As, a former journalist and media critic, I’ll bust a gut if I don’t write about the fascinating and bloodless but significant cultural television phenomenon emerging from the coronavirus tragedy.
This post is not about whether President Trump is a good President or a bad one, it’s about the way two reality shows so different from one another are both airing every day and revealing so much about our politics, culture and maybe our future.
It’s not just a question of two different press conferences, it’s really about two different ways of looking at the world.
These two regular daily television conferences about the coronavirus – one starring the President, the other Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York – could help determine who is President in the Fall, and how we as a nation respond to this staggering crisis and the next ones to come.
Part of our President’s genius is that he sees himself – once and forever – as the star of his own long-running, TV centered reality show.
The White House lawn and press room is his daily stage and this idea of being a Tweeting TV Reality Show President blew away a score of gifted competitors. They all saw the Presidency quite differently.
Trump’s vision of being President has upended conventional politics, fusing them with the lessons of mass-market television. He turned out to be the wisest of them all. And many people love him very much.
Donald Trump is the master of the genre.
If you take a couple of hours to watch the best reality TV shows from Dr. Phil to The Real World to Million Dollar Listing and the Bachelor, even Trump’s own Apprentice, you will see his vision played out on the White House lawn or press room every day.
He’s turned the entire Washington political spectrum into actors and wannabees on his own show, the Apprentice, all over again.
Trump is always the story on his show, always on stage from his bluster to his hair to his fancy suits and ungracious responses. He can say or do whatever he wants, his outrageousness and offensiveness is the point, not a side effect.
I have no idea what he’s really like, but his TV persona is shocking and unwavering. His followers wanted a Disrupter, and that’s is what they got. He didn’t run to govern, he ran to destroy our conventional ideas about governing.
The President may or may not understand how a virus spreads, but he understands his television. He knows that on every successful reality show, arrogance, cruelty, boorishness, fighting, over-the-top polarizing, and paranoia, even bigotry as a political philosophy, are considered admirable, not offensive.
In this world, lying and exaggerating, scapegoating and bragging are not bad things, but good things.
You win by flaunting and taunting the conventions of the “elites” and the unknown.
As a former TV producer, I know good TV when I see it, and Trump is perhaps the best I have ever seen at keeping himself in front of the camera, no matter what he says or does while performing.
It is a fascinating fusion of popular culture and politics.
President Trump is a master of the form, he is the star of every room he’s ever in, and everyone must bow before him. In TV, I learned early that fiction soon becomes reality, and many people no longer care about the difference.
Suddenly a new challenge for the President, a spawn of the coronavirus hosted by a different personality, and this show is also red-hot, riveting, watched across the nation and suddenly very influential.
It is transformative, also shaping our society and our understanding of the coronavirus, and of ourselves.
In an indirect but obvious way, it is also challenging the ethos and popularity of President Trump, and his prospects for re-election.
Without ever hardly mentioning him, this new broadcast is creating a devastating portrait of a leader struggling painfully to lead a diverse nation – half of whom he has deliberately and contemptuously alienated – at a critical time.
A lethal Pandemic isn’t really the stuff of good reality TV. It’s too heavy, too real and too frightening. So far, President Trump doesn’t seem to have found another speed.
Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York seems to understand something that no other politician or political candidate up against President Trump has yet grasped. You can’t fight a Reality TV Presidency with an argument, you have to fight it with another reality show, a newer and better one.
And you have to fight it by showing a better way, not just promising it or arguing about it.
In essence, you undercut Trump by being the very opposite of him on television every single day when so many people are paying attention. You do not do this by attacking him or quarreling with him. It’s entertainment, stupid, fighting and offending is his specialty, it is most people’s weakness. You try to show what government, at its best, can do.
Governor Cuomo seems to have figured this out. If he’s loud you’re soft, if he is vicious, you are gentle, if he is lying or stretching the truth, you are being painfully honest, if he can’t really show empathy, you are empathizing all the time, even in tears at times.
Cuomo, a blood enemy of most Republican politicians, is not your usual progressive or wooly headed prophet of the left. He is notorious as a tough, take-no-prisoners governor. He has ticked off liberals and conservatives alike.
