Faces of the News: Andrew Cuomo

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has gained a great deal of political capital this week as he displayed clarity of thought in dealing with the coronavirus epidemic that has so far affected 102,863 in the state, more than a third of all 278,459 cases in the United States.

Many Americans have begun calling him “crisis daddy,” as the Democratic Party grows increasingly concerned about the repeated verbal gaffes and serious memory lapses of former vice president and nominee-apparent Joe Biden.

Although Cuomo has repeatedly said that he was not interested in the presidency and that politics should be set aside during a grave health crisis, he rammed down a New York state budget that not only rolled back criminal justice reforms started last year, but also arrogated on himself unprecedented powers just like Viktor Orban of Hungary.

The $177-billion budget passed on Friday was laden with uncertainties, including $10 billion less in expected tax revenue that officials hope to bridge with federal aid, short-term loans, and cuts.

Whether Cuomo’s acts will pass muster at the Democrat convention in July is another matter altogether.