Kathy Hochul-- Unmasked

As you probably know, Blue America endorsed Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu for Governor and Lt. Governor of New York. They are both extraordinary candidates, not politicians per se, but values-driven leaders. When we decided to back them, it wasn't only because of how amazing-- even, dare I say, transformative-- a Teachout/Wu administration would be. I've been growing increasingly concerned about Cuomo's tendency towards corruption, his increasingly conservative posture on every important issue and on his lack of judgment.

One instance of his lack of judgment was his selection of reactionary Democrat Kathy Hochul as his running mate. As you can hear from her own lips in the video up top, she is beyond horrible, bragging about getting the Conservative Party endorsement "every time I've run for office," boasting how she opposed Obamacare and voted "many times to repeal it," and still campaigning against immigrants.

And what makes Hochul so scary is that Cuomo is likely to be indicted and, if he's reelected, may well be forced out of office, making her governor-- not of Mississippi or Idaho, but of New York State. "I voted with Speaker Boehner against the President's policy on Libya… I support the Keystone Pipeline, unlike the President and his administration. I'm one of the few Democrats to receive the NRA endorsement. I've become very conservative in my voting record." This is what Cuomo want to foist on the voters of New York, who have no idea what Hochul stands for and just how horrible her record is.

The contrast with Tim Wu couldn't be greater. While Hochul and Cuomo are doing all they can to hide her positions from New York voters. Tim's are all up on his website. "Aside from corruption, which is a critical issue in New York, I believe that inequality and the excessive concentration of private power are the main issues facing our state and the nation," he wrote. "The two issues are actually linked, because too much concentration yields excessively high prices, which disproportionately affects those who are less well off." When asked to name the policies that have motivated him to run, it is just unimaginable not to CRAVE a debate between him and Hochul, who is afraid to even speak, let alone debate:

• Radical shakeup of Albany Corruption

• Immigration policies that attract the best and the brightest to New York

• Open internet and increased broadband deployment

• Protection for small businesses

• New approaches to upstate economic development

• Scrutiny of big business and uncompetitive utilities

• Enforcement of the antitrust laws

I don't get the idea that Hochul can even relate to what makes Tim tick and why he and Zephyr are running. "I'm a progressive Democrat," he told us last night, "who is truly concerned that inequality and the concentration of private power is doing real damage to the fabric of our society. As an Albany outsider who doesn't owe anyone anything, I look forward to challenging the power of big corporations and the corrupt culture of our state government."

Here's the Blue America page where you can support the Zephyr Teachout/Tim Wu very grassroots campaign.