Meanwhile, Back in Albany (v44): Cuomo's Goodbye

Today my Sonofa Gov, Andrew Cuomo, leaves office. He'll be replaced by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, the first woman to ever hold New York's highest office. 

Cuomo spoke today, via a videotaped message. You can watch and read his parting thoughts on the state's website. Some highlights are below.

Hello. As you probably know I'm stepping aside as your governor. I wanted to share some thoughts with you that I've been thinking about over the past few days. 

What's been on his mind over the past few days? It hasn't really been introspection, at least not as far as his admitted behavior is concerned.

I now understand that I acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable. It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it and, frankly, I am embarrassed. And that's not easy to say.

In fact, it was impossible to say, today. Instead, we got this.

There will be another time to talk about the truth and ethics of the recent situation involving me, but let me say now that, when government politicizes allegations and the headlines condemn without facts, you undermine the justice system - and that doesn't serve women and it doesn't serve men or society.

Of course, everyone has a right to come forward and we applaud their bravery and courage in doing so, but allegations must still be scrutinized and verified whether made by a woman or a man. That is our basic justice system.

See, it wasn't about his behavior, it was about politics, and people who want what he has, or so he thinks. 

I understand that there are moments of intense political pressure and media frenzy that cause a rush to judgment. But that is not right. It's not fair or sustainable. Facts still matter.

A fire cracker can start a stampede but at one point everyone looks around and says, why are we running? The truth is ultimately always revealed. 

The Attorney General's report was designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic. And it worked. There was a political and media stampede. But the truth will out in time - of that I am confident. 

To his credit, he understood that trying to stay in office and fight, which is and always has been his first reaction to any criticism or accusation, no matter how big or small. 

Now there are moments in life that test our character, that ask us, are we the person we believe we are? Or are we the person we try to be at our best? You know me. I am a fighter and my instinct is to fight this because it is unfair and unjust in my mind. But you also know that I love New York and I serve you. That is the oath that I took, and in this moment I believe the right thing is that my service come first. 

After telling us what must be done to ensure the Empire State's future (police reform, and giving us back our SALT tax deduction, for example), he spoke of "what made New York State the Empire State in the first place."

New York's historic success was not a process of evolution. It didn't just happen. We weren't born this way. We were born of vision and daring and competence. We built the canals, the roads, the bridges, and education system and the economy that made us the greatest state in the nation.

Our future is ahead of us, though. 

But today is a different day. We have reason to believe in New York's future based on what we have accomplished together. We've shown potential. We've shown that the New York spirit that reached for the skies, that refused to accept defeat, that challenged possibility, that said no to the status quo, that took on the bureaucracy that still exists. And we must demand that government continue to perform and achieve and accomplish. 

Cuomo spoke about lessons he's learned during his time in office, "and the one that gives me the most hope is my belief in the essential intelligence and goodness of the people of this state." 

I said, when I started, I work for the people. I work for you. And to me, that is everything. My faith has been in the people, not the politicians and not even the political system. I know too well the flaws of the political system. I believed and still believe that New Yorkers informed with the facts when they believe the facts, when they believe they're told the truth, they will do the right thing. Even when it's hard. 

It's not easy, but it's possible. And I know it's true because you proved it. You are the u in unity and New York chooses unity over division every time. I believe that for New York, the best is yet to be, because I believe you will make it so.

In sum, we didn't get everything done that we wanted to, or even everything we should have done. And we didn't always get it quite right. But I want you to know from the bottom of my heart, that every day I worked my hardest. I gave it my all and I tried my best to deliver for you. And that is the God's honest truth.

And then he thanked us, "for the honor of serving as governor of New York," for making NY "the progressive Capitol of the nation," and then he mentioned his dad.

Thank you for vindicating E.B. White's words, often quoted by my father, God, rest his soul. When he said, "New York is to the nation what the white church spire is to the village, the visible symbol of aspiration and faith, the white plume saying the way is up." 

Thank you for the honor of serving you and never forget, always stay New York tough, smart, united, disciplined and loving. It's the essence of what makes New Yorkers so special. God bless you.

And at 11:59PM, it will be over. 

Meanwhile, Back in Albany (v43): It's Politics, Not Me, Too

The Sonofa Gov announced his resignation today, effective in 14 days. You should read his full remarks; selected excerpts (and commentary) are below.

I’d like to address several issues today. First, I’ve always started by telling New Yorkers the facts before my opinion. So, let’s start New York tough with the truth.

The attorney general did a report on complaints made against me by certain women for my conduct. The report said I sexually harassed 11 women. That was the headline people heard and saw and reacted to. The reaction was outrage. It should have been. However, it was also false...

The most serious allegations made against me had no credible factual basis in the report. And there is a difference between alleged improper conduct and concluding sexual harassment. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not to say that there are not 11 women who I truly offended. There are. And for that I deeply, deeply apologize...

He gave a list of things that he did that were misunderstood. He was only being nice, being friendly, using endearing terms, he thought, or joking. He said "I take full responsibility for my actions."

I have been too familiar with people. My sense of humor can be insensitive and off-putting. I do hug and kiss people casually, women and men. I have done it all my life. It’s who I’ve been since I can remember. In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have. No excuses.

He spoke about Trooper #1, but first, he patted himself on the back for bringing diversity to his State Police detail. 

Please let me provide some context. The governor’s trooper detail had about 65 troopers on it, but of the 65 only six women and nine Black troopers. I’m very proud of the diversity of my administration. It’s more diverse than any administration in history. And I’m very proud of the fact that I have more women in senior positions than any governor before me.

