CUOMO/NIXON: An Election Debacle in the Age of Facebook

Being the dutiful citizen that I am, I sat through what proved a most 21^st Century debate in the Democratic Primary for NewYork State’s Gubernatorial Election.  I honestly found myself disappointed with it, as both candidates showed little pretense of courtesy towards one another.  I might as well have been reading the comments section on any political post on Facebook, in terms of the quality of their arguments and tactics.  Call me old-fashioned, but I expect better from those applying for the job of being my elected employee.

Cuomo was the picture of a New York Mafioso:  confident, condescending and pulling no punches, most of which he landed below the belt.  In terms of corruption, he came across as a man up to his elbows in it.  He did, however, play that as a positive, demonstrating his intimate knowledge of how the unwieldy apparatus of New York State Government -- a massive economy of $1.19 Trillion, covering 62 distinct and very demanding counties, including the iconic New York City, none of whom get along with one another -- operates, and showed a fierce determination to hold the line against the horrors of Drumpf.  He made the case that the most effective governors are the ones who, for better or worse, really know how the sausage is made.

Nixon largely came across as shrill, rude and entitled.  She had that familiar deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes one would expect from a last-minute Broadway understudy on opening night.  She clearly was in over her head and hadn’t the faintest idea how think on her feet, beyond the script she had rehearsed.  The fact that she couldn’t answer the question: “If marijuana is legalized, as you’ve called for it to be, how are you going to explain it to your kids?”  -- the correct answer, by the way, is “The same way I already talk to my kids about cigarettes and alcohol.  Next question.” --  speaks volumes about exactly how much she has to learn.

That said, there is no denying that she hit Cuomo with some very important and relevant questions on his record and voiced valid concerns that have yet to receive serious attention.  Her heart is clearly in the right place and the State overall would benefit greatly from her presence in government, assuming, of course, that she remembers that New York City is not the entirety of New York State.

Now, at this point most will expect me as a political observer to make an endorsement.  

Do I want a naïve celebrity crusader who likely will get eaten alive by Albany or do I want the Mafioso standing strong against the real and larger threat of Drumpf, knowing that this may stall real change that I agree needs to happen?  

Or, more simply for those in back, do we want Miranda Hobbes from Sex in the City or a slightly higher-class version of Tony Soprano keeping the Empire State in line?

In all honesty, I want them both. 

I want the heart, voice and ethics of Cynthia Nixon to be wed with the Mafioso know-how of Andrew Cuomo.  Given that the realities of Albany politics are what they are – and let’s face it, Albany has been the poster child for political corruption since before Lincoln and is showing no signs of diverting from that machine model – I’d say it’s the only combination that will keep New York State standing strong in these dark times for the principles etched at the feet of Lady Liberty.

The question is, how to get it?  

Were I in a position to do so, I would pull the Machiavelli card and put Cuomo, Nixon, their campaign managers, and their lawyers into one of Albany’s back rooms and make them an offer:

In exchange for bowing out of the Primary, Nixon is to be installed as Cuomo’s new Lt. Governor, giving her a bully platform, some real authority to grow into and the loudest voice in Cuomo’s ear about how to proceed.  Cuomo would be able to keep his position and lose the loudest critic against his foibles in exchange for doing the hard work of making sure that the critical items on Nixon’s list are addressed within 100 days.  New York State would be stronger for it and the Left would gain a solid and valuable asset on the national scene.

And then, I'd make sure they can’t refuse the offer.

A Citizen's Platform -- 2018 Edition

A CITIZEN'S PLATFORM – 2018 Edition

In 2013, I, with the help of like-minded friends, began developing a full Progressive Platform to address the growing concerns about the future of this nation.

Today, I present the updated version tailored for our current situation.

Ultimately, this is what I, as a self-styled Liberal Progressive would do to fix the issues facing the USA were I handed the power necessary to do so.

CONGRESSIONAL BEHAVIOR, ELECTIONS & PROCEDURE

• Ban all Federal Lobbying and remove all Lobbyists from Federal Buildings.  Lobbying shall be considered a form of Bribery, with the penalty for such being full seizure of all Lobbyist’s assets and the removal of the bribed official from Office.  SuperPACs to be completely disbanded and "Citizens United" to be overturned in law. 
• All Incumbent members of both Congressional Houses to immediately resign.  Hold emergency national elections to replace them, allowing only Independent/Third-Party candidates on the ticket.
• All funding for Elections for Public Office will be provided publicly and all private monetary donations to campaigns will be banned.  Campaign contributions will be in the form of personal time commitments only.  Full Voting rights to all unregistered citizens who can provide a Birth Certificate, Passport or two forms of State/Local ID.  All those already registered to vote will only have to sign on-record register at the polls. 

BANKS,  ECONOMICS & WELFARE

• Reinstate Glass-Steagle and break up the “Too big to fail” banks into smaller, more competitive entities.  All tax havens will be seized entirely.  All corporations that made record profits after receiving bailout money from the government to be nationalized until such time as those funds are entirely paid back.
• Raise Federal Minimum Wage to match the local cost of living.
• Create a Federal Maximum Wage of $10M/year using the tax code to enforce the latter. 
• All Senators, Congressmen, Supreme Court Justices and Executive Branch Department Heads (including President) to accept salaries at Federal Minimum Wage (travel benefits to remain intact).  Savings to be used for Deficit Reduction.
• Welfare benefits to be redesigned to focus on job training, education and temporary relief, with benefit cutoffs to end after a recipient has successfully maintained a standard of living above the economic poverty line for 2 full months.  All beneficiaries of Federal Welfare must serve a mandatory 1 year with AmeriCorps if receiving benefits for longer than 6 months.
• Creation of an infrastructure fund to be distributed to local government agencies directly based on proportion of citizen and businesses without regard to taxable contribution of the inclusive group in an effort to recognize businesses and employees need sustainable, safe and effective roads, bridges, etc. to ply their trade, etc. and balancing small community vs large community needs.  This fund will be overseen by a board of Federal, State, County and local citizen representatives on a regular basis.
• Program of public works projects for domestic infrastructure improvements:
•           Transformation of the American public transportation grid to 21^st Century standards: electromagnetic bullet trains, etc.
•       Transformation of the American energy grid to 21^st Century standards: renewable energy investment, increase carbon taxes