He talks to the President most days during the crisis, he praises Trump on every single broadcast. His dedication to helping the people in his stricken city seems to have taken precedence over anything else.
Accurately or not, no one in his growing audience ever gets the impression that he is thinking of himself or his future.
Governor Cuomo speaks directly, and in a working-class, every man, Queens accent. Trump is a ruthless billionaire, his father was a ruthless real estate developer and a cold and demanding parent.
Cuomo’s father was also a tough politician who said more than once that campaigning was poetry, governing was prose. His son was his campaign manager.
Mario Cuomo had a Teamster style of leadership and the heart of a lion. He often sounded like a Jesuit poet.
His son Andrew is showing those qualities in every press conference, and he is hitting most of them out of the park. By contrast, Trump seems to struggle with a format constrained by gravity and science.
Suddenly, facts really matter. Facts are not his thing.
His press conferences are long, confusing and awkward.
Andrew Cuomo never takes the bait. How can you be attacked or belittled by Trump’s many supporters when you never attack or criticize their leader? For the first time, the President seems tongue-tied. Can he win on governing? Not this time, it seems, not so far.
Cuomo has also done some fusion – politics, disaster, family, and television. Because of the virus and the havoc it’s wreaking in New York City and much of the rest of the country, he suddenly has a vast audience.
Until now, nobody could compete with President Trump when it came to television and media attention.
Cuomo is besting him, breaking through the Trump-wall. He is perhaps Trump’s worst nightmare, a potential opponent who understands government, sports, politics, and television. Someone who can take out his human side, polish it like precious silver, and show it off.
He has been waiting for this moment all of his political life. He is telling us – showing us – how the government is supposed to work when there is this much trouble.
President Trump brags about his ratings in one breath, offers deadly statistics in the next. Cuomo is self-effacing, almost shy. He seems to bleed for every sick and dying person.
In a reality television show, producers know that the more outrageous, over-the-top, divisive, or over-the-top the message, the more people will love it and come back for more.
Reality TV is a circus, not a policy. President Trump loves drama, he brags, lies, attacks enemies and reporters at will, he always gets the headlines; he always makes the news.
Cuomo understands that the media is just like the President – they also thrive on drama even as they bemoan it – they are not really his enemy but his very best friends. Each makes the other possible – and rich.
Cuomo also uses them in that way. But his press conferences are never an ugly slugfest. The dance is much quieter.
Cuomo’s daily press briefing about the virus, now broadcast live all over America and on several cable channels live is, in every way, the child of the Trump idea, yet at the same time the very opposite of it.
I don’t kid myself about the governor. Cuomo, like his father and his brother, is a political animal, with all of the instincts of a wolf hiding behind the garb of a noble priest.
He knows what he is doing.
Cuomo has figured out how to make Trump look bad and very different from him.
He does it by never criticizing the President directly, but undermining him constantly – all he has to do is be himself. Trump has to put on his Reality TV mask every time.
I picture Jeb Bush as pulling his hair out.
Whatever his motives and intentions – I can’t know – Cuomo is now the anti-Trump, the dream Democratic candidate.
It never pays to underestimate Donald Trump, but the smart political people are all whispering right now that Cuomo would eat Trump alive in a debate or an election. I imagine that the idea will gain some steam this Spring.
In his press conferences, Cuomo has created his own FDR-style Fireside Chat, calming a nervous and grateful country with compassion and understanding, stories from his personal life, and poetic exhortations to be calm and vigilant and patient.
I’m not sure what the message from Trump is for me, other than that he is doing a terrific job. That doesn’t make me feel better about being closeted in my house for the next few weeks. If there is another message, I am not getting it.
Cuomo surprises me, he is out of the box: He even rounded up nearly 7,000 therapists to counsel people who are freaking out in New York.
And for free.
Cuomo, like his father, understands from the ancient Greeks that the most beloved heroes show their vulnerability and their flaws. He is not afraid to choke up and cry.
