This article, written by a staff member of the Albany Times-Union, is a devastating critique of Andrew Cuomo.
The bottom line: He is the governor who serves the rich and powerful, not the people of Néw York. Four years ago, we had high hopes.
“Now, four years later on the cusp of the next election, upstate New York can’t wait to see him go. It turns out that our hero, our champion, is a fraud.
“He has misled us again and again on a host of issues, and disappointed us at nearly every turn.
“Corruption remains rampant. If you define corruption as the outsized influence of money in setting state policy, or at least giving that appearance, then the governor himself has become the embodiment of pay-to-play. He is the champion of Wall Street, a hero to downstate real estate magnates and billionaire hedge fund managers. Despite fervent promises, public financing of elections bit the dust. Why is no mystery. No one in state politics has benefited more in terms of campaign contributions from the wealthy — of maintaining the status quo — than Andrew Cuomo. That didn’t happen by accident….”
And he adds:
“The price for efficiency has been the ruthless co-opting of government in New York by one man, a closed loop. The Legislature is superfluous except for rubber stamping, and so is the electorate, for that matter. Cuomo is content — no, he demands — to make all the decisions for us, and will tell us what’s good for us, see that it’s passed, and no discussion, thank you. In the process, he has pitted blocks of New Yorkers against each other, and as a continual strategy has vilified those he wants to trample for whatever reason. Even when there are good reasons for tough love, such as the need to reduce the state workforce due to the Great Recession, his derisive strategy is awful. Treating those about to lose their jobs disrespectfully is reprehensible governance…..
“So the big question hanging out there now is why, days before the election, he declares war on public education and teachers, again. You would be hard pressed to find a historical precedent for a gubernatorial candidate, even a cocky one, antagonizing a large block of voters days before ballots are cast.
“Yet, this has all the earmarks of a calculated ploy on his part. My guess is that he is less concerned with how his comment equating public education with a public monopoly would play with educators, school boards and teachers unions — they weren’t going to vote for him anyway — than how pleased the hedge fund billionaires and Wall Streeters promoting the privatization of public education and charter schools would be to hear it.
“He has the election in the bag anyway, so why waste a good opportunity to shake the money tree? Pure Cuomo.”
FYI: this scathing article was tweeted by Randi Weingarten.
See why I’m voting for Howie Hawkins and Brian Jones in the Green Party line? Cuomo does not deserve re-election.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Randi endorses Cuomo and tweets out this? Say what? I still like his father and his Notre Dame speech. Too bad the son doesn’t follow in his Dad’s footsteps.
I think the son wants to make his father have a heart attack. The son is Oedipally hung up and wants to rebel with really bad behavior against dad.
I like Mario and Matilda a lot, but I would not be surprised if he does not know half the things his son has done and said.
Not to worry, no doubt he aspires to be President 1‰.
Fortunately, that will never, ever happen, though it must be a grievous disappointment to Ms. Weingarten, who expends so much energy as a courtier and courtesan for The Overclass and their political brokers.
Cuomo is content — no, he demands — to make all the decisions for us, and will tell us what’s good for us, see that it’s passed, and no discussion, thank you.
Sounds like most of the new political class.
Voted Green Party for Ohio Governor.
That’s why I’m voting Zephyr Teachout via write-in.
Andrew Cuomo is the 1% governor: He is 1% integrity and 99% corruption and plutocratic.
That was easy.