Gov. Cuomo overwhelmingly beats out Cynthia Nixon for Democratic Party nomination

[quartz007]

Source: NY Daily News

State Democrats came out overwhelmingly for Gov. Cuomo at the party's nominating convention Wednesday, as New York Republicans gathered to back Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro for the state's top job.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/cuomo-overwhelmingly-beats-cynthia-nixon-democratic-convention-article-1.4005644

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Hillary endorsed gov Cuomo..

[underthematrix]

1. Gov Cuomo is qualified. Cynthia Nixon is not.

[sandensea]

6. No arguments there. Still, I'm glad she ran.

She gave the race - and NY Democrats - nationwide media attention of the mostly positive kind they haven't seen since Eliot Spitzer ran '06.

I met her once, coincidentally. This was shortly after her Sex and the City years, in an L.A. Whole Foods.

She had the most interesting little smile and mischievous look, and was nothing but gracious.

[SergeStorms]

16. Plus....

there's that 'Nixon' name. Even after all these years it still has a taint to it. I know when I hear the name 'Nixon' my mind darkens, my heartbeat increases, and my fists still ball up. Every indication says she's a very nice lady, she's a Democrat, and her heart is in the right place. She needs some experience though. Trump is proof enough that political dilettantes shouldn't dive into the deep end of the pool.
And still, that 'Nixon' name!

[Jim Lane]

20. And then there's her grandfather

IIRC, she once reported a lament of her mother: "I was born with a father named Adolph and I married a man named Nixon."

[underthematrix]

22. Amen on both counts. Nice person. Excellent at her craft and yes

her surname has a negative connotation

[dhol82]

2. Nixon is nice but

She is a dilettante in politics.
Will see where she is in a couple of years.

[Lucky Luciano]

8. Agreed. Experience is necessary. I like her though.

[DinahMoeHum]

34. Concur. I'd have no objections to her running for office. . .

. . .if it was something along the lines of city council, borough president, state assembly or state senate.

But then again, I get the impression that she and the people she hangs around with consider those positions as below their stature.

[George II]

3. Cuomo didn't win the nomination, he won the endorsement of the Democratic Party.

[murielm99]

4. Was she another OR nut?

[George II]

7. She is endorsed by Our Revolution for the September primary. She won't get more than 15%.

[sprinkleeninow]

11. I thot I read she was. Not 'them' again. Oy. (no text)

[Jim Lane]

18. Wishful thinking much?

Latest poll for the Democratic primary: Cuomo 50%, Nixon 28%.

Nixon isn't likely to win, but she also isn't likely to be held to 15%.

[George II]

36. Not on my part...you?

A few points:

The poll is a month old (released on May 2, probably done in late April)
The poll was conducted prior to Our Revolution endorsing Nixon, which we've seen has more of a negative effect than positive
The poll was conducted prior to the NYS Democratic Convention, where Nixon got only 5%

We're still almost four months from the primary, so that poll was conducted about five months prior to the primary.

[Jim Lane]

37. It's true that a poll four months before the voting isn't conclusive proof.

You're right about that. Of course, a poll four days before the voting isn't conclusive proof, either.

The state convention isn't a popular vote. It's a gathering of party apparatchiks. The establishment party officials endorsed the incumbent -- hardly a surprise.

What you've "seen" about OR is more wishful thinking. OR endorsed many candidates in tough races, such as those challenging incumbents. Some won, some lost. If you want to think that OR does more harm than good, then you go right on believing that Nixon won't reach 15%.

How confident are you? We could make a little bet. This month I directed my Credo Mobile donation to the Brennan Center for Justice, which does a lot of good work on voting rights and other issues. From the Wikipedia article about the Center:

The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School is a liberal-leaning and nonpartisan law and public policy institute.[2][3][4][5][6] The organization is named after Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan.

The Brennan Center advocates for a number of progressive public policy positions, including raising the minimum wage, opposing voter ID laws, and calling for public funding of elections.[7][8] The organization opposed the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which held that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent political expenditures by nonprofits.[6][9]

The Center's stated mission is to "work to hold our political institutions and laws accountable to the twin American ideals of democracy and equal justice for all."[10] The organization's president is Michael Waldman, former director of speechwriting for President Bill Clinton.

So, over-under at Nixon on 15% of the vote in the Democratic primary. If she's over 15%, you lose. If she's under 15% or precisely at 15.00%, I lose. Loser donates to the Brennan Center in the winner's honor. I'll take this action for any amount from $10 through $100, your choice. Deal?

[George II]

38. I'll stick with my 15%, and will most likely be closer to the result than 28%.

By the way, have you ever participated as a delegate in a State Convention?

I've been a delegate for the last six semi-annual Conventions in my state, most recently last Friday and Saturday. It is most certainly not "a gathering of party apparatchiks" or that "the establishment party officials endorsed the incumbent". I was never told which candidates I should support, and didn't support the ultimate endorsee in each case.

BTW, to give you an idea of the (lack of) magnitude of Nixon's 5%, last weekend a man who recently was released from prison after seven years as the result of a conviction for bribery while in office as Mayor, got 13% of the delegate vote. Five percent is an embarrassment.

[Jim Lane]

39. So, you're sticking with 15% but not willing to let the Brennan Center benefit if you're right? (nt)

[DinahMoeHum]

35. That's hardly an impressive endorsement. . .

. . .considering OR's record of candidates they've backed so far.

