NY needs pragmatism, not political party extremes

The shape of partisan and political alignments in America always proves fluid over time. Fault lines are defined by changing demographics, ideologies and economics.

In New York, Democratic dominance of statewide offices and power centers hasn’t meant unity of purpose but a new polarity. Zealously left-wing elected officials, mostly from New York City, are on separate pages from their more “moderate” suburban colleagues, who keep losing electoral ground to Republicans. The state’s divided Democrats disagree on criminal justice, crime control, taxes and economic development — all obstacles to an April 1 budget agreement.

Last week, state and Nassau County Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs pushed back against left-wing critics in his tent. He blasted the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America that says: “Defund the police by rejecting any expansion to police budgets or scope of enforcement while cutting budgets annually towards zero.” Jacobs astutely stated on WNYC radio: “We're a diverse state with diverse regions, with different electorates and different types of campaigns on the Island and upstate New York. We have real competitive campaigns with Republicans. You don't see that in much of New York City. Some areas, yes. So we have to be mindful of all of that and work together.”

Progressive zealots and avowed socialists in the five boroughs might do well to hear that. They also might beware: Some analysts suggest post-pandemic dysfunction in cities could ultimately thin out their voter base.

"Us or them" can be a destructive credo within a party caucus. The GOP has a similar problem. 

Even for centrist Democrats, the MAGA movement became a rallying point during the Donald Trump administration. This week, Ed Cox returned as state Republican chairman. He said he won’t endorse a presidential candidate before next year’s primary here. That was all it took for the likes of Carl Paladino, the former gubernatorial candidate from Buffalo, to exclaim: “Trump is what this country needs right now. Trump instills confidence in the future.” The New York Young Republican Club in Manhattan also remains fiercely Trump-centric.

Perhaps, our two-party system needs to be less blithely accepted. What if you — like many Long Islanders — support good law enforcement and see cashless bail as a problem, but also back tougher gun laws and reduced incarceration? Neither party might be right for you. The state has the Working Families and Conservative parties — but those mostly serve to steer the major parties from within. New talk of a “Moderate Party” sounds fine but so did the “Independence Party,” now dormant and discredited.

It's time to consider why unaffiliated voters are the state’s second-biggest “party” — and to remember parties are nowhere in the Constitution. Should we contemplate coalition deals like in other nations?

Parties rise, fall and adapt over time. At the moment, pragmatists must be heard — those not wedded to slogans and abstractions. Popular governance demands it.