(X-Posted at my group's blog, ACT NOW)
For a long time I've given Andrew Cuomo the benefit of the doubt. After the Spitzer/Paterson disaster I felt greedy criticizing an ostensibly Democratic Governor who has the ability to keep his pants on and his approval ratings in positive territory. I liked how he pushed marriage equality through the Senate, and I understood if the cost of that was to enter into nonagression pacts with the GOP Senators who supported marriage equality.
But now he is going too far. He is actively supporting GOP control of Nassau County, New York's second most-populpus county outside of New York City and a key suburban battleground.
As much as I loathe to link to the New York Post and especially Fred Dicker, this article sums up Cuomo's betrayal the best:
Gov. Cuomo has secretly joined with former US Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and other top Republicans to stop Democrat Tom Suozzi from recapturing his old job as Nassau County executive, key Nassau Democrats angrily charge.
Cuomo, who has yet to endorse Suozzi two weeks after Suozzi's victory in the Democratic primary, has taken several important steps to strengthen Republican incumbent Edward Mangano, including firing his leading critic, the Democrats say.
D'Amato, a lobbyist with multiple clients who, as senator, was credited with leading the effort that defeated then-Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1994, has emerged as âan important player in Cuomoâs re-election strategy on Long Island, especially in Nassau County and especially in trying to help Mangano, a source with strong Cuomo-administration connections told The Post.
…
DaAmato and Skelos are determined to stop Suozzi because Suozzi, as county executive, will help Democrats win Senate seats on Long Island," said a close Suozzi ally.
This is just beyond disgusting. Cuomo is not only torpedoing the candidacy of Tom Suozzi, the former Country Executive who lost his seat in the tea-party wave of 2009 by about 300 votes and a great progressive, but he is also helping the GOP retain control of the State Senate because Cuomo doesn't want to be forced to veto progressive legislation that would arrive at his desk if the Senate flipped to team Blue.
Again, this is an OUTRAGE. Gov. Cuomo was elected as a Democrat, but his main motivation in office has been to only cater to business interests and keep Republicans in power.
Full disclosure, I used to work for Tom Suozzi (but that's not me in the picture), and he is one of the few decent human beings in New York politics. When he captured the County Exec seat in 2001, he was the first Democrat to do so since the 70's. Under his watch, Nassau received 11 upgrades of its bond rating and Democrats overtook Republicans in the County registration rolls. He also helped flip a few Senate seats to team blue during his tenure, but they flipped back after he lost his re-elect in 2009.
It's horrible that Cuomo is now stabbing him in the back. Let's stab Cuomo back by showing Tom some love. And if you're in the NYC metro area, his campaign can use volunteers during the last 3 weeks of this tight County Exec race. And let's also find a REAL DEMOCRAT to primary Cuomo next year.
Peace!
UPDATE: Tom Suozzi held a great rally tonight against the Tea Party, because unlike our Governor, Suozzi is a REAL DEMOCRAT who understands the danger the Tea Party poses to our country:
Cheers to Mr. Suozzi and I hope he pulls this out.