Trump insists at every opportunity that he is the smartest person in every room, Cuomo is quick to say he knows little, he listens to the experts and deals in facts. Trump says he takes no responsibility for the way the coronavirus was handled by the federal government.
Cuomo takes full responsibility for telling people to shelter in place.
If you have to blame anyone, he says, blame me. I’m the guy at the top. His strength is contagious. So is his calm.
Rather than try to win over Trump’s devoted followers, Cuomo sidesteps their anger and sense of persecution. He is gathering his own tribe instead. The troll army has no role to play. Trump has no answer for that, the pundits say he watches every minute of Cuomo’s show every day and has even tried to copy his style.
My guess is that Trump will have to go after Cuomo at some point, it’s his nature.
He’ll give Cuomo a Middle School name and try to bait him into a mistake (remember Elizabeth Warren?) That could be the political battle of the century, Godzilla versus the Tyrannosaurus.
Cuomo, a purveyor of high-quality schmaltz, is a politician known for his arrogance and ruthlessness, but this new and warmer leadership style is a huge hit, all over the country.
The governor has also broadened the cast of his show, as good reality shows do.
There is his little brother Chris, a CNN anchor, who loves to banter and defer to his big brother; there are his adult daughters, who have come to live in the Governor’s Mansion to join in the corona battle alongside their pop.
There is even a now-famous mother, Matilda, the storied Italian mom going over to Chris’s house to show him how to make her fabulous pasta sauce. Loving and praising – and protecting – your mother on national TV is a very smart thing to do.
Almost daily, Andrew Cuomo evokes the ghost of his famous father. President Trump seems to do the same thing but in a different way.
The Cuomos won the Reality TV Sweepstakes this week when Brother Chris contracted the coronavirus himself and suffered greatly from, then began to heal, on national television, his “best friend” big brother calling constantly from the Governor’s Mansion in Albany to check in and make sure he’s all right.
Chris, who had a very long and rough night, told the nation that he dreamed his powerful brother was a ballerina dancing in his dream.
The media scarfed it up.
When they do talk, which is often on their respective broadcasts, the brothers kid each other with warmth and love, they paw sweetly at one another like two lion kittens. Brothers for our time.
The vast TV audience looking in on this drama swooned and teared up.
Even Reality shows don’t get more real than that. I took a brief look at President Trump in his dark suit with Brother Pence glowering standing loyally at his side later in the day, he got clobbered today.
And I thought, wow, Cuomo is a master himself. This new show could beat the competition silly.
It makes for wonderful TV, the two brothers who clearly care for one another and have been bantering with each other for years. Keep it rolling, keep it going, I could hear myself shouting in the CBS control room.
There were tears all over the country when Governor Cuomo nearly broke down on the air talking about his brother’s diagnosis.
The governor said he was worried about his little brother, who he loves dearly. His best friend.
Chris in return urged the governor to be careful traveling around the state, he is too important to lose.
I’m not trying to be cynical or skeptical here, but reporters are reporters, writers are writers, artists are artists, and politicians are politicians. I see what I see.
As a former TV producer, I would have cut off an arm for content like this.
No wonder President Trump seems rattled, reading off of his prepared text in a monotone while Cuomo orates spontaneously, quoting Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.
Part of Trump’s great success is that he has convinced the very people who need a leader the most that he is their salvation.
And many people now think that Governor Cuomo is their salvation. This crisis will go on for a long time, everyone involved shall be revealed.
Call your mom, Cuomo said during a press conference last week, but don’t let her in your house now, he cautioned in one press conference. Love your mother from a distance. Stay home and cook your family a nice Sunday dinner, he suggested in another.
Cuomo projects the idea that he will do anything, anything – even pull the right levers in government – to go to bat for his citizens, especially the embattled elderly right now. He always talks about the little guy at the bottom of the pile and how to protect them.
We can’t let anybody die, he says, we can’t write anybody off. His eloquent plea to save every life, including the sick and the elderly, shined as one of the high points in the history of great leadership.
The wolves were already beginning to call for the blood of the vulnerable, save the economy first. Most of these people are going to die anyway.
