November 3, 2014

Howie Hawkins for Governor

I finally saw a Cuomo sign this weekend, in Freeville. Someone is cheering for the Governor, but finding strong Cuomo fans is surprisingly difficult.

Here's how I read this year's ballot for Governor:

  • Astorino (Republican / Conservative / Stop Common Core) - GOP for real, forever

  • Cuomo (Democratic / Independence / Women's Equality ) - GOP-lite, bent on controlling everything

  • Cuomo (Working Families Party) - GOP-lite but desperately hoping that he'll be nice or something and that the Working Families Party will get the 50,000 votes they need to keep their ballot line despite endorsing someone out to destroy them.

  • Hawkins (G) - Wow! Someone with ideas about how New York should be different!

  • McDermott (Libertarian) - Well, I can't see libertarians voting for anyone else here.

  • Cohn (Sapient Party) - Their principles are an odd mix of "sounds great" and "what does that mean?"

I'm happy to support Howie Hawkins. As a Syracuse resident, he'd break the curse of Nathan Miller, our last Governor from Upstate (1921-22). He's a Teamsters member loading trucks for UPS, and he would push New York away from the continuing capture by New York City financial and real estate interests that is drowning our politics in empty advertising. There's a lot more in this introduction.

Isn't a vote for Hawkins a protest vote? Isn't Cuomo guaranteed to win?

Does it matter? I don't mind lost causes at all, though. Sometimes they're the best causes. And sometimes they even yield pleasant surprises, especially in the long run.

Posted by simon at November 3, 2014 6:58 PM in
Note on photos