Split New York City Mayoral Race

[Derec]

Well, you did mention broccoli...

Vile weed!

 

[unapologetic]

Isn't the WFP the NY equivalent of the FL portion?

What is the WFP?
I looked it up and found 'World Food Programme'. That WFP has ZERO votes. Not a politial party. So not equivalent.

 

[Derec]

What is the WFP?
I looked it up and found 'World Food Programme'. That WFP has ZERO votes. Not a politial party. So not equivalent.

Working Families Party. They run a separate ballot line in NY state, but usually have the same candidate as the Democrats.
For example, Kamala received almost 300k votes on the WFP line in addition to >4M on the Democratic line. Similarly Trump received >300k votes on the Conservative ballot line in addition to >3M on the GOP line.
There was speculation that had Cuomo defeated Mamdani in the primary, WFP would have ran Mamdani anyway.

 

[Politesse]

If by some miracle Silwa were to be elected, I do not think he could do that much, given that he would be balanced by the very left-wing city council.

Ergo, turning City Hall into a hell-stricken wasteland. It's never good to have a leadership structure fundamentally opposed to itself.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

There is nothing wrong with it, but I just read the privately owned grocery stores only make between 1 and 3 percent profit, so publicly owned grocery stores aren't going to lower prices very much so people will be disappointed when they realize that. I think the primary problem with Mamdani is that he's promising people too many things that he won't be able to accomplish.

That's 1 to 3 percent profit AFTER the CEOs and the rest of the overpaid management class are paid.

You continue to suffer under the illusion that executive compensation is more than a drop in the bucket of overall costs.

And what does "privately owned mean?

Kroger's former CEO, Rodney McMullen, earned a total compensation of $15.4 million in 2024.

There are probably more than a thousand more overpaid fucks in the Kroger hierarchy skimming off our food costs. It's the same throughout the entire retail chain industry.

A bit of digging. 400k employees. 11M customers/day. That's 4G customers/year. That compensation adds up to a third of a cent per customer visit.

Kroger owns a large number of other grocery store chains, including Ralphs, Dillons, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Metro Market, Pick 'n Save, Mariano's, Harris Teeter, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, and Gerbes. These chains operate under various names and formats across different regions of the United States.

We need to start anti-trust prosecutions again.

Where's the anti-trust? They've bought up various chains in various areas. Locally they have only one chain, that's generally what happens.

 

[southernhybrid]

If the centrist democrats are stupid enough to throw away the election to a Republican "influencer" just to keep a progressive out of office, they deserve the hell-stricken dystopia that would result from Sliwa's leadership would make of City Hall.

If by some miracle Silwa were to be elected, I do not think he could do that much, given that he would be balanced by the very left-wing city council. A very left-wing mayor (who in the past advocated for "seizing the means of production" and "abolishing private property", as well as for defunding police) could do a lot of damage because of an ideologically aligned city council, as well as the little less left-wing but still well left-of-center governor and state legislature.
The "hell-stricken dystopia" scenario you fear is far more likely with Mamdani occupying the Gracy Mansion.

I don't disagree with you. I'm just stating what I've read about that race. if Adams and Cuomo had dropped out, it would be easy for Mamdani to win. The last time I checked, he was almost tied with the Republican.

I think you need to check again. Mr. Cardamom is well ahead of the pack, unfortunately.
The only chance for electing a sane mayor is for Adams to drop out and endorse Cuomo.

I was just discussing this with a very young man the other day and he seemed to agree with me that no candidate is going to meet all of your criteria, but one is always better than the other or if you're a negative person, one is the lesser of two evils.

Indeed. And Mamdani is clearly the greatest weevil of them all.

The one thing he has going for him is that he is facing Cuomo and Adams, who don't exactly impress anyone.

They are, for all their manifold faults, the lesser evils here.

Yes. I know he's winning by a good margin now. My comment was based on something I read before the latest poll came out.

Of course I disagree with you that the other two assholes are better than Mamdani. One is a crook and the other one sexually harassed women. Mamdani is young and inexperienced. He will learn that he needs to compromise if he wants to accomplish anything important. People who don't like him have a tendency to pick out his most extreme statements or views instead or realizing that his main goal is to make things better for the poor and middle class citizens of his city.

NYC is an extremely expensive place to live, so something must be done if the city wants to keep the workers that it needs to do the jobs at the bottom. I doubt he will get the 30 bucks an hour minimum wage, but it's not even easy to live in NYC on that. Who knows for sure? He might get 25 bucks an hour. He might be able to have more affordable housing built or transform buildings that are vacant into housing. I don't see him as a threat. I see him as a well meaning overly idealistic candidate who wants to help the working class, the disabled, and others at the bottom of the social structure.