I won’t give up on anybody, Cuomo promised and talked like he meant it. The President said more people died from the flu than the coronavirus that day. It wasn’t true.
As an older person at risk, I might be biased, but apart from that, it was a beautiful message Cuomo gave, leadership at its very best.
There is a lot at stake in these culture wars, as the Corona Reality TV Battle suggests.
What do we want a President to be? What do we want our country to be? What do we want our government to be? We will all have some answers in a few weeks.
I think President Trump ought to be grateful that Andrew Cuomo decided not to run for President this year.
(I was once a political writer also, and I can’t help notice that in every single broadcast, Cuomo says – often repeats – the statement that what is happening in New York City will soon be happening elsewhere, broadening his audience and giving anyone anywhere a good reason to see his broadcasts.
Just sayin’. He insists the crisis in New York is not local, but will soon be heading elsewhere. If anyone helps New York, he says, he will personally return the favor.)
This virus will re-shape our political system in one way or the other, and whatever the outcome, our popular culture may decide those important questions about our country.
But I wonder a bit when Cuomo says he isn’t interested in running. Politics is clearly in his blood. And I found out that the Democratic National Convention can nominate anyone they wish to nominate.
I really can’t tell if this is just another part of the show.
(Note, this is not a left-right political discussion, nor a hate or love President Trump discussion. It’s about the fascinating popular culture that America has created, and that has obsessed and shaped the politics of our country for years. I refuse to crap it up with hoary left-right propaganda.
Here, we think for ourselves. This blog is a search for truth, agree or disagree, but don’t bring mindless propaganda here. I won’t post it.)
??Governor CUOMO is a Politician who at this time speaks Truth to Power..
and in these times We The People need to hear the FACTS..
The only way we as a nation will survive COVID-19 is to listen to the experts, especially Dr. Fauci and not that DOTARD in the West Wing.
Agree!
Great article and yes Gov Cuomo should run for the presidency if he is given the chance.
Very insightful. Although I didn’t come here to bash Trump even though his incompetence is put on display on a daily basis. We must remember that Gov. Cuomo is a politician before all else. Trump is not. He is an actor, always on stage trying desperately to read his lines although emotionless. Some have fallen in love with Cuomo , he knows how to deliver eloquence without even trying. It’s in his genetic makeup, descended from his father, the great orator. But I believe he genuinely cares about humanity, Trump worries how his hair looks on camera. This article hits almost every nail on the head.
YES!!! THIS.
The ardent preoccupation with all things
decorum , hair, tan etc. make his readings interspersed with blatant untruth daily
more absurd. The Circus is less and less appealing . People yearn for substance!
A very interesting take on the reality of reality TV. It’s pretty sad that Americans are, at least bunches of them, so ignorant that they don’t know the difference betwixt shit and shinola.
On another note, a talented editor, or, at a minimum, proof reader, is a great thing.
Yes, please.
Hear, hear!
YES, editor please! So distracting to an otherwise really interesting analysis.
Good article, not great, but good. The one thing left out is the true reason trump wants everyone to go back to work. He is not concerned about the economy, he wants to get back to his campaigning! He is like a spoiled child who can’t accept the fact that everyone doesn’t think he is as perfect as he thinks he is! He is extremely rude to the reporters who ask him good questions and calls them nasty or worse. He is the nastiest person in the room! I cannot watch his briefings. He talks and talks and says nothing. As much as I like Joe Biden, I wish Gov. Cuomo would run for President. I know so many people feel the same way. He is a true leader! I notice that trumpets are trying to tear Gov. Coumo down, but it’s not going to happen!
One day I’ll be great, Marianne, I hope you will be there to tell me…:)
Jon,
This a great article.. And I have read oh so many these last three years. Great insights.
and THAT was a brilliant answer, Jon. I thoroughly enjoyed your article and encourage you to keep doing what you do.
I think Andrew Cuomo is great and would make an awesome president. But absent the pandemic, he would likely have not come across on the Democratic primary debate stage as well as we see him in this somewhat specialized role as governor in a major crisis. In a perverse sense, Governor Cuomo is politically “lucky” to be able to test his mettle in a dreadful crisis on the world stage. He is doing an amazing job of it.