The lack of diversity on the state police detail was an ongoing disappointment for me. In many ways, the governor’s detail is the face of state government that people see. When I attend an event, people see the detail that’s with me. I was continuously trying to recruit more to diversify... 

And he addressed her allegations: 

This female trooper was getting married, and I made some jokes about the negative consequences of married life. I meant it to be humorous. She was offended, and she was right.

The trooper also said that in an elevator I touched her back and when I was walking past her in a doorway, I touched her stomach. Now I don’t recall doing it, but if she said I did it, I believe her... It was totally thoughtless in the literal sense of the word, but it was also insensitive. It was embarrassing to her, and it was disrespectful.

There was finger-pointing: 

Now, obviously, in a highly political matter like this, there are many agendas and there are many motivations at play. If anyone thought otherwise, they would be naïve, and New Yorkers are not naïve... 

Part of being New York tough is being New York smart. New York smart tells us that this situation and moment are not about the facts...  This is about politics... There is an intelligent discussion to be had on gender-based actions on generational and cultural behavioral differences on setting higher standards and finding reasonable resolutions. But the political environment is too hot and it is too reactionary for that now, and it is unfortunate.

And the 'this is bigger than me' part: 

... when I took my oath as governor... I became a fighter, but I became a fighter for you, and it is your best interests that I must serve. This situation by its current trajectory will generate months of political and legal controversy. That is what is going to happen. That is how the political wind is blowing. It will consume government. It will cost taxpayers millions of dollars. It will brutalize people... This is one of the most challenging times for government in a generation. Government really needs to function today. Government needs to perform. It is a matter of life and death — government operations, and wasting energy on distractions is the last thing that state government should be doing. And I cannot be the cause of that.

 And there was New York Tough:

New York Tough means New York loving, and I love New York, and I love you. And everything I have ever done has been motivated by that love. And I would never want to be unhelpful in any way. And I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing. And, therefore, that’s what I’ll do because I work for you, and doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you. Because as we say, “It’s not about me. It’s about we.”

 And compliments to his staff:

To my team... I want to say this: Thank you. Thank you. And be proud. We made New York state the progressive capital of the nation. No other state government accomplished more to help people. And that is what it’s all about...

Today so much of the politics is just noise, just static, and that’s why people tune it out. What matters is actually improving people’s lives, and that’s what you did. You made this state a better state for the generations that follow, and that is undeniable, inarguable, and true, even in these ugly, crazy times.

He mentioned his daughters: 

I want them to know from the bottom of my heart that I never did and I never would intentionally disrespect a woman or treat any woman differently than I would want them treated. And that is the God’s honest truth. Your dad made mistakes, and he apologized, and he learned from it. And that’s what life is all about.

And finally, there was the "honor of my lifetime" part to wrap things up. 

... Out of many one. Unity, community, love. That is our founding premise, and our enduring promise. And that is the salvation of this nation that it so desperately needs to hear. Thank you for the honor of serving you. It has been the honor of my lifetime. God bless you.

Apologetic? Nope - not really. More defiant than anything, blaming everyone else for what's happening to him. He's done that throughout his career, on ethics, campaign finance reform, and more. My Moreland Commission and Meanwhile Back in Albany posts are enlightening in that regard. 

Satisfactory? Nope. He's still in denial about his actions, suggesting that the goalposts had moved. But they haven't. His understanding of where those goalposts were was - and is - sorely lacking, but that's on him, not on his accusers. He was the boss, he was the one in power, and he knows it. The goalposts are exactly where they always were - and he knows it. 

Sincere? As much as he can be, I guess. But I found his comments about how much money would be spent during an impeachment to be disingenuous. "The Executive Chamber" has a $2.5M contract with a law firm, after all - and that's coming from our pockets, not his. And, of course, there's the countless hours of hand-wringing, testifying, strategizing, retaliating and who knows what else that he and his staff have been doing, instead of doing the people's work. 

And he touches only on the sexual harassment allegations - never mentions the book deal, and having his staff, ahem, "volunteer' to help on that - that's illegal, and it's impossible, since he has said his office - The Executive Chamber - is a high-pressure, long hours, late into the night shop, dealing with life-and-death stuff. Who has time to work on their boss's book under those circumstances?  

He never mentioned the nursing home stuff - that's where the $2.5M noted above is going. He's apparently using campaign funds for the sexual harassment legal team - that's legal here, sadly - even though he said he wasn't.

In the end, he's just a man, like many before him and like many - hopefully fewer, as time progresses - who will come after him. Political men, compelling when in power, much less so as their power slips away. Sitting alone, trying to pin the tail of blame on unnamed political enemies, elephants and donkeys alike, not caring who they bring down with them. 

That's really who he is, today. 

Meanwhile Back in Albany (v42)

Sonofa Gov Poster

The NYS Assembly, the chamber that's going to investigate (for one reason or another) the varied crises faced by the Sonofa Gov, has engaged a law firm to handle the heavy lifting for them.

I say 'for one reason or another,' because we know there was some confusion, or disagreement, among the Dems on a private call of conference members, which was made public - because of course it was.

The contentious conversation between Heastie and his Democratic colleagues, which has not previously been reported in detail, revealed how New York Democrats are consumed by Cuomo’s conduct and are deeply divided on how to move forward.

And, the article continued, it showed how they're now afraid of leaks, and of the potential that more women might bring allegations against Cuomo. 

