29 March 2021: Editorial - Cuomo "Unfit" To Remain Governor

Cuomo is unfit for Governor

The editors of NYU's Washington Square News student newspaper have had enough of Governor Cuomo's tenure in office. In the following excerpt, they hit on Governor Cuomo's COVID nursing home deaths scandals (emphasis ours):

... On March 25, 2020, Cuomo issued the controversial mandate that prevented nursing homes from refusing to accept patients recovering from the coronavirus in their facilities. While policymakers don’t have the ideal amount of time to respond to any sudden crisis, a pandemic that implicates the lives of New Yorkers everywhere required the Cuomo administration to be even more vigilant. However, Cuomo and his team failed to talk to medical experts before issuing the directive. Jim Lytle, CEO of LeadingAge, a trade association for nonprofit nursing homes in New York, believed the initial policy to be “hospital-centric” and a “mistake.” It’s unsurprising, then, that Cuomo has previously expressed distrust of scientific expertise and has repeatedly opted to work with healthcare industry leaders instead. This decision was made despite early evidence showing that nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.

The decision was ultimately reversed on May 10. However, the repeal came too late. 6,400 residents had already died in New York nursing homes and long-term care facilities. For comparison, the residents who died constitute 6% of New York nursing home residents, and experts have concluded that Cuomo’s policy substantially increased the magnitude of the COVID-19 death toll. These numbers were effectively concealed by the Cuomo administration until recent reports exposed their true extent. It is clear that Cuomo neither understands nor respects scientific expertise. If Democrats parade themselves as the party that stands for science, they must condemn their beloved New York governor who has repeatedly demonstrated he will not sustain this value. While cable news shows treated Cuomo like a living legend last summer, the governor was busy dismissing virus warnings, cutting hospital beds and Medicaid, and sending ill patients to facilities full of vulnerable people.

Here are the final three paragraphs of their editorial (emphasis ours):

Contextualized against the backdrop of the burgeoning #Me Too movement, Cuomo’s sexual misconduct is inexcusable, especially under the ruse of behaving like an old-school politician. His lack of accountability sets a dangerous precedent for not only those holding political office, but for others in positions of power across the United States. If Cuomo refuses to resign, then governmental action must be taken to impeach him.

Before the scandals, Cuomo was lauded as an example of exemplary leadership. However, after recent events, Cuomo’s memoir “American Crisis” on how to govern during the pandemic has seen greatly diminished sales. Additionally, on March 9, his approval rating hit an all-time low, clocking in at a measly 38%. During a pandemic, the first responsibility of a state governor should be to keep as many of his constituents alive as possible — not to fuel personal vanity and accomplishment.

The challenges of this pandemic call for somebody who respects that scientific knowledge is necessary to address them. Cuomo has repeatedly shown he is not that leader. As he faces multiple allegations of sexual harassment, and criticism for his cover-up of the true COVID-19 death toll on nursing home residents, Gov. Cuomo’s refusal to resign indicates not only a failure to recognize his wrongdoings, but a failure to understand his job.