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Poll Documents Cuomo's Turn Of Fortune

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at his briefing May 5, 2020.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/governorandrewcuomo/49860390977/
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at his briefing May 5, 2020.

For a time in 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo was considered one of the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic for his steady and focused daily briefings when many considered national leadership to be lacking. But recently, the Democrat has suffered a reversal of fortune, as a scandal over the suppression of the number of nursing home deaths dominates news coverage of his administration. Now a new poll finds the majority of New Yorkers think the governor did something wrong.It’s been over a decade since a New York governor was skewered on Saturday Night Live, where the show’s cold open skits have become a cultural touchstone. Eliot Spitzer was satirized for his involvement with prostitutes, and former Governor David Paterson blamed SNL parodies for his slide in approval ratings.

Governor Cuomo was largely exempt from the ribbings, until a report by the state’s Attorney General found that he significantly undercounted the number of New Yorkers in nursing homes who died of COVID.On Saturday’s show,cast member Chloe Fineman playing Britney Spears, asks Pete Davidson, portraying Cuomo, about the scandal.

“Some of the people who died in the nursing homes were not counted as nursing home deaths, they were counted as hospital deaths,” Davidson says. “Which is basically is what happens at Disney World, OK?”

The skit goes on with Davidson’s Cuomo saying he is sorry.

In real life, Cuomo did not actually apologize, but he did admit it was wrong for his health department to withhold the actual numbers for nearly a year. He said he should have been more forthcoming with the tally of 15,000 New Yorkers in nursing homes and other long-term care health facilities who died of the virus so far.   

He says his failure to provide the facts led to a vacuum.

“The void we created by not providing information was filled with skepticism and cynicism and conspiracy theories, which furthered the confusion,” Cuomo said on February 15.

The controversy deepened after the transcript of a private meeting between Cuomo’s Chief of staff, Melissa DeRosa, and top Democratic lawmakers was leaked to the New York Post. In it, DeRosa said that the administration withheld the nursing home numbers from lawmakers, because they “froze” when the federal justice Department, under former President Donald Trump, began an inquiry. Her statements raised questions about potential obstruction of justice, and led the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York to begin a probe.

Marist College pollfinds the issue is resonating with the public. 60% of New Yorkers surveyed believe that Cuomo did something wrong in his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic. Of that group, 41% say he likely did something unethical, and 19% say the governor might have done something illegal.

Marist’s Director of Polling Lee Miringoff says Cuomo’s job approval ratings, which were high in the summer and fall of 2020, have now dropped back to pre-pandemic levels, with just under half, 49%, saying that he’s doing a good job in office.  

“This is a damaging story,” said Miringoff. “People are focused on the pandemic, the nursing home issues are something people were very much aware of at a time when things were very chaotic.”

A spokesman for the governor, Rich Azzopardi counters that the governor’s approval rating is at 57% in another poll. That was conducted by Morning Consult.  

Miringoff has conducted surveys on state and national politicians since the days that Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, served as governor in the 1980s and 90s. He says the best advice for an elected officials who becomes caught up in a scandal, is to be as transparent with the public as possible, to avoid a daily trickle of damaging information. He says unfortunately for Cuomo, that time has passed as the state withheld the actual nursing home numbers for nearly ten months.

“The idea from a strategic standpoint is to contain it, and get everything out there, so there doesn’t have to be a second day and a third day,” Miringoff said. “What’s happening now, is he’s experiencing a little bit of a pile on.”

The attacks are coming not just from Republicans in state and national government, who have called for his impeachment. Several Democrats are calling for a fuller investigation, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has had a rocky relationship with the governor.

“I do not accept his explanation, there needs to be full investigation,” de Blasio said on February 22. “Thousands of lives were lost. Families deserve answers.”

Democratic state lawmakers plan to curb the governor’s sweeping emergency powers granted to him by the legislature early in the pandemic.

Queens Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim has accused the governor of a bullying phone call where he says Cuomo threatened to “destroy” him if he didn’t stop his criticisms. Cuomo aides deny that occurred but the governor, during a coronavirus briefing with reporters, accused Kim of running a pay to play “political racket” with nail salon owners in his district.

Kim relayed his story on CNN, MSNBC, and ABC’s The View.

“Cuomo is an abuser,” Kim said on the show on February 19. “He has abused his powers.”  

Cuomo has said he wants to seek a fourth term as governor. The Marist poll finds just over one-third of voters, 36%, say he deserves that chance.

Miringoff says it’s a long time until the next gubernatorial elections in November 2022. He says other politicians have overcome scandals in the past by keeping their noses to the grindstone, and focusing on what’s important. And right now, he says that’s guiding the state out of the long pandemic, and taking steps to revive the economy. 

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of public radio stations in New York state. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.
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