Women's Equality Party starting up...

[TreasonousBastard]

Kathy Hochul (our Lt. Governor candidate if you didn't know) and a bunch of other activists have convinced Cuomo to back the Women's Equality Party for a line on November's ballot. New York allows candidates to run on multiple lines, so the idea is to try to get more women voting for them. About 53% of NY voters are women, so a special line seems like a good idea, especially if enough women are pissed at the NY Women's Equality Act being stalled.

They need 15,000 signatures sometime this week, and may or may not have them yet. The party doesn't have a website up, as far as I know, but if you contact your local Democratic club or committee they should be able to come up with a petition to sign and some more information.

[hrmjustin]

1. Why is Andrew Cuomo making a women’s party?

Liz Benjamin

Among the Democratic women I talked to, the overwhelming reaction to Andrew Cuomo’s plan to create a new party to focus solely on women’s issues was: What for?

The Democratic Party, Cuomo’s party, has long been the party of women’s rights, especially abortion rights. The “war on women” Democrats accused the Republicans of waging during the 2012 elections was a key to President Obama’s re-election victory.

One young female Democrat offered this deadpan reaction to the middle-aged male governor’s attempt to advertise his concern for her reproductive rights: “Thank goodness, because us girls just weren’t sure where we should cast our votes.”

For her part, Cuomo’s Democratic primary opponent Zephyr Teachout accused the governor of “trying to buy women’s votes by cynically creating a new party to advertise values he hasn’t fought for in office.”

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/07/8549294/why-andrew-cuomo-making-womens-party?top-featured-1

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Easy answer-- because he's a politician...

and it just might get him a few more votes. It might even be seen as another nail in the coffin of Teachout and evidence of the death of democracy in New York.

But, Teachout is a waste of time and Cuomo, bad as he may be, is still better than the other guy so this little trick adds some fun to the fight.

[hrmjustin]

5. Teachout is a protest candidate.

I like her but no she won't win.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Of course she is, and of course she won't...

and I've got to say that I've always had a problem with people popping up and picking the top spot as their first run for office. Even Working Families, where she fits in so well, didn't fall for it.

[hrmjustin]

7. I forgot but do we vote for lg nomination?

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Beats me.

[hrmjustin]

9. If we do Cuomo's LG choice is in trouble.

But I don't think we do in the end.

[thesquanderer]

2. OTOH, it could merely be Cuomo trying to protect his left flank

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/zephyr-teachout-blasts-cynical-ploy-gov-cuomo-creation-women-equality-party-line-blog-entry-1.1870361

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Of course it is...

but it does add some fun to an otherwise dreary race.