TAXATION

• Redesign the tax code on a scale similar to Eisenhower era framework, with increased revenue divided as follows:
•       Increased revenue divided into thirds:  1/3 for Deficit Reduction, 1/3 for Domestic Infrastructure Improvements, 1/3 for Public Health Option and Education funding 
• Forbid moving money from one domestic program to another. 
• Return to the tax brackets of the Eisenhower Era for corporations.
• Double taxes on Businesses that:
•       Outsource American Jobs or damage American Ecology. 
• Tax rewards for business that do the following:
•           Bring jobs back to impoverished American areas.
•          Are Unionized, with programs to allow for new members to join the Union.
•          Use Green technology and go above-and-beyond EPA regulations in Environmental Safety
•          Give back to local communities and invest in local economies.

MILITARY POLICY AND BUDGET

• 50% reduction of military spending, with reductions of the Standing Army and Foreign Bases accordingly.  Remaining resources on augmenting and streamlining the Navy, Air Force, CyberDefense, Special Forces and AmeriCorps.  
• Take 1/3 of the savings to increase funding for NASA and Tech R&D.  Use 1/3 of the savings for Deficit Reduction and 1/3 for Domestic Infrastructure Improvements.   Low-ranking Army Personnel still under contract to serve will serve the rest of their time with AmeriCorps and receive a 1-grade promotion in rank. 
• Full disclosure to Congress of all Intelligence & Military Activities, Treaties (both secret and public), Deals, Slush Funds and Black Ops.  Failure to do so will result in summary prison sentences for all personnel who refuse to disclose.  All who willingly disclose this information can do so anonymously.

SICK CARE

• Creation of a National Single-Payer Health Care Option to cover Basic Medical Care, Catastrophic Illness or Injury, Generic Prescriptions, including Generic Birth Control/Women’s Health Services and Annual Physicals 
• This is to be a Public Option alongside Private Insurance, comparable to the Public/Private School System.  Private Insurance would be subject to the same regulations as the Public Option.  Elective Procedures will not be covered under the Public Option but could be covered by Private Options.  Abortions will be covered in cases of rape, incest, minors and medical emergency, but will not be covered if deemed by the physician to not be medically necessary. 
• Lifetime medical care to be covered, with doctors being given final say over their patients’ care, subject to Medical Review boards of their peers.

DOMESTIC SOCIAL JUSTICE

• Reinstitute the Assault Weapons Ban, with limited exceptions for Veterans and Law Enforcement, subject to strict regulation.
•  Gun ownership to be placed under the same basic universal regulations as are       commonly seen with automobile ownership as regulated by the States
• Training and licensure specific to each type of weapon
•  Licenses to be reviewed for renewal every 5 years
• Mandatory Liability Insurance against the foreseeable accidents inherent in their use.
• The sale of Ammunition to be limited and subject to high sales tax, proceeds of which go to the States in which the Ammunition is sold.  
• Increased, stricter oversight of manufacturers and distributors of arms.  Harsh penalties on gun manufacturers (including automatic jail time for their Owners, Boards of Directors and CEOs) for all crimes committed with an unlicensed weapon.
• Federal Recognition of Marriage as defined as “a legal union of adult human beings” with all accordant benefits.
• Federally Prohibit the Death Penalty, and change sentencing protocols for Non-Violent Offenders to focus more on Community Service and less on Incarceration.  Violent Offenders, Grand Theft, Fraud and White Collar criminals to face stiffer penalties.  Penal management to be returned to direct State control, with Private Prison Companies relegated to minor support with no control over policy.
• Reinstate secular curriculum for all Public Schools.  Full immersion tri-lingual education in all public schools, K-12: English, Spanish, French.  Create an education fund which is used to reimburse new network of National Universities offering both academic and vocational degrees
• Payment of institutions to be withheld until post-graduation under a set flat rate for 2, 4, 6, 8-year programs. All institutions to be subject to regular audits to prevent artificial price-gouging.
• Repeal the Patriot Act and NDAA. 
• Universal Voter Registration, with compulsory voting in all elections, to be Administered by the local States and Counties.
• Institutional Reparations for American citizens of African and Native descent
• Ban all religious trappings from Federal Buildings (including X-Mas decorations, Ten Commandment statuary, etc), while allowing Federal Employees time off for religious observance.
• Religion can not be used as a cover for bigotry and such arguments are to be considered illegitimate in Judicial proceedings.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

•  Legalize, License and Tax Marijuana, placing it under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of ATF and similarly regulated.  Tax revenue to be used to help fund the Public Health Option.  All non-violent convicts currently incarcerated for Marijuana possession to be immediately released with time served and given jobs in the new legal industry.
• All local police precincts to turn over their military-grade equipment and weaponry to the local National Guard.
• All local police precincts to be subject to financial penalties for every single fatality that happens in their jurisdiction, regardless of justification.
•  All officers in a penalized precinct, from the Commissioner to the youngest rookies to be penalized along with their unit for the actions of any member of their unit, as a recognized means of fostering proper discipline.
• Any officer who is found to be abusing their authority to be stripped of rank and privilege, without appeal or benefits.
• Nationalize all prisons and put them under local civilian review.  For-profit prison companies to be immediately dismissed.