[quartz007]

5. Doesn't that makes Gov Cuomo a sure bet anyway?

But I do agree, the headline is mis-leading. So thanks for clearing it up.

[Tiggeroshii]

10. The headline is straight up lying

The two things are both very different.

[brooklynite]

28. Cuomo isn't running to win; he's running to beat the point spread...

He wants to win the Democratic Primary by a large enough margin to be prospectively competitive in the 2020 Presidential.

[Wwcd]

9. Joe Biden endorsed Cuomo also. Liberals are thrilled with the results!

Cuomo receieved 95% of the NY votes.
Cuomo's many progressive & Democratic policies are already in place & will be continued as he governs his fine & diverse State of NY.

[DeadLetterOffice]

12. Not all liberals are "thrilled" with Cuomo

Cynthia Nixon has no business being governor of New York. Period.

That said, not all liberal New Yorkers are enamored with Cuomo. He's better than the available alternatives, but he's far from ideal.

[Wwcd]

13. 95% of Liberals are thrilled. 5% are infuriated.

[quartz007]

29. +100

[Wwcd]

30. ☺ Just needed to clear that up.

[quartz007]

31. lol, but those 5% make 95% of the noise!!

[Wwcd]

33. Yup. Money drives the media & that's why the 5% is necesssry.

We've been down that road.

Media Investors want a return on their money.
Makes ya wonder how much of the 5% is created by investors, for investors.

Hmm.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. There's no primary?

[Rhiannon12866]

17. I looked it up and this says the Democratic Primary for governor is September 13th:

https://ballotpedia.org/New_York_gubernatorial_election,_2018_(September_13_Democratic_primary)

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. Glad to learn that.

Not that I want to see Nixon get the nomination, but if she wants to run she should be able.

Since I don't live anywhere near New York (although I was born in that state) I don't pay much attention to its politics.

No matter what Nixon's personal beliefs and politics, she has zero experience in public office and would not really have much of a clue how to govern were she to win the election. It's that way any time some celebrity non-politician gets elected. Isn't that strange?

[FarPoint]

15. I'm glad that is over.

[Stand and Fight]

19. Good. n/t

[Jim Lane]

21. Nixon has already induced Cuomo to abandon some of his right-wing positions

The Atlantic has a good article about this aspect of the race: “Is the 'Cynthia Effect' Real?” After pointing out that Cuomo has the lead in the polls and a LOT more money, it reports:

But Cuomo, 60, seems to be scrambling to shore up support among the progressive voters who could thwart his renomination in the September primary. In the less than two months since Nixon declared her candidacy, Cuomo all but reversed his opposition to legalizing recreational marijuana, which he called “a gateway drug” as recently as last year; proposed a ban on single-use plastic bags, again barely a year after he signed legislation barring New York City from imposing a tax on them; vowed to use his pardon power to restore voting rights to as many as 35,000 felons; and declared a state of emergency at the city’s public-housing authority.

. . . .

Just about all of Cuomo’s recent policy announcements have come on issues Nixon had raised in the early days of her campaign. 

And then, of course, there’s Cuomo’s cozy relationship with the turncoat Democrats of the so-called Independent Democratic Conference – another subject on which he has recently mended his ways:

Nothing irritates Nixon and other New York progressive activists more than Cuomo’s acquiescence to—or, in their view, his preference for—the arrangement by which Republicans have controlled the state Senate for the last several years despite Democrats holding a majority of the seats. A group of Democrats broke away from their party to form the Independent Democratic Conference and aligned themselves with Republicans, who also gained support from a conservative Democrat who represents a heavily Orthodox Jewish district in Brooklyn that voted for Trump.

Until Cuomo brokered the intraparty deal this spring—another move that came just days after Nixon’s entry into the gubernatorial race—progressives had accused him of choosing not to use his considerable influence to bring the warring factions together. He even drew a rebuke from the national Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee shortly after Trump’s election in 2016. As progressives see it, Cuomo preferred not to have a unified Democratic legislature because it meant he could claim credit for orchestrating bipartisan victories and escape blame for not moving further to the left.

Nixon will have a good case for having advanced Democratic Party principles in state governance, even in the likely event that she gets fewer votes than Cuomo in the primary.

[DownriverDem]

24. So what?

Wouldn't you say it's a good thing when a candidate (Cuomo) is pushed to rethink his positionsw? I saw Nixon on CNN and she was not ready for prime time. I do not want folks, like trump, elected who are clueless about the job.

[Jim Lane]

25. You answered your own question.

Question: "So what?"
Answer: "It's a good thing when a candidate (Cuomo) is pushed to rethink his positions."

Of course, "rethink his positions" is arguably too charitable, as it implies that Cuomo has realized that following Democratic principles produces better governance. I think he's realized only that it produces better electoral results. On that view, "rethink the political advantage of his positions" would be more accurate.

But, regardless of his motives, I do agree with you that the people of New York are better off for his changes. Thank you, Cynthia Nixon!

[DownriverDem]

23. Saw her on CNN

Nixon had no answers to the questions asked. It was all general, but no specifics. I am all for women seeking elective office, but as with all candidates, they need to be able to present reasons why they want our votes.

[Wwcd]

32. I saw that too. It was almost like she'd memorized a script,

like in a movie, ..great actress, knew her lines but couldn't answer a thing asked of her "off script".
And she thinks she can govern the big & diverse State of NY?
She's clearly not in it for that reason.
Obviously.

[NOMOGOP]

26. McDonalds sells the most....not the best hamburgers.