Wednesday, December 29, 2021

29 December 2021: As NY County DAs Drop "Credible" Cases, Could Cuomo Return to Power?

As legal peril fades, is a Cuomo comeback possible?

You can tell it's a "Dead Week" for the news when you see political beat reporters covering speculative stories like this one. In the following excerpt, the concept of Andrew M. Cuomo's political career being resuscitated after prosecutors declined to pursue filing criminal misdemeanor charges related to "credible" allegations of sexual harassment on the part of Cuomo in two separate New York counties is explored:

The narrowing chances of a criminal conviction from Cuomo's alleged sexual misconduct may rest solely on the allegations of Brittany Commisso, an aide who has accused the former governor of groping her breast during a workplace encounter at the Executive Mansion in Albany a year ago. Cuomo, who has denied the allegation, faces a misdemeanor forcible touching charge in Albany City Court for that allegation, although it's possible prosecutors could move to dismiss the case if they believe the evidence is problematic. An initial court appearance in that matter is slated to take place Jan. 7.

For the 64-year-old lifelong bureaucrat and politician, an acquittal or dismissal in the Albany case could lift some of the stigma related to the multiple scandals that engulfed Cuomo over the past year and led to his resignation from office in August. It could also open the door for his eventual return to politics, whether as an elected official or possibly an influential lobbyist who has navigated the maze of power politics for most of his adult life.

"I think it would take a really unlikely alignment of lucky stars for him to be successful," Christopher B. Mann, a professor of political science at Skidmore College, said when asked about Cuomo's potential to make a comeback.

"Is there a path? Absolutely: a multi-way primary in which you get kind of a circular firing squad dynamic of different candidates going after each other, (or) a primary in which he’s running against some other tainted or weakened candidate," Mann said. "If he gets in with that type of scenario, he might be the lesser of evils."

Another scenario Mann said could pave a way for Cuomo's return: If Gov. Kathy Hochul were to win the June Democratic primary but lose the general election in November, "then Andrew Cuomo tries to make a comeback in 2026 that could change the narrative a lot. The 'proven winner' narrative would run to his favor."

What if space aliens landed in Buffalo and endorsed Cuomo? Could his chances of a comeback improve if beavers dammed the Hudson River? Suppose everyone ignores or forgets about all the hundreds, if not thousands, of COVID deaths among New York nursing home residents that Cuomo covered up after his deadly 25 March 2020 directive contributed to racking them up - he would be able to come back then, right?

We get the feeling questions like the first two we added above are often considered at Skidmore College.

Related stories from the timeline:

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