By S.T. Patrick
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has suddenly risen to the top of Democratic Party wish lists as he continues to navigate the politically charged Covid-19 pandemic. A recent New York Post poll found that Democrats favor dropping Joe Biden from the ticket and replacing him with Cuomo.
Cuomo is part of a politically connected family. His father Mario was a former governor of New York and his brother Chris is the host of “Cuomo Prime Time” on CNN. There has been an escalating “Draft Cuomo” movement among leading left-leaning analysts on social media. They are urging the party to replace the increasingly mentally feeble (and accused sexual predator) Biden with Cuomo. Yet, due diligence dictates that a deeper look be taken at the Cuomo political dynasty.
Cuomo was the secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton from 1997-2001 and won New York’s gubernatorial election in 2010. He has recently handled the Covid-19 pandemic in a way that has been very public, with nearly every press conference being covered by national media. Cuomo was one of the first governors to issue a stay-at-home order for his state, to close “non-essential” businesses, and to push hard for importation of necessary personal protective equipment (PPEs) for New York’s medical staff. The MSM has portrayed Cuomo as a strong leader throughout, creating a portrait for him as an anti-Trump icon. Acknowledging that Cuomo is being discussed for bigger things inside his party should lead to an admittance that there have been problems in the past for both Cuomo and his family.
As recently as February 2019, Cuomo’s polling numbers bottomed out at 43% after he signed legislation expanding abortions and more severe restrictions on the right to bear arms. He felt so strongly about opposing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel that he said, “If you boycott Israel, New York state will boycott you.”
When New York City was experiencing several subway disasters, Cuomo strongly urged the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to accept labor union contracts that were very pro-worker. Journalists then reported that Cuomo had taken $165,000 from the union during his campaigns.
Cuomo’s closest campaign aides have been caught up in corruption charges. Joseph Percoco, a close aide who Cuomo called Mario Cuomo’s “third son,” was indicted for felony charges of solicitation of bribes and honest services fraud. Aide Todd Howe was also indicted. Cuomo set up the Moreland Commission to investigate corruption in New York politics, but he quickly disbanded it after the commission moved into areas that could be very damaging to Cuomo’s reputation.
In the wake of the fiasco that was the disbanding of the Moreland Commission, a close friend was quoted by the New York Post as saying that “Cuomo did this with Moreland as he’s done it with so many things: He creates a narrative—‘crack down on corruption, we’ll get to the bottom of this’—but it’s totally cynical, manufactured, and never real or sincere from the start.’’
The governor’s father Mario was long discussed as a sure presidential candidate, but he never chose to run a serious campaign. There were always prevalent rumors of deep mob connections that ran through his in-laws. Biographers have also written that Clinton practically begged Cuomo to accept a Supreme Court nomination in 1993. Cuomo refused that, as well.
After renewing an executive order stating that governors cannot accept donations from appointees, it was discovered that Cuomo had done just that. He had taken $890,000 from 24 appointees and he had accepted $1.3 million from the families and businesses of appointees.
Cuomo has been the “hot candidate” (who isn’t running, officially, and hasn’t garnered one primary vote or elector) for approximately three weeks. That isn’t enough for a proper vetting to take place, but history tells enough tales.
If the Democratic Party does draft Cuomo at the Milwaukee convention, it will have accomplished one thing. Every single vote made by every single primary voter in every single Democratic primary will have been rendered null and void. Historians will blame Covid-19 for the chaotic primary season, but there is no virus that explains the supreme debacle that was the DNC’s Iowa Caucus, the rolling out of the red carpet for Michael Bloomberg, and the blatant changing of debate rules to exorcise Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard from all party proceedings. For all the chatter liberal talking heads do about voter suppression on the right, pushing Cuomo would cancel the electoral will of every voter who stood in line to take part in their twisted process. It would be the least democratic decision made by a party in at least a century.
S.T. Patrick holds degrees in both journalism and social studies education. He spent 10 years as an educator and now hosts the “Midnight Writer News Show.” His email is [email protected]. He is also an occasional contributor to TBR history magazine and the current managing editor of Deep Truth Journal (DTJ), a new conspiracy-focused publication available from the AFP Online Store.
