Democrats don't need their own corrupt pervert retread

There is a better way

Welcome to a Friday night edition of Progress Report.

There’s a separate news roundup coming in the morning, as I went longish writing about a very time-sensitive campaign deadline and decided to split them into two emails for your convenience. If you’re not happy with the rightward drift of this country, including the Democratic Party, and don’t want more retread toxic bullies in positions of great power, you’ll want to read this one.

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This week brought us one big step closer to the return of an outer borough-born, scandal-plagued narcissist with a long history of corruption and sexual assault. But unlike Donald Trump, who re-occupies the White House in ten days, there’s still time to prevent disgraced former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo from returning to public office.

Politico reported on Thursday that Cuomo was likely to tap a trusted old adviser to help him run a campaign for mayor of New York City, which he is expected to launch in February. A comeback by an abrasive nepo-politician who went from potential presidential contender to resigning amid multiple escalating scandals is absolutely catnip to the media, and his potential run has been almost manifested by hopeful reporters who cover his moves as if he did not cover up the deaths of tens of thousands of seniors or harass countless women.

Cuomo was a terrible governor who punched left, kept legislative Republicans in power as long as possible, and worked furiously to make life miserable for New York City residents out of sheer pettiness. Public transportation crumbled under his watch, the corporate real estate industry soaked up billions in subsidies while the cost of housing skyrocketed, and he sabotaged affordable housing again and again. He closed many of New York’s mental health facilities, leading to more homelessness and ultimately crime.

And unless there is a dynamic candidate who can offer a new vision for New York and build a unique coalition, Cuomo has a good chance of buying his way to the Democratic mayoral nomination anyway.

Now that I work in political media, I’ve largely stopped endorsing or raising money for candidates — most are just too flawed and tend to disappoint you. But since August, I’ve been doing volunteer media work for NY state Sen. Jessica Ramos, a lifelong Queens resident who knocked off one of Cuomo’s conservative allies in a 2018 primary and chairs the Senate Labor Committee. She’s running for mayor, too, and I’m consistently impressed with her dedication to working people — she’s at every picket line possible and advocates for immigrant communities when everybody else has abandoned them.

Sen. Ramos has enormous integrity and a nuanced understanding of housing, childcare, mental health, and so many other issues that are wildly important in this city. She’s not just putting out vague principles or wild promises that she can’t back up, either. I’ve never seen a city campaign focus so much on the details; already, she’s put out huge policy proposals on ending the housing crisis, universal childcare, and fixing our mental health crisis. And this doesn’t just matter for New Yorkers — enacting this kind of stuff makes it actually viable in other states and then nationwide.

She’s the only the only woman running for a position never previously held by a woman, and that matters more than ever. She’s got the sort of personality and potential coalition that could lead to an underdog victory — if she can raise enough money.

Saturday night is the deadline to score matching funds from the city, and given how Cuomo and Eric Adams have sucked up much of the cash, JR, as we call her, needs grassroots support. It’s a very pivotal moment.

We put this video out yesterday and I think it does a good job outlining what we as a city are up against and why she’s the most dynamic choice and best chance we have against Cuomo:

All my work for Sen. Ramos has been volunteer work, so as to avoid any conflict of interest, and believe me, I’ve got enough work on my plate already, so the fact that I’m producing these videos and making this appeal tells you that I really believe in this campaign. New York City can’t fall victim to yet another corrupt abuser. We have to show the world that there is another way, and prevent a further collapse into this strongman right-wing morass that is eating us alive. If you can, please think about donating to the Ramos campaign.

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