuomo has consistently worked behind the scenes to keep the New York state Senate in Republican hands via the machinations of a small group of state senators who, despite winning election as Democrats, caucus with the GOP. That kept the most ambitious progressive ideas off the legislative agenda, allowing Cuomo to avoid both having overt fights with his base and endorsing policies that pushed the state substantially to the left.

It was a subtle, well-executed game — subtle enough to not be understood by most voters in New York’s Democratic primaries — but in retrospect, it was too clever by half. The mood among national Democrats has swung substantially to the left over the past five years, with Barack Obama recently endorsing ideas like Medicare-for-all and employee representation on corporate boards.

Had Cuomo simply done the normal thing and supported Democratic state Senate candidates and gotten the chance he feared to sign ambitious progressive bills, he’d be perfectly positioned for the circumstances of 2020. Instead, as it stands, he’s left relying on a powerful state party machine and the loyalty of less attentive voters to secure what should have been a total cakewalk of a renomination.

And Politico

https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2016/05/another-cuomo-noninterference-story-falls-apart-049022

But now, multiple sources with deep knowledge of the IDC and Republican conferences’ dealings confirm that in fact the governor was not a passive observer during the formation of the coalition. He was “deeply involved,” they say, and “absolutely” encouraged the marriage that allowed the Republicans to remain in leadership even after the election of a Democratic majority. Furthermore, they say, the governor was a key player after the coalition launched, privately offering advice about tactics and messaging.

The IDC was first formed in 2011

It's been about 8 years that Cuomo had been playing this game.

[George II]

116. I already addressed the Yglesias article, no facts, just highly subjective comments. As for the IDC:

Yes it was formed in 2011. It really had no effect on the majority in the state senate in the 2011/2012 session, republicans already had the majority.

In the 2013/2014 session, they prevented the Democrats from having their elected majority.
In the 2015/2016 session the republicans once again regained the majority, the IDC had no effect on the party in the majority.
In the 2017 session they once again gave the republicans the "majority" (Democrats and republicans each had 31 elected Senators)
In early 2018 Governor Cuomo negotiated the dissolution of the IDC, and they rejoined the Democratic Conference.

So as I said, it only affected the Democratic majority for two or three years.

BTW, in the 2018 primary in September Cuomo easily won the Democratic nomination for Governor and six of the eight IDC former members were defeated in their primaries.

Cuomo won, 75% of IDC lost. So how was Cuomo involved in the formation of the IDC?

[sharedvalues]

117. so it sounds like you're saying Cuomo did help form the IDC

but it only had an effect for a few years.

politico:

But now, multiple sources with deep knowledge of the IDC and Republican conferences’ dealings confirm that in fact the governor was not a passive observer during the formation of the coalition. He was “deeply involved,” they say, and “absolutely” encouraged the marriage that allowed the Republicans to remain in leadership even after the election of a Democratic majority. Furthermore, they say, the governor was a key player after the coalition launched, privately offering advice about tactics and messaging.

Serious questions: Given your info about NY politics, what do you think about Cuomo? Why did he do the IDC thing? Was it a good move?

Sounds like you think it's not reflective of his overall views. Do you think he regrets it? Has he done other similar things over the years?

[George II]

118. No, I never said that. I seriously doubt that he had anything to do with it, but....

....anti-Cuomo writers and "pundits" are trying to pin it on him.

I said earlier that Andrew Cuomo is not my favorite Democratic Governor. I loved Mario Cuomo (most New Yorkers did), thought Spitzer would have been a good Governor if he could control his libido. Paterson wasn't Governor long enough for any impression, but I don't think he had his heart in it.

Cuomo didn't "do the IDC thing", and I pointed out earlier it was a horrible thing for Democrats during that period, but they thankfully had minimal effect in the 7 years they were in existence.

[sharedvalues]

119. ok

thanks

[lapucelle]

101. Andrew Cuomo has blocked progressive policy? I live in New York.

Thanks to Andrew Cuomo, we have a $15/hr minimum wage, tuition-free state university and community college, one of the best family leave statutes in the country, gender pay parity, and Roe v Wade codified into state law.

Next year, we're on track to have legalized recreational marijuana.

And he kept his promise not to run for president if re-elected governor in 2018.

I would be careful about trusting any information sourced from Jacobin. Its founder/owner is an anti-Democratic Party self-identifying socialist who sells his manifesto on Amazon.

