New York Dem Gov. Andrew is taking heat for allowing primary challenger Cynthia Nixon push him to the left.
Michael Goodwin writes in the New York Post:
Before he took office, Andrew Cuomo’s Big Idea was to be a “strong governor.” He believed New York was lagging the nation because his predecessors had been pushed around by the Legislature, unions and other special interests.
Any assessment of his tenure would have to conclude that Cuomo kept that promise. He has been New York’s strong man, sometimes to a fault, but there has never been much doubt about who runs Albany.
Until now. Faced with a challenge from the left by Cynthia Nixon, Cuomo suddenly isn’t so much running Albany as he is running scared.
His campaign is fixated on anticipating what Nixon will say next, then saying it first. That he does it with his customary bravado doesn’t hide the fact that she is setting his agenda.
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The governor’s fearful conduct toward Nixon is especially odd given that, by almost every measure, he has been one of the most liberal governors in America. He early on delivered the Holy Trinity of the left’s agenda — passing gay marriage, gun control and banning fracking.
And none can accuse him of imposing austerity. Per capita, New York spends more of its own money on residents than any other big state in the nation and the tab has been rising relentlessly.
Year after year, New York is among the most generous when it comes to Medicaid benefits, school spending, employee salaries and pensions, caring for the poor and distributing grants and business incentives.
One result is that Cuomo’s New York also tops the charts when it comes to squeezing taxpayers. Many high earners are leaving and are being replaced by poorer newcomers, a dynamic that has saddled the state with high fixed costs even as taxes and services cannot keep up with growing demand.
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