Assuming all goes as promised, after more than a decade in office we now have less than a week before New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo’s grip on power comes to a close in the Empire State. It wasn’t the governor’s utter mishandling of nursing home patients last year at the height of the COVID pandemic, or his potentially criminal cover-up of that debacle, that led to his demise, although those transgressions were significantly more deserving of causing his abdication. Instead, it was the Luv Gov’s propensity for grabbing women’s breasts and buttocks that has forced his departure.
With the total collapse in credibility of CNN on-air personality Chris “Fredo” Cuomo, Andrew’s moronic younger brother, next week’s ride off into the sunset by the governor will mark the conclusion of the Cuomo family’s not-so-dominant political dynasty. The only remnants of the Cuomo’s ‘Reign of Incompetence’ will be the Mario Cuomo Bridge (named after the governor’s father, but still referred to as the Tappan Zee Bridge by virtually every New Yorker) and a legacy of ineptitude, intimidation, and sexual harassment.
As satisfying as the Cuomos’ collapse has been for anyone with integrity or common sense to observe, it has also been quite educational. Consider these five examples of things we’ve learned:
#1: Andrew Cuomo is a complete As$hole… with a capital “A”
It’s not a shock to learn Cuomo was a jerk, we could all see it. While the media professed their adoration for his take-charge demeanor and his dramatic, emphatic way of speaking during his press conferences, it was clear that Cuomo was both narcissistic and obnoxious. But the media ate it up.
They loved Cuomo’s schtick so much they declared him “America’s Governor,” he was inexplicably given an Emmy Award last November for his press conference performances, and he was loudly promoted as being of presidential timber, with a likely address change to the White House in his future. Then it all came crashing down on Cuomo as colleagues and coworkers everywhere threw him squarely under the bus. Andrew Cuomo is indeed the Democrat’s Maximillian Robespierre. And why? Why did fellow Democrats turn on Cuomo so quickly and with such enthusiasm? Because Cuomo is apparently an absolute jackass.
Aside from Cuomo’s sexual harassment issues, there were widespread accusations of bullying and belittling. Andrew Cuomo is a controlling, condescending putz, and fellow Democrats around his state and elsewhere despise him for it. Remember that another Democratic governor, Virginia’s Ralph Northam, had much more egregious scandals to deal with, including old photos that revealed him wearing either blackface or a KKK outfit in college, as well as being recorded on-air advocating for infanticide. Fellow Democrats pressured Northam to resign, but he resisted and weathered the storm. Yet Cuomo stepped down. In today’s Democratic Party, only the super-despicable receive the type of slap-down Cuomo was given, and that despicability was indeed a revelation.
#2: The Democratic Party establishment is becoming increasingly inept at politics
Yes, Democrats control Congress, and yes, a Democrat was elected president, but Democrats also have a distinct and immense advantage. With virtually every institution of power in their control, they start off every hand with a pair of aces in the hole. With the mainstream media apparatus, Big Tech leftists, their crony capitalist allies in corporate America, and the deep-rooted swamp creatures in government, all Democrats need to do is simply avoid missteps. But they can’t help themselves.
When Cuomo finally announced his resignation last week, the strategy for Democrats was obvious. Play up to the feminists by scorching Cuomo, thereby solidifying that intersectional alliance. Condemn all such behavior and point to your party’s resolve. And then try and change the subject as quickly as possible as Cuomo dissipates into oblivion. But the leader of their party, the one and only President Joe Biden, couldn’t resist.
Biden last week heaped praise on Cuomo, opining that Cuomo had done “a hell of a job” as governor on a “whole range of things.” Wait, what? Really? Others came to Cuomo’s defense as well, mostly from the Hollywood community. That’s not how it’s done, folks. Cuomo is a pariah. Treat him that way and then turn the page. Easy, squeezy.
#3: CNN has no credibility, and they clearly don’t care
It’s been over a decade since CNN has had any real credibility, and it’s only gotten worse recently. Last year, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was caught greasing Weezer during a Zoom call with colleagues, yet the network gave him his job back. They have the single-most partisan clown on television in Don Lemon, but he laughably claims to be objective. And far-left knuckleheads such as Brian Stelter and Jim Acosta have helped send the network’s ratings into a freefall. But until the recent issues with Fredo Cuomo, they at least tried to paint the picture that they were journalistic in nature. Not anymore.
We now know that no only did Fredo repeatedly interview his brother on-air with softball questions throughout the dark days of COVID, he’s also served as an advisor to the governor, and in fact, reportedly advised his brother to resign. There’s nothing wrong with being a political advisor, and there’s nothing wrong with being a journalist. But there’s very, very wrong if you’re doing both simultaneously. CNN is faced with a no-brainer decision here: fire Fredo. Now. He’s made your network a laughingstock that can’t be taken seriously, and his ratings are abysmal to boot. Yet Fredo remains. No one trusts CNN, no one watches CNN, and clearly, CNN doesn’t care.
#4: The MeToo movement is dead
The #MeToo movement took off on the heels of the Harvey Weinstein allegations in 2018, and the undertaking wasn’t just for traditional feminists. Women from all walks of life and with a variety of political ideologies got on board, and MeToo was an effort everyone could at least empathize with, if not fully support. Powerful men objectifying, abusing, and harassing women was unacceptable and needed to be stopped. Fair enough. But when they overplayed their hand with the nomination hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, demanding that we “believe all women” and disregard the obvious unreliability of a single Kavanaugh accuser – Christine Blasey Ford – it became clear the movement was more about politics and less about protecting women. With their handling of the Andrew Cuomo affair, however, that politicization has gone over the top.
Not only did celebrity MeToo political hacks such as Alyssa Milano stay quiet during the sexual harassment outrage against Cuomo, we now know that members of the movement provided counsel to Cuomo and actually helped him in his efforts to discredit accusers. Roberta Kaplan, a leader of the largest MeToo offshoot known as Time’s Up, recently resigned in disgrace from her position after her participation in the scandal was revealed. For the MeToo movement, you’re in big trouble if you prey on women… unless, of course, you’re a prominent Democrat. Rest in peace, MeToo.
#5: The bench for the Democratic Party is empty except for a few “Charlie Brown” types
As mentioned in item #1, a year ago at this time Andrew Cuomo was widely viewed as the future of the Democratic Party, with some even suggesting he should supplant Old Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee. We’ve since learned that not only was Andrew Cuomo seriously flawed, he’s downright awful at his job and wasn’t very good at winning friends and influencing people either.
Prior to Cuomo, Democrats flirted with since-convicted-felon Michael Avenatti as a potential party leader, and have also elevated the ancient Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), our buffoonish Vice-President Kamala Harris, and Native American impersonator Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to the most prominent positions in their party. Furthermore, if we look at potential replacements to backfill such spots, we see the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke. If the Democrats were a baseball team, their roster would look like the 1962 Mets with a farm system akin to the Bad News Bears. If a clown like Andrew Cuomo can ascend that quickly to party distinction, that party has some serious problems.
PF Whalen
P.F. Whalen is a conservative blogger at TheBlueStateConservative.com. His work has appeared in multiple publications, including Human Events, the Western Journal, and American Thinker. Follow him on Parler @PFWhalen.
Featured photo is a screengrab from CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time.
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