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In the first few weeks of the pandemic, a song parodist named Randy Rainbow, dressed in pink pajamas, paid a gushing and exaggerated tribute to his beloved “Andy” – and proudly declared himself “Cuomosexual” .
Pledging his undying love for the governor of New York, Randy showed excerpts from the daily briefings and said, “You are wise, balanced, articulate and sexy at a time when the country needs it most.”
It was hysterical (if you like that sort of thing), but also an exaggerated form of hero worship that too often marks our approach to politics.
It’s worth remembering as Andrew Cuomo delves deeper into political issues, with his main assistant, Melissa DeRosa, abruptly resigning. Equally devastating, the woman known as Executive Assistant No.1 – Britney Commisso – described in a “CBS This Morning” interview how the governor groped her.
Cuomo isn’t the only politician in the country to be both idolized and idealized. Donald Trump retains a very strong grip on the loyalty of most Republicans, who were prepared to gloss over all kinds of excesses during his presidency. The same is true of Bill Clinton, whose conduct towards women was also shameful but defended by many liberals, some of whom now have regrets. And Barack Obama practically had a cult in 2008.
The catch is that these characters come to be seen as superhumans who can’t hurt – or if they do, that’s not wrong – as opposed to imperfect human beings. I learned as a young journalist that politicians as a class can be charming and persuasive in the pursuit of lofty goals, and yet most of them mislead and procrastinate when necessary, and their personal lives are often not so great either.
Ben Domenech put it this way on “Media Buzz”: “We shouldn’t glorify politicians and elected leaders as if they were somehow perfect avatars of everything we would like to see in leadership… That is a reminder that we should not put these people on a pedestal “regardless of” which side of the political spectrum they are on. “
BIDEN FINDS THE PROHIBITION OF EXVICTION WHICH HE CALLED PROBABLY ILLEGAL, BUT THE MEDIA CARES FOR
The press is also part of this build-’em-up phenomenon, attacking or defending according to ideology and style, all then amplified on social networks.
Cuomo, with his badass persona, was never exactly loved, but after a decade of nudging to achieve liberal goals, he was respected, and his folk virus briefings gave him a foundation for national fans far beyond New York. Behind the scenes, meanwhile, he was doing things like yelling at the top editors at the Albany Times-Union, to the point that they vowed never to speak to him unofficially.
Melissa DeRosa was his executor, but the state attorney general’s report made it clear that she and others had allowed his behavior towards women as well.
She led what can only be described as a retaliatory effort against the first accuser, Lindsay Boylan. It’s no coincidence that DeRosa stepped down as top collaborator on Sunday night, saying the past two years had been “emotionally and mentally trying” – after CBS released the first clip of Britney Commisso’s interview .
In that session, she calmly and meticulously explained how Cuomo’s hugs and kisses – “It wasn’t welcome, and it certainly wasn’t consensual” – led to two groping incidents. In the first, she said the governor rubbed his butt in a selfie he suggested. In the other, just last December, Commisso says she warned him ‘you’re going to get us in trouble’, but he closed the door, put his hand under her blouse, and cupped her chest. . She stopped him and now calls his denials “disgusting”.
When asked why she filed a criminal complaint, Commisso said what Cuomo did to her “was a crime.”
She has no reason to lie. In fact, she has maintained her anonymity until now. Commisso only spoke to his colleagues about what happened after watching the governor’s bail in March, when he denied touching anyone inappropriately (as he continues to point out.)
Cuomo’s insistence that he not step down is on a collision course with State Assembly Democrats heading for his impeachment (which would put him out of a Senate trial. ).
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The city reports that Cuomo is trying to persuade those Democrats to drop their investigation in exchange for his agreement not to run for a fourth term next year, but no one is buying. He has few cards left to play.
No matter how it turns out, Andrew Cuomo won’t get the fourth term that his father Mario slipped away as well. His legacy, regardless of what he accomplished for the state, will be forever sullied. Perhaps those who knelt before Cuomo’s altar should realize the folly of projecting their hopes and dreams on politicians who have invariably let them down.
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