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Spitzer Unsure If He'll Vote For Cuomo: "Let's Wait And See"
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 25, 2010
Modified Apr 25, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 25, 2010
Modified Apr 25, 2010
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Eliot Spitzer may not have announced his comeback, but he's definitely angling for something: In today's NY Times, Spitzer speaks at length about Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to run for—and be elected—Governor of New York this fall. The former crusading Attorney General turned disgraced Governor said of Cuomo's reputation as a "tough guy," "Toughness is not the issue. It’s easy to be tough if the selection of one’s target is driven by politics. The real test is, do you take on the battles that have been unpopular and perhaps seem impossible to win but are important to take on?"
Spitzer also says of his fellow Democrat's pursuit of Wall Street firms, Spitzer wishes there was "more intervention and deeper intervention [from Cuomo] by which I mean, more granular, harder work, that would have taken a bit more time, and would have been, frankly, a bit more disruptive to Wall Street." Translation: Cuomo doesn't work hard! And he was skeptical if Cuomo would take unpopular positions, "I think the issue is, will he have the stomach to pick political fights or to pick fights that will have negative political consequences?" Translation: Cuomo is a political animal!
Plus, Spitzer is still pissy about being reprimanded by Cuomo for spying on former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and doesn't think Mario Cuomo was that great a governor, "Oh, look, Governor Cuomo was a spectacular governor in terms of his intellectual leadership of the state and will be remembered for his oratorical skills, and I say this not to diminish his administration of the state. I think it’s harder to see a specific, substantive accomplishment in terms of the SUNY system or physical development that he leaves behind."
Cuomo's spokesman Richard Bamberger told the Times, "The attorney general’s record, credibility and honor speak for themselves, as do Mr. Spitzer’s." (Probably the furthest Bamberg could go without saying, "Spitzer loved hookers!") As for voting this fall, Spitzer hedged, "This statement could be misinterpreted,” Mr. Spitzer said. “I don’t know who the candidates are going to be. I think it’s fair to presume he will be the Democratic nominee. I do want to see who else will be in the race. I don’t say that to slight him. He hasn’t answered the hard questions yet about how he will govern the state, so I think it’s fair to say, ‘Let’s wait and see.’ "
Tagged
andrew cuomo
attorney general
election 2010
eliot spitzer
governor
mario cuomo
political animal
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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