Support For Cuomo Had Dropped Sharply Since March/April

The charts above are from the new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between August 7th and 10th of a national sample of 1,500 adults, with a 2.8 point margin of error.

Cuomo Resigns - New Democratic Governor Is Kathy Hochul

The long torturous nightmare is over -- both for Governor Cuomo and the Democratic Party. 

On Tuesday, Cuomo announced that he is resigning. He said, "Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government, and therefore that is what I'll do, because I work for you, and doing the right thing, is doing the right thing for you." 

He really had no choice. It was either resign or be impeached and removed -- and resignation was obviously the better choice.

Democrats had no choice either. After the ruckus they raised over the sexual aberrations of Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh, it would have been hypocritical to then excuse the sexual harassment committed by Cuomo.

Cuomo's resignation will be effective in two weeks. At that time, Democratic Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul will be sworn in as the new governor of the state of New York. She will be the first female governor of New York.

New York Voters Want Governor Cuomo To Resign

Since the Attorney General's report on the Cuomo investigation came out, there has been a lot of discussion on social media about whether the governor of New York should resign or not. Most say he should resign (and I concur). 

But there are some Democrats who would rather make excuses for the governor rather than face the facts detailed in the report. Some say he should stay in office because Trump was not held responsible for his illegal actions. That makes no sense to me. Would you let a murderer go free because another one got away with his crime? Besides, it would be hypocritical of Democrats to try to hold Trump responsible by impeaching him, but let a Democrat get away with violating the sanctity of his office. That would put Democrats down in the gutter with the Republicans.

Others are saying that Cuomo should be forgiven because he's Italian, and Italians are just a demonstrative and touch-feely group of people. That makes no sense either. That infers that Italians are too dumb to understand there's a difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching. I don't believe that's true. I've known many Italian-Americans, and they all understood that difference.

Governor Cuomo is a sexual harasser. He should resign. 

The voters in New York understand that. As the chart above shows, about 70% of them say he should resign, while only 25% say he should not -- and that includes a significant majority of Democrats (57%). In addition, 65% say Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women. And 55% believe he should be charged with a crime.

The charts on this page reflect the results of a new Quinnipiac University Poll -- done on August 4th and 5th of a sample of 615 registered voters in New York, with a 4 point margin of error.

Report Says Cuomo Guilty Of Harassment - He Must Resign

 

A few months ago, several women (most of them on his staff) accused Governor Cuomo (D-New York) of sexual harassment. Many Democrats leapt to defend him. They accused the women of playing politics, even though they were all Democrats themselves (and those on his staff had believed in him when hired to work for him). Those defenders said we must wait for an investigation to be completed.

That investigation (by the New York Attorney General's office) has now been completed. And that report concluded that Cuomo did sexually harass several women, and created and maintained a toxic workplace that allowed that harassment to persist. He also retaliated against at least one of his accusers. 

One of the investigators, Joon H. Kim, said the investigation revealed a pattern of behavior from Cuomo and that the culture in his office “contributed to conditions that allowed the governor’s sexually harassing conduct to occur and to persist. It was a culture where you could not say no to the governor and if you upset him or his senior staff you would be written off, cast aside or worse,” Mr. Kim said. “But at the same time the witnesses described a culture that normalized and overlooked everyday flirtations, physical intimacy and inappropriate comments by the governor.”

Cuomo broke the law, and his actions have caused most Democrats to call for his resignation. Speaker of the New York Assembly, Democrat Carl E. Heastie, said Cuomo had lost the support of Democrats in his organization. He said the Democratic majority in the state assembly was ready to proceed with impeachment proceedings if Cuomo does not resign.

President Biden, both U.S. senators from New York, and the entire congressional delegation from New York have also called for Cuomo's resignation.

I hope I don't hear from some Democrats that since Trump got away with breaking the law, Cuomo should be given a pass.

We are not Republicans. We are Democrats. And Democrats should hold all politicians to the highest standard -- even those from our own party.

The investigation is over. Cuomo is guilty. He must resign.

Most New Yorkers Would Prefer Someone Else Over Cuomo

 The charts above reflect the results of a new Siena College Poll -- done between June 22nd and 29th of a sample of 809 registered voters in New York State, with a 4.1 point margin of error.

N.Y. Wants A Democrat As Governor In 2022 (Not Cuomo)

The charts above are from the newest Siena College Poll -- done between May 16th and 20th of a sample of 793 registered voters in the state of New York, and has a 4 point margin of error.

The voters in New York want a Democrat elected to be their governor in 2022, but they would prefer it not be Cuomo.

Poll Numbers Show Gov. Cuomo Is Still In Trouble

The charts above reflect the results of a new Quinnipiac University Poll -- done on March 16th and 17th of a sample of 905 registered voters in New York, with a 3.3 point margin of error. 

