“Barkan critiques the media for boosting Cuomo’s image, but reserves his harshest judgments for the governor himself, an ‘arrogant, vengeful, and megalomaniacal’ leader who fostered a political culture that ‘favored dominance over competence.’ The controversy over Cuomo’s March 2020 directive ordering nursing homes to accept Covid-19 patients is examined, as are the revelations that his administration ‘severely undercounted’ nursing home deaths and pushed to grant legal immunity to hospitals and nursing homes. But the most eye-opening sections delve into the ways in which Cuomo’s budget cuts and reluctance to raise taxes weakened New York’s ability to contain the pandemic. The recent sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo, which occurred in the ‘media vacuum’ left by the end of the Trump presidency, might be what finally brings him down, according to Barkan.“

Read the full review here.

Thu, June 24, 2021
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT

Tradesman
222 Bushwick Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11206

Celebrate—live, in person—the launch of The Prince with author Ross Barkan, New York State Assemblymember Zohran K. Mamdani, and a special guest appearance from Emmy Award-Winner Andrew M. Cuomo himself.

This event will be held outdoors, per the Governor’s guidelines and “best practices.” The evening’s programming will begin promptly at 7PM, per the Governor’s temperament.

Capacity is limited. RSVP now.

Rain date: Wednesday, June 30, 7-9PM

RSVP here.

Listen here.

So far, Cuomo has survived because the cautious labor unions are still in his corner, as well as the state’s wealthiest donors. If the titans of finance and Wall Street decide they are sick of Cuomo, he is in deep trouble. James must merely improve on Nixon’s New York City vote share, since there are many anti-Cuomo Democrats to be found north of the five boroughs, particularly in the Albany area.

The path to beating Cuomo is joining black and Latino voters, many of them more moderate and church-going, with white progressives who also vote reliably. Teachout and Nixon could not create this coalition. James, with her pedigree, can. No longer perceived as Cuomo’s lackey, she has won headlines for suing Donald Trump and investigating Cuomo himself.

This won’t be easy, of course. Cuomo is a prodigious fundraiser and there are enough blinkered MSNBC-watching liberals who will stick by him. But James has a chance to do what was once unthinkable — end the reign of another Cuomo.

Ross Barkan is the author of “The Prince: Andrew Cuomo, Coronavirus, and the Fall of New York” (OR Books).

Read the full article here.

“The New York governor’s initial ‘nothing to see here’ response to the coronavirus was a step behind reality from the very start and sounded a lot like Trump.”

Read the excerpt here.