Sanders Secret Weapon in New York: It Helped Win Michigan Yesterday!

[UglyGreed]

A while ago in New York a small third-party fusion voting party was formed with the help of the unions. The Working Families Party has gone on to expand into several other states and it has worked hard to advance the cause of liberal and progressive leaders, especially those devoted to ending lopsided trade agreements that have hurt union manufacturing in the United States.

My first experience with WFP organizing efforts came during a special election in the winter of 2008. Longtime Republican State Senator Jim Wright had left his seat in New York’s 48th State Senate District and local Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine ran for the seat in the special election held that February. The WFP and their organizers helped to win that election for Senator Aubertine, and helped him win re-election in the fall of 2008. That was the first time that my local State Senator had been a Democrat since before the Civil War. It was big news, but the WFP and local Democrats did a lot more grass roots organizing than typically happens in local races. Of course a lot of money was also spent on advertising to secure the victory for Senator Aubertine, too, but more people were holding signs near polling stations in the snow that February than I can ever remember.

{snip}

It hasn’t been given a lot of attention, but the Working Families Party is going to be helping secure the nomination for the most progressive candidate in the Democratic race in New York next month, and the WFP has helped do the impossible at least twice before in my own very Republican part of New York State. The WFP is currently supporting Zephyr Teachout in her run for Congress in New York’s 19th Congressional District. The WFP of Michigan was working hard to help secure the Sanders victory there yesterday.

If the WFP’s work in local races here in New York State has taught me anything, it has taught me that if I were Secretary Clinton, I would be very concerned about the effort that the WFP will put forward to help secure the Democratic Party nomination by winning New York State for Senator Bernie Sanders. They are his greatest secret weapon.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/3/9/1498783/-Sanders-Secret-Weapon-in-New-York-It-Helped-Win-Michigan-Yesterday?_=2016-03-09T13:11:31-08:00

[FlatBaroque]

1. Hurry and get your decent analysis at Kos before the doors close. //

[democrattotheend]

2. I'm a New York voter, and I have a question

In 2012, I voted for Barack Obama on the Working Families party line at the encouragement of a union comrade. I know that in a general election, your vote for a cross-endorsed candidate counts for that candidate regardless of which party you vote for him/her on (and thankfully, if you make a mistake and vote on more than 1, it doesn't void the vote).

But how does it work in the primaries? I need to reregister because I moved, and I was thinking about registering with Working Families. But if I do that, will I not be able to vote in the Democratic primary? Has Bernie already gotten the Working Families endorsement in NY, or will they be holding a primary in April for the endorsement?

[Donkees]

3. They endorsed him in December:

The Working Families Party board voted yesterday to endorse Bernie Sanders for president, according to an email from national director Dan Cantor to party members.

According to the email, which was forwarded to POLITICO New York this morning by a recipient, the national advisory board of the union-backed party voted "overwhelmingly" for Sanders, giving him 87 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton received 12 percent and Martin O'Malley received 1, according to the email.

"[W]e have voted to endorse Bernie Sanders in the Presidential Primary!" wrote Cantor. "This represents the first time the organization has made a national endorsement."

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/12/8584854/working-families-party-endorses-sanders-overwhelmingly

[tk2kewl]

4. pretty sure you need to already be a registered dem in NY to vote in the april primary

http://www.nyccfb.info/media/blog/dont-miss-party-primaries-2016

[democrattotheend]

12. I am a registered Democrat now

I just need to change my address, which I have until March 25 to do.

I guess that means my bf can't change his party to vote for Sanders though? Bummer. I was close to convincing him.

[Renew Deal]

29. I wouldn't change anything right now

Vote in your old precinct or vote absentee in the old county.

[democrattotheend]

30. Why?

I have until March 25 to reregister at my new address. My old precinct is too far away to drive to on a work day.

[Renew Deal]

31. Will you be eligible to vote in the NY primary in the new precinct if you do that?

[democrattotheend]

32. I don't see why not

As long as I register at my new address by March 25.

I tried to switch my registration when I got my New York license, but the DMV worker screwed it up and I got a letter from the board of elections that I have to do it again.

[jfern]

6. I think they just nominate the Democratic nominee

I don't think they have a Presidential primary. The best way to help the Working Family's party is to make sure to vote on their line in governor elections, that determines the order on the ballot, and you need 50,000 votes to have automatic ballot access.

[Agony]

13. NYS deadlines for voting in the April 19th Democratic Party Primary

If you were a registered voter in NYS, in order to vote in the April 19th 2016 Democratic primary you would have had to be registered as a Democrat by Oct 9th 2015 i.e. if you were changing your party affiliation (or if you were unaffiliated). (Yes this SUCKS, you can no longer change your party affiliation and vote in this primary)

If you are NOT yet registered as a voter in NYS you can register as a Democrat and vote in the April 19th primary up until March 25th 2016! So… get all of your heretofor UNregistered friends and neighbors registered NOW! <----THIS, do it now!
---> online here http://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html

http://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingDeadlines.html

Good Luck to all of us!

