This is a really solid piece, Ross. Max' (and his volunteers, of which I was one) hustle was key to his success in 2018 (the fact that there were lawn signs in Tottenville for him showed this, and the chance he had of victory against Donovan). Even though this year is significantly different for campaigning (no massive canvasses of the entire district in one weekend like just before Election Day in '18), he's still got a corps of volunteers knocking on doors and leaving doorknob placards, and he seems to have been throughout the district campaigning. That said, it's a shame that one of the reasons I supported him in 2018 (a nuanced view on healthcare that at least supported a public option and lowering the Medicare age -- basically a watered-down version of Biden's plan, but better than just the ACA) seems to have been cast aside rhetorically in favor of truly odious rhetoric re: Suleimani, cops, et al.
Anyway, I think a big part of why Rose hasn't thrown Cuomo into his "They All Gotta Go!" shtick is also redistricting. There's a solid chance that if he pokes Cuomo too hard, the new maps will not be as kind to him if he wins re-election (e.g. throwing Staten Island in with Lower Manhattan rather than Southwest Brooklyn, which I think is practically a given if the Democrats hold the state legislature and Malliotakis wins the House seat).
I agree with what you’re saying, but it’s worth noting that not only did Rose win in Brooklyn, he also won Staten Island by overperforming on the Grimm-friendly East Shore, which, as you know, overlaps with Malliotakis’ assembly district. My point being that not only did he out-hustle Donovan and benefit from a surge in democratic turnout (as did many 2018 house challengers) his messaging worked well with south/east shore conservatives. Less of an accidental script that I believe you’ve claimed in the past explained Democratic house victories, with high turnout because of sheer hatred for trump.
I don't know if I'd describe it as 'wasted bullets', as if criticism is some capped commodity. It would be nice if he characterized Cuomo accurately, yeah, but you explained well why he doesn't. FWIW I'm not eager to be represented by a Trumpist or Trumpist-adjacent type again, as I have for most of my life, so I hope he manages to pull through despite being terribly centrist and pandering to reactionaries. A number of people have come up to me and my brother and related stories of how his constituent services have personally helped them in a way that I severely doubt this character would, too, and we should collectively keep that in mind, that the House is not a districtless parliament and this ain't just about counting past 217.
Ah, Wesleyan. The liberal arts college for children of the elite, who go there for four years to pretend that they're not elite, before going out in the real world and becoming the elite. Other proud alumni who are deeply responsible for the ills of whatever industry they chose to ruin with their very presence include Bill Belichick, Joss Whedon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Alex Kurtzman (no wonder why pop culture sucks now- privileged nerds from there, Oberlin, Sarah Lawrence, and Bowdoin run the whole show).
I have my personal reasons for hating that place, it's just one elite institution out of many, and I dislike Max Rose for other reasons. But between that and the kind of campaign he's been running, I hope he loses. Maybe in two years we'll get a worthwhile candidate in the primary. It's not like there was a lack of them two years ago.
This is a really solid piece, Ross. Max' (and his volunteers, of which I was one) hustle was key to his success in 2018 (the fact that there were lawn signs in Tottenville for him showed this, and the chance he had of victory against Donovan). Even though this year is significantly different for campaigning (no massive canvasses of the entire district in one weekend like just before Election Day in '18), he's still got a corps of volunteers knocking on doors and leaving doorknob placards, and he seems to have been throughout the district campaigning. That said, it's a shame that one of the reasons I supported him in 2018 (a nuanced view on healthcare that at least supported a public option and lowering the Medicare age -- basically a watered-down version of Biden's plan, but better than just the ACA) seems to have been cast aside rhetorically in favor of truly odious rhetoric re: Suleimani, cops, et al.
Anyway, I think a big part of why Rose hasn't thrown Cuomo into his "They All Gotta Go!" shtick is also redistricting. There's a solid chance that if he pokes Cuomo too hard, the new maps will not be as kind to him if he wins re-election (e.g. throwing Staten Island in with Lower Manhattan rather than Southwest Brooklyn, which I think is practically a given if the Democrats hold the state legislature and Malliotakis wins the House seat).
I agree with what you’re saying, but it’s worth noting that not only did Rose win in Brooklyn, he also won Staten Island by overperforming on the Grimm-friendly East Shore, which, as you know, overlaps with Malliotakis’ assembly district. My point being that not only did he out-hustle Donovan and benefit from a surge in democratic turnout (as did many 2018 house challengers) his messaging worked well with south/east shore conservatives. Less of an accidental script that I believe you’ve claimed in the past explained Democratic house victories, with high turnout because of sheer hatred for trump.
I don't know if I'd describe it as 'wasted bullets', as if criticism is some capped commodity. It would be nice if he characterized Cuomo accurately, yeah, but you explained well why he doesn't. FWIW I'm not eager to be represented by a Trumpist or Trumpist-adjacent type again, as I have for most of my life, so I hope he manages to pull through despite being terribly centrist and pandering to reactionaries. A number of people have come up to me and my brother and related stories of how his constituent services have personally helped them in a way that I severely doubt this character would, too, and we should collectively keep that in mind, that the House is not a districtless parliament and this ain't just about counting past 217.
Ah, Wesleyan. The liberal arts college for children of the elite, who go there for four years to pretend that they're not elite, before going out in the real world and becoming the elite. Other proud alumni who are deeply responsible for the ills of whatever industry they chose to ruin with their very presence include Bill Belichick, Joss Whedon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Alex Kurtzman (no wonder why pop culture sucks now- privileged nerds from there, Oberlin, Sarah Lawrence, and Bowdoin run the whole show).
I have my personal reasons for hating that place, it's just one elite institution out of many, and I dislike Max Rose for other reasons. But between that and the kind of campaign he's been running, I hope he loses. Maybe in two years we'll get a worthwhile candidate in the primary. It's not like there was a lack of them two years ago.