Andrew Cuomo has a decision to make: help make New York great again, or go down in flames, despised by nearly everyone in our great city.
It is literally that stark a choice. He can either quit the mayoral race altogether, or stay in and watch 33-year-old Social Zohran Mamdani become our next mayor and complete the trashing of the Big Apple that began under Bill De Blasio.
The former governor is not popular, for good reason. More than a dozen women accused Cuomo of sexual harassment; also, he lied and covered up orders he gave during Covid-19 that allegedly led to thousands of deaths of elderly people in nursing homes. A Quinnipiac University poll from August, 2021, showed Cuomo with an approval rating of 28%, with 63% disapproval.
Why on earth would we want him to be mayor?
Polling shows that incumbent Eric Adams has an excellent shot at beating Mamdani if Cuomo is out of the race; otherwise Adams and Cuomo will split the non-Socialist vote and usher in the anti-Israel candidate. After the primary votes rolled in, giving Mamdani the win, Cuomo said his “team” will decide “what would best serve the campaign’s goals, the Democratic Party, and the city as a whole.” I can lift the lid on that – Cuomo exiting the race would best serve the city.
Cuomo, disgraced governor of NY, doesn’t care what’s best for the city; he just wants a job, and to reestablish his political power. I am endlessly fascinated that Democrats who lose elections never have any recourse but to try again. They don’t have the skills to run a business; the best they can do is become a talking head on MSNBC or apply to Harvard for a teaching post. (Incredibly, that’s where both De Blasio and Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot ended up – possibly the two worst mayors in our country’s history).
Look at Anthony Weiner, aka Carlos Danger, the pathetic former congressman and husband of Huma Abedin whose political career cratered because of a disgraceful sexting scandal. He actually went to prison for sending lewd photos to a minor, but nonetheless ran in this latest Democrat primary to become a member of NYC’s City council. Voters apparently have had enough of Weiner. He came in fourth; we hope sincerely that’s the last we see of him.
Eric Adams is not a stellar candidate, but a few things work in his favor. Compared to Mamdani, he has a reasonable grasp on how the economy works. He understands, as Bloomberg did, the need to keep wealthy New Yorkers from moving out; far too many have already done so, fed up with onerous taxes and a deteriorating quality of life. That hurts the city’s ability to pay for needed services. To Adams’ credit, he reached out to Bloomberg for advice early on; he gets it that the city prospered under the former mayor. However, Mike was successful partly because he hired excellent, smart and honest people to run the city; Adams has not done that.
But, maybe he’s turned the corner. Jessica Tisch, police commissioner as of last November, is a breath of fresh air in a critical post. Smart, uncorruptable (her family is wealthy – she will NOT be on the take), Tisch will do what she can and must to make our city safer again.
Adams is also cooperating with the Trump White House, including on deporting criminals and supporting the president’s agenda to some degree, in expectation that an alliance with the feds will help the city. He’s right. Yes, he may have also angled for a pardon, but the charges against Adams looked lame and politically-motivated. Biden did NOT like Adams (or anyone} criticizing his open border. It was after Adams declared the migrant crisis would “destroy New York City” and estimated the cost of the influx of illegals at $12 billion that the feds charged Adams with campaign violations.
Adams is our best bet going forward. Both Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, should bow out and give Adams – and New Yorkers – a chance. Please.
