Gun Politics New York

Governor Cuomo’s problems are getting worse:

“Gov. Cuomo’s reputation has been severely damaged and his chances of running for president destroyed by revelations that he interfered with the Moreland Commission’s efforts to probe political corruption, influential Democrats have told The Post …”

I think he did himself in, at least on the national stage, with the SAFE Act.  What Moreland has done is made very public how Andrew (and Albany) operates in private.

“… The Democrats, who called the disclosures in last week’s New York Times “a political game changer” and a “Cuomo nightmare,’’ said the scandal would also provide the first real boost to the campaign of Cuomo’s long-shot Republican rival, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.  Aides to Astorino said over the weekend that they’ve seen a “significant uptick’’ in offers of support and campaign fund-raising as a result of the scandal — with $500,000 contributed over the past few days …”

Does this mean Chris Christie is now going to back Astorino, like other Republican Governors are?  I think Christie hurt his own ’16 presidential ambitions by not supporting Astorino, and not just by decling to support a fellow Republican, but because it shows Christie wasn’t paying much attentional to the politics surrounding a potential opponent.

” … Insiders described Cuomo as “humiliated’’ and “paralyzed’’ and unable to develop a strategy to respond.  “If Cuomo had a good argument to make he’d make it, but he doesn’t know what to do,’’ said a source close to the governor …”

I’m going with him continuing to be an asshole.  It’s gotten him this far in politics.

“… The collateral damage from Cuomo’s actions to his fellow Democrats is considerable.  Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who, like Cuomo, has remained silent, was a central figure in the commission’s probe since he named several of its members and then granted them law-enforcement status.  Yet Schneiderman, who said he was being kept regularly informed about the commission’s activities, said not a word about Cuomo’s actions.  Either the hyper-political Schneiderman violated his promise to keep in touch with what was occurring — an unlikely situation — or he simply kept his mouth shut, insiders at the Capitol agree …”

I am included to believe it is the former.  Schneiderman and Cuomo hate each other.  It is my understand they hardly ever talk.

“… Meanwhile, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, a Moreland co-chair and Cuomo political ally who is running for a congressional seat on Long Island, also kept her mouth shut as Cuomo meddled with the commission and has yet to explain why …”

That’s great if it knocks out her Congressional campaign, but unlike Cuomo and Schneiderman, she would still have her job as Nassau D.A. until ’17.

The New York Times hits Governor Cuomo hard, “Cuomo’s Office Hobbled Ethics Inquiries by Moreland Commission“:

“… [The Moreland Commission] was barely two months old when its investigators, hunting for violations of campaign-finance laws, issued a subpoena to a media-buying firm that had placed millions of dollars’ worth of advertisements for the New York State Democratic Party … Word that the subpoena had been served quickly reached Mr. Cuomo’s most senior aide, Lawrence S. Schwartz. He called one of the commission’s three co-chairs, William J. Fitzpatrick, the district attorney in Syracuse. “This is wrong,” Mr. Schwartz said, according to Mr. Fitzpatrick, whose account was corroborated by three other people told about the call at the time. He said the firm worked for the governor, and issued a simple directive: “Pull it back.” …”

Larry Schwartz was involved?  Here’s my shocked face.

“… The pulled-back subpoena was the most flagrant example of how the commission, established with great ceremony by Mr. Cuomo in July 2013, was hobbled almost from the outset by demands from the governor’s office … many commissioners and investigators saw the demands as politically motivated interference that hamstrung an undertaking that the governor had publicly vowed would be independent.  The commission developed a list of promising targets … The panel also highlighted activities that it saw as politically odious but perfectly legal … But a three-month examination by The New York Times found that the governor’s office deeply compromised the panel’s work, objecting whenever the commission focused on groups with ties to Mr. Cuomo or on issues that might reflect poorly on him …”

No kidding.

Is this the beginning of the end for Andrew?

Politics on the Hudson reports:

“Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign is exploring the possibility of creating a new ballot line dedicated to women’s equality issues, according to multiple sources familiar with the effort …”

Why?  What exactly is the point?  With the media repeatedly saying he has two billion dollars in the bank and a 400 point advantage over Rob Astorino what point is there in doing this?

“… Women’s equality issues are likely to be a major campaign issue this year …”

No, the leftist media would like it to be, but nobody was jumping up and down demanding the legislature take action on the so-called “women’s agenda.”  Along with the SAFE Act it was a totally phony issue Andrew created thinking he could them to springboard a ’16 presidential campaign.

This is more evidence of the Democrat’s problem with Andrew and a sign he is more concerned about Astorino than either he or the media will admit.