At one point, (Speaker Carl Heastie) said the Assembly’s Democratic conference was divided between those who want to leave it to state Attorney General Tish James to investigate Cuomo’s conduct, those who hope the governor will step down, and those who want to see him impeached.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee's investigation "will focus on three different things: the seven women who have accused the governor of assault, the nursing home deaths and the mounting questions about" the Mario Cuomo Bridge project. As one Assembly member said, “He’s got three major buckets of shit going on here,” referring to Cuomo. 

So, we know the what; let's look at the who. 

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Lavine announced that the Assembly has retained the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP to lead the impeachment investigation into the mounting allegations against Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“Since Thursday, Chairman Lavine led a vigorous search for a top-flight firm to assist with the investigation. I have the utmost faith that Assemblymember Lavine and our Judiciary Committee will conduct a full and fair investigation,” Speaker Heastie said. “Hiring Davis Polk will give the Committee the experience, independence, and resources needed to handle this important investigation in a thorough and expeditious manner.” 

The three attorneys assigned to the investigation have experience defending white collar criminals of all stripes, in federal and state courts, and with multiple regulators, and are highly praised by clients and their peers. One worked on the Mueller investigation.

Lavine said that the addition of firm will allow him and his committee "to fully and fairly investigate the allegations. These are serious allegations, and they will be treated with fairness, due process, and discretion." 

The addition of the firm also caused a stir - rightfully, I think. With all the law firms in NYC, and in Albany, and, honestly, anywhere else in the country, they managed to find one that, as the attorney for one of the alleged victims said, "has some associations that could call its objectivity into question."  

Dennis Glazer, the husband of the state’s chief judge of the Court of Appeals, Janet DiFiore, was a partner at Davis Polk for 30 years. Cuomo appointed DiFiore to her judgeship. She also served as the chair of the state’s public ethics commission, an entity controlled by the governor. Glazer was appointed by Cuomo to serve on the Board of SUNY Purchase and the state’s casino siting board. If the Assembly does vote to impeach, DiFiore would preside over a Senate impeachment trial.

It's been reported that Glazer is still getting a nice pension from his former firm. Not only that, but guess who the Sonofa Gov wanted to be involved in the investigation into the allegations? That's right - Chief Judge Janet DiFiore. And, should the investigation result in articles of impeachment? DiFiore will be a juror. 

What a mess. 

I don't know about you, but I am not at all surprised that at least one of Cuomo's accusers is saying she won't participate in the Judiciary Committee's "sham investigation." 

Would you do anything different if you were in her shoes?

Sidebar: Sunday School 3/14/21

Yesterday's Sunday School classrooms were full of talk about my Sonofa Gov Andrew Cuomo, the harassment allegations against him, and his defiance in the face of continuing calls for him to resign. 

I didn't include everyone's full remarks in the post - no room for all of that - but the gist of many comments was that New Yorkers have lost faith in him and we want him to resign. And, as you've likely heard, there's a whole host of folks - both Democrats and Republicans - who weren't in the classrooms yesterday who think that's appropriate, and have issued statements to that point. 

Here's the thing: according to a Siena College Research Institute poll taken last week and released today, it's not true that 'most' New Yorkers want him to resign. Here's a quick look from a NY Times article; I've added the emphasis.

In a survey of 805 registered New York State voters, 57 percent said they were satisfied with how Mr. Cuomo had addressed the allegations, while 32 percent said they were not. Fifty percent said he should not resign, while 35 percent said he should. Nearly half said they believed he could continue to do his job effectively as governor, with 34 percent saying he could not.

Even so, the governor’s favorability rating has plummeted to one of the lowest points of his decade-long tenure: Only 43 percent of voters said they had a favorable opinion of the governor, down from 56 percent last month.

I'll have more from the poll later this week, including opinions of New Yorkers on the American Rescue Plan, vaccines, and more.

The Update Desk: The Sonofa Gov on Sexual Harassment

Everyone knows that my Sonofa Gov, Andrew Cuomo, has been accused of sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, and of making three accusers very uncomfortable. He issued a couple of apologetic statements the other day: an official one on his website, and a more personal one at the end of his COVID press conference. I've got links to both statements in this week's  Wondering on Wednesday, if you haven't seen them yet.

Some people may have forgotten about another sexual harassment case with ties to Cuomo; I addressed them in this Meanwhile Back in Albany entry from December 2017. 

It's everywhere, the insidious scourge of sexual harassment. 

That was the opening sentence. And, it continued by explaining that 'everywhere' included, we were told,  in the administration of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York City, Lisa Marie Cater alleges that William (call me Sam) Hoyt, who worked as head of the Empire State Development Corporation, repeatedly made unwanted advances, and further that the harassment was reported to and ignored by Cuomo's office, which is why Cuomo is a named defendant in the suit. The governor's office  denies ignoring the complaints.

It was against that backdrop that the governor found himself on the receiving end of a question from Karen Dewitt, an award-winning, long-time journalist with New York Public Radio, on this issue 

and it's safe to say that it didn't go well for the Sonofa Gov.

Dewitt noted the Hoyt allegations and asked Cuomo what he could do differently, and here's how he responded.

You have it going on in journalism. What are you going to do differently?

OK - sure, that's true, but this is a reporter talking to a governor who is a defendant in a sexual harassment case involving an appointee of the governor. There was some exchange after that comment, including a different reporter pointing out that the question was about state government. That didn't sit well.

No, it's about you and journalism (pointing his finger at the other reporter). And it's about you and journalism (turning to Dewitt and pointing again). And it's about state government. And it's about carpentry and it's about training forces... (Note: that last one may not be accurate, it was hard to understand what he said.)

Again, Dewitt asked if there was something that Cuomo could do differently. Apparently, his only option on that was to lecture Dewitt, using his best professorial intonation, especially at the end of this exchange.

