Teachout’s Teachable Moment About Cuomo

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Pocket
WhatsApp
Professor Zephyr Teachout is running in the Sept. 9 Democratic gubernatorial primary
Professor Zephyr Teachout is running in the Sept. 9 Democratic gubernatorial primary

A woman is running for governor this year, despite the best efforts of the Women’s Equality Party’s preferred candidates for governor and lieutenant governor.
Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham Law School professor, will have her name appear on the Sept. 9 Democratic primary gubernatorial ballot, even though surrogates for Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former U.S. Rep. Kathy Hochul, his choice for lieutenant governor, took Teachout to court to knock her out of the race.
A New York State Supreme Court judge ruled in Teachout’s favor on Aug. 11. Randy Credico of Manhattan is also running in what is now a three-candidate contest on Sept. 9 for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Lest the Cuomo-Hochul campaign’s hypocrisy go unnoticed, let’s revisit Hochul’s remarks at this year’s unveiling of the Women’s Equality Party, one of the banners under which the Cuomo-Hochul ticket wants to run in November’s general election.
“We will not tolerate elected officials who block our basic rights,” Hochul said, at the time. “We will not stand to be treated like second-class citizens. And we will not allow our votes to be taken for granted. It is time women stand up and make our voices heard.”
A question for Ms. Hochul: if you truly believe that, why did you allow Cuomo-Hochul campaign supporters to attempt to block the aspirations of Prof. Teachout, a woman who stood up to make her voice heard? My theory: The governor lost a Democratic gubernatorial primary election in 2002, so having little, or no, political opposition is Cuomo’s preference.
An attorney for Cuomo-Hochul campaign supporters argued unsuccessfully in court that Teachout, who has been teaching at Fordham since 2009, was ineligible to be a New York gubernatorial candidate because she was a Vermont resident who had not continuously resided in the Empire State for five years, as required by law.
To illustrate their point, the Cuomo-Hochul campaign supporters’ attorney introduced into the record Teachout’s tax returns and her driver’s license, hinting she’s a rootless vagabond. A judge heard the evidence, and disagreed in a 12-page decision that can be found online.
Teachout, who listed Brooklyn as her home address on her nominating petitions, needed the signatures of at least 15,000 registered Democrats to qualify for the ballot. Teachout’s campaign secured about 45,000 signatures, and the state Board of Elections subsequently placed her name alongside the governor’s and Credico’s on the Democratic gubernatorial primary election ballot.
To divert media attention away from the withering courtroom cross-examination Teachout faced on Aug. 7, Hochul held on that same day a Mineola press conference, during which she extolled the Women’s Equality Party, and endorsed a few state Senate candidates. Two New York City tabloids did not take the bait. Both the New York Post and the New York Daily News ran stories on page two of their Aug. 8 print editions about Teachout’s testimony.
By its actions, the Cuomo-Hochul campaign has indicated women’s equality is one of their highest priorities, unless a woman wants to run for governor, and recruits a candidate for lieutenant governor, to run against them. Should a woman take that step, prepare to pay substantial legal fees and have details about your personal life laid bare in a courtroom, as Teachout has learned.
There is also a Democratic primary for lieutenant governor on Sept. 9, pitting former U.S. Rep. Hochul, a Buffalo resident, against Timothy Wu, Teachout’s running mate and a Columbia University professor who lives in Manhattan. Hochul, who briefly represented a western New York Congressional District, has to take Wu seriously because her last campaign didn’t end well. Then-U.S. Rep. Hochul was ousted in her first bid for re-election in 2012 by current U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, making Hochul an odd choice to bolster anyone’s electoral chances in 2014.
Mike Barry, vice president of media relations for an insurance industry trade group, has worked in government and journalism. Email: MFBarry@optonline.net

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Pocket
WhatsApp

Never miss any important news. Subscribe to our newsletter.

Never miss any important news. Subscribe to our newsletter.

Recent News

Editor's Pick

x