CHECKMATE FOR
CUOMO
Whether he wants to admit it, Governor Andrew
Cuomo is now in the same place as
Richard Nixon was in the final days of his
presidential tenure in August 1974, struggling
to keep his head afloat amid a sea of scandal
that seems to grow higher by the day.
For Cuomo, it began with the nursing home death
data controversy that the governor admitted to messing
up from the start. But the sea really bubbled over
on the heels of accusations made by three women in
the past week -- two former Cuomo aides, Lindsey Boylan
and Charlotte Bennett; and Anna Ruch, a guest at
a wedding reception Cuomo attended -- that the governor
made unwanted advances toward them.
Cuomo hasn’t addressed the media since Feb. 22.
Except for communications via press release, we’re all
getting the silent treatment from a governor who had
been a regular fixture on television for the better part
of the year. Now he’s off camera stewing over scandal.
Where does Cuomo go from here, other than
home?
The third report about Ruch’s account propelled
prominent Democrats on Monday night to call for
Cuomo’s resignation -- and those calls figure to grow
even louder from within the party. Republicans are
ready to dance on Cuomo’s political grave for many
of the same sins (negligence and inappropriate behavior)
their defeated former president committed, which
they ignored the last four years.
The state budget deadline is in less than a month.
New York is getting off the mat from the worst pandemic
in a century that cost lives and tens billions of
dollars. To state the obvious, this is a horrific time for
New Yorkers to have an absentee, scandal-ridden chief
executive running the show.
It’s checkmate for Cuomo. There are no more moves
left for him to play.
Lawmakers will not work with him the same way
as before; he has no leverage left. His odds of re-election
to an unprecedented fourth term in 2022 are growing
longer by the day.
Any gambit he may take for personal survival in
office would only delay the important work to rebuild
New York — and risk the Governor’s Mansion falling
into the hands of a Trump-loving Republican who’ll
cut New York City off from the support it requires
from Albany.
For over 10 years, Cuomo has claimed to “work for
the people.” Now he must get out of the way in order for
that work to continue.
HOW TO REACH US
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.12 COM | MARCH 5-MARCH 11, 2021
MY VACCINE EXPERIENCE
My wife Eva and I have
received our first dose
of the COVID-19 Pfizer
vaccine at the Aqueduct
Racetrack in South Ozone Park.
My wife is 67 and I am 71
years old and we’ve had a hard
time trying to get an appointment
for the vaccine. But thanks
to our senior group at Commonpoint
Queens in Little Neck, we
were finally able to get an appointment.
When we showed up for our
appointment we were greeted by
National Guard members, who
were extremely helpful in checking
us in by verifying our ID and
reservation numbers.
They then showed us where to
go and to stand in line and told
us to wait six feet apart. The line
went fast and when it was our
turn, we were asked questions
by a nice young woman who
was helpful and kind and gave
us an appointment card before
directing us to the next station,
where a nurse gave us our vaccine
shots.
The kind and considerate
nurse then directed us to another
area, where we had to sit for
about 20 minutes to make sure
we had no immediate health issues
from the vaccine. After
that, we were getting ready to
leave when I saw two National
Guard soldiers and said to them,
“You guys are doing a great job
keeping us safe.” The soldiers
thanked me for the kind words.
As my wife and I got in our car
to go home, we agreed that the experience
went really well. It is my
opinion that, based upon our experience,
no one should be afraid
to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Bellerose
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EDITORIAL
Governor Cuomo announced he would acquiesce to a “full and thorough” review of the accusations against him.
Photo courtesy of Cuomo’s offi ce via Flickr
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