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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Dos Equis on December 10, 2013, 12:08:58 PM
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None of them probably want to run against the mighty Biden and Hillary.
Andrew Cuomo in 2016? Think again
By MAGGIE HABERMAN and EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE | 12/9/13
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo developed an early posture after his 2010 election of keeping his head down and ignoring national politics, almost never venturing beyond his home turf for the states that settle presidential races. Most believed it was essentially an act — one that he’d inevitably drop once he started pursuing his widely assumed ambition to be president.
Three years later, Cuomo’s political lens is just as narrow. And Democratic activists in early presidential states have come to conclude there’s no way he will run in 2016, whether Hillary Clinton is in the race or not. He’s been so invisible on the national stage, they say — no speeches, no fundraising, no early-state networking — that even if Cuomo had a late change of heart, he’s done none of the legwork that would be needed to mount a credible campaign.
Multiple early-state activists told POLITICO last week that while other Democratic presidential hopefuls have been courting them, laying the groundwork to run especially if Clinton doesn’t, Cuomo is a nonfactor in their minds. Cuomo is simply not part of the discussion in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where activists delight in their unique status in the nominating process and long to see candidates on repeated visits in the lead-up to primaries and caucuses.
Dick Harpootlian, the long-active South Carolina Democrat and former state party chairman, had a simple response when asked about Cuomo: “Who? Who? Who?”
He recalled, as state chairman, reaching out a few times to Cuomo’s aides to see if he might come speak at fundraising events for the party.
Harpootlian was rebuffed “in rather terse terms every time,” he said. “Nobody saying, ‘Hey, give us a rain check’ … none of that. It was just sort of, ‘No.’ Which to me indicated he has no interest whatsoever in running for president.”
Asked whether he puts any stock in the Cuomo-for-president talk, New Hampshire Democratic chairman Ray Buckley had two answers: “No” and “nope.”
“I have come to believe that he is quite content with the challenge of being the governor of New York and has every intention of remaining,” Buckley said. “It would be highly unusual for anyone who is considering running for president in this cycle or the next three or four cycles for me not to know it.”
A Cuomo spokeswoman declined to comment.
Cuomo’s allies insist there would still be time for him to jump into a national race after his 2014 election and that his approach does not indicate he isn’t running. They also argue that Cuomo’s strict New York focus could actually provide a winning message should he eventually run: Unlike other hopefuls who put Iowa and New Hampshire first, the pitch would go, he took care of business back home. Cuomo’s low national profile has also denied the New York press ammunition to rip him for being distracted by out-of-state trips.
Cuomo made a rare excursion to Washington, D.C., on Sunday for the annual Kennedy Center Honors, then stayed Monday to attend a fundraiser for his own reelection, hosted by lobbyist Tony Podesta and others. His aides announced at almost midnight Sunday that he’d attend the Democratic Governors Association’s meeting in Washington on Monday, a rare time he’s attended.
“No governor of the State of New York has ever ruled out being president!” said former DGA Executive Director Nathan Daschle in an email. “He might not be actively running, but I don’t buy for a second that he has ruled it out. There is no reason to. Coming from such a big state, and with his background, network, and name ID, the timetable is much more forgiving. He has a 6-12 month organizational lead built into the fact that he’s Andrew Cuomo. I imagine he’s taking his time, watching the field shake out, and doing the smartest and most important thing he can do — focusing on his current job.”
But early-state operatives say that banking on such a strategy would be wishful thinking.
“I think if you’re interested in running in 2016, it would be a mistake to wait for Hillary to decide what she’s going to do,” said Iowa Democratic strategist Jeff Link, who worked for President Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008. “The time to get started is now, because there is a lot of work that you have to do that is foundational, whether it is thinking about the issues that you want to to make central to your thinking and your campaign … [or] getting to know people in these far-flung states.”
History is littered with late-breaking entrants to campaigns. The one that went well — Bill Clinton in 1992 — is often highlighted. But Clinton had begun doing spade work well before he declared his candidacy in October 1991. Some of the more recent late entries — such as Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who joined the 2012 race about 14 months out — were unprepared for the national klieg lights and flamed out.
Problems connecting with Cuomo come up quickly in conversations with early-state activists. Invitations to some events have gone unanswered for weeks. When the answer — invariably, “no” — does come back, it sometimes comes from a proxy instead of the governor’s staff directly.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/andrew-cuomo-2016-100889.html
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Most candidates really only get one serious run for president. Some get very very lucky or are very very rich and can do it twice. But it's tough to strike gold twice.
Dems in 2016 are probably just running for 2nd place. There were 2 heavyweights in the Dem race in 2008. In 2016, there were no heavyweights for the GOP, just a group of B-level candidates. No rock stars like Jeb, Palin, etc that'd just jump over everyone.
Hilary probably unbeatable. Most dems would be smart to just smile and support her and pray for a VP pick, then wait for 2020 or 2024.
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No No no No no!!!!!
Fuck Cuomo and his entire family! Fuck that commie rat thug
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This guy is a piece of shit