In one of his excellent “Change My Mind” segments, Steven Crowder challenged passers-by to prove that Donald Trump was a “fascist”. Crowder provided a dictionary definition of fascism and asked for evidence that Donald Trump fitted any of its points.
One particular item discussed was the suppression of opposition, especially the press. As Crowder pointed out, it was actually Barack Obama who had rigorously suppressed press freedom, spending tens of millions of dollars to withhold information, and spied on and prosecuted more journalists than any other president in history.
But where Obama was a sly used-car salesman, fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo is a two-bit thug.
By now, thanks to Queens Assemblyman Ron Kim blowing the whistle on the threats he received in a call from Cuomo, the public has a glimpse of the bullying practiced by the governor and his top brass.
It seems to run in the family. Cuomo’s brother, Chris, famously went viral in an expletive-ridden video where he flew into a rage at a man and threatened to “fuggin’ throw you down dese stairs”. Chris Cuomo lost it when the man called him “Fredo”, alluding to the weak, ineffectual Corleone brother from The Godfather films. But, if Chris is pathetic Fredo, Andrew is thuggish Sonny.
Many Americans are shocked, having bought into the compassionate persona Cuomo conveyed in his pandemic briefings. But Kim’s revelations came as no surprise to anyone who has dealt with the governor. As one Albany insider texted me last week, “everyone has an Andrew Cuomo story.”
Just like everyone, it seemed, had a Harvey Weinstein story.
Except, in this case, it goes way beyond a creepy, abusive Hollywood producer and direct to America’s halls of power.
While the April 2014 call I received from [Melissa] DeRosa didn’t come directly from the governor, I knew it bore the full weight of his power[…]
Seven years later, I don’t recall precisely everything DeRosa hurled at me, though I’m positive she vowed to “destroy” my career and take revenge on my publication. I remember vividly how I felt: scared.
I had no reason to think these were idle threats. I was fully aware of the governor’s volcanic temper and track record of vindictiveness. If he wanted to crush me, he could and likely would.
Remember, the same press who wailed and whined that President Trump calling them “fake news” was “literally Hitler” have kept quiet and gutlessly complied with the Democrat governor’s bullying and suppression of potentially damaging stories.
Editors kill legitimate stories because of his threats; reporters shy away from promising tips; sources stay silent.
There are many reasons the media don’t expose the governor’s bullying. Albany reporters fear that if the governor freezes them out, they won’t be able to do their jobs effectively. Some journalists see speaking up as a violation of the unwritten code of “off-the-record” conversations. Others just assume that “everyone knows” how Cuomo operates, so it isn’t worth reporting.
For years, entertainment reporters justified their silence about the #MeToo monsters in the industry by telling themselves that “everyone knows.” But the public didn’t know. Many of the perpetrators’ future victims didn’t know. And so these thugs went on operating with impunity.
Silence is complicity.
Until last week, most New Yorkers didn’t know about Cuomo’s despicable ways. But they should have. Journalists are agents of accountability. It’s time for New York’s reporters to step up and tell their own Cuomo stories.
New York Post
Far easier for them to just keep running on “Orange Man Bad”.
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