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IN A 2002 piece for Salon, the political website based in the United States, current CNN anchor Jake Tapper reflected upon the New York Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Andrew Cuomo, who had been a member of President Bill Clinton’s cabinet, was initially the heavy favourite in that race, but wound up badly trailing the state’s mild-mannered comptroller, Carl McCall, and withdrew before ballots were cast to avoid humiliation.
Tapper sought to assess why Cuomo had fallen so far short in his quest. It did not help that the party’s elected officials and activists just could not warm to the man. There was nary a person acquainted with the son of the respected three-term New York governor, Mario Cuomo, who would vouch for the then-44-year-old’s character.
‘They know him’
As McCall said when asked why so few of his rival’s former colleagues from a posting as Secretary for Housing and Urban Development backed him, “they know him, what can I tell ya? Having worked with him, they’re not very supportive.”
Tapper summed up the prevalent sentiment forthrightly: “the regrettable fact for Cuomo was that, to a sizeable number of voters, he seemed like an a**hole.”
Even as a deliberate non-follower of my neighbouring state’s affairs – see Boston born-and-bred scepticism of all things New York for an explanation of a political indifference that is unusual for me – I could not escape hearing the universally negative stories about Andrew Cuomo from those who had encountered him.
Accordingly, it was with bewilderment that I viewed the subsequent rise of his political star and long tenure as the Empire State’s chief executive. Arrogant, brash and combative beyond belief, I just couldn’t see his appeal as a politician.
That the pandemic made him a much bigger figure and prompted speculation in a temporarily fawning media regarding a future presidential run, was equally mystifying.
I put it down to his being an ideal foil for Donald Trump and the perception that New York was dealing well with Covid-19. The latter, which did not comport with reality, was engendered by his robust and effective communication style in an unprecedented period.
The fall
It all unravelled rapidly as multiple women emerged with disturbing accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct over many years against Cuomo. Despite plenty of calls from within the Democratic Party for him to step aside, Cuomo appeared determined to brazen it out and, while apologising, asserted that “sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I mean no offence and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.”
His position was untenable, however, after the release of a report commissioned by New York Attorney General Letitia James. This found that the governor had groped, kissed and made inappropriate comments to 11 women.
There was a loud clamour for him to go and impeachment proceedings were in the offing. The last straw came when his top aide, Melissa DeRosa, who had trenchantly defended her boss and tried to discredit the women he harassed, abruptly quit.
Even as he went, Cuomo did so with no grace. Professing to take responsibility for his actions, he nonetheless insisted that there was no ill intent behind them and that they were misunderstood. He indicated that he would still resign, though, because “it’s not about me, it’s about we.”
To be blunt, New York Democrats had him sussed two decades ago.
While almost no one has shed a tear in the wake of Cuomo’s undignified exit from public life, Irish onlookers are delighted that the granddaughter of Kerry emigrants, Kathy Hochul, will assume his role. The Buffalo native has been serving as lieutenant governor since January 2015. She is a proud Irish American (her maiden surname is Courtney) who frequently touts her ancestry and references her family’s struggles as they chased their dreams in the US.
First woman, conservative-leaning
A Democrat, Hochul was a lawyer and a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill prior to successfully campaigning for local offices. In 2011, she won an open congressional seat in a solidly Republican district by a narrow margin. She probably owed that triumph to an independent candidate linked to the Tea Party movement, who took 9% of the vote, and she was defeated in a bid for a full term in 2012.
Early in her political career, and owing to an extent to the fairly conservative territory she represented, Hochul identified as an “independent Democrat.” She disagreed with the issuance of driver’s licences to undocumented immigrants. She also opposed gun control measures and was actually endorsed by the National Rifle Association. She has pivoted leftward since, yet continues to be labelled a centrist Democrat.
It is expected that Hochul, soon to be New York’s first female governor, will endeavour to be elected in her own right next year. She will not receive a free pass in the Democratic primary. Among those with ambitions is James, the high profile attorney general. No matter where Hochul situates herself these days, ascendant progressives will assail past stances that aren’t in keeping with the present zeitgeist. Some liberals will consequently look askance at her.
That said, the advantages incumbency bestows should not be underestimated. Hochul is a shrewd politician who has crisscrossed New York as lieutenant governor and formed alliances and built strong relationships with key Democrats in rural and urban areas of what is a vast and diverse state. Crucially, she has maintained a healthy distance from Andrew Cuomo.
She will not be easily beaten. In her words, “like all good Irishmen and Irishwomen, I love a good fight, especially if it’s for the people of my beloved state.” Without getting carried away, Ireland and Irish America can benefit tangibly and intangibly from Hochul’s becoming the governor of one of the most Irish states in the US.
She wears her heritage on her sleeve and – whether it is in furthering business ties, expanding educational exchanges or ameliorating the plight of many thousands of our undocumented in New York – this country will have another powerful friend its politicians and diplomats can call on. This is particularly significant in an era when Irish influence in America has been widely described as on the wane.
