JONATHAN TURLEY: Rep Goldman is trying to rage bait his way to victory. Can he?
New York Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman is fast becoming the Marie Antoinette of New York politics. As Democratic socialists rage against the privileged elite and promise sweeping welfare programs, Goldman is doubling down on promises of more impeachments and investigations. The ultimate establishment candidate is floundering. He is reportedly more than 20 points behind his Mamdani-endorsed opponent, housing advocate and former Comptroller Brad Lander. It appears that the "let-them-eat impeachments" is not resonating with his constituents.
While Goldman is trying to fight off the challenge from the left with some pocketbook pitches, he is sticking to the narrative that got him elected a few years ago. In an "age of rage," Goldman has excelled, pushing unstepped on, unadulterated rage. Since his entry into politics, he has run on what was viewed as the sure winner in New York politics: obsessive, unending attacks on President Donald Trump. Goldman made sure that no one was more enraged at all things Trump, all the time.
In this campaign, Goldman has returned to the same theme of promising new investigations and impeachments.
Goldman claimed recently on MSNOW that he will lead any impeachment of Trump. ("[Maryland Democrat Rep.] Jamie Raskin and I will be leading investigations into Trump’s corruption, into all of the cabinet officials").
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Even as his polls showed him trailing Lander, he was promising on May 18 that he had yet another basis to impeach Trump over his $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," a settlement fund that is expected to go to people investigated and prosecuted over the Jan. 6th riot.
Some of us have criticized the creation of the fund as irregular and lacking congressional consultation. That is not to say that Trump is not right about the violation over the leaking of his taxes or the abuses that occurred after Jan. 6.
In a March 22, 2021, interview with CBS News, Justice Department official Michael Sherwin declared that they wanted to send a message with the harsh treatment of defendants "to ensure that there was shock and awe." The result was excessive measures against some who were simply present at the protest or did not engage in any violence.
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Despite my objections to how the fund was created, it is neither illegal nor impeachable in my view. These settlement funds have long been left to the discretion of the Justice Department and past administrations have made generous settlements with politically aligned groups.
However, the race in the 10th District may answer a more important question than another impeachment frenzy in Congress.
The question is whether Goldman and other candidates can secure another term on rage alone. We will soon know whether Goldman’s "let them eat impeachments" pitch can override the bread-and-butter policies of Lander or New York Democrat Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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It is not that anger has lost its cachet, but the subject has changed as socialism sweeps over the Democratic Party, particularly in New York.
In this "eat-the-rich" environment, Goldman is hardly a natural fit in modern Democratic politics. He is no "one percenter," mind you. He is the guy the one percenter looks on as privileged and entitled.
As emphasized by Lander in his campaign, Goldman inherited his vast wealth as heir to the Levi Strauss family and is worth more than $200 million. He reportedly has at least three luxury homes in Atlantic Beach on Long Island, Manhattan and Water Mill in the Hamptons.
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He seems to be the perfect example of the super-wealthy denounced by New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when she insisted that "you just can’t earn" a billion dollars. In Goldman’s case, he was born into such wealth. Goldman is not the antagonist, but the embodiment, of the socialist scourge.
To be fair to Goldman, he hasn’t focused on being an average Joe with shared life experiences. He has made himself known to the establishment as someone willing to enthusiastically do those things that repel others.
When attacks on ICE personnel increased exponentially (including attacks shown on television), Goldman denied seeing examples of such increasing attacks.
When evidence mounted of then-President Joe Biden’s alleged influence peddling, it was Goldman who denied the corruption, insisting that they were just honest businessmen making money.
When evidence mounted of the Biden administration coordinating a massive censorship system, it was Goldman who dismissed such concerns.
When other Democrats decried the Biden Administration’s seizure of members of Congress’ phone records, Goldman ran out to downplay the attack on the legislative branch.
When the administration sought to investigate those burning Teslas and dealerships by protesters, Goldman denounced it as a "political weaponization" of the legal system.
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Lander continues to attack Goldman over his inherited wealth and for pouring huge amounts of his own money into the race. Despite the dismal polling, Goldman has outspent Lander in the campaign, vowing to match every donated dollar with his own money.
It is shaping up as the ultimate race of the socialist wing of Mamdani and Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders with Lander versus the establishment with Goldman.
Nevertheless, Goldman is an example of how the impeachment frenzy is likely to continue as members search for new targets to curry favor with voters. On May 21, Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen has announced that he will file frivolous articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts "for compromising the credibility of the court."
That may not be enough for Dan Goldman, who could find himself the latest establishment casualty of the very mob that they hoped would keep them in power.