Heartbreak, New York

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Brooklyn apartment is right off Grand Army Plaza, a monstrous traffic circle that serves as a nexus for major thoroughfares like Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway, plus one of the main entrances to Prospect Park. His building overlooks the green sprawl from the west, and once inside the park, you can see it rising above the treeline. It’s a reminder that while he’s one of the most powerful men in the country, he’s also our neighbor. And this week he profoundly let us down—as both a leader and a neighbor. 

Both Schumer and fellow New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand voted Friday in favor of Trump and the GOP’s funding bill to avert a government shutdown. They did so in the midst of an unprecedented attack on the federal government, and against the wishes of the largest labor union supporting federal employees. Even the most cynical possible explanations still don’t ring true. We may never fully understand why they did it; but we’ll never forget that they did. 

As the very concept of democracy crumbles around us, so does the idea of New York’s historical status of a liberal bastion. If our leaders—in the mayor’s office, in Albany, in DC—aren’t willing to fight for us, how secure can we really feel about a progressive future here? 

The latter half of this week showed Dems in disarray and they tried to reach a consensus on whether to allow the federal government to shut down or give the maniacal president everything he wants. To most Democratic voters, the choice seemed simple: The government has already been effectively shut down via the machinations of DOGE and the weaponization of federal government agencies against their own that it couldn’t possibly get worse by allowing funding to lapse, showing unity, and sending a message that they won’t tolerate bullshit.

Unfortunately as we’ve learned time and again, Congressional Democrats’ tolerance for bullshit exceeds the daily recommended dose. (Though RFK Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services could very well change that figure.)

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand were not alone in their total surrender: Their accomplices in passing the funding bill were John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Gary Peters of Michigan, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats, also voted to pass it.

Many Democrats were understandably infuriated by the absence of leadership when we learned Thursday evening that Schumer was going to vote in favor of the funding bill. Before the final vote on Friday, New York Democratic Party chairman and continual disappointment Jay Jacobs released a defensive statement on behalf of his friend. 

“Too many Democrats prefer the ‘circular firing squad’ and ‘eating our own’ to the more effective approach of finding the right long-term strategy. Once again, this is such a case,” the summer camp magnate wrote. He went on to say that Schumer was “100% correct” in his approach and that anger at him “may feel good giving vent to our frustration, but will work against our long-term desire to win back the Congress in 2026 and the Presidency in 2028."

What establishment Democratic leaders either fail to see or refuse to see is that if they don’t buckle down right this moment, winning in 2026 is off the table. The clip at which Trump and Elon Musk are selling off the federal government for parts calls for battle-ready fighters—not cowardly appeasers. And the resentment towards them has begun to fester exponentially. That’s to say nothing of the shrinking possibility of free and fair elections next year.

As for the suggestion of a “circular firing squad,” it’s the voters who feel most attacked. They’re losing their jobs, they’re paying more for everything, their Social Security checks may stop and their Medicare and Medicaid benefits could be yanked. Are we supposed to thank the people holding the door open for fascism and telling us that they’ll figure out a way to lock it later?

Erstwhile in Congress, another Brooklyn Democrat has repeatedly let voters down. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been a continual disappointment in the effort against the GOP’s shock and awe campaign. He couldn’t even manage to whip the entire New York Democratic caucus to vote against censuring Rep. Al Green for his protest at Trump’s speech. Reps Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen felt more than comfortable breaking from the party. 

"I'm trying to figure out what leverage we actually have," Jeffries said at a February press conference. "What leverage do we have? Republicans have repeatedly lectured America — they control the House, the Senate and the presidency. It's their government."

Indeed it is their government if you allow it to be. And that is the sentiment that persists throughout the party—and certainly in the state of New York.

In just three short months New York City will hold its mayoral primaries. And in a city as “blue” as this, the Democratic primary is essentially the general; the winner will undoubtedly take all come November. And that’s why it’s enraging to see that the leading contenders right now are two of the most loathsome Democrats in the country. 

Former cop and current Mayor Eric Adams prevailed in 2021, partly because of the city utilizing ranked choice voting for the first time and voters not understanding the mechanics of the system. (For those unfamiliar, voters can rank the candidates instead of choosing just one, allowing them more impact on the result.) Adams eked out a win ahead of candidates with more political talent and intellect in an election with record-low turnout. 

Adams’ tenure began with complete bafflement, was overtaken by a criminal indictment, and will close with him sucking at Trump’s teat to say thank you for helping him get rid of the charges. Meanwhile, immigrants in the city are fresh prey for Trump’s goon squads, and Columbia University, the city’s one Ivy League institution, is being raked over the coals for not fighting antisemitism with racism. New York is getting pummeled with the permission of our mayor. 

And in yet another show of liberal weakness, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office for colluding with the Trump administration to save his own ass and has so far declined to use it. 

A normal reaction to this total capitulation would be to advance a candidate in the June primary who is everything that Adams is not: level-headed; empathetic; an actual Democrat. Which makes the very real possibility of a Mayor Andrew Cuomo that much more infuriating. His fellow New York Democrats have declined to draw a line when it comes to supporting a man with credible accusations of sexual harassment against him from 13 different women and who was kicked out of his job as governor. 

“I’ve known Andrew Cuomo for decades,” Senator Gillibrand said when NY1 recently asked her about his frontrunner status in the mayoral primary. “He has a lot of talent as an executive, he’s been a very strong governor and done very good things for New York.”

Here Gillibrand sounds like a shell of the person who was first to call for Al Franken’s resignation from the senate, and far from someone who has claimed to be a champion for women’s rights. What are you so afraid of, Senator?

Of course a select few bright spots still remain for New Yorkers clinging to the hope that this era of conservatism will lift and make way for the progress we know the state is capable of. 

New York Attorney General Tish James has been a steadfast voice against federal fascism and had led other state’s attorneys general in the fight. In response to a recent anti-immigrant lawsuit brought by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, James said “I am prepared to defend our laws, just as I always have.”

New York State Assemblymember and New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani brought the energy voters craved Wednesday when he confronted Trump Border Czar Tom Homan in Albany about the illegal detainment of Mahmoud Khalil. 

“How many New Yorkers will you detain without charge?” Mamdani yelled at Homan through a gaggle of cops. “Do you believe in the First Amendment?” Video of Mamdani’s confrontation has spread like wildfire across social media, and it’s no mystery why: New Yorkers want a fighter and Mamdani has demonstrated his agility in the ring.

And of course Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez remains one of the state’s strongest voices for bravery and solidarity, calling out Schumer for his cowardice. The demands for her to primary him in 2028 grow louder by the minute. 

But if there’s any lesson to be gleaned by New York Democrats and disaffected voters everywhere it’s that elected officials will not and cannot save the day. While politicians may also be our neighbors, they often answer to different interests. Being a good and righteous neighbor yourself is the only way through.