SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE: 

MUST WE SUFFER?  New Yorkers now face more political trauma.  From the New York Post:   The left is looking to oust Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in next year’s Democratic primary — which gives Republicans a chance to take the seat if they can nominate a heavy-hitter for the general.  The Post reported weeks ago on progressives’ ambitions for the seat, and now the left-leaning Daily Beast confirms the “emerging sense among New York insiders” that she’s “vulnerable enough.”  Ironically, she’s so vulnerable to the left for the same reason she’s failed to face a major GOP challenge in the past: She’s had so little impact that most voters barely know who she is.  In a general election in this heavily Democratic state, that gives her enough of an edge that big names shy away. But in a lower-turnout primary, it’s an invitation to well-organized progressives.  On that front, the biggest-name potential challenger is plainly democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose $5.4 million campaign war chest eclipses the senator’s own $4 million fund. Other possibilities: ex-Rep. Mondaire Jones and Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres (though he says he’s not interested in running). Did someone say AOC?  Oh no.  It's bad enough to replace one mediocrity with another, but does it have to be a socialist mediocrity?  We should demand that New York be declared a political disaster area, and eligible for federal psychiatric aid.  We are deserving.  We are deserving.

February 25, 2023