Besides, I don't think it should be our concern who NYC puts in office. We have our own state and cities to be concerned about.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Again, why are the prices comparatively low at Walmart, when it is a huge corporation? Even dog food is lower at Walmart compared to the other stores where I shop? We do a lot of grocery store shopping. it's almost a weird hobby for us, so I'm very familiar with the prices in many stores. Walmart starts their employees at about 15 dollars an hour. I know that because a friend of mine's son, who had no job experience started out at that pay. I would imagine that Walmarts in states with a higher cost of living might have to pay more, although there aren't very many in areas that have a high cost of living. That's not a great salary by any means but it sure beats the insanely low minimum wage.

Perhaps the best thing about adding some government owned grocery stores will be allowing people who live in areas far from grocery stores will have a place to buy groceries. I don't recall NYC having many grocery stores at all, but I haven't visited the city in about 15 or so years, so I can't be sure where people buy their food, other from the little corner markets. Maybe someone who lives in the city can fill us in on that.

But Wal-Mart is rabidly anti-union. Thus they must be low pay and evil, quit looking at the facts!

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Even though there isn't a problem with the level of competition on the retail store level?

Kroger Company/Albertsons Companies, Inc., In the Matter of

The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the largest proposed supermarket merger in U.S. history—Kroger Company’s $24.6 billion acquisition of the Albertsons Companies, Inc.—alleging that the deal is anticompetitive.

www.ftc.gov

Apparently I'm not the only one that thinks so.

Kroger/Albertsons I would have a problem with because they're often actual competitors. I don't have a problem with them buying up chains in different markets, I do not like things that reduce the number of players in a market.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Nobody complains about government run liquor stores,

I've heard people gripe about them.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

government or nonprofit stores won't lower grocery prices very much.

I don't think that's the goal.

They're trying to supply groceries in food deserts

Food deserts exist for a reason.

 

[ZiprHead]

Oopsie.

 

[laughing dog]

government or nonprofit stores won't lower grocery prices very much.

I don't think that's the goal.

They're trying to supply groceries in food deserts

Food deserts exist for a reason.

So do gulags. Do you have a point?

 

[southernhybrid]

There are several ways to try and eliminate food desserts. I read a lot about them a few days ago and will share one link. First of all, I want to add that my little town in Georgia doesn't seem to have any of these issues. There is still a small privately owned grocery store in one of the poorest sections of town, as well as a small locally owned farmer's market. There is also a large corporately owned store within walking or biking distances for anyone in decent physical shape. Most of the poor people in my town own cars or have family members that do, so while we need better public transportation, unlike large urban cities, poor people own cars in small town Georgia. I know several of them personally. If the soon to be mayor of NYC can get government owned stores to help, I see no problem with that, although it might not be so easy to get that done.

According to many articles I've read, the primary causes of food desserts is racism and poverty. All of the neighborhoods in my town in Georgia are somewhat racially integrated but there are still some that are poverty stricken, regardless of the racial makeup. There is also a community garden in one part of town that includes some poverty stricken areas.

https://www.edengreen.com/blog-collection/food-deserts

Solutions to Food Deserts​

So the question becomes, how to solve food deserts and provide equal access to fresh foods to all people, regardless of their socioeconomic status? Fortunately, several solutions are at work to help fix this problem, though we still have a long way to go toward solving food insecurity and access problems.

Government Policies and Programs​

Several governmental programs have been proposed or instituted to help solve the food desert problem.

• Tax incentives offered for grocery stores built within low-income, low-access areas help bring food solutions into the communities that need them most.
• Increased funding for public transit allows residents to more easily access food options that are not within walking distance.
• Government-sponsored gardens and urban farming initiatives bring food production into low-income communities where nutrition is often lacking.

Private Sector Solutions​

The private sector is also working toward a food desert solution. Some innovative options include

• Mobile grocery stores and food trucks bring natural foods to those who need them most.
• Community-supported agriculture programs provide both fresh foods and often nutritional education to the local community.
• Vertical farming and hydroponic technology offer a way to grow fresh vegetables at scale in an urban setting, offering these communities available hydroponic produce grown in their own neighborhoods.