NY Doesn't Want Cuomo To Resign Or Run For Re-Election

 The charts above reflect the results of a new Siena College Poll -- done between March 8th and 12th of 805 New York State registered voters, with a 4.1 point margin of error.

Poll Shows Support For Cuomo Is Dropping Rapidly

 

The charts above are from an Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between March 6th and 9th of a national sample of 1,500 adults, with a 2.7 point margin of error.

Democrats Are Different Than GOP - Cuomo Must Go!

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York was riding high on the basis of his response to the pandemic in his state. He was popular with Democrats across the nation -- and was even being discussed as a possible future presidential nominee for the party.

But that was before it was learned that he had hidden many nursing home deaths from the public in an effort to make his administration look good.

That was before at least seven women came forward with credible accusations of sexual harassment.

And that was before it was learned that he created a tacit work environment for his employees -- attacking them and calling them names at meetings infant of other employees. 

Some Democrats have come to his defense. But sadly, their argument seems to be that Cuomo should not resign because Trump (and some other Republicans) got away with even more egregious wrongdoing.

That is true. Republicans seem to be indifferent to the wrongdoing of their officials -- believing retaining power is more important than values or morality. 

But Democrats are different. They actually have values, and they expect their politicians to adhere to those values. That is why Governor Cuomo needs to resign (or at least assure voters he will not run for another term). He is an embarrassment to the Democratic Party.

The following is part of an excellent op-ed by Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post:

While it is possible that New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) will ride out the burgeoning scandal involving multiple complaints of sexual harassment and concealment of nursing home deaths due to covid-19, Democrats are trying their level best to dump him. More than a dozen members of his state’s Democratic delegation, including Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, demandedFriday morning that Cuomo leave office. By the end of the day, New York’s two U.S. senators, Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, had also called on Cuomo to step down. This echoed similar calls from Democratic state legislative leaders.

This is what a responsible party does. Its members assess the magnitude of credible evidence of wrongdoing, the severity of the alleged conduct, and the moral and political cost of defending a scoundrel, and then put decency and good governance ahead of tribal loyalty. This is not a weakness; it affords them moral authority and reaffirms the trust that voters place in elected officials.

The Republicans time and again have shown that they would never do such a thing. They exonerated disgraced former president Donald Trump twice despite replete evidence of impeachable conduct. They did not demand he leave the race in 2016 after the “Access Hollywood” tape surfaced; they supported him again in 2020 despite learning he had made payoffs to women with whom he allegedly had extramarital affairs and was accused of rape by E. Jean Carroll (Trump denies Carroll’s allegation). The same Republicans who dinged Neera Tanden, President Biden’s withdrawn nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, for spicy tweets excused four years of vile, racist, misogynistic language from the head of the party. And, despite his role in sparking a violent insurrection, Republicans still support him as the leader of their party. . . .

The irony is that the GOP used to fancy itself as the party of personal responsibility and public rectitude. Now it is a party of professional victims, wallowing in the myth of anti-White racism, incensed when presented with the concept of implicit bias and ready to smear women of color nominated for key posts for the same conduct that Republicans tolerated from White men. . . .

It is not hard to see why the difference between the parties regarding their willingness to police their own has become so stark. Democrats embrace and rely upon multi-racial democracy, so they feel compelled to defend it. They think government can be a force for good; they therefore have an interest in throwing out the crooks, the louts and the serial liars. . . .

Sadly, we have only one major party that is fit to govern in a constitutional, multi-racial democracy that demands accountability and self-control from elected officials. The other party has deteriorated into a group of apologists for sexual violence, racism, insurrection and habitual lying.

Gov. Cuomo's Approval Has Dropped Among All Groups

The charts above are from the Morning Consult Poll. Both charts show a seven day moving average of about 2,000 respondents, with a 2 point margin of error.

They show that Governor Cuomo has lost approval from all political groups, and the good will he got from his handling of the pandemic has virtually disappeared.

New York Newspaper Calls For Gov. Cuomo To Resign

The problems just continue to grow for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Four women have now come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment, and many of his ex-staffers are now accusing him of promoting a toxic environment among those working in his administration.

But perhaps most important is the charge that his administration hid many nursing home deaths from COVID-19 to avoid making the governor look bad.

That's what the Albany Times-Union details in their editorial asking the governor to resign. Here is part of what the newspaper's editorial board had to say:

First Gov. Andrew Cuomo hid the truth about deaths of nursing home residents from the public. Then his administration lied about why. Then, pretending to come clean, it lied about why it lied. 

Enough. Mr. Cuomo has squandered the public’s trust at a time when it’s needed more than ever. Amid an enduring pandemic, it is vital that people can believe what their governor and their government are telling them, and that the rules they’re asked to follow and the sacrifices they’re asked to make are truly in the interest of public health. It is time for Mr. Cuomo to resign, and for those who helped him deceive the public to go, too.