I agree that Trump wants to be in front of the people who love him, at his rallies, so he can get back to his thing, bashing and bullying.
Excellent! Very well said!!
Nice said !
Nicely said !
I’m a ninety year old woman and have lived through a lot of history. I don’t care about Trump or coumo, I care about this deadly disease that’s killing us. I pray the scientists will find a cute before all is lost.
This disease will prepare us for the next pandemic originating from the homeless community. When the emergency hospitals empty out let’s clean up the cities especially Los Angeles and New York and get the homeless into sanitary conditions.
Living on the street is another health crisis waiting to happen. Homelessness is unhealthy for us all.
Ignore “Beth’s “ comments. Your writing style is fine. (I’m an English prof)
Same here. English prof. All good.
Style is fine. Grammar occasionally not.
Gayle, I don’t care much about grammar, sorry..too many bad teachers confuse it with good writing…
The first comma in the article should not be there, just saying. But, it was an interesting article.
To Carol the “English prof” — she might delete that ridiculous comma after her very first word. Just sayin’ (to quote her).
Exactly Carol!
Good thing Trump didn’t “run to govern.” Because he’s not.
I wish you had watched Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky and were able to draw some comparisons. He also has a daily broadcast streaming on-line as well as broadcast within the state. He has won over many Kentuckians that voted for Bevin last year. Many Kentuckians compare him to Mr. Rogers, and see him as a father figure (although he is quite young compared to Cuomo). Would really be interested in your take on Beshear’s briefings as reality television, much as you’ve done here for Trump and Cuomo.
Meanwhile… The country is collapsing from a lack of federal response to a true crises that is killing people. What is written here is a good analysis of politics and personalies, but lacks any sense of morality. The real cost is electing irresponsible morons whose talents are effective for politicking but are hopeless when it comes to governing. By not taking this analysis to its logical conclusion you are part of the problem and shirk your responsibility.
Ditto.
John, I assume you are no relation. But if you are, I would be very circumspect about skewering other families over their political morality. I would be doing penance over my family’s sins.
Maybe not so hopeless, depending on agenda. Perhaps very effective in serving their constituency, as they see it, i.e., their patrons and overlords. How much of a phony is Biden. Maybe if we watched what they do instead of what they say. (And MSM actually reported it.) Stale crumbs and circuses. We get what we deserve. Certa bonum certamen.
I wish Governor Cuomo was running for President. If the Democrats draft him, he surely has my vote!
He might yet..
From your lips to God’s ears. Cuomo is the leader we need right now.
Mine as well
We in the State of New York would like to see him run as well to get him the heck out of here. When he says NY he is talking about NYC. Research him, his beliefs and if you feel the same, that’s ok. Anti gun, pro abortion, give to illegals/santuary city, take from the state to give to the city and lie to everyone with a smile.
I suggest you retake civics 101 or a state government class, so you understand how follars arr distributed. If you dont like the amount of funds your area receives or like what they spend it on, go to your LOCAL government, board of comissioners, mayor,et al &speak to them. They are who allocate the funds for your area based on census numbers, sales tax in your county,&other local revenue streams. Just a thought
I found your article a refreshing look at the role of Leadership in our country. The comparisons your make between the two characters are breathtaking. As a country we are at the apex in determining what Leadership will look like moving forward. We, the people, will decide our fate based on our engagement in the political process. So the future of this country rest in the hands of its citizens, the Voters. Thank you for your thoughtful article.
