If it weren’t for the great social media campaign of Zephyr Teachout and the postings by Mistermix about how awful Cuomo is and how he has basically acted like an Emperor, I wouldn’t have known what a total asshole Governor Cuomo is. And I certainly didn’t realize he was this much of an asshole:
For Cuomo, the disdain goes even deeper. If this campaign has shown us anything, it has shown us Andrew Cuomo as Richard Nixon. Like Nixon, he believes the word “independent” only ever appears in scare quotes: Nixon appointed an “independent” prosecutor, and then demanded the special prosecutor take direction from Nixon; Cuomo appointed an “independent” corruption commission and then insisted it was “absurd” to say the governor had no power to stop it from investigating him.
But the likeness is even deeper. There’s a meanness that wasn’t as obvious before. And a pettiness. If there’s one thing great politicians are great at, it is the ability to step outside the fight, and treat each other decently. Watch this from the Labor Day Parade:
The man can’t even look her in the face. She’s smiling and open, persistent in her effort to engage him. He acts as if he doesn’t even see her — forgetting that as humans, and all recognize the ‘I’m pretending I don’t see you’ look.
I really hope Zephyr pulls this out, despite the fact that Zephyr/Wu sounds like a really bad Indie band. Was there a meanness like this to Mario Cuomo? Or did the apple just fall very far from the tree?
monkeyfister
Every time I hear the name Wu, I can’t help but think of Deadwood.
But, I really hope Cuomo goes down hard.
c u n d gulag
I’m voting for Zephyr in the primary tomorrow.
I loved Mario.
His son fell not only far from the tree – he fell down a canyon and across a river.
He’s always been a Republican in Democratic clothing.
He’s disgusting.
Epicurus
While I know neither of these gentlemen personally, it is my considered opinion that the apple fell far from the tree, and then rolled over into the neighbors’ orchard. I admire Mario Cuomo greatly; his son is a pale imitation, coasting through life on his father’s reputation. As soon as I read the NYT story about Andrew stonewalling the Moreland Commission, it sealed the deal for me. I voted for Cuomo fils once; a mistake I will not repeat. He is truly a loathsome, lying politician. But then, I repeat myself….
Geeno
Mario was a completely different person than his son. Mario always acted like he remembered what it’s like to not be privileged. He always kept his ego – and I’m sure he had one – under control.
Even if some people thought it was act, he at least cared enough to do the act. Andrew can’t be bothered.
Derelict
I live about 10 miles from New York, but I sure wish I could vote against Lil’ Andy. He’s absolutely atrocious. If you only look at his actions and his policies, you’d swear he’s a Republican. He’s not just a DINO–he’s a fucking mole.
Don K
My guess is it’s the “offspring of disappointed Dem politicians” effect. Just as Bayh, Evan, decided after his dad’s defeat that one has to be a conservadem to be elected in IN, Cuomo has decided that to be successful Dem pols have to emulate Rep pols, including their dickishness.
Cacti
Andrew Cuomo is another Clintonite.
Iowa Old Lady
I’m reading Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy series, set in Belfast during the Troubles. Steve King just turned up, touring and raising money for the IRA. As an equal opportunity scorner, Duffy also finds Joe Kennedy (Bobby’s son) to be a fool. Also I’d forgotten that John Delorean was arrested on drug charges. These are good books if you’re looking for something to read.
c u n d gulag
@Cacti:
More like a Reaganite.
Violet
I don’t remember Mario Cuomo very well, but I remember “Say it isn’t so, Mario!” when he decided he wasn’t running for president, whatever year that was. He always seemed like he had plenty of charisma and was a real person. I’ve never gotten that feeling from Andrew.
jl
Gee, just like FDR, Truman and Big Dawg! And Biden. Even Hills. This Cuomo guy is just a friendly people person through and through! Can’t help himself from getting lost in the crowd.
I remember running into Willie Brown regularly in SF, before, during, and after he was mayor. One of his offices was very close to mine right before and after he was mayor. He barely knew me from shit, and eventually found out I had done work with a guy whose guts he hated. Man, when we would run into each other, he would greet me, smile like his head was going to crack open, ask how I was doing, make some small talk and jokes.
I would be guilty of horrible name dropping and ‘Brown’-nosing by writing that, except for the fact that he is like that with every person he runs into who makes the slightest friendly gesture, and Brown has a few seconds to spare.
maya
Andrew Cuomo is to Mario Cuomo, as
Mitt Romney is to George Romney.
Someone is peeing in the gene pool.
jl
Edit: Brown even engages with passersby who heckle and razz him and come up to challenge him on something.. Usually with a smile and quizzical ‘WTF is up with you, dude?” attitude.
Elizabelle
That New York Times editorial, declining to endorse Zephyr Teachout, was a contender for wuss of the year award.
I would love to see her toss Cuomo. Who says corruption in government is not an issue whose time has come?
