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ALBANY, NY – For days Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo preached a message of sacrifice over the holidays, warning New Yorkers that Thanksgiving gatherings could be dangerous as cases of the virus increased across the country, and urging them to reconsider their plans to help stem the rising tide.
So it was surprising when Mr Cuomo announced Monday afternoon that he had invited his 89-year-old mother, Matilda, and two of his daughters to celebrate a Very Cuomo Thanksgiving with him this week in Albany.
News of the family dinner came in a radio interview in a casual response to a question about the upcoming vacation.
“My mom is coming and two of my daughters,” the governor told WAMC, adding, “Plans are changing. But this is my plan.
Mr Cuomo’s plans would change quickly again, but not soon enough to avoid a barrage of condemnation from his most frequent critics.
“Her arrogance and hypocrisy are limitless,” wrote on Twitter Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican upstate who was recently re-elected to a fourth term. “Do what I say, not what I do.”
The review hinted at a substantial backlash in Mr. Cuomo’s image as a heroic character after helping New York City emerge from the pandemic; earlier Monday, the governor received the “International Emmy Founders Award” for his more than 100 televised briefings at the height of the pandemic, an award which also drew glances among his critics.
The New York Republican Party has been particularly sassy, saying, “Andrew Cuomo doesn’t need an Emmy, he needs a reality check.
“Governor Cuomo certainly deserves an award for best actor in fictional stories he created by declaring himself a great leader,” said Nick Langworthy, Chairman of the Republican Party in New York.
Last month, Mr. Cuomo was also interviewed in some neighborhoods for writing a memoir on the darkest days of the coronavirus, “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic,” despite New York leading all states in deaths, with over 33,000, and experiencing now the start of a second wave.
Mr Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, is not alone in coming under close scrutiny from public figures, especially for not following the same coronavirus rules they have begged their constituents to follow.
Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom was berated after attending a lobbyist’s private birthday dinner at a Napa Valley restaurant in which guests mingled closely without masks.
In New York, leaders of the Brooklyn Democratic Party faced backlash last week after attending a private indoor party where few people wore masks, prompting cries of hypocrisy. Days later, Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President who is running for Mayor Bill de Blasio, filled an Upper West Side restaurant with donors for a private fundraiser.
On Monday, ahead of his comments on his Thanksgiving plans, Cuomo said that New York City mayoral candidates “should set the highest standards and they certainly shouldn’t be breaking the law.”
In his remarks at his press conference in Manhattan, the governor also made a passionate appeal to the residents of his state. that it was “not a normal Thanksgiving,” apparently criticizing some companies for romanticizing the holidays.
“All the lovely Thanksgiving images in the storybook setting,” he says, still wistfully. “As we wish.”
Mr Cuomo added that he decided not to spend the holidays with his daughter Mariah, currently in Chicago, due to the risks associated with her trip here. He added that he hoped other New Yorkers would use the holiday to honor a range of people affected by the pandemic, including healthcare and other essential workers, as well as those who had lost sentient beings. dear in the pandemic.
“Why don’t we really honor this Thanksgiving?” said the governor. “And by saying yes, we’re going to be physically alone, but we’re celebrating together spiritually in a way that’s even deeper than just being close to sitting next to someone.
On Monday evening, Mr. Cuomo had rethought his Thanksgiving plans. His office described Mr. Cuomo’s first words as a well-meaning lie told – over the radio – to his mother, noting that he had drafted his statement saying “plans are changing.” The governor would no longer be having Thanksgiving dinner with his mother and two of his daughters.
“Given the current circumstances with Covid, he will have to work during Thanksgiving and will not see them,” said Richard Azzopardi, senior adviser to the governor. “Don’t tell her mother – she doesn’t know it yet.”
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