It's an obvious measure of her suburban mindset, but I sincerely doubt Hochul lit billions of dollars on fire for a $30k donation from car dealers. The simplest explanation and the one that's being reported is that calls from Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer and other big Dems were the major factor.
Unlikely that this specific donation did anything more to guide Hochul's decision than factors like ambient car culture, reactionary suburban voters who treat driving into the city as divine right, or a refusal to take the city itself seriously, but disempowering car dealers as a class still good.
Hochul killed congestion pricing because she made a misguided decision that it would help Democrats in November if it went away quietlly. Where she completely fucked up was counting on the "quietly" part. She's now ensured it remains an issue through November, likely fucking over Democrats.
I can't say for sure, but the fact that she made this announcement in a pre-recorded video and not in a live press conference where she'd have to take questions from reporters suggests she anticipated at least some amount of negative reaction!
Also she made the decision 48 hours before the end of the legislative session because she figured it would pressure state legislators to do her regressive sales tax idea. But she’s already lost show downs like this and it just made more enemies. Why did she think this would work?
The truth of the matter (that congestion pricing is a good idea and economically progressive) aside, the fact that the TP "you are making driving more expensive and that means you are hurting regular people" is just way too easy to communicate, and it scares all Dems.
Or if you know it’s gonna be an issue politically, find a way to implement it that isn’t five months before a colossally important election where there’s national implications for keeping suburban and exurban wealthy New Yorkers from being too reactionary at the ballot box
yeah - on 5/20 in Dublin when she gave a speech promoting congestion pricing, she wasn't responding to a $30k donation from some auto dealers. That's a cover charge for a governor.
Much more boring type of corruption here: car brain
Genuine question - when do we think the last time a sitting governor used mass transit as anything other than a photo op? My guess is Dukakis, but that might easily be locality bias.
Is Schumer on the record opposed to congestion pricing?
Or it's invisible realpolitik...
www.politico.com/news/2024/06...
Having designed a game that works this way, bleak but understood.
#PlayEnergetic
OTOH, if they were hoping for contributions of money / time from city Democrats to shore up their races in Westchester / Long Island, they've thoroughly fucked that up now - lefty Manhattanites will be downright gleeful if Suozzi or Ryan loses their seat.
Obviously she also wanted to kill it and was surrounded by people telling her she has to. A friend active in the party is convinced it was good politics bc everyone she knows was upset about it.
