3/16 The Ides of March Have Come & Gone; News Round-up & OT
n April 2020, a month after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, Cuomo issued a health directive requiring nursing homes and homes for people with developmental disabilities to take Covid-19 patients. This ended up being a death sentence for many people. At the same time, he pushed an industry-sponsored bill through the legislature shielding nursing home CEOs—many of them donors to his campaign—from legal liability for dangerous decisions.
In June, the State Health Department reported 9,250 nursing home deaths to the governor’s office. Cuomo’s staff panicked—not because so many people were dying, but because the total was the highest in the country and would make him look bad just as he was riding high in the polls and on the verge of closing a major book deal touting his success handling Covid.
Instead of releasing the Health Department numbers, his office rewrote the report to announce that only 6,200 nursing home patients had died. Lawmakers who needed that data to make policy questioned the figures, but the governor insisted on their accuracy.Only five months later, after New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report showing deaths had been undercounted by as much as 50 percent, did Cuomo correct the numbers.
His first policy choice was disastrous, but it was the cover-up—half a year of continuously lying to the public—that requires his resignation.
What’s more, his office initially claimed he was hiding the figures out of fear the White House would weaponize the numbers against him. Reporting from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal revealed that was a lie, too. Meanwhile, over 15,000 New Yorkers in nursing homes have died of Covid.
Cuomo has a long history of bullying and terrorizing people. But he now faces several credible allegations of sexual assault and harassment of employees.
Many of the interactions are undisputed and backed up by independent reporting. For instance, it is undisputed, even by Cuomo, that he asked a 25-year-old entry-level employee if she was open to sex with older men. That constitutes sexual harassment under New York state law. Reports that Cuomo’s office leaked personnel files about another accuser, Lindsey Boylan, have not been disputed by the governor; nor have reports that Cuomo’s staff (paid by New York taxpayers) made unsolicited calls to former and current state employees and encouraged them to discredit Boylan.
This kind of vicious retaliation is part of a pattern. When Cuomo told Assemblyman Ron Kim that he would destroy him for talking to the press about the nursing home cover-up, that was not an empty threat. When the New York State Public Employees Federation endorsed me in 2014, Cuomo retaliated by reclassifying 2,500 employees of that union as management. The message is clear: If you dare cross me, you will be destroyed.
In a recent press conference, Cuomo implicitly threatened to leak confidential files from the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, a body that is supposed to provide independent oversight—but acts instead as an extension of the governor. Over the weekend, The New York Times reported that Larry Schwartz, the official in charge of New York’s vaccine program, has been leaning on Democratic officials to declare their support for the governor, further politicizing the state’s response to the pandemic. Local officials are scared that failing to support Cuomo will impact their access to vaccines—especially since Schwartz, who has no public health background, is a known enforcer for Cuomo who was involved in shutting down the Moreland Commission anti-corruption investigation when it got too close to the governor. Even so Cuomo’s signature upstate jobs plan, Buffalo Billion, ended with his right-hand man in prison for bribery.
With so many Cuomo revelations coming out every day, it can be hard to keep them straight—and he’d like it to stay that way—but there is a single, devastating theme throughout all of them: his abuse of the extraordinary power given him by the people of New York.
The investigation by Attorney General James and her two stellar appointed investigators must indeed go forward. The criminal investigations must go forward. But there is no investigative result that leaves us with a governor we can trust not to abuse power and lie.
For the sake of the state, Andrew Cuomo must resign and let Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul replace him.
More news, tweets, videos in the comments. The ides of March came and they went.
Fire away…
The investigation into Cuomo should play out. He is a dick but should not resign unless the allegations are proven. The Lt. Gov. here is a DINO and would not help the situation in NY. It would pave the way for some major set backs with a continuation of Cuomo’s attacks on labor while adding other right wing ideas that are now called middle of the road in some circles.
Biden and allies launch stimulus campaign focused on competitive battleground states
So this is part of the 1B of spending to advertise the vaccine and the bill?
will they push establishment candidates at the same time?