Gary
It would be awesome but getting people to vote for someone named “Zephyr Teachout”? Really? not gonna happen.
MattF
@maya: Regression to the mean. And in Cuomo’s case, regression to the meaner.
Mike in NC
So he’s basically a thinner version of neighbor Chris Christie?
Elizabelle
@Gary:
“Barack Obama” would like a word with you.
ETA: Make that “Barack Hussein Obama.”
Bobby Thomson
Cuomo sucks ass. He will also crush Teachout. Wu, on the other hand, has a real shot.
Cuomo is my primary reason for not opposing Clinton for president, because he is by far the most likely alternative.
RSR
Wu is scaring them a lot. Hope he pulls through. Both of them, really.
Also, there’s a similarly feasible underdog progressive (potential) candidate that might unseat that other dbag, Rahm Emanuel, in Chicago. Keep an eye on teachers union head Karen Lewis out there.
jl
@Mike in NC:
‘ So he’s basically a thinner version of neighbor Chris Christie? ”
for now. I sense a slow evolution towards Christie along several lines.
Ruviana
@Gary: I take your point but I remember people saying it’d be impossible to get anyone to vote for someone named “Barack Obama,” so foreign sounding so odd. It was about maybe six, seven years ago I think.
ETA: Elizabelle types faster than me.
Waynski
I worked in two separate buildings in Manhattan with pol offices — one housed Sen. Schumer’s office and one housed Andrew Cuomo’s when he was A.G. I remember Schumer smiled holding the elevator for me and we made some chit chat on the way up. He said “Come on in. I don’t bite.” I mentioned that he attended an event on food safety in the meat-packing district that my sister put together (she nearly died of e-coli poisoning) — he remembered it. He used the floor’s public restroom and always said hello to people. In the other building, Cuomo would charge through the lobby barking orders at assistants, never making eye contact with anyone.
Jay C
@Don K:
Except that in Andrew Cuomo’s case, the dickishness is probably unnecessary: In New York, a rare State where liberals/progressives actually have some sort of voice and influence, he could probably garnered a hell of a lot more support by making nice to progressives – but instead, he’s spent most of his administration bitching about the crappy-politics-as-usual games in Albany, while said games are basically all that occupies his time. The gay-marriage campaign (which he’s tried to stress repeatedly to bolster his ‘left’ credentials) is OK, of course, but when it comes to economics, the State’s economic structure, or political power, he’s better than the NY GOP only in avoidance of the wingier of wingnut prejudices. And is, at least, slightly better than the B-team dimbulbs the Republicans tend to put up.
Emphasis on “slightly”.
I’ve missed voting in this years’ primary: unfortunately, I have been unable to get back to the City either to vote, or pick up my absentee ballot. I (unfortunately) feel that Teachout and/or Wu don’t really stand much of a chance – but voting against King Andy and his handpicked hack is an opportunity I really regret having to pass on…
Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)
@Iowa Old Lady: Joe, if not a fool, is at least a cad who treated his first wife and children atrociously.
But at least he did one good thing in his life: JOE 4 OIL.
beltane
Andrew Cuomo takes after his father the same way the corrupt and megalomaniac Emperor Commodus took after his father, the much-admired Marcus Aurelius. The Mario Cuomo I remember best was the governor who, back in 1989, sat down with students protesting tuition raises at CUNY, and agreed to hold off on the increases for one year. He kept his word and at no time were the students harassed or abused by the police. I cannot imagine Andrew, or many other Democrats today, governing like this.
beltane
@Waynski: Even back in the early 90’s, before he was AG or even a member of the Clinton administration, Andrew Cuomo was known to be a dick to ordinary people he encountered in lower Manhattan. John Kennedy, Jr., by contrast, was reported to be invariably polite to the many commoners who would stop to speak to him.
WereBear
@Waynski: It is a tremendous challenge for people who do well from humble beginnings to raise their children with similar qualities. I know the Rockefellers worked very hard to instill public service in their family.
Then again, there’s only so much a parent can do. It was the thought that I might wind up with a version of my least favorite relative that gave me pause about reproducing.
Nutella
@Iowa Old Lady:
Yeah, Joe Kennedy’s not too bright.
Heh. DeLorean drug jokes are pretty much all I remember about him! I think he made a car, too, and wanted to use the drugs to finance the car.
wenchacha
Mario Cuomo exuded warmth, integrity, and true concern. It may have just been a great act, but it never felt that way to me. Andrew is a politician, through and through. I do recall hearing my blowhard retired cop neighbor assuring his friend that “if Cuomo gets into office, forget having a gun.”
Because that happened.
zmulls
Mario Cuomo’s speech to the ’84 convention was mind-blowingly good. And it seemed like he meant what he was saying.
Catherine D.
@RSR:
Judging by the unprecedented number of Cuomo/Hochul mailings and robocalls I’ve gotten in the last two weeks, Andy Pandy is worried. I will take great pleasure voting for Teachout/Wu tomorrow, even if neither wins.
