'Death spiral' for NYC, but Jane Pauley gushes over ‘happy’ Cuomo

FPI / June 24, 2020

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, New York City residents "didn’t need signs to tell us 'we are all in this together' — we knew it was true. We lived it," columnist Buck Sexton wrote for The Federalist on June 23.

"Not a single family I remember in New York even considered leaving, mine included. This was our home, and you fight for your home.

"It’s a totally different feeling today in this city."

The coronavirus outbreak, riots and looting sparked by the George Floyd protests, and the policies of Democrats such as Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo "have finally combined to create a death spiral for New York City, one from which it may never fully recover," Sexton wrote.

Cuomo is a big part of that "death spiral" as his policy of mandating COVID-19 patients be returned or admitted to nursing homes is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands.

But, hey, the governor in an interview with leftist dinosaur Jane Pauley says he's "happy."

After saying he won't run for president in 2024 despite being egged on by Pauley, who is in a royal marriage with Republican-hating cartoonist Garry Trudeau, Cuomo said: "And I hope to be the governor of the state of New York. I have something to contribute. This is my home. I love it. And I’m happy."

Washington Examiner columnist Paul Bedard noted that Pauley "failed to ask about the deaths in nursing homes that stemmed from Cuomo's decisions on the coronavirus nor his demand for 40,000 ventilators when a fraction of that number were ever needed."

But, Bedard added, Pauley did find time "to celebrate his 'unattached' marital status when he’s 'having a moment,' yet being unable to exploit it because of the lockdowns: 'Is your social life in a Phase 1 relationship, possibly? Is that an unfortunate set of circumstances?' she asked him."

Cuomo answered the softball question thusly: "Yeah. The house isn’t mine [referring to the governor’s mansion in Albany], sort of like a rental. I will move out one day. I can reopen the economy, but dating, that’s a whole different thing beyond my control."

While Pauley gushed, Sexton noted that the "Left-wing politics" of Cuomo and de Blasio "ruined" New York City. "I never thought I’d write that sentence, but here we are."

Sexton continued: "After experiencing a pandemic for which the single greatest risk is population density, living among 8.5 million people stacked on top of each other in giant concrete dormitories is going to be far less appealing in the future.

"Add to that the petty mask tyranny and other indignities we’ve all endured here as part of an inept and politicized Wuhan virus response. You must a wear a mask in Central Park, even if you are social distancing and even though outdoor transmission is almost no risk, because Democrats insist on it."

Meanwhile, gyms and outdoor pools remain closed, "but thousands of protesters gather daily to shriek about social justice and the need to tear down statues of dead white men. Democratic politicians here are fine with all this. They encourage it," Sexton wrote.

"Then there’s Democrats’ anti-cop insanity. Because of pandering leftists such as Mayor Bill de Blasio, violent crime is ruining the lives of countless New Yorkers. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, will die violent deaths in the years ahead — all because the Democratic Party insists on forgetting the lessons about law and order this city learned the hard way."

"Democrats’ tyrannical pandemic response and anti-cop mobs have come together to end a once-great city. If I’m right, the impending suffering will be immense, a very costly cautionary tale for the rest of the country. Unless we wake up to the causes of it, the downfall of many great American metropolises may soon follow."

Free Press International