MEDIA UMBRELLA PROTECTS ANDREW CUOMO FROM SWIRLING CLOUDS OF SCANDAL

[Geee]

Human Events:

I’m old enough to remember when certain state governors were held personally responsible for abuses of power by their aides, and such stories received breathless 24/7 saturation news coverage, justified in part by the governor’s stature as a 2016 presidential contender. Ah, well, that was long ago and far away. (In political terms, anyway. I come from New Jersey, and I seem to recall it being located rather close to New York.)

 

Now we get to enjoy the media placidly ignore a spectacular corruption scandal that cuts right to the heart of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s political appeal. He’s supposed to be a tough guy who campaigned on cleaning up government, but when he heard the janitors outside his office door, the anti-corruption effort came to a comically abrupt halt.

 

It’s a juicy story, it’s simple as hell, and the parallels with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s “Bridgegate” story – a full blown media obsession, to the point of outright psychosis in certain quarters – are obvious. But the first hint of a media swarm forming around Cuomo came when polls revealed he’s still in good shape to get re-elected, and his media courtiers jumped at the chance to report the joyous news. (“Voters shrug at allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo,” squealed CBS News. They didn’t put an exclamation point at the end of that headline, but its presence is clearly implied.)