Zephyr Teachout lost in NY-19

[Madam45for2923]

I haven't seen any/many articles on this? Does anyone have any opinions?

I live in the district and voted for Will Yandic in the primary and for Zephyr Teachout in the general.

I also volunteered for Zephyr's campaign after she won the primary.

Any thoughts?

[BeyondGeography]

1. She was targeted with a lot of late money

and negative ads. The last two weeks were pretty brutal.

It's a winnable but tough district, as you know. The last D (Scott Murphy) was a centrist. Chris Gibson was popular and seen as a reasonable Republican. Faso ran with that and it worked. Teachout's roots in area weren't deep and that hurt, too.

[Madam45for2923]

3. Thanks BeyondGeograhy!

How do you think is winnable? What would have helped ZT?

[BeyondGeography]

8. Actually, I think Yandik is more the prototype

I think a lot of D's went with Teachout because she was more prolific on the money side, but the carpetbagger meme led a lot of people to tune her out. Be interesting to see how the new DNC looks at it. The district will remain competitive, IMO, especially with Trump to run against.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Well, here in NY 1 we lost worse than you guys did...

I am not sure just why we got wiped out across the country. I do have my suspicions.

Here, we had a brutal primary that hurt our candidate, who would normally be considered seasoned and a great replacement for our current scumbag in Congress. Didn't work, though.

It could be the primary process that's a large part of the problem. The idea is to trash your opponent, and that carries over into the general. And supporters of the loser tend not to be so chummy with the winners, taking their sour grapes and staying home or otherwise causing trouble.

I'm tempted to put a lot of blame on Bernistas, but more blame should probably be put on the process, and our inability to pull together for the general election.

[Madam45for2923]

4. Yes, you trash your opponents and then it become irreconcilable.

[JudyM]

10. A more nuanced view: Clinton/supporters insultingly marginalized Bernie and his supporters.

[TreasonousBastard]

13. And vice-versa. Try not to put all the blame on one side.

[JudyM]

14. Take another look at your own post... blaming "the loser" while claiming to be blaming the process.

[bettyellen]

23. Because the loser pooped sour grapes for almost four months after the loss....

And never really stopped trashing Dems. If you cant understand why that would piss off people I can't help you. But it never should happen again.

[sheshe2]

30. Brava child!

You are awesome.

[bettyellen]

33. Aww shucks, you honor me She! What is with this shocked reaction to

People being upset about this behavior? SMH do they think we forgot how rude and punitive and damaging all that crap was? Nope. never again. At a certain point we deserve unity- and need loyal candidates.

[sheshe2]

34. SMH...

Nodding in agreement.

Reading DU today, all I see is Dem bashing.

[bettyellen]

35. Same people just getting bolder - making up CTs about Dems and .....

Hey are you watching SNL? Baldwin has been trolling Trump about it- 16 minutes. I started a thread for it! HA

[NCTraveler]

59. +1

As they point at you lecturing, they refuse to look at their own fingers pointing back at themselves.

They were correct on who the loser was. They often take that in itself as a hit even though factual.

[Cha]

47. Really. Good grief.. Thank you, TBastard!

[Tanuki]

5. She was targeted by Trump's chief financial backer Robert Mercer and

a couple of other right wing extremist billionaires, who (thanks to Citizens United) were able to flood her opponent with cash. You might find this post-mortem if her campaign intetesting:

https://www.google.com/amp/www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/zephyr-teachouts-loss-and-the-fight-against-dark-money/amp?client=ms-android-att-us

[andym]

15. Citizen's United is a powerful tool for the rich and powerful

they probably are sending xmas cards to the Supreme Court just for that decision.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. Did Hillary get more votes than her or the same or less?

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Well, Hillary lost by 10% and Teachout lost by 9%, so...

it was pretty equal.

[Ken Burch]

9. Her vote share was twelve points higher than that of the previous Democratic candidate.

So, while she lost, it's not as though her campaign was an unqualified disaster.

I don't see how Yandic would have done any better. Or how anyone further to the right than either of them would have.

(Thank you for working for Zephyr in the fall, though).

[oberliner]

16. In 2012, the Democratic candidate only lost by 5 points

She lost by almost double that.

[bettyellen]

24. Blame a Dem bingo!

Back for another round?

[Ken Burch]

25. We aren't forbidden to make any critical comments at all about any Democratic politicians.

Andrew Cuomo is simply a man. It's not an attack on the Democratic Party to question his choices.

