As a result of personal experience and all that I know, I find Gov. Andrew Cuomo personally distasteful. While I am without the facts to confirm that his executive office is a Bedlam, the charge does not surprise me.
But I am unable to conclude that what has been said–so far–justifies the Governor’s resignation.
The issue for the public is what is best for New York. Were Cuomo to demonstrate some understanding of his behavior and a resolve to learn from his mistakes, that would be in the public interest. I hope that the he both understands and resolves to change.
But with all the clamor, the issue for him is what does he get from resignation now that he does not get if he remains.
In my view, nothing. In fact, both the state legislature and the state’s Attorney General are commencing parallel investigations into his interactions with state employees and his alleged cooking of the books on nursing homes deaths from Covid-19.
I am confining my views to the interactions.
Does anyone believe that an imminent resignation will enhance the Governor’s reputation while the investigations will denigrate that reputation so that leaving now is better than staying? I don’t.
The crisis has been caused by alleged statements made by women reporting their collective perceptions that Cuomo was trying to initiate sexual relations.
Perception, or what we take away from conversations or behavior of others, is wrapped up in psychology. The reigning champion (or evil beast) of the psychology of interaction between women and men or women and women or men and men is certainly Sigmund Freud.
I find highly credible the feminist criticism of many of Freud’s writings as born in a world of male domination and subjugation of females.
But the bed rock of Freud’s contribution to the knowledge and understanding of human psychology is certainly his identification of the unconscious. And no one has ever successfully attacked that. (Actually, the unconscious had been described before Freud.)
With one exception as of this writing, the unconscious plays a major and determinative role in both what the Governor said and did and how it was perceived by the women being described in the press.
That is because the reports are of dumb, suggestive words and minimal (if offensive) touching. If Cuomo asked a woman about sex after sexual assault or whether it’s ok to have a relationship with an older man, he’s a jerk for sure.
But this is not a rapist like Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby who was convicted of sexual assault by using drugs to anesthetize his victims.
Because of their own dynamics, did some of the women misperceive what the Governor was doing? Have these women experienced such situations before? I’d like to know.
Let’s assume that Cuomo behaved like a jerk. In this woke world, there are even some innocent things people just can’t do today, especially in the workplace.
Let’s take an example. Your assistant, who has worked for you for years, enters your office and closes the door. He begins to cry. He says, “Ellen, my boyfriend has left me and I am destroyed!” You cannot hug him! Stay six feet away and not because of Covid -19! No expressions of sympathy or concern lest he complain that you were trying to make him.
There is one Cuomo report of a woman whom he allegedly fondled. Let’s examine that one.
The New York Times report of the fondling is under a headline that an “aide says” Cuomo fondled her.
The headline and the story are false.
In fact the Albany Times-Union reported an unnamed “friend” of the also unnamed aide said that the aide told the friend of the fondling. This should not lead to a resignation just like the statement “Joe told me that the defendant killed the deceased” should not lead to a conviction. The alleged victim has said nothing, whoever she is.
In my book the fact that Cuomo does not appear to have a friend in the world may be payback for his offensive behavior.
But he should not be busted on what’s going around now. If being a jerk is grounds for impeachment, both Albany and Washington could do little else but impeachments.
Let’s wait.