We do not say this lightly. We endorsed Mr. Cuomo for governor three times. He has brought to fruition a host of important progressive goals. But between his manipulation of state ethics bodies, multiple allegations of sexual harassment and these latest revelations on nursing home deaths, he has lost the credibility he needs to lead this state, especially in the midst of a public health crisis.

As we wrote in our last endorsement of him: “New York still matters. It's the fourth-largest state and the financial center of the world. It's the birthplace of women's rights and LGBT rights. It embodies the American melting pot. With its wealth, its legacy and its diversity come a special responsibility to stand as a moral voice in America.”

Mr. Cuomo can no longer be that voice.

Cuomo Hid Nursing Home Deaths - Poll Says No Re-Election

The charts above reflect the results of a new Quinnipiac University Poll -- done on March 2nd and 3rd of 953 registered voters in New York, with a 3.2 point margin of error.

A few months ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York was a hero. There was even talk of him running for president in the future. But today, he's a politician with serious problems. 

The problem getting the most social media attention is the problem of sexual harassment. Three women, two that worked for him and one who worked for President Obama (so all are Democrats), have accused him of sexual harassment. This poll showed that these charges are having an effect. About 49% say he doesn't treat women with as much respect as men, while only 25% say he does. And 48% say he's not being truthful about the allegations, while only 30% say he is.

Just as serious is the charge that he hid nursing home deaths to make his pandemic efforts look better. The New York Times is now reporting that those charges are true. That has 51% of New York voters saying his actions were unethical and another 24% saying those actions were illegal, while only 16% say he did nothing wrong.

The voters do not want Governor Cuomo to resign (40% yes to 55% no), but they also do not want him to run for re-election in 2022 (36% yes to 59% no). Even 44% of Democrats oppose him running for re-election.

Cuomo has a lot of work to do if he's to have any kind of political future.

If True, Sexual Harassment Should End Cuomo's Career

A few months ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York was a hero to many Americans. They liked the way he was handling the pandemic in New York (one of the earliest states to suffer from the virus). There was even talk among Democrats (including me) of him being the party's presidential candidate in the future.

But that was the past. Things are different now.

The first blip on his record was a charge that he had hidden some nursing home deaths from the virus. I don't know much about the particulars of that charge, but even if somewhat true, it probably wouldn't have ruined his political career.

But now there are charges of sexual harassment -- not from one woman, but from two of his former aides. One says he make inappropriate sexual comments, which she took as asking for a sexual encounter. The other also reported sexual comments, and said he actually kissed her on the mouth (without her assent).

Are the charges true? He has not denied them. He just said his comments were "misunderstood". That smells like bullshit to me! He was their boss, and a boss has too much power over an employee to be making sexual remarks (whether he intended them as a come-on or not). He should have known better!

Republicans don't seem to care if their politicians are sex abusers or sexual harassers. They still claim loyalty to a known sex abuser. But Cuomo is not a Republican. He's a Democrat, and Democrats shouldn't put up with this kind of nonsense.

There needs to be an investigation by an impartial person (like the New York Attorney General). If the charges are true, Cuomo needs to publicly apologize -- and he should resign. At the very least, he should not run for re-election.

UPDATE -- There is now a third woman accusing Cuomo of sexual harassment.

New York Democrats Embrace Cuomo (And Reject Nixon)

Some of the progressives in New York (the Bernie supporters) thought this year they had a good chance to wrest the New York Democratic Party from those they call "Establishment Democrats". To carry their banner, they got TV star Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) to run against Andrew Cuomo for governor. But the race is not going as they had hoped.

Nixon has been unable to gain any ground at all on Cuomo, and currently trails by 31 points (Cuomo 60% to Nixon 29%). And she trails badly among both genders, all age groups, all race/ethnicities, all parts of the state, all religious groups, and all income levels.

There's still slightly more than a month to go before the September 13th primary, but it's hard to see how Nixon can make up that huge deficit.

The chart above reflects the results of a new Siena College Poll -- done between July 22nd and 26th of a statewide sample of 630 likely Democratic primary voters, and has a margin of error of 3.9 points.

Cuomo Will Have A Celebrity Opponent In NY Dem. Primary

It's official now. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will have a celebrity opponent when he runs for re-election in the state's Democratic primary. The challenger is actress Cynthia Nixon (best known for playing Miranda on the TV show "Sex and the City").

However, in spite of her TV fame, most voters don't really know Ms. Nixon. And a new poll shows she is far behind Cuomo. She trails him among all Democrats by a whopping 45 points (Cuomo 63% - Nixon 18%). She's got a lot of ground to make up, and only three months to do it. The primary for New York is on June 26th this year.

The numbers in the charts above are from a new Siena College Poll -- done between March 11th and 16th of a random sample of 772 registered voters in New York. The margin of error is 4 points. Only the 47% that were Democrats were polled for these charts.