Here's a tweet he accidentally left behind when he scrubbed his 2016 twitter feed.

[sharedvalues]

111. Whoa whoa. Zephyr Teachout is amazing

One thing that's clearly wrong with that Jacobin article - which makes me mistrust it - is that Zephyr Teachout lost her election because Wall Street donor types funded a Buffalo-area competitor, who split the vote with her in Western NY.

The article said it was because NYC minority voters didn't back her. Which isn't true; and it's not the reason she lost.

We would all be better off if Zephyr Teachout was elected to Congress or to Attorney General.

Zephyr Teachout has a funny name but she literally wrote the book on how to counter Citizens United and fix the legalized political bribery that Republicans have installed.

[George II]

120. If you're talking about the 2018 primary for Attorney General, Letitia James defeated Teachout....

....by 40.3% to 31.0%, with the third candidate getting 25.1%. That was Sean Maloney, not a "Buffalo-area competitor" - he's from the northern suburbs of NYC. The fourth candidate got only 3%, not a factor.

By the way, have you seen the job Letitia James has done as Attorney General? She's been fearless and just may take out the trump family.

[sharedvalues]

121. Yes, that's correct

A few things. Yes, Sean Maloney represents a Hudson Valley/Westchester district. Yes the 2018 AG Dem primary.

But Maloney drew off enough support in Western NY to hurt Teachout, probably causing her to lose. This FT article discusses how donors supported Maloney, having the effect of him acting as a spoiler. Without him in the race Teachout would likely have won.

Link to tweet

Also this
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Does-Maloney-s-dual-campaign-unfairly-tilt-13164018.php

In total, 60 people have given Maloney at least $2,700 for his congressional campaign since 2017 – the limit for his bid against O'Donnell – while also donating, again, to his recently launched attorney general campaign.

The "double" givers account for $710,300 of Maloney's fundraising for the attorney general race, or about 38 percent.

Another double donor is Maloney's old boss, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who has given the maximum $2,700 to Maloney's congressional campaign, and $1,000 for attorney general. Maloney was a top staffer during Spitzer's brief tenure as governor.

As Maloney uses that money to campaign across New York for attorney general, the statewide political campaign will inevitably cross into his congressional district – where Maloney would also want to woo voters running for re-election to Congress in November.

Appearing before the Times Union editorial board last week, Maloney dismissed the notion that he had somehow entered the attorney general primary to gain advantage in the congressional re--election; it is a re-election he was already expected to win handily.

And

https://readsludge.com/2018/09/10/real-estate-tycoon-funds-last-minute-100000-attack-on-zephyr-teachout-in-new-york-ag-race/

An independent political committee entirely funded by a real estate developer supporting Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s bid for New York attorney general is spending six figures to oppose Maloney’s opponent Zephyr Teachout.

Until recently, there had been no outside spending in the tight Democratic primary, but that changed late last week, when an independent expenditure committee called Committee for Justice and Fairness PAC dropped $100,000 on a one-week digital ad campaign against Teachout, a law professor and anti-corruption activist.

Ten days earlier, on Aug. 29, prominent New York real estate firm The Related Companies had given $100,000 to the independent expenditure committee, and Kara Ross, the wife of The Related Companies owner Stephen Ross, donated $21,000 to the campaign of Sean Patrick Maloney, a U.S. congressman who is one of four Democrats vying to be the Democratic nominee for attorney general.

[sharedvalues]

122. Also yes Letitia James has been great!

[lapucelle]

124. Zephyr Teachout lost the 2016 race to her Republican opponent John Faso

for NY-19. She lost the 2018 Democratic Party primary for NYS attorney general to NYC public advocate Tish James, the first black woman to win a major party statewide nomination. Teachout endorsed her in the general election.

Yes, we all certainly would have been better off if Zephyr Teachout had won her congressional race in 2016. I worked very hard to elect Democrats in 2016. Her loss was another disappointment.

Zephyr Teachout is well known and respected here in NY. I never said she wasn't amazing, and I never said she has a funny name. As a matter of fact, I've voted for her.

Have you?

[sharedvalues]

128. Oh, I see

I thought you were objecting to the second part of his tweet too- the part where he said he’d vote for Zephyr Teachout. And I thought you were saying you didn’t like Teachout.

So I defended her. I didn’t realize your objection was to the first part of his tweet only (which stinks).
Now I get it.

Same side here.