The guy spent years refusing to try to help his party win a majority in the NY State Senate-just because he thought that if the Senate stayed Republican he'd get his budgets passed "on time&quot whatever that means). So why would you feel any loyalty to HIM?

We don't have to refrain from saying ANYTHING critical of anyone who happens to be a Democratic public figure to prove our party loyalty.

I've spent years proving I'm a loyal Dem. Pretending that all Democratic public figures are infallible is NOT part of loyalty.

[bettyellen]

27. So without any evidence you blame her loss on a fellow Dem?

You engage in baseless speculation about her failure by stabbing another Dem in the back? Not the first time weve seen you make up scenarios about Dems. And then you post shit about unity. What a crock of shit.

[Ken Burch]

36. I asked a legitimate question.

Cuomo has a history with Teachout, and has a history of NOT helping other Dems in his state.

I'm not attacking "Democrats" as a group or as a party.

What do you want us all to do? Pretend our party is infallible? Attack the Rights(which we all do anyway)and do nothing ELSE?

Why should we not campaign by making a positive case for OUR program, by trying to win the argument and win the voters to a program of progressive change, rather than JUST campaign AGAINST our opponents? It's not like "Stop Them-They're Monsters" campaigning ever gets us elected.

I think we stand for good things, that our ideas are actually popular, and that we can win by running positive campaigns about what we have to offer.

[bettyellen]

37. You made up a CT out of whole cloth. Is that smart in this era of BS disinformation?

Posts like that are part of the problem. More baseless accusations- I'd have thought you got that out of your system earlier this year. And you want people to trust you? not happening.

[Cha]

48. I know, right.. no evidence whatsoever.

[sheshe2]

32. ALL I see here on DU is bash a Dem.

I think we need a new video game. 'Bash a Dem'

[Ken Burch]

38. Discussion is not "bashing".

Are you saying we shouldn't question or debate ANYTHING here?

That we should pretend politicians in our party are infallible?

What is the harm of having honest conversations about what we should do next?

And in any case, the 2016 election is over...we don't seem to be in the fall rules anymore and there's no reason that we should be.

[sheshe2]

39. Honest conversation...

When it only bashes Dems is not honest. It is all over the board. All I see is bashing Dems. That is all.

[bettyellen]

49. Accusations of rat fucking are not simple questioning- they're bullshit smears like the crap we saw

All spring. He supported her on the record. They have a history as rivals and didn't love each other- a very very common scenario among politicians. This does not mean we should engage in childish and harmful accusations of skull duggery.

This is the whole fucking problem w some of the more rabid Sanders supporters, everyone not onboard is the enemy and it's accepted practice to exaggerate and even make up stories about them and put them out there.

It's poisonous and dishonest and this shit needs to end.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

57. Yup

[La Lioness Priyanka]

43. Yours is not a critical comment, it's a baseless

Allegation against a democratic public figure.

[bettyellen]

51. There's an incredible immaturity in this need to have everyone suspect unless they're the Sanders

Wing of the party. They don't seem to appreciate that some areas of the country are more conservative, or that politicians make alliances between themselves and with groups to HELP each other.
It's all of their three pet issues and love for Sanders that matters, and nothing else. The way they've pushed pols that were against reproductive rights months earlier is really really disturbing to me.
As long as someone comes out of no where and pledges allegiance to the Bern they're A-ok, but people who have worked hard for years are nothing to them. Sanders isn't running again, he's not a Dem, but this bullshit attitude of not needing to do the work or be part of a coalition continues. It's childish and punitive to make up stories about politicians like he did above. And he wonders why his kumbya threads get the side eye. Because he's trying to use us to advance his agenda. Fuck that.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

53. Also cuomo is an effective governor

[bettyellen]

55. And they slam him for working with Republicans but it's okay when Bernie does with that freak Trump.

It amazes me that people who hate easily 90% Of existing Dems think others are being divisive. Seriously people?

[hrmjustin]

46. He couldn't have helped her. First off I doubt she wanted his help and

it wouldn't have mattered. Trump did too well in the district for her to win and she had no cross over appeal.

[mvd]

12. At least she came closer than before in that district

I hope she tries again, because she is the kind of progressive we need more of.

[oberliner]

17. Julian Schreibman was much closer in 2012

And of course John Hall won in 2008.

[mvd]

18. Ok, I stand corrected then. I was going by another post here

Still hope she tries again because she is what the future of the party should be. It wasn't the best year for our candidates in general. 2012 had President Obama.