We will have policies in state government, obviously, that affect state government, but I think you miss the point. When you "it's state government" you do a disservice to women, with all due respect, even though you're a woman.

Um... what the hell is that?

It went on like that, with him trying to change the subject, deflecting the questions about him, and talking about some bigger, "this has nothing to do with me" issue. At one point, Cuomo lectured the reporters on the need for them to see the bigger picture. In the emphasis I've added below, you can hear his voice, if you're at all familiar with how he speaks.

It's not government. It's society. It was Harvey Weinstein in the arts industry. It's comedians. It's politicians. It's chefs, right? It's systemic. It's societal. It's not one person in one area. It's not just Charlie Rose, right? It's not just Matt Lauer. It's not just journalists. It's societal.

Finally, slowing down the pace of his answer to something slower than a school closing chyron, he finished his lecture.

Understand. The. Breadth. Of. The. Problem

Which, frankly, is exactly what Dewitt and the other reporters were hoping Cuomo would do, specifically as it relates to him, not as it relates to anyone else. 

Importantly, the lawsuit against Cuomo and the SECD was dismissed in 2018, with the judge giving several reasons for doing so, including that there were no allegations that Cuomo knew about or participated in the harassment. The case against Hoyt was dismissed in 2019. 

Still, several questions remain, including a big one: Does Andrew Cuomo Understand. The. Breadth. Of. The. Problem? 

Wondering on Wednesday 3/3/21

Ready... Set... Wonder!

So, are you wondering about the agreement between President Biden and moderate Dems in the Senate, the one that'll tighten the income requirements for the next stimulus? Honestly, I think it's a good idea, and I don't care if that puts me in the minority. 

The House bill would give the full $1400 payment to individuals who make up to $75K and married couples making up to $150K, a lesser amount for folks earning between $75K -$100K and couples earning between $150K-$200K, and nothing for folks over those higher thresholds. The new plan for the Senate version is the same as the House, except that individuals earning over $80K and couples over $160K wouldn't get anything.

To me, that's progress - and it bodes well for them taking a closer look at other parts of the bill that seem excessive, or that have a razor-thin tie to COVID. 

Also not really drawing wonder from me? Comments by AOC, of the Squad of progressives in the House. Here's what she said, according to the same article above

I don't understand the political or economic wisdom in allowing Trump to give more people relief checks than a Democratic administration. People went far too long without relief last year - if anything, we should be more generous, not more stingy. It's also an insensitive compromise for the roughly 80% of Americans that live in urban areas, which are known for higher costs of living.

Here's the thing I do wonder about, now that AOC is on record with concerns about being sensitive to people in high cost of living areas. How can she be such a proponent of a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour? If you want to talk about being "insensitive," imagine convincing yourself and countless millions of others that it's acceptable to have the same minimum wage in Mississippi, where the 2021 cost of living is 86.1; Arizona, where it's 97; and in New York, where it's 139.1?

Sticking with sensitive people, the poor people at Fox are beside themselves with the insensitivity of Dr. Seuss Enterprises in deciding to stop publishing six books. Here's a chart from the Media Matters gang showing the absurd imbalance in the network's coverage yesterday of three topics: Seuss, COVID vaccines, and testimony about the insurrection on January 6th. 

Now, we know exactly why they're doing this - it's to get our attention away from things that are, you know, actually important - including the ongoing pandemic and anything that might put the network and their conspiracy theories in a bad light - which is exactly what FBI Director  Christopher Wray did.

We have not to date seen any evidence of anarchist violent extremists or people subscribing to antifa in connection with the 6th," he said. "That doesn't mean we're not looking, and we'll continue to look, but at the moment we have not seen that.

Wray also noted that there was no evidence that there were "fake Trump supporters" in the mob that stormed the Capitol, as Johnson and others have insinuated.

Now, back to the folks at Dr. Seuss Enterprises; the reason they're choosing to stop publishing the books is because they "portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong."  

In And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, for example, a character described as Chinese has two lines for eyes, carries chopsticks and a bowl of rice, and wears traditional Japanese-style shoes. In If I Ran the Zoo, two men said to be from Africa are shown shirtless, shoeless and wearing grass skirts as they carry an exotic animal. Outside of his books, the author's personal legacy has come into question, too — Seuss wrote an entire minstrel show in high school and performed as the main character in full blackface."

Oh - in case you're wondering, it's not "cancel culture" when a company, after a couple of years of review and reconciliation, decides to do something like this. It would be cancel culture if I were a million times more famous than I am, and I called on my millions of followers to, say, stop shopping at Macy's, like Dear Leader did.

Finally tonight, here's the official statement from my Sonofa Gov's website on the recent allegations that he sexually harassed three women, and here is the statement he gave in person today at his COVID press conference.  The second one - the live version, if you will - started out this way:

Now, the lawyers say I shouldn’t say anything when you have a pending review, until that review is over. I understand that; I’m a lawyer too. But I want New Yorkers to hear from me directly on this.

I'm wondering if Gov. Cuomo talked with his daughters about how they would feel if someone his age talked to or acted towards them the way it's alleged he spoke or acted.

If he didn't, I hope he does.

What are you wondering about tonight?

Wondering on Wednesday (v149)

Wondering why the map is so big that is had room for me to be wondering all over it, for starters.

If you were telling a joke, and people laughed, I wonder why you'd say you weren't expecting them to laugh? Or conversely, if you weren't telling a joke, and people laughed, and you said you weren't expecting that reaction, why would you say you were telling a joke? 