Brendan in NC
@wenchacha: Mario sure did. I met Mario through my mother, who was one of the first female County Legislators in Monroe County (she server with Louise Slaughter, another of my favorites). We’d be at an event, and he’d walk by, stop, and chat as much with us as he did with my mother.
burnspbesq
@Gary:
Within the Baseball Arc, i.e., south of Yankee Stadium and west of Citi Field, Teachout is golden. I’m still waiting to see a credible plan to sell her in places like West Islip, Gloversville, and Buffalo.
Roger That
There was a mix-up at the hospital, Mario Cuomo’s actual son went on to become the frontman for Weezer.
(it was a terrible hospital, mixing up babies 13 years apart)
Rusty
@zmulls: : Mario Cuomo’s speech to the ’84 convention was mind-blowingly good. And it seemed like he meant what he was saying.
One of the all time great speeches in political history. It gave me chills watching it live on television. My days of being a liberal and voting for Democrats date from 1984. Shook off the burdens of being raised in an ultra-conservative househld at the ripe age of 24.
Dog On Porch
I live a continent away, and Cuomo Jr. hasn’t accomplished anything to impress me. I know being governor of NY confers a certain mantle, but why anyone considers him presidential timber is beyond me. Those who think otherwise should step back, and try to take a more objective look (starting with east coast journalists).
laym AKA albany layman
why anyone considers him presidential timber is beyond me
Mostly Prince Humperdink/Andy considers him to be.
Along with, perhaps, some of the shallower members of the media, who think that the distant history of NY governors going on to be president could still be relevant today.
Don’t vote for Cuomo. He sucks.
I send that message out to burnspbesq, and to voters from Chautauqua county to Warren, from Wyoming county to Orange. Identifying parts of the state is fun!
priscianus jr
I didn’t always agree with Mario, but he was a mensch. Andrew is a twerp.
Geeno
@Dog On Porch: There was a period of time when being Governor of NY made you presidential timber – Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt – and a couple of presidential losers – most notably Thomas Dewey of “Dewey defeats Truman” fame and Nelson Rockefeller, but, yeah, that was a while ago. Still, for some reason any NY Governor – even a gnome like Pataki – gets some “presidential timber” buzz.
priscianus jr
@Gary: … getting people to vote for someone named “Zephyr Teachout”? Really? not gonna happen.
We’re talkin about New York here.
Geeno
@priscianus jr: My first reaction when I heard her name was “No way, you’re making that up”. That said, I’m voting for her tomorrow.
Geeno
OOPS – f’d up on McKinley
His association with Buffalo is so tight you’d think he lived there.
But – NY did give us our only “English as a Second Language” president: Martin Van Buren, a native Dutch speaker.
HRA
The apple did not fall far from the tree. Then, maybe there were 2 Mario Cuomos.
Mnemosyne
@Geeno:
I freely admit, when I first heard of Terry Teachout, I assumed it was one of those made-up hippie names, like when Barbara Hershey briefly changed her name to “Barbara Seagull.”
But, nope, it’s a real name. Anglicized from Dutch.
ETA: I don’t blame her for her first name — I grew up with way too many kids who had hippie parents.
JimV
I remember Mario Cuomo as one of those rare politicians who answered questions by telling you what he thought and why he thought it, rather than what he thought you wanted to hear. Best NY Governor of my lifetime, I think. Andrew Cuomo might be the worst. (Yes, there were several Republicans, but Republicans used to be not so bad, in NYS anyway.)
Cervantes
@wenchacha:
Exude he did.
On the other hand, you got a different impression if you ever ran for office against him.
In 1977, for example, he — and Ed Koch, and Bella Abzug, and Richard Ravitch (Diane’s then-husband), and others — each wanted to replace Abe Beame as Mayor of New York. Eventually it came down to Koch v. Cuomo. The City Council had been considering a bill that would prohibit discrimination against gays in the work-place, in housing, and so on. Koch was a bachelor. (You can see where this is going.) Having supported the bill all along, Cuomo now switched his position and began to suggest that Koch supported “proselytizing” the “gay lifestyle” in schools. Posters were seen saying “Vote for Cuomo, not the Homo” (I have no idea who put them up). The Village Voice reported that the Cuomo campaign had (indirectly) hired someone to find and expose Koch’s ostensible “boyfriends.”
And then, on the week-end before the election, things got slimy. Cuomo’s people planted a story on the AP wire alleging that Koch had been consorting with (male) prostitutes.
And even with all that, Koch won.
(Personally, I would have preferred Abzug.)
wenchacha
Ahhh, my pre-NYS days. Not a huge surprise, but a little sad to learn it.
JR in WV
@Cervantes:
Wow! What a dick! That’s worthy of whats-his-name, the R who repented on his deathbed for being an electorial monster cheater…