Even this detached Bostonian will be watching Kathy Hochul – from Buffalo, but of Kerry – with great interest.
Larry Donnelly is a Boston attorney, a Law Lecturer at NUI Galway and a political columnist with TheJournal.ie. His upcoming book – “The Bostonian: Life in an Irish American Political Family” – will be published by Gill Books on 15 October and can be pre-ordered here https://www.bookstation.ie/product/the-bostonian/.
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Everybody should ban/boycott the rag! Hillsborough was enough of a reason on its own
@Soccer T’s: Some people still believe in freedom of the press believe it or not.
@Soccer T’s: some of us still believe in the freedom of the press believe it or not.
@Charlie Hebdo:
the sun is not freedom of press it is rupert murdoch and the belief system. There is a huge difference between cutting edge analysis and insulting, lazy and vindictive journalism.
@Charlie Hebdo: and some of us believe in the truth
@ktsiwot: I am no fan of the Sun but I believe in freedom of the press for all news outlets, not just the ones I like or agree with.
@Charlie Hebdo: freedom of the press to insult and incite a whole community through disgusting narrow minded racist and elitist articles? Absolutely.
And in turn we should all exercise our right to boycott this sensationalist braindead rag of pure tripe.
Agreed?
@Charlie Hebdo: Did I say they should be closed down or anything like that? No I said that people/individuals should make the choice to boycott the rag. The more that boycott them the less viable their business model.
“Everybody should ban/boycott the rag! ”
Ban ≠ Boycott.
Reading comments here it appears “everyone” already boycotts it and have done for years.
@Charlie Hebdo: You’re looking for drama where there is none. If I had said that the paper should be shut down, you would have a valid point but I’m afraid you will have to find your drama elsewhere today. People/ organisations being encouraged to ban/boycott is not censorship!!
@Charlie Hebdo: I don’t think “everyone” comments on the journal but I may be wrong.
@Charlie Hebdo: Using “Freedom of the Press” as a means of defending The Sun is an insult to real journalists who risk their lives or livelihoods to report the truth. This guy was a glorified troll looking to insult and degrade people for the sake of it.
If you can’t see the difference you are an utter fool.
@Soccer T’s: You probably are wrong as you’ve been wrong in all your other commentary, there’s a pattern emerging.
@Charlie Hebdo: Aha maybe the trend is your lack of understanding/education. Nice try!
@Ricky Spanish: should the right of freedom of the press only apply to outlets you like or agree with?
“insult to real journalists who risk their lives or livelihoods to report the truth”
FYI very few journalists risk their lives anymore, case in point thejournal.ie
“insult to real journalists who risk their lives or livelihoods to report the truth”
Any journalist working for the Sun would meet your criteria just by being in Liverpool, Ricky.
@Charlie Hebdo: And Charlie was responsible for the deaths of so many innocents including his own workers and I am sure in the KKK.English Defence League HQ MacKenzie is a true patriot.
@Charlie Hebdo: they can print what they want. I also have the freedom to not buy or read the rag. Well done everton.
@Charlie Hebdo: I think you’re wilfully missing the point in order to soap-box. No one’s calling for The Sun to be banned. Simply Everton FC are availing of their own right to reply and offering a rebuttal. That they, a private company, are choosing not to engage with another private company whose practices they fundamentally disagree with, is hardly tantamount to shutting down the press.
@Charlie Hebdo: Some of the most thought provoking and enlightening journalism comes from points of view I disagree with. This article was neither of those things. What exactly has this guy added to the public discourse with this article? It’s trash and people have every right to voice their criticism without being accused of harming the freedom of the Press.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: ” No one’s calling for The Sun to be banned” . . . The OP called for it to be banned and that is what my original comment was responding to. also Everton have banned the newspaper.
@Charlie Hebdo: Believe it or not, some people don’t want gutter journalism.
@Charlie Hebdo: Maybe you struggle with basic language but if you would like to re-read my original comment you will find that I did not call for the Sun to be banned. I said that people and organisations should make that decision. If I had said that “the sun should be closed down or banned” you would have a very valid point but it’s obvious that you are just grandstanding for the sake of it.
@Charlie Hebdo:
Wow charlie, you really are going all out to defend the sun. How on Earth did you find yourself in such an unenviable position. The sun paper is in no way being censored or discouraged from printing its tripe, EFC have simply decided that they don’t want the suns product on their private property. Like a children’s food store might choose not to sell rat poison on their shelves. But all of this has already been explained to you, but you seem unwilling or unable to process sensible explanations or arguments. You seem dogged in your defence of one of the most disgusting papers ever to go to print. Are you proud of yourself? Is anyone proud of you?
