There are many instances when it sucks to be a Democrat, and the emergence of claims of sexual harassment against Andrew Cuomo is one of them. Just months ago, the governor of New York was a shining liberal hero, upholding facts and common sense in combating the coronavirus — in stark contrast to the reckless idiocy of the 45th president. Now Cuomo has become something else, and many Democrats are curiously uncertain what to say or do.
The charges made by three different women have the ring of truth. Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide to the governor, who is 63, said he harassed her with conversational detours indicating that he “wanted to sleep with me.” Another former staffer, Lindsey Boylan, 36, said he forcibly kissed her and suggested playing strip poker.
Anna Ruch, 33, who met him at a wedding reception, said he put his hand on her bare back and, when she removed it, cupped her face in his hands (as photos confirmed) and kissed her on the cheek as she tried to pull away.
Cuomo doesn’t deny that he overstepped. In a news conference Wednesday, he made an emotional apology and said he was “embarrassed” that he had “acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable.” But he insisted, “I never touched anyone inappropriately.”
If the allegations are true, Cuomo is no Donald Trump, accused of offenses including sexual assault and rape by more than two dozen women, or former Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., accused of several episodes of groping or sexual harassment. Cuomo is more in the realm of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who resigned his office in 2018 under pressure after several women said he kissed or pawed them without their consent.
But there has been no rush by Democrats to demand that Cuomo step down. Many in the party are still bitter that Franken was forced out for his conduct. That happened even though Trump was ensconced in the White House, paying no penalty for his serial abuses.
“Many Democrats are sick of holding themselves to a set of standards that Republicans feel no need to try to meet,” New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg wrote Monday. “At a certain point, making sacrifices to demonstrate virtue, in the face of an opposition that has none, makes a lot of Democrats feel like suckers.”
Even progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, no ally of the governor, settled for endorsing an independent investigation. Likewise Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — who led the charge to banish Franken. Only one Democratic member of the state’s congressional delegation called for his resignation.
There is not much doubt that Cuomo exploited his position and his stature to take advantage of young women in ways that left them feeling not just deeply uncomfortable but violated. A party that is fully committed to the equality of women can hardly tolerate such abuses.
If Cuomo were running for governor for the first time, the charges would be taken as clearly disqualifying. Why should his powerful position earn him greater latitude?
The Franken example should be taken as a model for action, not cause for regret. The physical contact he allegedly forced on women was not trivial or inadvertent. At the time, so many Democrats recognized it as inexcusable that he had little choice but to step down. The same ought to be true in the case of Cuomo.
For Democrats to take a hard line on sexual harassers of their own is not a foolish gift to Republicans. It’s an act of political principle and hygiene. It serves to affirm the party’s core values, deter misconduct and uphold the interests of victims. For Democrats to refuse to punish Democratic offenders because Republicans don’t reciprocate is like throwing out your smoke detectors because your neighbor doesn’t have any.
Democrats don’t even have the excuse that getting rid of Cuomo would cost them an important office. A Democrat, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, would become governor. If she doesn’t suit them, they will have a chance to replace her with someone better when the 2022 primary election comes along.
If the charges against Cuomo were made against a Republican, Democrats would waste no time demanding his resignation. They should waste no time demanding Cuomo’s.
