Cuomo has no path to the White House, Dems’ ‘women with guns’ problem, & other comments

From the right: Cuomo Has No Path to White House

Three years from the next presidential election, pundits are already “pondering the depths” of Gov. Cuomo’s national ambition, notes John William Schiffbauer at Gotham Gazette — who asks: “What’s his constituency?” Having accepted $18 million in campaign contributions from financial, real-estate and lobbying groups, it’s doubtful he “would resonate very deeply amongst the fiercely populist, anti-corporate liberal grassroots millennials and other left-wing special-interest groups.” And “if he can’t inspire the base, then how can he expect to emerge triumphant from a presidential primary rife with younger, more appealing progressive leaders?” Add to that Cuomo’s record — including “failed ethics” — and a third term as governor will likely “be the apex of his decades-long political career.”

Conservative take: New Hypocrisy on Anti-Semitism

Gary Weiss at National Review says something makes him “uneasy” about the coverage of the new wave of anti-Semitism, including cemetery vandalism: “It’s the stench of cynicism, of rank hypocrisy and of media double standards.” Reports often suggest that these attacks are “inspired” by the Trump administration’s “bigotry.” Yet in 2010, when 200 tombstones were overturned at a Jewish cemetery in Brooklyn, “there were no fundraisers by Muslim-Americans” and no coverage in major media, except for The Post. Fact is, “anti-Semitism has become politicized, and has become entwined in the widespread disdain” for Trump. And some groups “are cynically exploiting the wave of anti-Semitism as political cover” for their fiercely anti-Israel advocacy.

Politics watch: Media Grooming Chelsea As New Trump

Because Democrats can’t understand “how they were bested by a political figure they see as an empty suit with a pedigree famous for little more than tweeting,” they’re looking for something similar, suggests Noah Rothman at Commentary. Hence “the contrived, media-driven campaign to fabricate Chelsea Clinton into a figure of political and cultural relevance.” We’re told she possesses “both political power and the ability to speak forcefully about threats to American democracy.” Yet that “power” has “been conferred upon her exclusively by the reporters glowingly praising her snarky tweets,” which have been described as a “distinctive, sometimes sassy, voice America hasn’t heard before.” The least we can do, he suggests sarcastically, it to convince a New York House member to retire and “make room for a new generation of Clintons.”

Reporter: Women With Guns Are Dems’ Next Worry

Women are becoming “a profitable new target customer for gun-shop owners and firearms manufacturers,” says Salena Zito in the Washington Examiner. And they’re the so-called “shy voters” who “flocked to Donald Trump” last November without telling anyone they intended to do so and are “unlikely to reverse course soon.” So “as Democrats continue to make gun control a wedge issue in elections, they underestimate the damage they are doing to their own chances among women.” Particularly “white, suburban, conservative, pro-Second-Amendment women who didn’t particularly like Trump but couldn’t vote for [Hillary] Clinton.” Indeed, polls show women increasingly supporting gun rights. Which “suggests Democrats will need to recalibrate their gun-control message for future elections.”

Foreign desk: US Should Test Russia on ISIS

The Rand Corporation’s Andrew Parasiliti thinks Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s promise to consider working with Russia “where we can find areas of practical cooperation” is “a worthy approach.” Writing in Al-Monitor, he says the fight against ISIS is a perfect example: “If the Trump administration is considering sending US ground forces to Syria to enforce safe zones or help take Raqqa,” it “might benefit from a Russian assist.” But “what the US should not do is get sucked into another regime change misadventure, as happened in Iraq and Libya.” So “if Russia is willing to cooperate with the US-led coalition in the fight against IS and al-Qaeda, and help end Syria’s civil war through a UN-brokered process, it should be welcomed.”

— Compiled by Eric Fettmann

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