[oberliner]

19. I thought she would win

Having high profile support from Bernie and everything.

People talk about the general election, but there were some very distressing losses on the Congressional front as well.

[mvd]

20. Yep, there were some good things like..

the Senate pickups (which we thought would be more) and the NC Governor's race (which the Repukes in typical fashion are trying to weaken), but we need to do much better in 2020. If Trump is not there, Pence will be, and the country can't take more of them. I even worry if we can survive 4 years ok.

[oberliner]

21. 2018 looks a bit scary as well

Lots of Democrats with not particularly stable seats up for re-election. Fewer Republicans defending seats.

Does not bode well.

[mvd]

22. Well, on the bright side, Trump should be a disaster for the Repukes

And hopefully some of his voters will realize their mistake. We do have an uphill battle in the next Senate races.

[Ken Burch]

26. A non-progressive Dem would have made exactly the same showing.

Last edited Sun Dec 18, 2016, 12:52 AM - Edit history (1)

There wasn't anyone there who'd vote for a Dem, but ONLY if that Dem made a big thing of saying she or he wasn't a liberal.

John Hall was clearly a left-Dem when HE held the seat.

[oberliner]

40. There's really no way of knowing that

The problem with ZT might have been that she was not actually from the area.

[BeyondGeography]

28. Good article on Teachout/Faso here

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/zephyr-teachouts-loss-and-the-fight-against-dark-money

The carpetbagger charge hurt, and labeling her "Professor" seems to have helped Faso. Yeah, it's stupid, but it is what it is. She got less mileage out of ripping Faso's lobbying ties, banks and Wall St. than he and his backers did painting her as an out-of-touch elitist and lying about her tax plan.

[CBHagman]

29. I'm an outsider, but after reading that the seat had been won by a Republican...

...in six of the last eight races, I thought that expectations of a Teachout win were too high.

[url]https://ballotpedia.org/New_York%27s_19th_Congressional_District[/url]

[hrmjustin]

31. I didn't think she was going to win. That district has more RW parts to it and when they

come out in force like they did this year we'll you get this result. It takes a strong Democratic year for our side to win that district and it wasn't that year.

My sense is she will try again in the midterms in the hopes it will be a good Democratic year. Whether she gets nominated again I don't know.

[crazycatlady]

58. This is Kirsten Gillibrand's old district right?

[hrmjustin]

62. No. This is a lower Hudson Valley district.

[crazycatlady]

66. I thought Sean Patrick Maloney was the lower Hudson Valley

I know KG's old district has since been cut up in redistricting, but wouldn't it be the most similar?

I know Nan Hayworth defeated John Hall in the old 19th and then she was defeated by Sean Patrick Maloney (IIRC he still holds the seat). I grew up just outside of that district (Nita Lowey-- then 18th now 17th).

[hrmjustin]

67. You are right! The 19th is apart of the lower half of Kristen's old district.

I was mistaking this for Sean's district.

Not at all surprised she lost this district. Not a liberal bastion.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

41. She should have run in Brooklyn

[Madam45for2923]

42. Am wondering why she didn't? She lives and works there.

She did buy a house in NY-19 before running here.

[hrmjustin]

45. No open districts to run in.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

50. Velazquez is useless

[hrmjustin]

54. I can not say she makes an impression but her constituents keep sending her back.

Than again so many of them are useless and keep on getting re-elected.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

56. Anthony Weiner could still be elected in that district

[hrmjustin]

61. No. First his old district has been redrawn and after he resigned the GOP won the district.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

63. I'm being sarcastic, but in November the 7th district went for us 90%

any Democrat could have won there.

[hrmjustin]

64. Point taken.

[crazycatlady]

44. I don't know much about her

But I know a little about the district as my sister lives not far from there (and drove through there for Thanksgiving). I also went there a lot as a child (non voter then).

Honest question--- her name is not exactly conventional and from an outsider's POV it sounds like a hippie name or one of those strange names a celebrity would name their child. Do you think she would have done better if her name were Mary Smith?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

52. I'm not a fan, but she would have been a strong candidate in the right district

The 19th was not the right district.

[Madam45for2923]

60. Besides Brooklyn where else in NY would have been a good place for ZT to run?

Who do you think would've been a good candidate for NY-19? Will Yandik? I did vote for him in the primary.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

65. She would have done fine anywhere urban

But she being in Bernie's camp would have had a bruising primary against the machine in those areas.

I don't really know who would have been a winning candidate for NY-19 this election, Trump brought out his vote in upstate New York.