If you give a speech talking about how what happens in high school stays in high school, or a speech saying that what happens in law school stays in law school, why would you pretend that it's completely meaningless what you're keeping in high school and law school? 

If you and your friends never had any dates with a girl named Renate, why would you all mention her - repeatedly - in your yearbook, I wonder? And what exactly is a Renate Alumni?

If you believe that your Senate Committee is perfectly capable of investigating allegations of sexual harassment, and of questioning the accused and his accuser, why would you not do the questioning yourself, I wonder? Why hire someone to do it for you?

And if you were a Senator, why would you cede your official responsibility to someone else? Five minutes is precious time, I would think, to do your sworn duty.  And if you're willing to cede your responsibility to someone else on the questioning side, can I vote on your behalf?

If you're a social media company and you're trying to eliminate hate and fake news and lies and manipulative information, I wonder why you're not suspending the president's accounts?

And if the president is allowed to joke about something that's not funny, and we are to believe him when he says he was just kidding, I wonder why we're to assume that everyone else is lying when they say they were just joking around? And why we are supposed to take the president at his word when he says he was kidding, or misspoke, or was taken out of context, but everyone else needs multiple corroborating witnesses if we are to believe them?

Why is it that when China targets American farmers, it's election interference but when Russia actually interferes with our elections, it's a 400 pound guy on a bed in a basement? I'm really wondering about that one. 

If you want to clear your name for anything, I wonder, why would you go on Fox News? Aren't you really just trying to energize your fans, instead of really getting out the truth to others why might actually be swayed by your answers to difficult questions?

If you want credibility for what you're going to say, no matter what it is, I wonder why you'd pick Michael Avenatti as your lawyer?

Similarly, if you're looking to find your way, with short notice, through the ins and outs of a Congressional hearing, I wonder why anyone would question you getting a 'connected' lawyer, one familiar with what you have to face?  

And why is it a political, partisan problem, I wonder, when someone gets a Democrat as an attorney, but it's not a problem when someone gets a Republican as an attorney? 

I have to wonder about this stuff, it's so hard to keep track of what's right and what's wrong.

Wondering on Wednesday (148)

Let's get right to it, shall we?

I wonder what the president meant when he said "we love the people of Poland coming into the United States in any way, shape or form, OK?" I'm sure he meant in any legal way, shape or form, of course. Right?

White House photo

And now there's no reason to wonder if there's a reduction in the number of Poles we love wanting to come here, after Trump bigly dissed his counterpart, President Andrzej Duda, by not giving him a chair to sit in while signing a new joint strategic partnership.

You'll see the American president, resolutely staring with resolve at the White House photographer from behind the Resolute Desk, and you'll see the insensitive treatment of Duda to Trump's right.

No one could find the man a chair? Not even one of the couple thousand 'senior officials' in the administration? Maybe Poland won't be naming the their hoped-for new military base Fort Trump after all.

Trump visited North Carolina today, to survey damage from Hurricane Florence and greet residents.  Differing from his well known trips to Texas (what a great turnout) and Puerto Rico (tossing paper towels to storm victims), closer to home he helped hand out meals. And, of course, he had to ask about Lake Norman, a large man-made lake north of Charlotte.

And how is Lake Norman, that area? How is that doing? I love that area. I can't tell you why, but I love that area. 

It didn't take a ton of wondering as to why he might be interested.

Moving on to the other major storm occupying the news, I wonder why it is that the Senate feels the need to move forward so quickly on the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation?  I mean, it's not like we need him on the Supreme Court, right?

There's certainly no reason to think that having a 9th judge on the bench is necessary on the first Monday in October 2018, given that we were denied a 9th judge for 293 days when it was a Democrat behind the appointment. Honestly, what's the big hurry?

I'm also wondering about the specific qualifications the Judiciary Committee members and their staffs have for investigating allegations of sexual abuse. I mean, do any of them even watch Law and Order SVU?

And I'm trying to picture them explaining to their daughters, granddaughters, nieces, or any other young women they know why there's no need for an impartial, professional investigation.

Moving on to the deteriorating level of discourse in politics (and everything else, it seems) today,  is anyone wondering why Trump supporter Claudia Tenney is conjuring up Mafioso images in her battle against Anthony Brindisi to represent NY's 22nd congressional district? I know she's doing it now - but did you know she started with this tactic more than a year ago?  Here's a little bit from an interview with USA today in July 2017.

While unloading on her Democratic challenger during a Thursday interview with USA Today, Tenney (R-New Hartford) sought to highlight the "great contrast" between her own father, late state Supreme Court Justice John R. Tenney, and Brindisi's father Louis, who she described as "very heavily involved with the organized crime in Utica for many years, representing them."

"He fought for law and order and Anthony's father represented some of the worst criminals in our community," Tenney said, looking at a picture of her father during a wide-ranging interview in her DC office.

"You have to question...some of the things that have happened in his family. The voters make that decision. I'm not saying Anthony is part of that but that's the family you come from." 

Brindisi's campaign had the best possible answer back then:

Anthony Brindisi believes that name-calling never created a job in Upstate New York.

Fast forward to this week and Tenney is downing her game, to Trumpian levels. In a memo sent to staffers - and to the Utica Observer-Dispatch - we learn from Tenney campaign consultant Tim Edson that

We have the unique situation that we should be cautious about, his family has a track record and this is going to be an intense, tough race (Edson said). And as the pressure  itself on Brindisi and he watches his political career come to an end, (people) need to be vigilant because it's possible his family members could return to the kind of intimidating behavior that's sort of characterized the last 30 years of them being in Utica. 