I for one expect it
glad i don’t donate. damnit, tho. nina could use some love.
‘It’s about time!’ Tribal members in Montana celebrate Deb Haaland’s historic confirmation
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/us/politics/obama-stimulus-democrats.html?referringSource=articleShare
https://www.insider.com/bernie-sanders-high-school-students-vermont-online-school-mental-health-2021-3
I think Bernie isn’t wrong about that.
Years ago, was traveling along a remote section of the 87 in NY (jcitybone may know what I mean) at night, turned on the radio–two stations available:
a) country station (no go for me unless Johnny Cash or Jason & The Scorchers)
b) religious station
The religious station was interviewing a man who’d been very successful rallying like-minded people to effect change in the political arena. This is what he said:
‘Each letter you write to a representative counts as though 5,000 people felt the same way. Twenty letters and it’s as though 100,000 potential voters also felt strongly about that particular issue.’
(I’m paraphrasing, it was a long time ago, but you get it)
https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/give-nature-a-right-to-self-defense/
https://aeon.co/essays/what-can-we-learn-from-natures-experience-of-catastrophes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/16/uber-lyft-unemployment-benefits/
like Walmart, etc. grifting on us.
That is the fundamental idea behind the gig economy. They are even more blatant about it than Wal-Mart, who at least acknowledges that their workforce is made up of employees.
Sen. Sanders discusses pandemic challenges with local students
(video doesn’t start until about the 9 min mark)
Business Insider also an account of the townhall, but brief.
How wise of her! 😥
I’m going to remember that quote, thank you Elly (and Benny for sharing).
I’m to meet up with a friend of mine whom I haven’t seen for a year, but she’s already stressing me out, inviting herself over to watch a movie (which we rarely do, tbh) and maybe even sleep over and I’m like, ‘Nooo, too much, how about we hang on your porch for a couple of hours?’. I want to see her, but I’m still sketched out.
I have a GF that I was supposed to see this summer, but I’ve concluded that I’m less inclined to socialize more than 2-3 hours at a time either on the phone, cloud-based teleconferencing, or in-person. Blogging is fine and some chat is OK because it’s your own pace.
I used to be more extroverted. Pandemic has some effect, but overall, I do subscribe to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in general. In my 30’s, I tested ENTJ. (extrovert, intuitive, thinking, judicial) However, I was on the margins for those types, with the exception of intuitive, and it was predicted I would see more of the minor types as I grew older. Seems to be true as I don’t get as much energy from being around people, have recognized that I and others have feelings, and little more open to options.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/green-groups-launch-10-million-ad-campaign-pressuring-biden-congress-n1261177
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/03/15/andrew-yangs-nyc-universal-basic-income-plan-would-see-msg-tax-exempt-landlords-pay.html
Yang is going after the biggest money in NYC. The real Estate Lobby.
I can’t wait to see ow this goes.
Yang needs to go after the churches/organized religion if he’s targeting yahoos who have been ripping off taxpayers for over 300 years. Real estate property taxes?? We’re too sacred to pay them. Right, but you sure stick your nose in secular matters like politics.
This long article made me quite angry
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/south-dakota-kristi-noem-covid-1142068/
Darwinan attitude by a God fearing state.
The usual FRightwingnut aggressive stupidity and bullsh1t! Biker hubster has ridden all over the place, but never Sturgis cos of these yahoos. And that was pre-Covid.
Profits must flow, even if people die thats the result of our vulture capitalist
system. Cant wait for the bill for the covid shots from big pharma. This is a gravy train they couldn’t dream up.
Hopefully, this is a good appointment with Vilsack as Agricultural Secretary
https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/farm-advocate-tapped-for-biden-post
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-03-16/katie-porter-ruffles-feathers-with-democratic-colleagues
So, Waters is buddies with Pelousy, huh? A liberal progressive? She’s a phony who obviously needs to start considering retirement just like Botoxed Nancy. Katie Porter will continue to gain power and prestige. The last laff will be hers. 🙂
T and R, Ms. Benny!! ☮️😊👍
4/20 will be here before you know it….
Love it!