A year after the Cuomo-W.F.P. bargain, everyone’s a sucker

[hrmjustin]

Blake Zeff

A year ago this week, New York political observers bore witness to one of the most awkward marriages since Liza Minnelli and David Gest: The liberal Working Families Party gave its ballot line to centrist governor Andrew Cuomo. In return for the party’s endorsement, the governor pledged to fight for a series of left-wing priorities like passage of the Dream Act, a statewide minimum wage hike, and a Democratic-led State Senate.

As a result of the shotgun wedding, each participant attained a key short-term political goal: Cuomo evaded a third-party challenge and emerged with a much easier general election win, and the W.F.P. got to survive (by restraining the governor’s impulse to kill it). Plus, Mayor Bill de Blasio, who played matchmaker to the adorable couple, got to assume a hero role in the negotiations, watch his beloved W.F.P. live to see another day, and possibly convince his “friend” Cuomo to be less uncooperative towards his agenda ( for a few months, anyway).

In other words, everyone won. Unless you actually cared about those policy pledges.

One year later, it’s a topic that none of the parties seems to want to talk about. And when pushed, each has a different story about the thinking behind this most ineffectual, cynical-looking political bargain.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/06/8569111/year-after-cuomo-wfp-bargain-everyones-sucker?top-featured-1

[NYC_SKP]

1. OMG Justin, it's this way everywhere.

I've had to spend time in working groups, committees, etc., at the state government level and can't believe the stuff that passes for "meaningful action".

There is a network of mutual back-slappers (and a fair number of back-stabbers) and tons of time and money are spent and very little meaningful work done for the people who are supposedly the reason we do what we do.

[hrmjustin]

2. Nothing ever gets done.

[GeorgeGist]

3. Pockets get lined.

Egos get stroked.