CUOMO/NIXON: An Election Debacle in the Age of Facebook

Being the dutiful citizen that I am, I sat through what proved a most 21^st Century debate in the Democratic Primary for NewYork State’s Gubernatorial Election.  I honestly found myself disappointed with it, as both candidates showed little pretense of courtesy towards one another.  I might as well have been reading the comments section on any political post on Facebook, in terms of the quality of their arguments and tactics.  Call me old-fashioned, but I expect better from those applying for the job of being my elected employee.

Cuomo was the picture of a New York Mafioso:  confident, condescending and pulling no punches, most of which he landed below the belt.  In terms of corruption, he came across as a man up to his elbows in it.  He did, however, play that as a positive, demonstrating his intimate knowledge of how the unwieldy apparatus of New York State Government -- a massive economy of $1.19 Trillion, covering 62 distinct and very demanding counties, including the iconic New York City, none of whom get along with one another -- operates, and showed a fierce determination to hold the line against the horrors of Drumpf.  He made the case that the most effective governors are the ones who, for better or worse, really know how the sausage is made.

Nixon largely came across as shrill, rude and entitled.  She had that familiar deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes one would expect from a last-minute Broadway understudy on opening night.  She clearly was in over her head and hadn’t the faintest idea how think on her feet, beyond the script she had rehearsed.  The fact that she couldn’t answer the question: “If marijuana is legalized, as you’ve called for it to be, how are you going to explain it to your kids?”  -- the correct answer, by the way, is “The same way I already talk to my kids about cigarettes and alcohol.  Next question.” --  speaks volumes about exactly how much she has to learn.

That said, there is no denying that she hit Cuomo with some very important and relevant questions on his record and voiced valid concerns that have yet to receive serious attention.  Her heart is clearly in the right place and the State overall would benefit greatly from her presence in government, assuming, of course, that she remembers that New York City is not the entirety of New York State.

Now, at this point most will expect me as a political observer to make an endorsement.  

Do I want a naïve celebrity crusader who likely will get eaten alive by Albany or do I want the Mafioso standing strong against the real and larger threat of Drumpf, knowing that this may stall real change that I agree needs to happen?  

Or, more simply for those in back, do we want Miranda Hobbes from Sex in the City or a slightly higher-class version of Tony Soprano keeping the Empire State in line?

In all honesty, I want them both. 

I want the heart, voice and ethics of Cynthia Nixon to be wed with the Mafioso know-how of Andrew Cuomo.  Given that the realities of Albany politics are what they are – and let’s face it, Albany has been the poster child for political corruption since before Lincoln and is showing no signs of diverting from that machine model – I’d say it’s the only combination that will keep New York State standing strong in these dark times for the principles etched at the feet of Lady Liberty.

The question is, how to get it?  

Were I in a position to do so, I would pull the Machiavelli card and put Cuomo, Nixon, their campaign managers, and their lawyers into one of Albany’s back rooms and make them an offer:

In exchange for bowing out of the Primary, Nixon is to be installed as Cuomo’s new Lt. Governor, giving her a bully platform, some real authority to grow into and the loudest voice in Cuomo’s ear about how to proceed.  Cuomo would be able to keep his position and lose the loudest critic against his foibles in exchange for doing the hard work of making sure that the critical items on Nixon’s list are addressed within 100 days.  New York State would be stronger for it and the Left would gain a solid and valuable asset on the national scene.

And then, I'd make sure they can’t refuse the offer.