ALBANY — Those of us who live in and around Albany are more aware of Andrew Cuomo’s faults and foibles than most New Yorkers.
Given the importance of state government here, we know our governors. We live with them in ways other New Yorkers don’t. Even if we don’t work at the Capitol, we hear the stories, the behind-the-scenes gossip, from friends and neighbors.
But in recent days, as the COVID-19 pandemic has grown to impact most every aspect of our lives, we’ve been watching a different Cuomo than the governor we’ve known. Who is this guy? It’s like he was born for this.
Cuomo’s is a voice America is listening to during this crisis, with his daily briefings from the Capitol airing nationally, even on Fox News. Suddenly, Cuomo might be the nation’s most popular Democrat, with his leadership getting rave reviews even from former critics.
In part, Cuomo’s in the spotlight because New York is the epicenter of the epidemic, with more confirmed COVID-19 cases than any other state. Manhattan also happens to be the nation’s media capital.
But it’s not just that. Cuomo is being listened to because he deserves to be heard. While the information flowing out of the White House has been muddled and unserious, if not ridiculous and irresponsible, Cuomo is bluntly delivering truths we need to hear.
“The trajectory right now overwhelms the hospital system,” Cuomo said early in the week. “Three or four-fold. It’s not even close. People will die because they can’t get the healthcare service they need.”
That highlights what this is all this is about: Flattening the curve to keep people from dying. Also: Our moral duty to protect the most vulnerable.
So the governor is doing what he can to reduce the carnage — including ordering Friday that most businesses shutter and insisting that New Yorkers wait out the crisis at home. We’re essentially on lockdown.
It shouldn’t surprise you that not everybody supports that decision. Here’s part of an email I received Friday from an attorney in Albany who asked that I not use his name:
“I would like to see a demonstration of the legal authority being relied on by Gov. Cuomo for his outrageous, draconian edicts which are needlessly destroying every aspect of the economy,” he wrote. “This is a massive, disgraceful overreach, which will do far more harm to the people of this state than the consequences of virus spread.”
Yes, the economic consequences will be devastating, as Cuomo has fully acknowledged. And yes, it is possible the economic damage will bring on social problems that could rival the pandemic in costs.
Contact columnist Chris Churchill at [email protected] or 518-454-5442.
Cuomo says he’s tackling one crisis at a time. What else is he supposed to do? There can be no economic justification for ducking the moral calling of the moment, which is about saving lives and trying to ward off something worse than what’s happening in Italy.
Cuomo is acting decisively. He’s leading.
“I accept full responsibility,” Cuomo said after announcing the ramping up of closures. “If someone is unhappy, somebody wants to blame someone, people complain about someone, blame me. There is no one else who is responsible for this decision.”
If only more politicians were brave enough to speak that way.
Of course, anyone who’s been paying attention to Cuomo’s nine-year tenure knows how imperfect it has been. His personal faults have been impossible to ignore. The bullying and the scheming. The tight-fisted control. The egomania. I’ve written about it all, and more.
But all that seems less important now, given the scale of what we’re facing. And as others have noted, some of Cuomo’s faults and foibles are proving to be strengths during a pandemic. A control freak is what we need. If bullying saves lives by snapping the state’s bureaucracy into action, so be it.
Understand, though, that this isn’t the same Cuomo we’ve known. He’s stepped up to meet the crisis. He’s listening to his better angels.
Openness and transparency have not been trademarks of his administration, to put it kindly. During easier days, Cuomo would go months without answering questions from reporters.
Now, he’s answering questions every day and being remarkably honest about the difficulties ahead. Listen to him, and you have no excuse for being one of the nitwits who refuse to take this crisis seriously.
Cuomo’s tenure has not been noted for its warmth. He has governed by inspiring fear, not love. He has won landslides without winning affection.
But in recent days, the governor’s impact hasn’t been solely about his command and mastery over facts and data. It’s also been about his emotional authenticity. He’s been … comforting.
Cuomo has used his briefings to talk about his mother, Matilda, and how hard social distancing is on the elderly and the people who love them. He has talked about worrying for his daughters and his powerlessness to protect them. He has been poignant, moving, gentle.
“We will get through this time,” he said. “Be a little bit more sensitive. Understand the stress. Understand the fear. Be a little bit more loving. A little bit more compassionate, comforting, cooperative. And we will get through this time.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo. As we confront this terrible crisis, we’re fortunate to have him.
[email protected] ■ 518-454-5442 ■ @chris_churchill