[lapucelle]

131. From one ally to another...

[lapucelle]

132. Good lord, no.

We had great hopes for that race despite the demographics.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Faso-and-Teachout-square-off-in-19th-10602131.php

[Power 2 the People]

126. Excellent post.

[delisen]

85. What is the difference between a machine & an organization?

[sharedvalues]

90. A machine flips elections for their own candidates

via recount shenanigans

[delisen]

94. I believe I' have voted on one of those machines. n/t

[GulfCoast66]

35. Looks like the meeting with Pelosi is reaping benefits.

The collegial trip to Africa with one of the squad. Now this guy who attacked a Native Americans representative, one of the first 2 ever elected gets the boot. A guy who proudly wore a T-shirt with a Nazi and Japanese collaborator. And I get that in India it is more nuanced. But this is not India.

What did Nancy’s daughter say? She’ ll cut your head off and you will never know? Or something like that.

I’m thinking Speaker Pelosi finally had to tell Ocasio-Cortez how the cow eats the cabbage. The house since the Jackson rebellion has always been a hierarchy. You gain power by being a team player.

And a freshman with quiet support of the Speaker is always at risk of losing the primary.

I expect she will be a team player going forward.

[George II]

38. +1,000,000

[sheshe2]

47. Thank you Gulf Coast.

Here is the full quote.

“She’ll cut your head off and you won’t even know you’re bleeding,” the California Democrat’s daughter Alexandra Pelosi told CNN on January 2, a day ahead of her mom’s reelection to Speaker. “That’s all you need to know about her. No one ever won betting against Nancy Pelosi. She’s persevered.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[GulfCoast66]

49. Thanks for the correction. That's one lady I would not cross!

She sees the big picture when most don’t.

And freshmen from Bright blue districts are totally at risk if a strong speaker has your number.

Pelosi is the strongest speaker since Rayburn.

[sheshe2]

50. Ha!

I would not cross her. Her daughter knows.

I love this:

As noted by the AP, this is just the newest feather in Pelosi’s political career, which dates back to the 1980s. The AP called her a “highly polarizing figure, vilified by Republicans as a San Francisco liberal and a caricature of big government.” But she’s also a mother of five and a grandmother of nine who “shattered glass ceilings to become one of the most powerful politicians of the 21st century.” The Times calls her an “icon of female power.”

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-daughter-said-mom-cut-off-your-head

Woot!

[comradebillyboy]

62. I have nothing but admiration and respect for Speaker Pelosi.

A true leader.

[sheshe2]

86. I am with you, comradebillyboy.

Thanks so much for your response.

[madville]

130. I said back months ago that Nancy would drop the hammer eventually

AOC was always going to have to conform to the system if she wanted to continue on in the House.

[GulfCoast66]

133. She has been awful quiet.

I’m thinking Nancy, with a smile on her face explained 3 things.

1. Your hurting our chances in 2020. Brooklyn is not the US.

2. Committee assignments are not assured. The speaker controls how many, if any you are on.

3. In a loyal district like you represent, if a strong speaker decides you need to be defeated in the primary, you are toast. Rarely comes to that, but it is a card she can play.

Oh yeah, one more thing...fire that SOB director of communication. This week.


And then, to drive home the message she goes to Africa with one of her best buds giving her all kinds of cred. I’m thinking we won’t be hearing about the squad much more.


And Sharice David is smiling somewhere.

[brush]

134. Spot on. Like you outlined, I'm sure the Speaker made it clear that CoS had to go.

The communications director was also shown the door. And there will be no more insinuations by AOC (quickly taken back when she realized what she had done) that the Speaker is racist and singling out four women of color.

BTW, AOC's district is in parts of the Bronx and Queens, not Brooklyn.

[GulfCoast66]

135. Thanks for the correction. Only been to NY 4 times.

But I have a great friend in Brooklyn and he tells me how the Democratic Party is there.

I have no doubt that if the correct people were leaned on by the house speaker a freshman congress person could be toast in s primary.

I know this idea is distasteful to many on DU. But when you read about the methods great democrats of the past used to get progressive legislation passed, you realize How the world works.

Liberals can be ruthless in achieving our goals. Actually, we have to be.

[Gothmog]

54. Agreed

[betsuni]

61. K&R

[Cha]

68. ..

