Behind Cuomo’s latest tiff with the Assembly

By Greg David on January 21, 2011When Gov. Andrew Cuomo treated Assembly Democrats to a lox-and-bagel breakfast recently, a few legislators got indigestion when the subject turned to the millionaire’s tax, especially when the governor suggested Democratic voters supported his pledge to let it expire.
“It was pointed out to [the governor] that he wasn’t the only one elected in November,” said perturbed Queens Assemblyman Rory Lachman, who was defending another liberal, Cathy Nolan, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
Actually, this is the wrong conversation for Democrats to have. And for the rest of us, it is another example of why non-partisan redistricting is so important.
Both the governor and the liberal legislators he antagonized were too myopic in focusing on their base. After all, nationally the Republicans won a sweeping victory in last November’s election because independents flocked to the GOP after throwing their votes to the Democrats in both 2006 and 2008.

Democratic pollster Douglas Schoen made that point in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week. He went on to say that Democrats would continue to lose independent voters and elections if they failed to break their alliance with the public-sector unions, who these independents see as a force for no good.
In New York, unfortunately, gerrymandered legislative districts mean that legislators like
Mr. Lachman and Ms. Nolan have such an edge in the November vote that they only need to worry about primary challenges. That translates into caring first about the most committed parts of the Democratic base (read: public employee unions).
Mr. Cuomo has seen the light and broken with the base. Only non-partisan redistricting will force legislators to take the same step. http://mycrains.crainsnewyork.com/greg_david_on_new_york/2011/01/behind-cuomos-latest-tiff-with-the-assembly.php