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“New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo acknowledged for the first time Sunday that some of his behavior with women ‘may have been insensitive or too personal,’ and said he would cooperate with a sexual harassment investigation led by the state’s attorney general.” AP News
On Monday, the New York Times reported an allegation that Cuomo had behaved inappropriately at a wedding reception in 2019; this “comes after two former aides accused Mr. Cuomo of sexual harassment in the workplace.” New York Times
“Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced Tuesday that the Legislature will pass legislation repealing the temporary emergency powers that were granted to the governor last year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.” ABC 7
Both sides condemn Cuomo’s alleged behavior:
“There are now three credible allegations of unwanted, persistent advances by Gov. Andrew Cuomo against women young enough to be his daughter. Two of them were his subordinates. He appears to be exactly the sort of creep whose behavior the #MeToo movement was designed to address…
“That Cuomo hasn't been accused of raping anyone is still not a defense for his being allowed in polite society. And no, a dumb teenager trying to force a drunken kiss on a stranger wouldn't be worthy of calling for their resignation years after the fact, but Cuomo is the governor of the fourth-most populous state and has young daughters of his own. If he found out that one of his own daughters' bosses was behaving as he does, do you think he wouldn't want some action taken?”
Tiana Lowe, Washington Examiner
“In [his] statement, Cuomo asserts that his behavior was well-intentioned and merely socially clumsy, casting himself in the role of the affable but incompetent man who harasses women by accident – a trope that the writer Lili Loofbourow has identified as ‘the myth of the male bumbler’. But this version of events strains credulity, if for no other reason than that it undersells Cuomo’s own skills. As a politician with a long career in the public eye, the governor is adept at tailoring his own message and anticipating how it will be received…
“Cuomo says that he ‘never intended’ to make inappropriate or sexual suggestions to the women. He says they ‘misinterpreted’ him. This framing says that it was not the governor’s behavior that was wrong – that it wasn’t wrong of him, say, to suggest strip poker or to ask his 25-year-old executive assistant if she slept with older men – but rather that the women were wrong to interpret these words as sexual… The idea that Cuomo could be so perceptive regarding how he was perceived on TV, but so oblivious as to how he was perceived by his own staffers, is outlandish and far-fetched.”
Moira Donegan, The Guardian
Other opinions below.
“Sexual harassment is indeed terrible, particularly from a position of authority, and especially from a position of public trust. A proven charge stands alone as reason to fire a man. But what about spending months lying and blaming others for 15,000 deaths in vulnerable elderly care facilities?…
“Was that not enough to immediately end emergency authorities when it was exposed and then admitted? While it’s perfectly natural for reasons to pile up over time, gaining significance in the mind as gathering evidence establishes a pattern of behavior, thousands of dead citizens should alone be reason enough for censure.”
Christopher Bedford, The Federalist
“The allegations of sexual harassment show Cuomo to be a boor, something many of us already suspected… [But] The current allegations, even if true, are not sufficient reason to cut short the term of the voters’ choice for governor, in my opinion. If Cuomo seeks another term, voters can decide whether these allegations are a deal-breaker…
“The fact that Cuomo sent New Yorkers infected with the coronavirus back to nursing homes where, inevitably, they became super-spreaders is a far more serious matter. And if, as may well be the case, he committed federal crimes when asked by the Justice Department about this scandal, this is just cause for removal and for criminal prosecution.”
Paul Mirengoff, Power Line Blog
“[Cuomo’s] statement [about the allegations] was moronic in that it basically blamed his accusers for not understanding his concern for them and sense of humor. But the significance is that it again revealed he will contest every issue and yield nothing without a fight. That strategy is rooted in a fundamental fact: nobody can force him to quit. That’s his ace in the hole. Impeachment and removal is the only recourse, but we are a long way from that…
“Oddly, even the announcement Tuesday that lawmakers plan to curtail the emergency powers they gave him a year ago could serve his interests. It shows the Legislature is acting to punish him without jeopardizing his job. No doubt many members will say the emergency powers vote is enough for now.”
Michael Goodwin, New York Post
“What he’s been accused of isn’t that different from what Joe ‘Busy Hands’ Biden has been accused of. Cuomo’s intent sounded more lascivious than Biden’s did in the incidents recounted by his accusers, but then Cuomo hasn’t been accused of anything as bad as what Tara Reade accused Biden of. (Then again, no other woman has accused Biden of anything similar.) If you try to push Cuomo out, you open yourself to the question of ‘Why not Biden?’”
Allahpundit, Hot Air
Many argue, “Imagine this scenario. The chief executive officer of a company is alone in the office with a much younger woman who works for him. He asks about her sex life. Has she ever had sex with older men and does age make a difference in romantic relationships? The woman is unsettled by what she sees as a sexual advance and reports it. It’s hard to imagine that, in a well-run company, that executive wouldn’t be asked to resign — or be fired on the spot — for his behavior… Should the standard be lower for those who hold public office and the public trust?”
Editorial Board, Washington Post
Others note that “there’s tremendous bitterness toward those who pressured Al Franken to leave the Senate in 2018… Many Democrats are sick of holding themselves to a set of standards that Republicans feel no need to try to meet…
“Twitter is full of people demanding that the party not ‘Franken’ Cuomo, and pointing out that Republicans are taking no steps to investigate alleged sexual harassers in their own ranks, including the freshman congressman Madison Cawthorn. At a certain point, making sacrifices to demonstrate virtue, in the face of an opposition that has none, makes a lot of Democrats feel like suckers.”
Michelle Goldberg, New York Times
“While a lot of Democrats still defend Franken, it's important to recall that some of the accusations against him involved groping, which falls under the umbrella of ‘sexual battery’ in most states. Bennett and Ruch's accusations fall into more of a legal gray zone. Bennett describes Cuomo dropping a lot of hints but not outright hitting on her, which may or may not fall outside of the legal definition of sexual harassment, depending on how persistent it was…
“Ruch's story is gross, but even the most Valerie Solanas-loving feminist probably doesn't like the idea of using the blunt instrument of the law to handle men pressing their luck with women at parties. Boylan's accusations are more serious, but she is unwilling to talk to journalists who can do the leg work of investigating her claims, and feminists — despite accusations to the contrary — do not want to punish men over unverified accusations…
“So far, the Cuomo scandal illustrates the limits of what the law can do to force men to be better. We can arrest men for sexual assault. We can sue them and fire them for sexual harassment. But no one wants to call the cops on someone for being a lech at a wedding. That falls into the more complex realm of social policing, and that will require ordinary people to actively choose, on a daily basis, to stop prioritizing men's feelings over women's freedoms. It can be done, but only if we keep talking and telling our stories.”
Amanda Marcotte, Salon
