Cuomo, China, and the Crazy Caucus

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's reputation has taken a massive dive since the spring of 2020, when his daily pandemic briefings helped fill the void left by a lack of national leadership. Since those heady days, he has faced significant criticism and a federal investigation for covering up data about COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents. Now, he's facing major fallout after New York's attorney general concluded that he had engaged in conduct that constitutes sexual harassment under state and federal law. In his defiant defense, Cuomo sought to obfuscate the matter by conflating relatively innocent public encounters with the serious accusations that have been credibly lodged against him—and duly investigated by officials from his own party. Don't buy it. He knew better, bears responsibility, and must be held accountable. Cuomo should resign, but has so far shown little inclination to do so. Kudos to New York Democrats, who are preparing to impeach him if he refuses. Republicans in D.C.
could learn a thing or two from them about policing their own. —Mindy Finn

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** Stirewalt: The contradictions of paranoid nationalism
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"Suspicion of authority is an old and important part of American conservatism. But so too is respect for righteous authority and tradition. Ongoing efforts on the right wing to discourage Americans from getting vaccinated against coronavirus and to overturn the certified results of an election held nine months ago tell me that things have gotten pretty badly out of whack between those competing impulses of suspicion and tradition." —Chris Stirewalt in The Dispatch ([link removed])

Chris Stirewalt is a contributing editor of The Dispatch and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

MORE: Marjorie Taylor Greene suggests Southerners could 'welcome' Biden's 'police state friends' with guns —NBC News ([link removed])


** NYT Ed Board: Cuomo must resign
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"What this report lays out...are credible accusations that can't be looked past. As [New York Attorney General Letitia] James said on Tuesday, Mr. Cuomo's alleged conduct 'corrodes the very fabric and character of our state government and shines light on injustice that can be present at the highest levels of government.' If Mr. Cuomo cares for the well-being of the state and its citizens as much as he has said he does over the years, he needs to do the right thing and step down." — ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

MORE: Former Cuomo staffer who accused governor of groping files criminal complaint —CNBC ([link removed])


** Waldman: Time is running out to stop gerrymandering
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"August 16 is a big day for democracy. But it might not be a good day for democracy. That's when the Census Bureau releases the data that states will use in the redistricting process. The maps they draw will be used for the next 10 years. And in many states, what that means is the gerrymandering barbecue is about to begin. The unchecked partisan and racial gerrymandering that we expect to see won't just tilt for one party—it will also serve to squelch the voices of people of color." —Michael Waldman on ([link removed]) Brennan Center for Justice ([link removed])

Michael Waldman is president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. He is the author of "The Fight to Vote" and previously served as director of speechwriting for former President Bill Clinton.

MORE: Census data will arrive next week, setting up redistricting fight —The New York Times ([link removed])


** French: The shocking decline of Hong Kong
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"The political culture of the city has been transformed with breathtaking speed in the past year, as the local government, under orders from Beijing, has cracked down on dissent to a degree that was once almost unimaginable. ... Hong Kong's new national security law, meanwhile, weakens due process protections; dramatically broadens police powers of search, seizure, and freezing of assets; and permits the indictment of suspects for anti-state activities, including speech, even when conducted far away from China." —Howard French in ([link removed]) World Politics Review ([link removed])

Howard French is a foreign correspondent and global affairs writer and the author of "Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power."

MORE: Hong Kong residents extended temporary safe haven in U.S. amid China crackdown —CNN ([link removed])
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** Mulroy: A voting fix that gives everyone a chance
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"By eliminating the 'don't throw away your vote on an unknown' dynamic, ranked-choice voting tends to assist outsider, non-establishment candidates—not always enough for them to win, but enough to get them in the game. In New York, it did that and more." —Steven Mulroy on ([link removed]) RealClearPolitics ([link removed])

Steven Mulroy is a University of Memphis law professor, a former Voting Section lawyer for the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and the author of "Rethinking U.S. Election Law: Unskewing the System."

MORE: Senate Dems plot new paths on voting reform, sidestepping filibuster —Politico ([link removed])


** Rosenberg: We're politicians' bosses—not their fans
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"[C]heering from the stands is different from practicing citizenship. A fan's job is to admire and defend the object of his affection. A citizen's role is to judge the public servants they employ. By converting his base into fans, rather than mere voters, Trump made it difficult—if not impossible—for anyone to challenge his hold on his admirers. Across the political spectrum, it's long past time for Americans to rediscover some self-respect and to adjust the terms of our relationships with public figures." —Alyssa Rosenberg in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Alyssa Rosenberg is a Washington Post columnist who writes about the intersection of culture and politics.

MORE: The full picture of Trump's attempted coup is only starting to emerge —CNN ([link removed])


** Sarat & Aftergut: Last week offered real hope for democracy
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"[O]ur country has survived the traumas of Civil War, Jim Crow, the Father Coughlins and Charles Lindberghs who would have aligned us with Nazi Germany, and the Sen. Joseph McCarthys who would have imposed his orthodoxy on our political thought. Last week's developments offer a glimmer of hope that we will survive Trump too. To do so, Congress must act to protect the vote and preserve the integrity of our elections. The key for citizens is never to shy away from facing the brutal truth of our current difficulties, while not allowing it to rob us of faith." —Austin Sarat & Dennis Aftergut in ([link removed]) The Hill ([link removed])

Austin Sarat is an author and the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College. Dennis Aftergut is a former federal prosecutor, currently of counsel at the Renne Public Law Group in San Francisco.

MORE: Infrastructure deal builds hope of bipartisanship —The Seattle Times ([link removed])


** A long-lost book returns
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A children's book has found its way home after 50 long years. Checked out a half-century ago, it was anonymously returned to Plymouth Public Library in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, last month, along with an unsigned letter. The Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice reports that the 1967 copy of "Coins You Can Collect" by Burton Hobson was accompanied by a $20 bill. The letter, written as if by the book itself, says, "Fifty years ago (yes 50!), a little girl checked me out of this library in 1971. At this time, she didn’t know they were going to move from Plymouth." The letter explains that the book was packed away often for frequent moves but was well taken care of and "always with many other books." The writer, now speaking in her own voice, says she often intended to send the book back but somehow never got around to it. She said she knew the $20 wouldn't come close to paying the accrued fine, but suggested, "Perhaps you can pay off some fines of some kids with it." Library Director Laura Keller
did just that, paying "some hefty fines" of a young mother who wanted to start borrowing books again. Both letter and book will soon be on display at the library, Keller said. But the writer's identity? That may always remain a mystery. —Associated Press ([link removed])

The people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 were a loud and focused angry mob. I saw it, America saw it, the world saw that mob. All because of a narcissist who has been a lifelong self-serving individual, never caring what damage he has done, as long as his con is working. The "stop the steal" stolen election is just that—a con. It is making his bank account grow. Given his current financial peril, separate from the legal peril, he needs to keep the con going. —Donna C., California
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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