Cuomo Is Going Down

Two women have now accused New York Governor Andy Cuomo of sexual harassment, and there likely are more to come. We have all seen this story before, and we know how it ends.

As the investigations get under way, Cuomo has released a statement.

“At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way,” said Cuomo in a prepared statement.

When a person says that he or she was joking, a useful question is, was it funny? None of Cuomo’s alleged transgressions would seem to be of the laugh-provoking sort.

“I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation.”

Yes, like “Let’s play strip poker.” Easy to see how that might be misconstrued. This could be misinterpreted, too:

“As I got up to leave and walk toward an open door, he stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips. I was in shock, but I kept walking,” she said.

This, too, from the second accuser, could easily be misunderstood:

Once, when she told him she was mulling getting a tattoo, he suggested she get it on her buttocks, so people wouldn’t see it when she wore a dress, she told the Times.

Good suggestion! Or maybe a funny quip, I’m not sure which.

So what is the end game? Cuomo’s resignation, I assume. It appears that he is detested by many of his fellow New York Democrats, which is why the cover-up of his disastrous treatment of New York’s nursing homes and these multiple sexual harassment claims–all originating with his ostensible political allies–have come to light. I don’t know what the “or else” is in this case, but if the Democrats could force Al Franken out of the Senate on grounds a tiny fraction of what we see here, I assume they won’t have much trouble dispensing with Cuomo.

Andy, we knew ye all too well.

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