Link to tweet

[still_one]

65. Not Holding my breath............

[Cha]

67. The face when AOC's Chief of Staff tries to come for you and you find out he's now out of a job

Link to tweet

Gothmog!

she

[cwydro]

78. Lol. Love it!

[sheshe2]

79. Oh, man!

I love that look.

Thank you, Cha.

[Cha]

82. Perfect, eh she?

Chakrabarti only has himself to blame that he had to leave the building

[NurseJackie]

93. Only himself? Perhaps... But I think his words reflect and represent something more.

Chakrabarti only has himself to blame that he had to leave the building

Only himself? Perhaps... that makes sense. But I think his words reflect and represent something more. These types of things generally do not happen in a vacuum for no reason at all. I suppose it's possible that he "went rogue" and had severe lapses in judgement. But what's "possible" and what's "likely" are two different things entirely. And, that's all I have to say on that matter so I'll just leave it there for obvious reasons.

[NurseJackie]

70. Yes, she most certainly does. Sadly, I think that's not likely to happen.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez owes Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids an apology for staffer's tweet

Yes, she most certainly does. Sadly, I think that's not likely to happen. But, I think it's best that I not go into great detail or analysis about that (for obvious reasons). Those who know me will understand why it's best that I just leave it at that. My feelings on this matter are already well known.

[sheshe2]

80. I hear ya, NurseJackie.

Loud and clear.

[empedocles]

87. AOC gives the very dubious chakrabarti a 'trumpian sendoff' - Said AOC, 'I am extraordinarily

grateful for his service to advance a bold agenda . . . ', 'Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement, [Wapo, 8-3-'19].

[Wapo's Doonesbury cartoon today also has AOC giving orders like crazy].

[NurseJackie]

88. Dubious, indeed.

[empedocles]

92. Dubious financing for AOC from her COS apparently

[Thekaspervote]

96. That's just shitty!

[riversedge]

73. Disability rights advocate launches campaign to unseat Rep. Sharice Davids in Kansas

And Davids has a challenger.

Disability rights advocate launches campaign to unseat Rep. Sharice Davids in Kansas https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article233252573.html



Disability rights advocate launches campaign to unseat Rep. Sharice Davids in Kansas

By Bryan Lowry
July 29, 2019 10:00 AM, Updated August 02, 2019 03:53 PM



A former national disability rights advocate on Monday officially kicked off a campaign to unseat Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids in Kansas.

Sara Hart Weir, 37, stepped down as president and CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society earlier this year to explore a campaign for Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District and on Monday will officially file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Republican.
..........................................



During her seven years with the National Down Syndrome Society, including four as president, Weir was heavily involved in the bipartisan efforts to pass the ABLE Act, legislation that enabled families to set up tax-exempt savings accounts for children with Down syndrome that wouldn’t affect their eligibility for Medicaid benefits.

If elected to Congress, Weir said she plans to push for policy changes that would enable more choice for Medicaid recipients.
...................................................

Former National Down Syndrome Society president Sarah Hart Weir announced that she's running for Congress to represent Kansas' 3rd Congressional District. She launched the campaign along with this video talking about her best friend Kasey. By Sara Hart Weir for Congress

.

..........................................

Davids, 39, beat incumbent Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder by 9 percentage points in 2018 with a campaign message focused on health care. Her 2020 strategy appears to be similar.

“Representative Davids is fighting every day for the things that matter most to Kansans, like lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs, protecting people with pre-existing conditions, and making sure government is working for the people, not special interests. Her entire focus is on serving the people of the Third District, and that’s what will get her re-elected,” said Davids’ campaign spokeswoman Johanna Warshaw.


Davids, one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress, already has more than $750,000 in her campaign coffers to defend the seat next year in what promises to be a competitive race.
'
.................................................

Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article233252573.html#storylink=cpy

[sheshe2]

81. I will be sending Sharice a check!

Thanks, Rivers!

[brer cat]

75. I agree.

Thank you, sheshe.

[Thekaspervote]

97. I've had such mixed feelings about AOC since her and bernie campaigned against Davids

Crappy!!

[Gothmog]

104. From my tiwtter feed

Link to tweet

[Tarc]

123. Oh, the centrist narrative here is charming. Saikat Chakrabarti is "leaving"

to work for a non-profit centered on promoting and advancing AOC's Green New Deal.

A lateral movement, he has not been ousted, or quit, or anything of that nature.

[sheshe2]

125. You are correct, Tarc.

He is still on the job. Just changed titles.

Davids will never get the apology deserves and I will not forgive or forget.