May 18, 2022

"Fearing ‘Extinction-Level Event,’ N.Y. Democrats Turn Against Each Other."

That's a headline in the NYT. Subhead: "Newly drawn congressional maps have led some House members to quickly lay claim to certain districts, even if it means challenging fellow incumbents."

Two weeks ago, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney warned fellow Democrats in a private meeting that a ruling by New York’s highest court to invalidate a Democratic-leaning congressional map could prompt “an extinction-level event” for the party, according to people familiar with the remarks. Democratic incumbents, he feared, could either be shoehorned into more difficult districts or forced into primaries against one another. 

So on Monday, when the courts finally unveiled a proposed new slate of districts unwinding Democrats’ gerrymander, Mr. Maloney, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, knew precisely what to do. Just 25 minutes after the maps’ release, Mr. Maloney announced on Twitter that he would leave behind the bulk of his traditional Hudson Valley seat and run instead for a newly drawn 17th Congressional District rooted in Westchester .... 

Some Democrats saw the maneuver as an attempt to box out Representative Mondaire Jones, a first-term congressman who represents the vast majority of the district’s population, and force him to enter a primary against Jamaal Bowman, a fellow Black progressive, in the neighboring 16th District.....

27 comments:

Christopher B said...

It would take a heart of stone....
I don't have one.

tim maguire said...

invalidate a Democratic-leaning congressional map could prompt “an extinction-level event

Well that can't be. Everybody knows jerrymandering is a Republican dirty trick.

mezzrow said...

*embeds video of Gov. Lepetomane harrumphing*

Take away ONE phony baloney job, and see what you get. Don't look, kids.

Mike Sylwester said...

The Democrats are against gerrymandering to benefit one political party.

On this issue, Democrats have super-pure principles.

David Begley said...

Extinction of the Democrat party would be a good thing.

Enigma said...

People in power are aggressive, and they try to maintain and gain power at all costs. Russia is the largest country in the world, and it has vast untapped resources, but it just had to reclaim Ukraine. The biggest always feels it must be bigger biggestist.

California and NY are overwhelmingly Democratic states, and thereby have enjoyed one party rule for at least a generation. This led to turning a blind eye toward problems, and engaging in all sorts of lazy back room deals. Redistricting merely puts the sloppy and selfish in public view. The natural outcome would be the rise of a 3rd party, or splitting the Democrats off into new generation Republicans.

Do everything you can to eliminate single party rule, or learn to love failure and mediocrity.

Jefferson's Revenge said...

I have to assume this just affects the legislature and not the Governor. . Like PA, where I live, the D’s have the ability to manufacture votes in Philly and, over the few decade, the surrounding counties, and we will never have an R governor again. I assume NYC is the same. Here the R legislature finally got its act together to limit Governor Wolf’s horrible policies but a Governor can do a lot of damage on their own. .

If this affects the courts it is more important. We have found that here.

Iman said...

Couldn’t happen to a bigger bunch of assholes.

Original Mike said...

Your life doesn't end if you are not re-elected. The fact that you think it does speaks to the problem.

Jersey Fled said...

Six members of the court were appointed by Andrew Coumo and the 7th by Hocul. The Democrat map must have truly ridiculous for that group to throw it out. If only the Democrats had submitted a fairly reasonable map they would not be in this situation.

But of course that's not how they roll.

Kai Akker said...

The extinction-level event is the Democratic Party's positions, talk, and actions.

Do we avoid having them take us with them? Less than six months to go to survive their doings.

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

I still use my Sweet Meteor O'Death coffee cup from the 2016 election. Last weekend I was in Oxford MS for the SEC T&F Championships and it was the one cup I packed for the trip. Sweet Meteor O'Death was my choice for President that year. Sometimes an extinction-level event is the best choice.

Humperdink said...

Unfortunately our way of life will be extinct before we see the demise of the Commie-Pinko party.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The consistent pattern with democrat politicians is ‘whatever is happening right now, there’s no cause for alarm, it will pass. Even if you lose an election, there’s a good chance your republican replacement will fuck up and you’re going to easily waltz back in a couple of years.

Howard said...

Good. The Democrat Party needs to cull the herd. It's Deadwood all the way down.

Joe Smith said...

You can see how politicians would tear out each others throats to stay elected.

It's the greatest grift ever devised by man.

For both sides, mind you.

Politicians are evil...

Lurker21 said...

This is the only way some of these clowns will ever leave Congress.

Maybe they should redistrict every year.

It would be a small price to pay for seeing Representative Waddler naddlering off into the sunset.

gilbar said...

extinction-level event

Just to be clear..people were saying (just Yesterday!) that detonating a small level (~20kt) nuclear device, would be GOOD!!! and that russia would have NO OPTIONS but a nuclear response
right?

Levi Starks said...

I think it’s actually the fear of having to find a real job.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Jersey Fled said...
Six members of the court were appointed by Andrew Coumo and the 7th by Hocul. The Democrat map must have truly ridiculous for that group to throw it out. If only the Democrats had submitted a fairly reasonable map they would not be in this situation.

If they didn't massively abuse any power they had, they wouldn't be New York Democrats.

How many thousands of old people to Democrat Governor Cuomo murder to pay off his hospital exec campaign supporters? And what did the rest of the Democrats do about it? Nothing. Because abuse of power is what they do

But of course that's not how they roll.
And this time it's biting them, hard.

They could have made a reasonable proposal where the incumbents weren't going up against each other for the safe seats. They chose to go for it all, and now they get nothing

Sort of like Build Back Better

Aggie said...

Maybe they should try coming out as 'trans'.

GRW3 said...

In reading about this, it seems like the root of the problem was an effort to keep the same amount of Congressmen in NYC, despite the significant loss in population.

Saint Croix said...

Kudos to the state judges in New York. Boy I missed that story. Makes me happy to know that there are still honest people in the judiciary who can see beyond partisan politics.

Skeptical Voter said...

As people flee Blue states on both coasts, those states lose a Congressional seat or two.
And that means that in the political game of musical chairs, somebody is going to be left without a seat. Tough noogies when the loser's bottom hits the floor having no chair to sit in.

n.n said...

Demos-cracy is aborted at The Twilight Fringe for social, capital, clinical, authoritarian, and fair weather causes. There can be only one in the single/central/monopolistic model.

cubanbob said...

The Democrats wouldn't have to worry about political extinction if they actually were to represent the majority of the country. So until the Democrats kick the communist wing out they will start losing in realityville.

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

Set popcorn maker to '11'. This is gonna be good.