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When Donald Trump bragged about ‘when you’re a star’ you can take anything you want from a woman, he was crudely honest about what he meant. But Cuomo wants people to believe that when he’s fumbling around young women, he’s just trying to connect on the human level. He jokes, jokes and tries to put people at ease. Sometimes he slips and says “my darling” or “darling” or “my darling”. The photos he showed of himself in what one of his alleged victims called a “propaganda video” also played a role in a stereotype of ethnic behavior. They showed him kissing and hugging a range of men and women. Hey, he’s Italian, what are you waiting for? No offense should be taken because none is wanted.
The cultural and generational excuse is not enough, regardless of your ethnicity. People understand the difference between a friendly hug and the predatory behavior depicted graphically in an independent report released by the New York State Attorney General. The photomontage that shows political accolades from other politicians, including his late father and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, also shows Andrew Cuomo’s willingness to sacrifice anyone and everyone to his cause. Put Joe Biden in the photo mix has not the president done favors; it’s a reminder that he too has been accused of improper touching.
The scariest part of Cuomo’s response to the report was his willingness to name one of his accusers and say he contacted her because he knew she was a victim of sexual assault and that ‘he tried to identify with her in a personal way. because a relative was sexually assaulted in high school. In an interview with CBS News, the accuser, Charlotte Bennett, said there had been no misinterpretation on her part. “He sexually harassed me. I am not confused. It is not confusing. I live in reality and it’s sad to see that it isn’t.
Whether he sees it or not, the political reality for Cuomo is grim. The New York congressional delegation requests his resignation. Biden too. The Democratic majority in the New York Assembly is preparing to impeach him, President Carl E. Heastie said it was “abundantly clear. . . that he can no longer remain in office. Cuomo may be arrogant enough to force impeachment. But if he truly believes what he said – that he’s not in politics for himself, but for what he can do for the people of New York – he should step back and end this ugly political theater.
Meanwhile, no one believes in cultural and generational confusion. As the Washington Post wrote in an op-ed calling him to resign, “Most insulting were his attempts to portray his behavior as mere old-fashioned displays of affection, an effort that continued on Tuesday with an artificial slideshow of him kissing and kissing people in public.
Everyone knows times have changed, including Italian-American men.
“I grew up hugging and kissing almost everyone; maybe also Governor Cuomo. That doesn’t mean that such expressions of affection are always acceptable, â€said Lawrence S. DiCara, former Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate who often comments on politics. Additionally, Cuomo went beyond expressions of affection and “played by different rules,” DiCara said. These are the rules set by powerful men who believe they have the right to do what Cuomo would have done: run a finger through the spine of a female soldier’s neck; press her fingers on another woman’s chest; and participate in other inappropriate groping and unwanted touching of the women he has worked with. One incident was reported to Albany Police.
None of its pipes are intended to “transmit heat,” as Cuomo tried to frame it. It conveys power and intimidation – and in the workplace, it is sexual harassment.
Joan Vennochi can be reached at joan.vennochi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @joan_vennochi.
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