Andrew Cuomo resigned as New York’s governor, effective 14 days from the time of his very telling resignation speech. Controlling to the end, the embattled and entitled Cuomo granted himself two weeks’ notice, perhaps in order to wrap up his affairs — so to speak.
This event was billed as a press conference and had all of the trappings — except the press. He took no questions; quite fitting in that he took no responsibility either. He used his three adult daughters as verbal props to demonstrate his sensitive side, apparently blind to the irony of using women to distract from multiple accusations of using (and abusing) women.
The sequence of events leading up to the resignation was worthy of a Saturday Night Live skit. In a high-production video montage, Cuomo was seen kissing and hugging through the years across age and gender in an effort to prove that such behavior is just his way — good ol’ Andrew. It was as if a bank robber sought leniency and sympathy by piecing together a series of shoplifting videos.
At the press-free press conference he said he was “sorry” for any misunderstanding but, in his mind, he had never crossed the line. His most recent accuser has credibly claimed that he slid his hand under her shirt and cupped her bra-clad breast. It gives one pause to consider exactly where his “line” might be.
Perhaps his most ludicrous effort at mounting a defense was his “the times, they are a-changing” gambit. He said he was now aware of modern mores and that the lines had been “redrawn.” The implication was that his behavior was just fine by some earlier standard and he was caught off-guard by a change in the rules that never reached his desk.
With the exception of the more aggressive groping activities, Cuomo is right about the change in the rules. Once upon a time, men in positions of power thought, with justification, that they could get away with such things; a little graze of the buttock, a lewd joke, an uninvited hug, a comment on appearance, an inappropriately intimate question.
As is true of rape, this behavior is not necessarily or primarily about sex. It is about power; taking liberties just far enough that they leave the other person feeling powerless. This is usually a man imposing control on a woman, but can also be a dynamic between men. The magnitude of entitlement is proportional to differences in age and authority. A 63-year-old governor has immense power over most women he encounters. If Cuomo seemed surprised to be under such broad attack, it is doubtless because he has done these things his entire life, from when he wielded vicarious power as the governor’s son and campaign manager through his own ascension to power.
Most of the #MeToo movement has focused on the most egregious examples of sexual assault and harassment. Those incidents are important, to be sure, but there’s great value also in exposing the more subtle and insidious behavior women continue to endure in the workplace and elsewhere. It has been far too difficult for women to report actual assault without fearing retribution, much less call out an overly familiar supervisor.
I believe that Cuomo is genuinely shocked to find himself in this position. He is probably sincere when claiming it is a political hatchet job. And that is why his “defense” is so laughable. His egocentricity and arrogance make him blind to the impact of his own behavior. This blindness is why he presented “But I’ve done this all my life” as a defense.
To men like Cuomo, his attention is a gift — younger women should be flattered, not offended. The fact of his “power over” is why he got away with it for so many years. Women have been at real risk if they respond to powerful creeps like Cuomo with revulsion or anger. That’s changing, albeit too slowly. The brave women who stood up to Cuomo deserve great credit and will make it easier for more women to come forward.
The best remedy is to have more women in power. I’ve got a feeling this kind of thing doesn’t happen in the offices of women like Kamala Harris or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Steve Nelson is a Valley News columnist. He can be reached at stevehutnelson@gmail.com.