Populist Reform of the Democratic Party

You asked about the prospects for a Teachout campaign against Schumer. I did some volunteer work for Teachout and I know something about New York politics, so I gave you my response about Schumer's situation.

That Schumer faces no serious danger means that neither Teachout nor anyone else should run against him with the expectation of winning. That doesn't end the inquiry, though. I supported Teachout against Cuomo even though I knew she had no serious expectation of winning.

Teachout did at least draw some attention to her issues. I don't know whether a primary challenger to Schumer would have the same effect. The media may have given Teachout some coverage because of Cuomo's perceived weakness. In 2006, when Hillary Clinton ran for re-election, she also had an underfunded progressive challenger, labor activist Jonathan Tasini. She refused to debate him and completely ignored him. The corporate media didn't pay nearly as much attention to Tasini as they did last year to Teachout. I suspect that a challenger to Schumer would fall more into the Tasini than Teachout category. That doesn't mean we must give Schumer a free pass, but it is a factor to take into account.