So far, 2021 has been pretty bad for New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo. Last year was so great for him. Sure, thousands in his state were dying of COVID—with millions more suffering from lockdowns. But, shoot, Cuomo wrote a book about how great he is!
All that changed when a flood of allegations rocked his administration. Reports leaked that his top aides covered up the number of deaths at nursing homes. Then, a tidal wave of sexual harassment claims came out. Now, rumors are coming out about the infrastructure projects.
Just when it looked like Cuomo could catch his breath, two more women have accused him of harassment. That has brought the total to five, if you lost count.
Despite all this, the embattled governor has made it clear that A) he did nothing wrong and B) he’s not resigning. As shocking as that sounds, it shouldn’t surprise us. What might surprise you, is that top Democratic leaders in the state are now demanding he’d resign.
“Everyday [sic] there is another account that is drawing away from the business of government,” State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. “We have allegations about sexual harassment, a toxic work environment, the loss of credibility surrounding the Covid-19 nursing home data and questions about the construction of a major infrastructure project.”
“New York is still in the midst of this pandemic and is still facing the societal, health and economic impacts of it. We need to govern without daily distraction. For the good of the state Governor Cuomo must resign,” Stewart-Cousins added. [Source: Daily Wire]
The statement from the state senate majority leader was echoed by the speaker of the state assembly, who also wants Cuomo to resign.
It’s clear that there will be no end to the drama and scandals that come pouring out of Cuomo’s office. Every intern, staffer, or advisor who was inappropriately touched or even looked at by the governor will come forward with their story. More details about the nursing home scandal will emerge, perhaps on a daily basis. The pressure will be far too much for even a man like Cuomo to ignore. But will he resign?
It’s interesting to see Democrats so quickly turn on one of their own. Democrats have a reputation for sticking by their people, even when one of them is outed for something obvious. They tend to defend their own to the death, a trait that Republicans are incapable of imitating (just look at how many Republicans so quickly turned on Trump after the election).
But it seems like New York Democrats are terrified of what might come out in the coming days and weeks. So, they are getting out in front of the various scandals now, to make sure they are on the “right” side of the news. They are doing this, not because they are suddenly shocked and dismayed by Cuomo (do you really think they didn’t know how he treated women?)—but because they fear they are next.
Cuomo has become their scapegoat. Even then, it’s going to take more pressure to remove him. Perhaps that impeachment thing will come in handy?