Each day that passes seems to add to the burden on the shoulders of the Governor of New York State. Andrew Cuomo is primarily responsible for many of the problems he faces, and the Democratic Party is making no special effort to come to his aid or mitigate the seriousness of the allegations against him.
You already know that the turmoil started when it was confirmed that the governor’s entourage was downgrading the number of deaths attributable to COVID in retirement homes, as Cuomo was writing a book on its management of the epidemic.
Since then, numerous allegations of inappropriate behavior have hit the headlines. The most recent relates to a sexual assault on an employee in Cuomo’s private residence. The Albany Police Department is now investigating the matter.
At the height of the pandemic, Andrew Cuomo took advantage of all the media attention he was given to present himself as a vigorous and enlightened leader, a real antidote to the inaction and lack of empathy of the White House. With two years to go before the gubernatorial election, the Democrat was heading for an easy victory and a fourth consecutive term.
Events have jostled and in this month of March 2021, not only are we seriously doubting Cuomo’s chances of re-election, we wonder if he will be able to complete this mandate. His popularity rating dropped to 38%, his lowest career rate. The slope is steep and the governor, more and more isolated, can only count on himself.
At first reluctant to condemn him, the elected Democrats of his state and those of Washington more and more often evoke his departure. The Democratic leaders of the New York congress and the mayor of the city of New York invite him to tender his resignation. Cuomo’s image is seriously battered and comparisons between his attitude and that of Donald Trump abound.
After presenting himself as the quintessential anti Trump, the Democratic Knight fell off his horse and lost his luster. Being associated with the sworn enemy is just one of the humiliations he faces.
We may have driven the last nail in the coffin of his political career yesterday. The Democratic Speaker of the Albany House of Representatives has authorized the start of the investigation which could lead to an indictment in the context of impeachment proceedings.
This decision is not trivial when we know how political and partisan this process is. If Cuomo still needed someone to tell him how lonely he is in his camp, we just gave him an eloquent answer.
That a politician can survive a scandal is already an achievement, but fighting on multiple fronts requires minimal support. Faced with an investigation into his handling of COVID and investigations into allegations of sexual behavior
inappropriate, Cuomo also finds that his support in the population is at an all-time low. How long will he be able to hold out?
Andrew Cuomo is tough and his determination is fierce. As he falls, it is a famous surname that he drags with him into the mud and disgrace. It is not impossible that he is stubborn, but then he will have to accept the many comparisons with Donald Trump, the politician he has worked to discredit relentlessly.