Have you seen Barbara Res’s video about the years she worked for Trump and what she thinks after seeing him in the Presidential role? Very enlightening. At the end she said he show so much self-confidence because he has so little self-confidence.
https://www.facebook.com/NowThisPolitics/videos/3257514320929391/
Great read -so much better than flipping on the television to watch the current resident of the White House reading incoherently from prepared notes, while consistently undermining the intelligence of the medical professionals deemed important to address our nation during its current crisis. Please don’t get me started on Trump’s current hatred for the media outside the scope of Fox News, or any other format used exclusively to promote his agenda. In a sane world the majority of us cringe whenever he steps up to the podium spouting lies, inconsistencies and worse. We actually miss the days when intelligence meant some type of importance. With Trump those rules don’t apply, nor to anyone else within his administration. I guess you could say the highlight of the event rests squarely on the shoulders of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who in my opinion deserves his own private briefings to our nation in a separate address, to avoid the inconsistencies expressed before or after Donald Trump speaks. Realistically, this would help eliminate some of the confusion that most citizens experience after listening to the conflicting views between the medical professionals and the politicians with their own personal agendas. Until this happens, we will have to watch in baited breath for Dr. Fauci’s ability to walk our current administration’s thin tight rope when giving his daily corona virus updates. I can only imagine how it must feel to be used by Trump for the sole strategic purpose of being the opening/closing act for a virtual political rally. Regarding, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, I find his daily briefings to be honest and calming with a sense of purpose. He presents factual information that all citizens need to hear and encourages each of us to act accordingly with a sense of hope and humility. Which is far better than those expressed by the conservative opposition who value money over a human life. Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick states the following: “that the United States should go back to work, saying grandparents like him don’t want to sacrifice the country’s economy during the corona virus crisis.” Now imagine that? These are the same people who try to gauge society through a moral compass, yet neglect to adhere to their own advice. “HYPOCRITES-R-US should be the brand worn by each of them. They will mount a crusade for life while you’re in the womb, and rally on your behalf while you’re a productive citizen to society. However, once you’ve become an aging adult on a fixed income (Social Security) or child in need of assistance(Welfare), you’re a strain on the economy.
Wow, this sounds like a review of a movie and less like news analysis. You need to step away from all screens for a while until you reality show virus has run its course.
I need to write what I want, S., not what you want me to write…
Great read! That was brilliant Jon! Thank you, I couldn’t have said it better.
I so appreciate your comments.Clarity of thought has become a rarity these days. Keep it coming.
Don’t listen to that person. This article was excellent and explained so much about why I watch Cuomo everyday and can’t watch trump for a minute. I have never watched reality tv because it’s garbage and look where we are now. If S Keeler wants to read a “news analysis” I’m sure he could find it elsewhere.
Soooo not an article about left or right politics, or love/hate for our President? Cmon now, That’s all it was. That was pretty obvious. And please don’t presume to know That Mr Trump was a cold parent. Our President praises his dad. Often. You weaved a great story though, actually making the reader think you were praising our President, and getting all your little jabs in. Bravo. When I run out of TP , I use this.
As a New Yorker, born and bred, educated in the SUNY system, I read your article with interest and hope. Gov. Cuomo is not an opportunist but is a leader with courage and empathy. Comparing his leadership with that of trump is ridiculous! As a person of faith in my fellow man, Gov. Cuomo gives me hope,. The idiotic hypocrite in the WH gives me chills!
This is how i now respond to every political email from the Democrats (i am a Democrat); PLEASE…Democrats must draft NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. He is what a President should act and look like. tony powers, NYC
At this time of crisis people need facts and real leadership. People’s lives are at stake. This is not a time for side shows, or self serving reality TV spots. The truth saves lives!! Lies create the results we are seeing in America due to Covid19. The death tolls will fall squarely at Trump’s feet!!
IMO, reality TV is too awful to watch, regardless of the cast.
This is a marvelous essay, and I thank you for it. I am a California farmer and get myself in front of the tv every morning to watch Cuomo’s briefing because you can trust it. It is shrewd and as he says, based on fact and science. What a relief! He makes Trump look exactly like the fraud he is. Whoever runs against Trump must be someone who can piece together the government that Trump and his crew are shredding. If it’s Cuomo or Biden, I don’t care.
I recently saw a bumper sticker: “Any functioning adult”. Amen.
