Politico reports that at a Hamptons fundraiser last Saturday, Cuomo told his well-heeled supporters that, contrary to all available evidence, he could win the New York mayoral race as an independent—because he was likely to have the implicit support of President Donald Trump.
The imperative of defeating Mamdani justified the new coalition Cuomo is trying to create of his die-hard loyalists (who are Democrats) with Trump Republicans.
Some of that latter group might be tempted to back Curtis Sliwa, the actual GOP nominee in the race. Cuomo told these donors, “We can minimize [the Sliwa] vote, because he’ll never be a serious candidate. And Trump himself, as well as top Republicans, will say the goal is to stop Mamdani. And you’ll be wasting your vote on Sliwa.” Cuomo went on to emphasize that he’d be a mayor who could find common ground with Trump:
no, you are wrong because you are looking at this problem using the wrong framework. no, MAGA is not cancer. MAGA is a symptom of cancer, but it’s not cancer itself. Democrats aren’t chemotherapy, in fact I would argue they are a symptom of cancer too. maybe not as pronounced, not as painful, but a symptom nonetheless.
what’s the cancer then? well, it’s the broken electoral system, it’s the two-party system that forces people to vote for the lesser of two evils. but most importantly, it’s the late stage capitalism. if we don’t get that sorted, America is facing an eventual collapse. whether Trump had won 2024 or not, that only changes how fast the cancer progresses. you are too short-sighted - 4 years don’t really matter! if we don’t actually start fighting the real cancer, in 50 years, or maybe 100, the United State of America will collapse.
Money is the cancer. Full stop
It’s really consumerism.
You’re not wrong, but unfortunately- you’re working within an ideology that can’t exist.
The electoral system is not now or ever will be changed from what it is. Period. It favors them, and the them are the only ones with the authority to change it. A complete reform of our electoral system is out of the question.
And while it’s a fun thought experiment to imagine how cool it would be if we could change it- sooner or later we’re going to have to come back to reality and accept things as they really are and work within the confines of what is actually possible.
And right now, the immediate threat is the cancer that is MAGA. We had the chance to rid ourselves of it- and too many chose to do nothing in protest of chemo.
And now, after reading the comments here, I’ve no doubt anymore that the cancer is going to spread and we will succumb to it.
I think you are missing the forest for the trees here. Had we elected Kamala, we would have thwarted MAGA, there is no doubt about that. But the MAGA voter base still exists, the socio-economic circumstances that allowed Trump to be elected in our timeline would still exist. Things like that don’t just pop up overnight, it takes decades and generations, and they sure as hell won’t go away easily. Do you think if Democrats were elected, they will correctly recognize the problem and try to solve it?
(Also, to leave no doubt, personally I vote blue no matter who. But I also at the same time think that won’t really matter in the end.)
The MAGA voter base would still exist, sure. But FAR less people would have been hurt or suffered as a result of it at this point- and I can only imagine the suffering that has yet to come.