Five Odd Moments at the Democratic Convention

Anybody who has attended a political convention knows that they are typically choreographed charades of cheerleading for the party's slate and bashing of the opposite party, with a bit of revisionist history mixed in for good measure. The New York State Democratic Convention fit the bill perfectly, from political rivals playing the role of "good Democrat"--good to see you, Comptroller DiNapoli and Attorney General Schneiderman--down to the cacophonous whistles that blared in the ears of soon-to-be-hearing impaired reporters in the back corner. 

While the first day of the convention at least had some suspense and intrigue as to who would fill Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy's shoes in the largely irrelevant role of lieutenant governor--Cuomo announced former Rep. Kathy Hochul as his running mate in a video message--the second day served as more of a pep rally to fire up the governor's base. 

But what made an otherwise uneventful day interesting was its share of odd moments, from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi literally phoning in her speech to Bill de Blasio crediting Cuomo for his own pet issue. With that, here is a rundown the five weirdest moments from the convention. 

1. Nancy Pelosi's surprise "appearance"

When NY1's Josh Robin tweeted that Pelosi was scheduled to make a surprise speech at the convention, many were surprised that the California congresswoman and former House speaker would make the trek to Suffolk County just to add some juice to the day. Alas, the audience was left disappointed as Pelosi delivered her speech via conference call--couldn't we at least get her to Skype?--and her clichéd, bland talking points likened her speech to a glorified robocall. 

2. Melissa Mark-Viverito's presence

To be clear, we don't mean to imply that Melissa Mark-Viverito does not have the profile to justify a statewide appearance--as New York City Council Speaker and darling of the progressive movement, she lends leftist cred that Cuomo has lacked--but it was puzzling that she was tapped to introduce Cuomo's running mate. For one, Mark-Viverito has not been shy about publicly criticizing the governor on progressive issues, but Cuomo's running mate, Kathy Hochul, has had previous positions on immigration are diametrically different than the Speaker's. As Erie County clerk, Hochul opposed former governor Eliot Spitzer's proposal to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver's license, even saying she would process the applications and then report the applicants to the sheriff's office for possible immigration violations. While Mark-Viverito told reporters she hoped Hochul's views would "evolve," the timing of her appearance at the convention was strange given that the Speaker is pushing legislation in the Council to allow municipal identification cards for undocumented immigrants. 

3. Political rivals show their support

Look, we get it, conventions are an appropriate time and place to fall in line with party politics and unite behind one candidate. Yet political observers could not help but chuckle at the brief, taped nominations delivered on Thursday by political heavy hitters, a number of whom have had well-documented issues with the governor. Most notably, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli were among the officials who supported Cuomo, albeit through almost pained smiles, when both have made no secret of their difficulties in dealing with the Executive Chamber over the years. In fact, DiNapoli specifically disputed the state's purported $2 billion surplus, which Cuomo also mentioned in his remarks at the convention. Labor leaders George Gresham of 1199 SEIU and Chris Shelton of CWA District 1 also recorded videos in support for Cuomo despite their ties to the Working Families Party, which has not yet decided whether it will give its ballot line to the governor. 

4. Bill de Blasio lets Cuomo take UPK credit

It's been a contentious start to the city-state relationship for the "old friends" de Blasio and Cuomo as they clashed over several issues, including the mayor's push for a home rule minimum wage hike, funding charter schools and, of course, universal prekindergarten. Yet, despite the political differences of recent months, de Blasio is simply too valuable an ally for Cuomo since he helps protect the governor's left flank, and it was no surprise to see the mayor on stage rattling off the governor's accomplishments. What was surprising was that de Blasio gave Cuomo credit for funding universal pre-K programs throughout the state when it was de Blasio who has spearheaded that issue since he campaigned on that platform while running for mayor. We understand the merits of being a good soldier, and Cuomo provided New York City which much of the pre-K money it requested, but the governor only got fully behind universal pre-K as a worthwhile cause after de Blasio ran on that platform with great success. No need to share credit, Bill, this is your baby! (Well, Shelly Silver's too). 

5. Upstate rebirth? 

Judging by Cuomo's rhetoric during his speech accepting the Democratic Party's nomination, it is clear that the improving upstate economy will be a major focal point on the campaign trail this summer. Still, one could not help but wonder if all of the "hope and optimism" that the upstate economy is in the midst of a resurgence after a long recession was a bit premature. After all, despite Cuomo's efforts to stimulate economic development through initiatives such as the Buffalo Billion, Start Up NY, and casino gambling, Comptroller DiNapoli pointed out recently that a significant gap remains between the growth upstate and downstate. In fact, according to the state Labor Department, the number of private-sector jobs grew 2.6 percent over the past year in the 10-county downstate area, while in the 52-county upstate region, it was just 0.6 percent. Cuomo's Republican opponent Rob Astorino would be wise to seize on this sluggish pace of recovery in order to have a chance in a state where his party is vastly outnumbered.