Cheers,
Agony

[democrattotheend]

14. I am a registered Democrat in one county, but I moved to a different county

And I believe it is not too late to reregister at my new address. If I am already registered as a Democrat and just need to change my address I have until March 25, right?

I was considering switching my party affiliation to Working Families to show support for the unions (because in NY, you can still vote for Democrats in the general while sending a progressive message by voting on the Working Families line), but as of now, I am a registered Democrat. I assume reregistering with the same party at my new address will not affect my eligibility to vote in the primary, right?

It does mean my boyfriend can't switch to vote for Sanders in the primary though. Oh well. I probably would not have convinced him anyway.

[Agony]

17. Yes, you can change your address (polling place in other words) through March 25th

if you are already registered as a Democrat you will be good to go for the April primary!

A primary to look forward to voting in for a change! I have voted for Hillary 3x already, I am looking for a change.

I carry NYS voter registration forms with me all the time… you can usually get them in the lobby of a post office as well as download and print off PDF files from the the BOE link I gave earlier.

Thank YOU!

[democrattotheend]

24. I have never voted for Hillary

Not because I wouldn't have, but because she had already resigned from the Senate to be Secretary of State when I moved to NY. The only time I had the opportunity to vote for her was in 2008, but I obviously voted for Obama instead.

[ejbr]

15. I switched from them to Dem

to vote for Bernie. I believe you have 25 days before the primary in order to vote Dem

[Jim Lane]

21. New York has extremely closed primaries -- registered Democrats only.

Some states with "closed" primaries give effect to changes of party registration that are at least 30 days before the primary. New York, however, doesn't admit party-changers to their new party's primary until 25 days plus a general election has intervened. That's why last October was the deadline for WFP members to re-register as Democrats if they wanted to be able to vote for Bernie next month.

I don't know if there's an exception for people who move. The rule I cite applies to people who are still at the same address and just want to change party affiliation. If you're registering with a new Board of Elections anyway, because you moved, try registering Democratic and see what happens.

You should act quickly because the deadline is approaching -- see this page for details.

I can tell you for sure that if you register WFP you won't be able to vote in any of this year's three Democratic primaries (presidential in April, Congressional in June, state and local in September).

[democrattotheend]

27. Gotcha, thanks

I am a registered Democrat now. I was thinking of switching to WFP but it seems like that doesn't make sense because I would not be able to participate in the Democratic primary. But I will still vote on the WFP line in November if they endrose the Democratic candidate.

[RoccoR5955]

5. The 19th is my district!

And I support Teachout in her bid for Congress!
Glad to see that WFP is doing a good job. They will make all the difference when Bernie wins NY!

[Jim Lane]

22. The WFP is probably hurting Bernie's chances in New York.

Anyone who was caught up in disdain for the Democratic Party, to the point of ignoring practicalities, and is now a registered member of the Working Families Party, is thereby barred from voting in the Democratic primary in New York.

Of course, many people choose to vote for the WFP candidate (who is almost always the Democratic candidate) while remaining registered Democrats. Those people can vote for Bernie. I don't know how many people have taken the additional step of registering as WFP members, but those people cannot vote for Bernie in the primary.

If the race is close, it may turn out that the WFP, by persuading enough progressives to follow the will-o'-the-wisp of minor-party politics, has flipped New York from Bernie to Hillary.

[RoccoR5955]

25. Well all I can say

is that I have personally convinced, and signed up five people in my area as Democrats for the primary. They were WFP folks.
I convinced them that it was important for them to sign up as Democrats to make sure that we get a decent candidate.

[colsohlibgal]

7. Zephyr Teachout Rocks

She is one to watch, a young female progressive who is photogenic and very well spoken.

She is going places and she sure had my support.

[FlatBaroque]

8. She is in a good position to upend establishment Democratic politics in NY

I look forward to Cuomo announcing his support for Hillary. Can't stand that turd wayer.

[RoccoR5955]

26. I believe Andrew has already supported Clinton.

They are good family friends.

[Jim Lane]

23. The Working Families Party endorsed Cuomo over Teachout for governor in 2014.

It's nice of them to come around to backing her now, when, AFAIK, she's not running against an establishment Democrat.

[Agony]

33. Still angry about that...

I was considering switching party registration and then the WFP missed the opportunity to endorse Teachout in the governorship primary… WTF? she is a candidate that is the absolute embodiment of what the WFP stands for…

I have not gotten over it yet… You? I sensed a little sarcasm there...

