12 July 2021: Dysfunction Grips Majority NY Democrats with Cuomo Investigations

‘We all wait with bated breath’: Secretive Cuomo inquiry leaves New York politics in limbo

That the future of New York's government hinges upon the findings of criminal investigations is an indication of how dysfunctional one-party government rule has become within the state under its allegedly abusive and corrupt governor, Andrew M. Cuomo. This report describes the paralysis affecting the state resulting from the governor's diminished power:

Few governors in recent New York history have dominated the news cycle — and the levers of government — like Andrew Cuomo, the state’s three-term governor. But in the summer of 2021, with an embattled Cuomo eyeing reelection next year, the future of state politics rests with another statewide official: Attorney General Tish James.

James, who has been investigating a portfolio of allegations against the governor since March, has retained private attorneys who have interviewed several women who accused Cuomo of harassment, as well as top staff said to be aware of his alleged misconduct.

But little more is known about the probe, and James has made clear there is no clock in her office counting down the months, weeks or days remaining in her inquiry. “It will conclude when it concludes,” she told reporters at an unrelated event in Albany late last month, one of the few public remarks she has made about the probe.

The uncertainty has paralyzed much of New York's Democratic political apparatus. State lawmakers have put their parallel impeachment investigation on a very slow burn. Cuomo has not revisited his pre-scandal pledge to run for a fourth term in 2022. And potential Democratic primary challengers are waiting to see if they’d face a wounded Cuomo, a vindicated Cuomo, or perhaps no Cuomo at all.

An honest leader actively develops talent to someday succeed them. That there isn't even a short list of credible challengers with statewide support is an indication of how corrupt the state Democratic party has become during Andrew M. Cuomo's tenure in office. This outcome is the direct result of Cuomo's efforts to expand his grasp on political power at the expense of undermining potential competitors within his own party.