Impeach Andrew Cuomo
Cuomo’s resignation means nothing without permanent condemnation
There was a time when Governor Andrew Cuomo was respected. When he was held up as the responsible leader in the face of the perpetual and stubborn ignorance of then-President Donald Trump, that day is long gone, and now, the once honored governor is facing the potential end of his career thanks to a bombshell report by the New York Attorney General. Said report reveals Cuomo’s disturbing pattern of harassment and the lengths his allies went to suppress the truth. The result of that report is almost uniform denunciation against the governor, and even the Biden administration has weighed in, calling for his resignation. And it appears that the Governor has heeded that demand. But that does not make impeachment any less important. If anything, Cuomo’s recent resignation makes impeachment even more necessary to prevent his return to power.
At the beginning of this month, the New York Attorney General released a report that exposed and quite possibly destroyed the governor’s career. The report alleges that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.
With the report, Cuomo’s nature is shown in a much darker light. Rather than being merely creepy, his behavior is indicative of an unwillingness to change his course. It is also demonstrative of the level of power that Cuomo felt over the government.
The AG report demonstrates this perfectly. The report’s list of at least ten women Cuomo has sexually harassed reveals his cruelty and how that cruelty affected those around him. In the case of one woman, known only as Trooper #1, the possibility of being punished for discussing Cuomo’s actions. As Trooper #1 noted:
“…within the PSU, it’s kind of known that the Governor gives the seal
of approval who gets promoted and who doesn’t within PSU…always have an answer, don’t tell him no and whatever he wants, make it happen . . .”
When any institution surrounds the will of a singular person, it is a dangerous entity not worth maintaining. Through his continued control over the agents of the state, Cuomo not only violated the dignity of those who worked for him and violated the dignity of the very government he was responsible for.
Nor is he sorry for what he did quite the opposite. Despite the report that he requested undermining his claims of innocence, Cuomo remains defiant, suggesting that he may attempt to reorient his political career in the future. That must not happen.
Though it is unclear if Cuomo will attempt to get back into political life soon, the fact that it is a possibility should be worrisome to everyone. When the dignity of your fellow Americans is abused, there can be no other option but to punish and isolate the person responsible. Impeachment would ensure that he would be kept from power. He’s proven that he can’t be trusted with it, much less any other source of power.
If there is to be any justice out of this affair, it needs to start with keeping this predator out of government for good. Anything less is a failure.
Originally published at https://progressiveamerican.substack.com on August 11, 2021.
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