Andrew M. Cuomo Trying to "Shuck and Jive" His Way to New York Governorship

Do you remember when New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo accused Senator Obama of "shucking and jiving" at his news conferences?

Now, I hear that President Obama's Administration has been suggesting or trying to lean on one of the nation's only two Black governors, Governor David A. Paterson of New York, who constitutionally received the office when Governor Spitzer resigned in a scandal, and Obama's Administration is endeavoring to convince Gov. Paterson not to run for election in 2010, purportedly because Paterson's polling numbers are low, at this point. If Paterson did get out of the race, one of the chief beneficiaries might be the same Andrew Cuomo who tried to color-arouse the electorate for Hillary Clinton back in 2008.

Gov. Paterson, meanwhile, has always made it clear that he intends to run for re-election, just as anyone else in his position would probably do.

When white people hold a political office, they run for re-election unless a state or national constitution forbids it. Regardless of how low Governor Paterson's poll numbers may be right now, (and I haven't seen them), few white governors would forsake a chance to run for re-election under the same circumstances.

Republicans, like Black Republican Party chairman Michael Steele, have criticized Mr. Obama for trying to drive Mr. Paterson out of office, and have been quick to point out that (white man) Jon Corzine in New Jersey has low poll numbers as well, but Democrats are not calling on Corzine not to run for re-election.

So, is Governor Paterson being treated differently because:

• he's Black,
  
• because he's not as wealthy as Jon Corzine,
  
• because he was not elected to the seat he holds, or
  
• because he rejected President Obama's attempts to get Caroline Kennedy appointed to the Senate seat that Hillary Clinton vacated when she agreed to serve as Obama' s Secretary of State?

I don't know the answer to that, but I know one of the chief beneficiaries of Patterson out would be New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, "who has been debating for months whether to take on Mr. Paterson in a primary." Once again, Cuomo believes that he should run against the Black man who has all his ducks in a row.

I don't think that any Black person ought to help Andrew Cuomo with anything, first because Cuomo accused Senator Obama of "shucking and jiving" during the presidential primaries against Hillary Clinton. (Even if Obama has "color-blindly" forgotten that, I haven't.) That alone should cause President Obama to tell Cuomo to go flagilate himself.

And Cuomo's shucking and jiving comment was part of a relentless but ultimately unsuccessful effort by the Clinton campaign to color-arouse the Democratic electorate into not nominating Barack Obama. It was a dispicable statement that ought to forever make Blacks thing twice and then thrice before doing anything for Andrew Cuomo. If Cuomo runs against (legally blind) Governor Paterson, will Cuomo tell the media that 'New York needs a white male governor who can see the state's problems,' and not a Black man blindly shucking and jiving'? Andrew Cuomo might very well say something like that based on his history.

As African American Political Pundit pointed out at the time at the Democratic Afrosphere blog,

Clinton Supporter Andrew Cuomo, Referring To Obama, Said
"You Can't Shuck And Jive At A Press Conference.

Clinton-supporting NewYork Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said the thing that's great about NewHampshire is that you have to go out and meet people rather than "shuck and jive" through press conferences there.

"All those moves you can make with the press don't work when you're in someone's living room."

Cuomo said of New Hampshire on an Albany radio station: "It's not a TV-crazed race. Frankly, you can't buy your way into it. You can't shuck and jive at a press conference. All those
moves you can make with the press don't work when you're in someone's living room." [Newsday, 1/11/08]

Secondly, Andrew Cuomo ran against Black New York elected official H. Carl McCall's campaign for governor in the Democratic Primary, resulting in the election of neither Cuomo nor H. Carl McCall, but a different Democrat. Cuomo was the spoiler and partly responsible for New York not having its first Black Governor earlier. Cuomo has shown that he couldn't care less about that.

Andrew Cuomo is an unacceptable alternative for New York governor because Blacks cannot trust him and he shows a callous indifference to Black's political aspirations.