What the ever-wondering hell is that???  No -- seriously, what the ever-wondering hell IS that???  Is this guy actual proud of himself for this?

Why, yes - yes he is. Just look at his company's website. Here's a snippet, with a little emphasis to help you see what this stereotypical attack on Italian-Americans is all about.

FP1 writes and produces advertising that is inspired, fresh, and cuts through the clutter of typical political and issue ads. The utmost importance is placed on creating advertising that is emotionally and intellectually compelling - with an overall tone that viewers find to be informational, honest, and persuasive - not standard spin. 

I wonder how much Tenney's paying for this "intellectually compelling' crap?  It's not worth one red cent if you ask me.

Meanwhile, Back in Albany (v18)

Nathaniel Brooks/NYTimes 

I thought I'd take a peek at the New York State legislative session that ended last month and see what our state representatives have been up to over in Albany.

A quick scan of headlines and it's not looking good, I can tell you that. Here's a sampling:

• from auburnpub.com: NY State Legislature session: missed opportunities, gridlock
• from the NY Times: Even for Albany, an Unusually Unproductive End to Session
• from the Albany Times Union: Legislative session limps to an end
• from syracuse.com: NYS Legislature adjourns with little to show
• from the Buffalo News: In Albany, Legislature moving to close session, with major deals dying

Sounds like a resounding success, doesn't it? Let's take a quick look at some of the hits and misses from the session.

From the Auburn paper, we got this assessment, the first part from Senator Mike Gianaris (D-Queens), with the second part coming from Brian Kolb (R-Canandaigua), the Assembly Minority Leader:

It's more a story of missed opportunities than a story about what got done.

The 2018 legislative session may be a memory, but it was anything but memorable.  

Nice to see both parties and both houses of the legislature in agreement on this. Other things of note from this article:

High profile proposals to authorize sports betting, overhaul antiquated election laws, extend the statute of limitations for child molestation and address longstanding corruption problems were introduced but never passed amid an ongoing stalemate between the Democratic-led Assembly and Republican-controlled Senate. 

The session's final days saw measures intended to improve school security fall flat. lawmakers failed to renew the state law authorizing 140 speed cameras in the NYC school zone, meaning the city will have to deactivate the devices. Negotiations to overhaul teacher evaluations also went nowhere. 

Successes called out here include legislation related to prosecuting sex offenders, new sexual harassment rules for government employees, and congestion tolls for transportation services in Manhattan, holding rape kids for 20 years, disclosures for online political ads, and a tax on opioid manufacturers.

The NY Times quoted Blair Horner of NYPIRG, who was also unimpressed with this year's session.

There are always things that don't get done. What made this session unique was the gridlock in the Senate, which made even the simplest of issues extremely difficult to resolve.

The Times also provided some detail on those issues in the Senate.

The Senate, for years led by Republicans, has these past weeks been deadlocked in a 31-31 partisan tie after one Republican senator returned to active duty in the Navy, and a group of eight renegade Democrats who had helped empower the Republicans ended their collaboration.  That thew into disarray the balance of power through which Democrats and Republicans, by virtue of their respective controls of the Assembly and Senate, had long been forced to the bargaining table. 

The Times Union shared another point of interest in the lack of accomplishment, via this comment from Patricia Fahy, an Assembly Democrat:

It's a little bit more of a lull this year. Part of it is because a lot was done in the budget, and, I think, because it's an election year, so  more issues are polarizing.

And, of course, our Sonofa Gov had to pivot quickly to fighting an activist actress, Cynthia Nixon, in order to remain in power. John Flanagan, the Senate Majority leader, was not impressed.

The governor was over here last week and certainly (we) had conversations with him but prior to that there was a very large void. So I feel he played some nominally productive role in the conversations that we had. 

Ouch. Way to drive your agenda, eh Gov?  But never fear, the pols kept pushing.

State legislators also found time to approve millions of dollars of pork barrel spending, create a state hymn, authorize new distinctive license plates and name multiple bridges. And even as time ran out on the calendar, both houses of the Legislature continued passing dozens of bills that stood little chance of success in the other chamber.

The Syracuse paper was equally unimpressed with this year's session.

The New York State Legislature's 2018 session limped to its conclusion Wednesday with precious little to show for it. In an election year, that's a funny way to persuade voters that you deserve another term.

The editorial board noted 'punts' on big issues including early voting, fixing the condo tax (more on that in an upcoming post), and efforts to clean up our economic development mess:

The bid-rigging trials involving one of Cuomo's top aides, SUNY Polytechnic, the Buffalo Billion and developers from Buffalo and Syracuse made nary a ripple in Albany. A bill to require the state to maintain a database of all the taxpayer subsidies given to corporations, the number of jobs created and the cost per job to taxpayers passed the Senate but languished in the Assembly. Such a database would bring more transparency and accountability to the $4B in annual state economic development spending. A bill giving the state Comptroller the authority to review SUNY contracts also failed to pass.

In addition to successes already noted above, the Syracuse paper noted passage of a bill allowing Syracuse and other municipalities to tack code violation fees to property tax bills and also a bill to help a local school district avoid payment of massive fines related to years-old missed paperwork deadlines. (For schools that were assessed and paid their fines in similar situations, I expect there was little joy in that one.)

One final note. The Buffalo paper also had some good analysis, but they also gave us this tidbit about how parochial the session had become at the end.

In place of the usual big-ticket items that define the end of a legislative session, lawmakers Tuesday continued pushing through dozens of locally-related and smaller items, including fixing a nearly 60-year-old typo in the name of a New York City bridge - honoring Giovanni da Verrazzano - with an extra Z to set things straight. 