@Peedur Dante: To be fair to him he’s defending freedom of the press rather than the Sun specifically
@Soccer T’s:
And I’m pointing out to him that the freedom of the press is not being attacked here. This is a different matter all together. He is confusedly arguing that EFC’s actions towards the sun constitutes an attack on the free press. This is not the case, and if he felt so passionately about the freedom of press why not comment on an article about vladimir putin rather then defend the sun so vigorously.
@Soccer T’s: Labour Party and Tory party should be treated like sc€m for this and the other covers ups.
Don’t have anything against British people but their government are consistently awful.
How you can trust a government to do good abroad when they even have such disdain for their own people.
The double standards in the press here w.r.t British parties is galling.
@Soccer T’s: best selling paper in England and the sun is printed in Knowsley in Liverpool so as to boycotting it not all Liverpool is so you all wasting your time just get over yourself and move on , great paper buy it everyday.
@Brian OConnor:
If you buy the sun everyday and consider it a great paper, all I can do is pity you.
Good news. Horrible publication and an even more horrible man.
Everton fans don’t buy that rag, as it insulted their family members. The Mail, Express any rag of a paper owned by Rubert Murdoch.
@Ossi Fritsche: the family that use to own the mail owned Everton for many many years.
How anyone still buys that rag defies belief..
@SteveW: Low IQ, so low in fact that they can’t even use a smartphone.
28 years late is better than never. They should have shown solidarity with Liverpool over their articles on Hillsborough
@Alan Lawlor: Huh? What you talking about? Everton have never shown anything but solidarity with Liverpool.
@Alan Lawlor: ya… because everton hasn’t shown enough support over the years. .. wind your neck in lad
@Alan Lawlor: Alan Liverpool only banned the Sun 2 months ago so Everton should get no criticism here.
@Alan Lawlor: still going on about that.
@Alan Lawlor: A bit of an ill informed comment. Everton football club and supporters have ALWAYS shown solidarity with LFC in the fight for justice for the 96 fans that died at Hillsborough.
https://youtu.be/Nmzu29eRhMU
@Alan Lawlor: and stupidest comment of the week goes to…..You.
@Alan Lawlor: Troll.
Haven’t read that rag in years. The article was published to upset Liverpudlians on the eve of the anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy and does not surprise me one little bit. The editor should be fired for publishing it and the author should be shot for….just being himself.
The Sun is only one of two publications that I’ve actually wiped my ar$e with.
@Muiris O’Daltuin: My sympathies to your butthole. It’ll never be the same again.
@Muiris O’Daltuin: better not download the app then.
@J.D. Finnerty: It was no Andrex quilts, thats for sure. Cheap paper for cheap words.
I thought the sun was a great news paper. Both it and the Daily mail are often only a euro. Which is a quarter the price of smoke pellets for testing newly installed stoves. I honestly used to buy them for that until I realised I was supporting them by buying it, so now I pay more for another news paper just to burn.
@Bilbo Baggins: you are a modern day Joan of Arc.
Great news rag of a ‘paper’
What I don’t understand is why The Sun is still going, when everybody claims to not buy it.
The Sun like all of Rupert Murdoch’s publications and TV outlets are pure dirt.
Says a lot about the eNglish, when this is their most popular paper.
300k a year for a colume! I’m in the wrong line of business. No wonder he’s on holiday
I automatically assume that anyone who gathers their information from outlets like the sun, daily mail, etc. are buffoons whose opinion should be ignored at all costs.
Their 99% rags most of them but that sc$m is on another level
This sets a very dangerous precedent and creates a chilling effect for all sports journalists. Restricting the free press is dangerous.
@Charlie Hebdo: demanding the press reports the truth seems reasonable
@Charlie Hebdo: what he wrote was nothing got to do with sports journalism. Allowing these views are more dangerous. We have a right to free press alright but not the opinion and ramblings of a spiteful hateful person.
@Joe Travers: in other words Joe you just disagree/dislike his views and want them suppressed, freedom of the press should apply to all news outlets not just the ones you like or agree with.
@Charlie Hebdo: dangerous precedent my ar$e. You’re still living in the 70s are ya when journalists actually reported News rather than deliberately incite hatred, persecute and vilify persons of their own choosing and sensationalise tragic stories.
In fact small gestures like this might actually prompt editors to be more responsible in their reporting.
Unlikely though.
@Charlie Hebdo: Err just to educate you, Kelvin Mc Kenzie the author of the offending article, is not a sports journalist.It must be dizzy up on your high horse.
It may be a loathsome publication but I think a complete ban on it or its employees sets a dangerous precedent. Sanitised news/reporting only results in dumbed down information.
Everton ban the sun from its stadium…it’s going to a dull aul place without any sun!!
Jesus what a stupid pc world we live in,so what the sun said something bad about someone what’s new, ppl these days need to grow up and grow a pair
The paper is a rag, it must be said, and that phrase, “Any publicity is good publicity.”, makes me think they won’t care one bit about all this, and might actually be secretly delighted their paper is in the news.
A comic of a newspaper….actually that’s not fair on comics…a pure gutter rag…
have your say