BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Yuh-Line Niou threw in the towel Wednesday, conceding to Dan Goldman in the Aug. 23 Democratic primary for the 10th Congressional District.
Niou finished a close second in the race, but in a seven-minute-long tweet she said it was clear Goldman had won.
“Enough of the absentee ballots have been counted,” she said, “and we are conceding the primary and I will not be on the Working Families Party line for the general [election on Nov. 8].
“We simply do not have the resources to fight all fights at the same time and we must protect our democracy now,” she stressed. “This starts with keeping insurrectionists from taking control of Congress in November.”
Niou was endorsed by the WFP in the primary election, helping solidify her as the progressives’ choice among the crowded field of candidates. Also playing to the left, she said she supports people’s right to back BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) against Israel. Goldman, however, unequivocally calls BDS anti-Semitism.
“We need a Working Families majority in Congress,” Niou declared, “a Congress that will actually care about us because it will finally be made up of us. … We need a powerful Working Families Party to serve as a pipeline for organizers and activists and working-class people of all races to become candidates, even if we don’t have the money and connections.
“I urge you to join the Working Families Party because it is our political home…” she told her supporters.
Niou said backing the WFP “will help to dismantle the system that leaves our community without a voice.”
At another point she slammed the fact “that we have a Congress that has more millionaires than people of color or working-class people. … Oligarchy — let’s call it by its name and commit ourselves to destroying it,” she urged her followers.
Signing off passionately at the end of her lengthy tweet, she said, “We rise, we fight, we rise again, and we fight again. I hope all of you will stay in the fight with me… . And I will stay in the fight with you.”
Meanwhile, Lower Manhattan will have a new assemblymember come January since Niou, the six-year incumbent — who chose to run for Congress instead of reelection — will be out of office. Grace Lee is the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 8 election.
It is important to give credit where credit is due. The WFP is no friend of the mostly immigrant-owned businesses and in fact have remained silent as unethical lawmakers serving only big real estate have destroyed the backbone of our economy. The WFP may be progressive when it comes to social issues but their record on economic policy for our city’s businesses has been disgraceful. What is affordable housing if you lose your job? The rise in property taxes produced by the decades of real estate speculation will cause huge increases in the rents of working families. The number one cause of inflation in NYC prior to the virus crisis was sky-high rents and tenants forced to pay their landlord’s property taxes. The number one cause of workers losing their jobs or having hours cut has been when a business’s lease expires and its owners have no rights. What has been WFP response to the city’s greatest small business crisis for over a decade? Endorsing corrupt lawmakers controlled by the real estate lobby.
Someone needs to educate the WFP that if the small business owners face a crisis, then their WORKERS also face a crisis.
The WFP serve themselves more than our business owners and workers.
Yet more disinformation that solves no problems and gives politicians a pass. Absolutely the City, its politicians and political parties should do more to save jobs and encourage more business to start and grow here (oh wait, thats called capitalism, the horror!) Savenycjobs, exactly how do the perennial villains of real estate have any control of taxes and/or would want higher taxes? That makes zero sense. Real estate is the one industry that cannot get up and move. Are there greedy, bad landlords? absolutely! but not all — some are trying to deliver a quality product (housing, commercial space) and get return on the risk and investment after paying the taxes, mortgage, fees, fuel, insurance, legal, repairs, tickets, improvements, etc. (I know, the nerve, right?!) The taxes have gone through the roof thanks to the politicians! State Senate and Legistature passed a series of laws in 2019 that are so beyond the pale, that make it virtually impossible to improve the crumbling, old buildings of NYC, the long-term effects will be worse then “bail reform.” Folks like me remember the 1970s when the city lost far more “affordable housing” to abandonment. Think it through, rents on “protected” tenants are basically frozen, taxes continue to skyrocket (NYC has the same budget as the STATE of Florida), so the pressure to cover costs goes to the commercial tenants, who often pay a percentage “tax increases over the base year,” so if the taxes didn’t go up, the tenants pass-along wouldn’t either (understand??). The same politicians (who also control yet more and more red tape and dizzying regulations), water, sewer, con ed, demonize the landlords instead of taking the blame for making NY such a high-cost state. Also, ask anyone who owns a house, co-op or condo how much it actually costs to fix anything in this town. Tenants have been lied to and infantilized to expect everything for free or low cost. Its just not realistic. The other factor is it’s all about supply and demand. We build very little new housing (and yes the only ones that pencil out financially WITHOUT tax abatements — which are subsidized by taxpayers — are high end). The 2019 laws have only made the situation worse as landlords cannot even recover the cost of renovating a vacant rent-controlled unit (so they sit vacant), and nothing new is built. Being pro-business, pro-jobs and yes pro-development (you know the actual city we live in was built by developers!) should not be a dirty word or even controversial, as the far-left extremists at the ironically named Working Families Party would make it out to be.
Wow, Anthony…just wow. How much can you kiss that tush?
Fact: Yuh-Line is anti-police, anti-law and order, anti-capitalism (the American system), oh, and anti-Semitic. AND a hypocrite.
During the civil unrest, she tweeted and spoke out against the NYPD (who had nothing to do with Floyd and is majority minority and women inclusive) while our Downtown community was raped, torched and looted. She continues to be silent on the explosion of crime Downtown and yet admitted to moving from Harlem after getting mugged. She supports the racist Boycott of Israel but then posts pic of her with challah and Israel Coca-Cola.(Israeli product) and yet no mention of any other world situation…like, I don’t know… China (!) and she is from Taiwan, hello.
Dan supported Alvin Bragg for DA (despite Bragg’s not wanting to actually do his job and prosecute criminals), which disqualified him for me. But he sure is a better choice then a communist, lying extremist 5th member of the Squad.
The zealots of the far left live for this misguided, self-righteous nonsense. Thankfully she lost. Please go away forever. Thank you.
Yuh-Line, thank you so so so deeply for being you, working so hard, and keeping a joyous heart.
Yes, money and advertisement won out. Unfair, untrue smear campaigns degraded the process again.
You remain such a wise and consistent and intelligent voice… and truly someone who sees a full picture, one that Dan, bless him, but he has very little experience or idea about in comparison. Hoping he learns and reorients fast.
You had genuine leadership, for you actively listened well, reflected beautifully, and fiercely, those you serve. Thank you so much.
Importantly, you truly saw politics as an opportunity to serve the higher good for all. Not an ego. Very, very rare.
You knew well the corruption in NYC’s corporate real estate (a money-laundering business), and the real fair housing that workers need to survive, our gravely costly wars, our costly nuclear weapons business … all stealing from the resources needed for our true security. The many justice reforms needed.
Thank you for an eloquent concession, that stays positive and forward with the work ahead.
Deepest gratitude. Onward together.