Antonio Delgado, who will be primarying Gov. Hochul from the left in NY next year

[BeyondGeography]

presents IMO a strong argument against Democratic business-as-usual in the NYT today:

If you want to understand why New York — and virtually every other state — is drifting to the right, observe how so many in the Democratic establishment confuse triangulation with leadership and treat stability as a virtue in and of itself. There’s a chasm between what we say and what we deliver. We continue asking voters to show up while we refuse to show up for them. What makes this situation all the more frustrating is that we just saw what it looks like to connect with voters on the most important issue of the day: affordability. In June, Zohran Mamdani pulled off one of the biggest upset in New York’s modern political history.

Establishment Democrats have been talking about affordability for years and have very little to show for it. Mr. Mamdani got through to New Yorkers on the very same set of issues. Instead of lecturing them, he took the time to actually listen to what voters were feeling. He had the courage to directly engage with people, and then brought a laser focus on the issues that they care about. As a result, he shattered turnout records and brought out young voters in droves. It should have been a major signal to the establishment. Instead of embracing Mr. Mamdani’s success, as I have, many top Democrats have kept their distance.

To date, party leaders seem more interested in clinging to power than delivering for the people. Better to maintain an unsustainable economic status quo than be mislabeled a Communist, the thinking goes. Better to avoid being called soft on “illegals” than to do the hard work needed to truly protect hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers living in fear under Mr. Trump’s dragnet.

Mr. Trump’s appeal isn’t rooted in policy; it’s rooted in style. He uses delusional bravado to cosplay as a rebel against a broken system that both parties helped to rig. The Democratic establishment’s timid, survivalist politics can’t compete with that. You can’t beat an immoral agent of chaos with risk aversion. You beat him with moral clarity — the kind that’s willing to sacrifice corporate donations, political comfort and maybe even your own career for the sake of the greater good. Mr. Trump doesn’t win because people love his ideas. He wins because people stop believing in what Democrats have to offer.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/opinion/antonio-delgado-kathy-hochul-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.aU8.6f1Q.vR3ryW2eJY2l&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

[Bohunk68]

1. Attended a dinner for him in Cobleskill last night.

I liked what I heard. He's basically telling Dems to get their act together and, here is where he repeated a campaign slogan that I have used when running for Town Supervisor, "They go along to get along, for too damn long." The same people over and over again, here in rural areas. In the one year that I served, we got a lot done. Far more than what happened in the previous 20 years. But, I didn't get re-elected. Instead of having the state pick up the bill for a Town Hall and Town Barn. Paid for it themselves. Oh, well.