Off and running.
The new governor hit some of the right notes during his low-key inaugural address with his number one priority, creating “jobs, jobs, jobs.”
And let’s face it. Closing the 10 billion gap could also put Cuomo on a collision course with fellow democrats in the Assembly.
Cuomo, in his speech pledged bipartisanship and pressed for cooperation from legislative leaders, including incoming Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-LI) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) but the question just won’t go away regarding whether Albany is big enough for Cuomo and Silver?
Can Cuomo and Silver share a "fiscal conservative" agenda? Can Silver sell it to his members?
One key question is what happens when the unions start hammering Cuomo in television ads. To close a 10 billion dollar gap without new taxes, also puts the new governor on a collision course with the unions. You can already see the ads. “Gov.Cuomo doesn’t care about senior citizens,” for example.
Battling with the unions in part of the job in Albany, and on top of that, Cuomo has not ruled out additional lay-offs that started under Governor Paterson. In recent memory, the first Cuomo had to face the unions. Pataki, Spitzer, Paterson. And surely Cuomo will as well. Cuomo has said he may air commercials himself to fight back, but we will see his actual response very soon.
“We need to correct decades of declines and billions of dollars in overspending. The special interests who have ruled our government for years must give way to the people’s agenda.” Cuomo said during the 27 minute speech.
You have to give it to Cuomo.
The man, whether you like him or not, is a clear example of focusing, and of redefining himself and his life. After his horrible run for governor against Carl McCall, where the overwhelming sentiment was Cuomo refused to wait his turn, there were real questions of whether he could again get on track, and whether democrats would ever support him. But Cuomo put in the leg work, one step at a time, and now has ultimately reached his immediate goal of becoming governor.
It is that same dedication and focus that it will require to turn around the state of New York, and to returning the respect to the capitol. In his words:
“The state faces a budget deficit and a competence deficit and an integrity deficit and a trust deficit.” Cuomo said.
There have been comparisons between Cuomo, and former Governor Elliot Spitzer. Both served as State Attorney General before becoming governor, both men came in with the legislature afraid of them, and Cuomo and Spitzer have been described as having the same type of personality, temperamental and a tough guy.
Spitzer couldn’t “play nice” with Albany lawmakers and vowed everything changes on Day 1. At least Cuomo has the experience of seeing how it blew up in Spitzer’s face. In other words, Cuomo has a playbook of what not to do. But he seeks the same result, of taking on powerful special interests, and overhauling Albany.
So Governor Cuomo is off and running, with a daunting task ahead of him.
If he plays his hand well, and avoids the numerous political “landmines” in front of him, before you know it, there will be talk of another Cuomo possibly in the Oval office.
Some of us remember well, the airplane waiting on the tarmac for then Governor Mario Cuomo to fly to New Hampshire to enter that state’s primary. Some of us also remember that Cuomo cited New York’s budget mess for not running. So the same budget that derailed one possible Cuomo presidential run, is the same budget, but only worse, that is now in the lap of the younger Cuomo.
Wednesday the Governor delivers his first State of the State address