No word yet on whether we'll have a special session to address any of the shortcomings; the most likely suspect is probably sports betting, but we'll have to wait and see.  

The Irony Board:What Month Is This, Again?

president Donald J. Trump Proclaims April 2018 as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

During National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, we remain steadfast in our efforts to stop crimes of sexual violence, provide care for victims, enforce the law, prosecute offenders, and raise awareness about the many forms of sexual assault. We must continue our work to eliminate sexual assault from our society and promote safe relationships, homes and communities.

I moved on her, and I failed. I admit it...  I did try and f--- her. She was married. And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, "I'll show you where they have some nice furniture. I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn't get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she's now got the big phony tits and everything. She's totally changed her look.

Sexual assault crimes remain tragically common in our society, and offenders too often evade accountability. These heinous crimes are committed indiscriminately; in intimate relationships, in public spaces, and in the workplace.

I've got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful -- I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab the by the p----. You can do anything.

We must respond to sexual assault by identifying and holding perpetrators accountable. Too often, however, the victims of assault remain silent. They may fear retribution from their offender, lack faith in the justice system, or have difficulty confronting the pain associated with the traumatic experience.  My administration is committed to raising awareness about sexual assault and to empowering victims to identify perpetrators so that they can be held accountable. We must make it as easy as possible for those who have suffered from sexual assault to alert the authorities and to speak about the experience with their family and friends.

Jessica Leeds

Kristin Anderson

Cathy Heller

Temple Taggart McDowell

Karena Virginia

Bridget Sullivan

Tasha Dixon

Mindy McGillivray

Rachel Crooks

Natasha Stoynoff

Jennifer Murphy

Jessica Drake

Ninni Laaksonen

Summer Zervos

Cassandra Searles

Karen McDougal

Stormy Daniels

When victims seek help, responses must be carefully tailored to the context in which the sexual assault occurred and the unique needs of each victim. To better assist victims, the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women has developed the Sexual Assault Victim Intervention Services Technical Assistance Center (SAVIS TAC). This new resource will help community officials and organizations appropriately respond to sexual assault by expanding the understanding of the type of support likely to be effective in each unique circumstance. Participants in the SAVIS TAC initiative will use available funds to provide intensive training and resources to service providers.  With these resources, service providers, including rape crisis centers and other sexual assault and domestic violence organizations can build organizational and staff capacity for providing comprehensive sexual assault victim intervention services.

Together, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we recommit ourselves to doing our part to help stop sexual violence. We must not be afraid to talk about sexual assault and sexual assault prevention with our loved ones, in our communities, and with those who have experienced these tragedies. We must encourage victims to report sexual assault and law enforcement to hold offenders accountable, and we must support victims and survivors unremittingly. Through a concerted effort to better educate ourselves, empower victims, and punish criminals, our Nation will move closer to ending the grief, fear, and suffering caused by sexual assault. The prevention of sexual violence is everyone’s concern.

The people of this country, in a decisive election, supported president Trump, and we feel like these allegations have been answered through that process.  The American people knew this and voted for the president, and we feel like we're ready to move forward in that process.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, president of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2018 as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. I urge all Americans, families, law enforcement, healthcare providers, community and faith-based organizations, and private organizations to support survivors of sexual assault and work together to prevent these crimes in their communities.

Well, the funniest is that before a show, I'll go backstage and everyone's getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant and therefore I'm inspecting it. You know, I'm inspecting because I want to make sure everything is good. You know, the dresses. 'Is everyone OK?' You know, they're standing there with no clothes. 'Is everyone OK?' And you see these incredible-looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second.

DONALD J. TRUMP

Wondering on Wednesday (v127)

So, what are we wondering about tonight?

Well, let's see.  How about the president's reading comprehension skills? Seems the president thinks that former Vice President Joe Biden is threatening him. Take a look:

So, you wondering what's going on here? Well, back during the campaign Grandpa Joe took exception to Trump's Access Hollywood comments, and said basically if they were back in high school and Trump had said something like that in front of Biden's sister, Joe would have taken him out behind the gym. If they were in high school. Which would have been what, 55 or 60 some odd years ago?  

I know you must be wondering about this - 37% of people responding to a Public Policy Polling survey think Grandpa Joe would win this fight; 32% think the current resident of the White House would win, and 30% don't have an opinion on this one. 

Moving on to other important subjects, Walmart will cleanse the checkout aisles of their 5,000+ stores and move copies of Cosmo to the magazine aisle, which it sounds like could be anywhere in their stores.

Why the move, I wonder?

Walmart, in s statement, acknowledged that "the concerns raised were heard" but said that its decision stemmed from business reasons.

"As with all products in our store, we continue to evaluate our assortment and make changes," the statement said. When asked for further comment, Walmart indicated that there are a number of factors it evaluates when making in-store placement decisions, including customer feedback and sales data.  

Nevertheless, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, an advocacy group that has campaigned against what it calls Cosmopolitan's "hyper-sexualized and sexually objectifying" content, took some credit for the move on Tuesday, citing its "collaborative dialogue" with Walmart.

"This is what real change looks like in our #MeToo culture," said Dawn Hawkins, the group's executive director, in a statement. 

Now, there any number of legitimate reasons why a store might not want Cosmo in the checkout line, but I'm not sure the #MeToo movement is one of them. In the context of "no woman deserves to be sexually harassed, abused or victimized" I wonder if moving a magazine that focuses on empowering women to own their sexuality the way they want to, dress the way they want to, and so on, doesn't have a feel of victim-blaming? It might not have been intended that way, but still...