Grassroots Efforts​

The third piece of the puzzle is non-profit grassroots efforts to bring change to urban deserts. This includes community advocacy and organizing, and local food co-ops and community markets that make nutritious food more accessible to communities that need it.

There are also programs like Meal on Wheels that help older adults have access to healthier foods. So, there are solutions other than government owned grocery stores. People just have to care about those who aren't as fortunate as themselves.

 

[southernhybrid]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5441989-mamdani-trump-cuomo-new-york-mayor-race/

New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani heavily criticized reported moves by President Trump regarding the mayoral race.

“Today we learned Andrew Cuomo is directly coordinating with Donald Trump, even as this President sends masked agents to rip our neighbors off the streets and guts the social services so many New Yorkers rely on,” Mamdani said in a Wednesday post on the social platform X.

“It’s disqualifying and a betrayal of our city,” he added.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that eight sources said the president talked in private about stepping into the race in an attempt to stop Mamdani from winning the November election.

According to the Times, a Republican congressman and New York businessmen have been recently pressed by the president about which of Mamdani’s rivals they believe could win against the Democratic nominee.

I expect this will backfire on Cuomo, since NYC doesn't have a lot of MAGA cult members. Still, it's rather disgusting that these two jerks are coordinating to try and defeat Mamdani.

 

[Derec]

I expect this will backfire on Cuomo, since NYC doesn't have a lot of MAGA cult members. Still, it's rather disgusting that these two jerks are coordinating to try and defeat Mamdani.

Mamdani should be defeated, for the good of NYC. That said, Cuomo is denying any coordination with Trump.

I think Trump might be playing 3D chess here and using reverse psychology to boost Mamdani. Then, when Mamdani wins and his policies fail, Trump and other Republicans can point to him as the new face of the Democratic Party. It does not help that many Democrats, particularly the fauxgressive ones, want him to be just that.

 

[southernhybrid]

I expect this will backfire on Cuomo, since NYC doesn't have a lot of MAGA cult members. Still, it's rather disgusting that these two jerks are coordinating to try and defeat Mamdani.

Mamdani should be defeated, for the good of NYC. That said, Cuomo is denying any coordination with Trump.

I think Trump might be playing 3D chess here and using reverse psychology to boost Mamdani. Then, when Mamdani wins and his policies fail, Trump and other Republicans can point to him as the new face of the Democratic Party. It does not help that many Democrats, particularly the fauxgressive ones, want him to be just that.

Just because they are both now denying it, doesn't mean they aren't lying. We know that Trump lies every time his lips are moving and we know the other guy is a real asshole, so while I don't know if he's lying, it's certainly within the realm of possibilities. Have you noticed that since Mamdani is leading, Cuomo is now pledging to stand for more progressive policies? To me, it sounds like power is his primary goal, not improving things for the people in NYC.

 

[laughing dog]

I expect this will backfire on Cuomo, since NYC doesn't have a lot of MAGA cult members. Still, it's rather disgusting that these two jerks are coordinating to try and defeat Mamdani.

Mamdani should be defeated, for the good of NYC. That said, Cuomo is denying any coordination with Trump.

I think Trump might be playing 3D chess here and using reverse psychology to boost Mamdani. Then, when Mamdani wins and his policies fail, Trump and other Republicans can point to him as the new face of the Democratic Party. It does not help that many Democrats, particularly the fauxgressive ones, want him to be just that.

Trump is playing 3D chess with dominoes.

 

[ZiprHead]

Mamdani should be defeated, for the good of NYC.

Oh Noes!!! He wants to use "socialism" to help people!



"Socialism is the epithet they hurled at every advance the people have made in the lst 20 years..." - Harry Truman

 

[unapologetic]

I think Trump might be playing 3D chess

It's doubtfull Rump knows how to play regular chess. For him the 3D version would be chest.

 

[Derec]

Just because they are both now denying it, doesn't mean they aren't lying.

It also does not mean that there is some sort of conspiracy between Trump and Cuomo.

We know that Trump lies every time his lips are moving and we know the other guy is a real asshole, so while I don't know if he's lying, it's certainly within the realm of possibilities.

A lot of things are "within the realm of possibilities". However, I Trump will benefit most from chaos in NYC. And that is most likely with Mamdani at the helm.

Have you noticed that since Mamdani is leading, Cuomo is now pledging to stand for more progressive policies? To me, it sounds like power is his primary goal, not improving things for the people in NYC.

I don't like Cuomo much. But he and Adams are definitely the lesser weevils here, and all but one should drop out and make it a two person race. That's the best chance to avert disaster.