Thread by @PoliticsWolf

Thread: From me & @SeanMcElwee: Dem Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the single biggest obstacle to moving New York in a more progressive direction. By signing the GOP's gerrymander to keep them in charge of the NY Senate, he has blocked a slew of progressive policies dailykos.com/stories/2018/7…

The New York state Senate map that Cuomo signed is one of the most extreme GOP gerrymanders of any chamber in the country. Thanks to Cuomo coddling a corrupt cabal of renegade Dems who support GOP control, the GOP has been in power for years despite nominal Dem majorities

If Cuomo hadn't signed the GOP's NY Senate gerrymander, a court could have drawn a nonpartisan map like this one proposed by the nationally recognized good-government group @CommonCause @commoncauseny. We analyzed this map to assess the strength of the GOP's gerrymander

We estimate that Cuomo's GOP gerrymander likely cost mainstream Dems 6 New York Senate seats in 2012. Under Common Cause's proposed map, Dems could've won a 33-30 majority even with then-6 Dem defectors backing GOP control, & people of color could've won several more seats, too

One astounding finding from Common Cause's map: Geography bias against Dems is practically irrelevant in New York: Their median district by 2012/2016 pres numbers backed Obama/Clinton by the same margin as statewide, unlike the huge 14% median seat advantage under the actual map

It seems counterintuitive that geography doesn't seriously hamper Dems in NY when they win NYC by 4:1. But that's because children & noncitizens are counted for redistricting purposes, & non-NYC districts cast 33% more votes per district than those in NYC, negating geography bias

Cuomo cynically portrays himself as a progressive, but by keeping the GOP in charge of NY's Senate, he can block progressive policies he disdains while passing just enough to win a Dem primary. This has been a disaster for voting rights, healthcare, climate, immigration, & more

By signing the GOP's gerrymander to keep them in charge of NY's Senate, Cuomo has undermined democracy & blocked:
Automatic/same-day voter registration
Early & no-excuse absentee voting
Consolidating the unique separate primaries for state & federal elections to increase turnout

By stopping mainstream Dems from winning NY's Senate, Cuomo has thwarted bills on:
Enshrining Roe v. Wade into law
Climate protection on par with California
Universal healthcare
Expanded education funding
A state DREAM Act
Public funding for reproductive healthcare
And much more

Cuomo claims he's progressive thanks to policies like marriage equality & a partial $15 minimum wage. But there's simply no reason to believe a Dem New York Senate wouldn't have passed those & gone far beyond them. He lets NY move only as left as he can't get away with stopping

Cuomo's undermining of voting rights & progressive policies has national ramifications. Depressing voter turnout could cost Dems multiple key races in their bid to retake the House this fall. And New York has failed to set a progressive example that other states could follow /end