# New York State Primary **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 13, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305 "2018-09-13T22:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/21 "2018-09-14T15:40:52Z")
> [@xenophon41](#): > > Dumb memo from Nixon’s campaign team. I think they wanted to dig at Cuomo **more than they wanted to celebrate the high turnout**. In any case, their observation of the effects seems lucid\*, but their analysis of the causes seems a bit weak. Nixon herself showed better message discipline and better electoral process support in her remarks. > > \*Except for the ‘reduced polling hours upstate’ effect, which could not in reality have been a credibly decisive factor. Bolding mine. I don’t get that comment. Am I misreading you? The Nixon campaign didn’t want to “celebrate” the high turnout at all. They didn’t want a high turnout; they didn’t want a true referendum on the merits of the candidates. They wanted an electorate consisting only of the Right Sort of people. It’s anti-democratic, and verges on racist, and is actually pretty appalling, and although I had no particular respect for the campaign I would not have expected this. Live and learn, I guess. I’m hoping it’s just an example of pissed-off people who hate to lose, and that in a few days they’ll recognize just how badly tthis comes across. –As for reduced polling hours upstate, I’ve never understood why they do this for primaries and I don’t approve at all; but when you lose a statewide election by a margin of 2 to 1 and don’t come close to winning the upstate region, to bring it up as _any kind of a reason for losing_ is frankly idiotic. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/22 "2018-09-14T15:45:18Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > There’s something wrong with your link on Nixon, try [this one](https://www.newsweek.com/cynthia-nixon-campaign-blames-extremely-high-turnout-election-loss-andrew-1120814). > > **My wife was talking to somebody from Albany who guaranteed her that Cuomo would lose Albany county. I guess they really hate him there.** He lost all the surrounding counties as well. > > Progressives need to take two giant lessons to heart. 1) the last thing anybody wants today is an amateur who knows nothing of real-world politics. 2) Medicare for all and other social program promises are likely winners in the long run, but saying implement them first and then we’ll figure out how to pay for them - a Nixon actually did - is a losing proposition. See 1). Bolding mine. Wow, that somebody was truly prescient! Cuomo DID lose Albany County, by a landslide margin of 248 votes! They really DO hate him there! I guess you take your victories where you can get 'em. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/23 "2018-09-14T15:56:34Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > I don’t get that comment. Am I misreading you? The Nixon campaign didn’t want to “celebrate” the high turnout at all. They didn’t want a high turnout; they didn’t want a true referendum on the merits of the candidates. They wanted an electorate consisting only of the Right Sort of people. It’s anti-democratic, and verges on racist, and is actually pretty appalling, and although I had no particular respect for the campaign I would not have expected this. Live and learn, I guess. I didn’t read the full memo, just saw the quotes in the article, so I’d hesitate to read too much into the quoted statements. Looked to me like they were _attributing_ the loss to the high turnout, and trying very hard to claim (however ludicrously) that Cuomo’s spending skewed the Dem primary voter proportions in some artificial and undemocratic way. Which, while a very stupid and confused claim, isn’t an actual condemnation of voter participation > [@](#): > > I’m hoping it’s just an example of pissed-off people who hate to lose, and that in a few days they’ll recognize just how badly tthis comes across. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/24 "2018-09-14T16:09:20Z")
> [@xenophon41](#): > > Which, while a very stupid and confused claim, isn’t an actual condemnation of voter participation. Just condemnation of the wrong sort of voters participating. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/25 "2018-09-14T16:09:27Z")
Well, the specific line of the memo was: “The result of this unconscionable influx of spending is that turn out is extremely high throughout the state today.” I don’t see any other way to interpret this other than High Turnout is Bad. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/26 "2018-09-14T16:16:01Z")
Does anyone have a link to the actual memo? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/27 "2018-09-14T16:43:54Z")
I can’t find the entire memo, but political reporter Reid Wilson included some of it verbatim on Twitter. Nixon truly shows herself to be awful, the worst type of so-called progressive. A lesson learned from the Sanders campaign: Blame the voters and find a conspiracy. > ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/28 "2018-09-14T17:48:05Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Just condemnation of the wrong sort of voters participating. I’ll quibble a bit, but it’s a distinction without a real difference, so I concede, **Bricker** , that your statement is more true than my initial reaction, and that **Ulf the Unwashed** ’s interpretation is more fair than mine was. Reading the fuller quote, it seems a condemnation of _the reasoning_ the campaign supposes those voters followed for voting the way they did, in support of a message pounded into their little voter brains through the “unconscionable influx in spending” from Cuomo’s campaign. It’s a horribly insulting (to the voters) and counterproductive (to the goals of inclusivity and civic participation) statement of sour grapes. It also fails to acknowledge the basic judgement of competence such anti-Trump voters must have made as they chose which candidate had the most ability to “[stick] it to Trump.” Dumb and appalling, as **Ulf** noted. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/29 "2018-09-14T19:04:34Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I think we can definitely say that Zephyr Teachout should focus her time on being a law professor or else seek out an appointed government position. She’s been rejected decisively three times. :dubious: I dunno, she was much less decisively rejected this time than the sitting member of Congress with deeper pockets. In addition, her campaign aims have been very ambitious, considering her lack of legislative background in the state assembly or some such, and AFAICT she’s done better in them than expected. So maybe it’s not that she can’t win but that she needs to pick a more winnable race. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/30 "2018-09-14T19:33:14Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Just condemnation of the wrong sort of voters participating. What, a political candidate wanted more of her voters to show up, and more of the other guy’s voters to stay home? Well, knock me over with a feather! Now actually \*\*making it harder \*\*for the ‘wrong’ people to vote - _that_ would be a Big Fucking Deal, if it weren’t already happening in much of the country already. But you knew that. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/31 "2018-09-14T19:49:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > What, a political candidate wanted more of her voters to show up, and more of the other guy’s voters to stay home? > > Well, knock me over with a feather! > > Now actually \*\*making it harder \*\*for the ‘wrong’ people to vote - _that_ would be a Big Fucking Deal, if it weren’t already happening in much of the country already. But you knew that. Nixon, or at least her political team, knew that the only way to win the primary was in a low voter turnout. That’s how most of the primary upsets occur, such as AOC and David Brat. If the electorate consisted mostly of patrons of vegan restaurants in Brooklyn, Nixon would have won easily. And, that would have not been impossible with New York’s screwy election laws and yet another primary held weirdly on a Thursday because of Rosh Hashanah and September 11. But Cuomo was able to push a larger turnout and thus Nixon’s hopes were crushed. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/32 "2018-09-14T22:20:24Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Bolding mine. > > Wow, that somebody was truly prescient! Cuomo DID lose Albany County, by a landslide margin of 248 votes! They really DO hate him there! > > I guess you take your victories where you can get 'em. That Nixon won anywhere in any county by any amount is astounding. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305/33 "2018-09-14T22:54:38Z")
> [@xenophon41](#): > > I’ll quibble a bit, but it’s a distinction without a real difference, so I concede, **Bricker** , that your statement is more true than my initial reaction, and that **Ulf the Unwashed** ’s interpretation is more fair than mine was. Gracious indeed. Thank you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-state-primary/821305.md?page=1)