This is an election year for NY - we're going to be electing a new governor (among other positions) and the politicking has been going on for months, now.
And at the moment, while everybody and his uncle can name who will be the next governor - Andrew Cuomo, if you've been hiding under a rock - he has yet to announce his candidacy.
And at this point, it's starting to hork me off to the point where I'm not sure I'm willing to grant Mr. Cuomo my vote.
Up until the middle of February this year I knew who I was going to vote for for governor: I'd been pretty impressed with David Paterson, and felt that while he had had some real difficult leadership challenges in his time, he'd done better that most governors I remember would have been able to do.
Alas, then a story broke about how a long-time Paterson aide had been involved in a domestic violence dispute, and the State Police had been intimidating witnesses, and Paterson himself had called the alleged victim to get her to drop charges.
The State Police, especially in Albany, have been showing themselves far too eager to get involved in politics than I like, but no smoking gun linking Paterson to what they were doing has been even alleged that I recall. But even if Paterson is as innocent of the State Police interference as the news stories suggest, the fact he'd try to intimidate a woman making a domestic violence charge is completely unacceptable to me.
And it was enough that Paterson announced he wasn't going to run for re-election, after all.
Even before this the way news was being reported in the major media was pretty interesting, and damned biased, if you want my opinion. In almost every story that came out the governor was the only person named as being accountable for the condition of the state government: "Governor Paterson and the Legislature..." Having this happen once or twice wouldn't have been remarkable. When it's happening with almost every story, even of things like the utter dysfunction within the State Legislature, it got pretty obvious, and odious.
When Paterson's scandal broke this Feb, one of the stories in the local paper about it included a list of all the *ahem* scandals during his administration. Which was amusing to me, since it boiled down to: He wasn't elected to governor, Elliot Spitzer was; the NYS Senate had a leadership meltdown last year; and IT WAS ALL HIS FAULT that things got so embarrassing for Caroline Kennedy when she tried to get "her uncle's Senate seat."
So the mainstream media, lead by the Times had been gunning for him for years.
But that's not the point of this rant. Instead it's about the fact that Andrew Cuomo has been carefully, and IMNSHO, deliberately avoiding speaking up about the mess in the state. Right now the state budget is 15 days late, and growing later, we're starting the fiscal year with a $9 billion deficit, because of last year's 'miracle' budget, and everyone and their uncle is shouting that any cuts have to come from somewhere else. It seems to me that if one were looking to, say, fill a leadership position (rather than simply gratify one's pride with a more prestigious job) this would be a time to demonstrate one's ability to show leadership ability.
But anything that he says will be guaranteed to piss someone off, and likely someone powerful within the Democratic party.
We don't dare actually blame the Democratically controlled Assembly for anything, nor even the Democratically controlled Senate.
So, the Dems are pining all their hopes on a coward who can't stand up for anything if it might offend someone. And can't imagine that will piss of a substantial portion of the electorate.
The Republicans have three people in the race, now: and one has just been revealed to be a really vile racist scum, and proud of it. Rick Lazio, a current State Senator, which rules him incompetent for higher office; and Suffolk County Executive, Steven A. Levy.
But with the embracing of homophobia as a unifying value with last year's Senatorial leadership fight, the Republican party will have a lot to do to get my support.
But, at this point, I'll be damned if I vote for someone so desperate for a seat he's afraid of showing he can do the goddamned job.