Staying with Walmart for just a second longer, I missed this story when it broke in January and only recently came across it, reading that a customer is suing the retail giant for racial bias.  Essie Grundy was shopping for a comb, only to find it locked in a cabinet - along with all of the other hair care products used by African American men and women.

We're sensitive to this situation and also understand, like other retailers, that some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products are subject to additional security. Those determinations are made on a store-by-store basis using data supporting the need for heightened measures.

I wonder whether this will have an impact on their bottom line, and if yes, in which direction?

Moving on, Remington, a gun company founded in New York over 200 years ago, has filed for bankruptcy and has secured loans that will help it continue manufacturing while they try and get their house in order.

If you're wondering whether fears of gun control changes have anything to do with the decision, the answer is no: it's actually the opposite.

Gun companies experienced record sales during the Obama administration, driven by fears among gun consumers of more restrictive gun control. But these fears largely faded, along with sales and profits, since the 2016 election of Trump, a Republican endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

So, let's review: the pro-job, pro-2nd Amendment president is the reason a 200+ year old American company is sort of on life support?  Interesting -- very interesting.

And finally, this Wednesday, in case you're wondering, Jared Kushner still has a job. And he may or may have been or is being investigated, but it doesn't matter because it's all good.

Meanwhile Back in Albany (v14)

Nathaniel Brooks/NY Times

New York's Sonofa Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his eighth State of the State (SOTS) address last Wednesday.

He chose a much more traditional route this year - no dog and pony shows across the state, just a "Castro-esque" speech about all of the things he wants to do as president in 2020 governor in 2018. The Castro comment, which I love, came from Colgate University professor Tim Byrnes; it comes near the 20-minute mark in this video.

So what's on the gov's wish list this year? He starts with sexual harassment, and a laundry list of proposals:

• no taxpayer funds should be used to pay for any public official's sexual harassment or misconduct;
• no state or local government enter into a secret nondisclosure agreement; 
• companies doing business with the state disclose the number of sexual harassment; adjudications they have, and the number of nondisclosure agreements they've executed;
• state pension funds only be invested in companies the Comptroller determines have adequate female and minority representation in management or on the board of directors.

And, he asked for enactment of the contraceptive care act and state legislature approval of Roe v. Wade. And a new independent, government-wide whistleblower process. And a strict, uniform code of sexual harassment policies that would be binding on all employees, all branches and agencies, all authorities, and all local governments.

Then came criminal justice reform, starting with the bail process. We need to be color-blind and wealth-blind, he said, and so unless the person poses a significant flight risk or threat to public safety, bail is out of the picture and everyone is released on their own recognizance. And a full work week for trial parts of our courts, judge performance used as a consideration for advancement, more timely filling of judicial vacancies, and speedier trials.  Legally binding corrective action plans for out-of-compliance jails is also on the table.

Then, after some talk about youth unemployment and non-specific requirements that local governments meet the same MWBE goals as the state does, Cuomo tackled homelessness.

What does it say about us as a society? That we now pass men and women lying on the streets with the same ease that we pass light poles and mailboxes. It has become part of our new normal, but it is abnormal and it is wrong...

New York state will ensure that every local government is effectively reaching out to homeless people, or they will not receive state funding. Period. I'm also directing the MTA and Port Authority, Centro, CDTA, the RGRTA, the NFTA and all our cities to do the same.  

And, for those who would say that they're unable to help the mentally ill homeless because the law doesn't let them, Cuomo vowed to change the law.

And speaking of changing the law, Cuomo dropped a little ethics reform into the mix here, vowing to ban all outside income for legislators. This may be a non-starter, since his commission to give legislators a pay raise (on the theory that they're full time, not part time) failed in 2016. You can read about that process here, here, here, and here.

Next up? The environment. Finally tackling the threats to our water, including toxic algae and the Grumman Plume. And,

• ending any investment in  fossil fuel-related activities in the state pension fund;
• two new RFPs for offshore wind, enough to power 400,000 households;
• suing the federal government if they release GE from any further obligation to clean up the Hudson River.

Opioids? He hit on that too, promising a "comprehensive solution: more prevention, more education, more enforcement, more treatment"  -- and more lawsuits.

But we also want to advance a new approach this year, the ultimate 'follow the supply chain' strategy. Big corporations may own Washington, but they don't own New York...

The opioid crisis was manufactured, literally and figuratively. Unscrupulous distributors developed a $400B industry selling opioids, and they were conveniently blind to the consequences of their actions. They pumped these pills into society. And they created addictions. Like the tobacco industry, they killed thousands, and they did it without warning.  We will make them pay for their illegal and reprehensible conduct. We will sue them, and we will stop the spread of opioids because too many innocent lives have been lost and the time for action is now before we lose another single life.

I was surprised not to see another call out on pension investments here. Big Pharma companies seem like an easy target, I would think, for a governor who seems particularly litigious this year.

Maybe dropping everything tied to 'fossil fuel-related activities' (which seems to mean no more oil and gas companies, no more chemical companies that are involved in any kind of research or development on petroleum products, or any companies having anything to do with fracking, or staffing and supporting oil rigs, or any of the oil and gas distribution companies and possibly any of the utilities, for starters), coupled with dropping companies that don't have an 'adequate' number of women in leadership roles in the company or the boardroom, is enough pain to suffer on behalf of all the over one million members, retirees and beneficiaries in the nation's third largest pension fund?

I'm going to stop here -- going back to Professor Byrnes' comment on Castro-esque, this has gotten us not quite to the bottom of page eight of the governor's nineteen-page SOTS address. We'll pick up in another post this week.