[Jim Lane]

34. I'm not as angry as you because I always had a low opinion of the WFP....

so I didn't experience your sense of betrayal.

Their fundamental strategy just doesn't make sense. If you almost always endorse the Democrat in the general election, as the WFP does, then you limit what you can accomplish. Instead of trying to influence the Democratic Party indirectly, by racking up votes for Democratic candidates on another ballot line in the general election, why not go for the direct approach of running progressive primary challengers to bad Democrats favored by the establishment? The WFP's actual strategy of going third party actually undermines that goal. In New York, with its closed primaries, all the people who register WFP thereby disempower themselves from voting for such a progressive in the primary.

I think it was Will Rogers who said that an honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought. By that standard, Cuomo is not an honest politician. In 2014 he pocketed the WFP's endorsement for his race against Teachout and then connived at the creation of the Women's Equality Party. It was yet another minor party on the left, which he hoped would pull some voters who might otherwise have gone to the WFP. (Interesting choice of name. If some people happened to get confused between WEP and WFP, well, that's hardly Cuomo's fault, now is it?)

I don't pay enough attention to the WFP to know if they learned their lesson from the 2014 Teachout-Cuomo debacle. My guess is they did not.

[Agony]

35. I appreciate your input

I was hoping that the presence of the WFP would push the Democratic Party in a positive direction… but it turns out your analysis is clear eyed. I didn't completely buy it, as I never changed from Democratic Party affiliation. I had not thought about the primary problem. My anger is self directed and I am in one sense thankful that WFP effed up so badly on Teachout as a teaching moment.

I am done with the WFP at any rate. Teachout did an amazing thing without them and if Bernie pulls this off we may have an opening.

[demwing]

9. SHHH!

its a SECRET

[UglyGreed]

11. You know I hesitated to

post the article

[kgnu_fan]

10. Fusion Party.... I like the sound of it....!

[Le Taz Hot]

16. New York is going to be interesting for a lot of reasons.

Hillary lives there and was Senator from there but she carpetbagged her way in. Bernie doesn't live there but was born and raised there. Going to be an interesting dynamic.

[white_wolf]

40. NY worries me because it seems like NYC is Hillary terrority

And someone once described rural New York state as "Northern Alabama." I don't know how true that is though.

[thereismore]

18. I didn't know the history of WFP but it sure is impressive. NY is in play! nt

[eggplant]

19. Whenever I vote, I choose the D on the WFP line, not the D line.

And yay, Zephyr Teachout! Hopefully she'll be my next rep, and we can turn the district blue again. (We had Gillibrand before she moved to the senate.)

I think she has a solid chance. Columbia County went 2:1 for her over Cuomo last time around.

[RufusTFirefly]

20. Great to hear the latest on Zephyr Teachout, too!

I'm on the other coast, so I haven't been following her all that closely since 2014, but I was really rooting for her and Tim Wu in their effort to oust Andrew Cuomo, who is a deep disappointment for those of us who admired his late father.

Frank: Dad, let me congratulate you. I'm proud to be your son.
Professor Wagstaff: My boy, you took the words right out of my mouth. I'm ashamed to be your father. You're a disgrace to our family name of Wagstaff, if such a thing is possible.

[amborin]

28. good to hear this!

[alcibiades_mystery]

36. First time I voted for Hillary was 2000 on Working Families Party ticket

[UglyGreed]

37. And look who they

support now IMO you should think a bit before posting....

[alcibiades_mystery]

38. Why. I'm stating a fact relative to the subject of the thread

What should I think about, friend?

[UglyGreed]

39. Sorry with your reply earlier

today about Brock I assumed you may of been trying to be rude or something, carry on

[alcibiades_mystery]

41. Rude?

Oh goodness!

[UglyGreed]

42. And the fact you are

a Mets' fan................

[alcibiades_mystery]

43. You're being mean

Please stop.

[UglyGreed]

44. OK i'm not into

Baseball that much anymore anyhow.............

[alcibiades_mystery]

45. I'm sad because

You're being very cruel throughout this thread.

[UglyGreed]

47. It may be the pain

I endure on daily basis...even though I have insurance I can not afford the testing to find out why my headaches have not stopped even after having shunt surgery to relieve pressure caused by Hydrocephalus. These headaches and the water on the brain was caused when my neck collapsed in 2012. Never mind my neuropathic pain which I have had since the 90s......... It tends to make people a little upset and please forgive my testiness.

[alcibiades_mystery]

48. I'm sorry you're hurting

[LWolf]

46. I follow the WFP here in Oregon.

I was thrilled when the national WFP endorsed Bernie in December.