Right on! I’ve been watching both and was perplexed by Cuomo. I did not know much about him and now, like what I see and hear. I certainly hope he is genuine because he has gotten to me! I would vote for him even though I am a Republican! I am sick and tired of the rudeness and lies from politicians as well as the media! Is it going to stop!? There is no civility today and this is what we are teaching our children. Cuomo is a breath of fresh air, that is, if he is for real. Hope so.
I suggest you research Gov Cuomo’s political history. He can’t be defined strictly as a progressive. Both Dems & Repubicans have criticized him. One thing is true however. He is truly a Public Servant having the best interests at heart for Americans & Country
This is very true, Cuomo has always been a pramatist and centrist..labels suck and are hurting out democracy..
You are to be congratulated on a masterful.post with great depth. I have maintained my own blog for years and in my wildest dreams couldn’t write anything as good as this.
[email protected]
First-time reader, Mr. Katz. Bravo, Just bravo.
Hey Debra H. I’m a Debra H. too, And I ditto your comment ??
We are continually being asked to believe what we cannot possibly know. Is Cuomo merely another politician with a more compassionate IMAGE? Is he committed to the common good, or does he want to be President? And how will he change this country if he does? What will his policies be? Let’s be honest – we can’t possibly know, ,when all we have is a TV image.
Well summarized Jon Katz.
Well said! You hit it spot on. Thank you.
Thank you Jon! It was a delight to have my responses to both men defined so eloquently. I live In Portland OR and we too have a governor determined to protect us at all costs, while informing us daily of our state’s status. I do find Cuomo reassuring and reliable- politician or not. The future of so many things will be evolving.I think all we can really foretell is that most things will never be the same. There is good and bad in that forecast- hopefully the architects of the future will never let us be so unprepared for a health crisis on their watch. Again, thanks for an entertaining read, I look forward to reading more of “what you want to write”.
Thank you Jon! It was a delight to have my responses to both men defined so eloquently. I live In Portland OR and we too have a governor determined to protect us at all costs, while informing us daily of our state’s status. I do find Cuomo reassuring and reliable- politician or not. The future of so many things will be evolving.I think all we can really foretell is that most things will never be the same. There is good and bad in that forecast- hopefully the architects of the future will never let us be so unprepared for a health crisis on their watch. Again, thanks for an entertaining read, I look forward to reading more of “what you want to write”.
Sending this to all my friends, too!
I look at the two images rather differently as I am a Canadian enjoys the benefits of universal healthcare, who studied U.S. history and politics as an undergraduate, who spent 45 years with his New Jersey-born partner who renounced her U.S. citizenship over Viet Nam in 1978, and who spent 21 years as a senior lawyer advising Ca; the Bonnie — the Bonnie Hendrbinet and writing legislation for the parties in power, I prefer receiving my daily briefing from our Chief Medical Officer who is an expert in epidemiology and who is articulate, straightforward and open when telling us about the current state of COVID-19 in my province, about what been done to control the virus and what still needs to be done. She has the power to make enforceable orders and does so. But there are policy matters which are beyond her purview and she refers these to the Minister of Health who is on the podium with her. The combination works well The Bonnie Henry /Adrian Dix show is always worth watching as is the Andrew. Cuomo show. But watching the President deny reality, contradict himself within one speech or within one press conference, or tout an unproven drug is enough to make one cry. Where is the leadership and support of the states? This is not a reality show but an ongoing recording of arrogance, bluster, ignorance ande ineptitude.
Thank you for such a clear articulation of what many are feeling. As a Californian, I have condensed my press conference viewing to only Gov. Cuomo and Gov. Nesom. Often, Gov. Cuomo speaks to Californians as he does to New Yorkers-and, that is quite a task. #cuomonewsom2020
Thank you SO much for this piece! I have loved ALL your books I’ve read. I’m a dog, cat and donkey lover from Colorado whose second home is Rupert, Vermont. Got lost on horseback one day and road right up near you. I got in BIG trouble!
Very insightful- I sent the NY Times a letter (still hoping it gets published) fantasizing that Elizabeth Warren gets drafted at the DNC convention because she actually does have a plan to deal with the pandemic based in science and reality.
You forgot to mention that Trump and Cuomo almost came to blows. Our president threatened to shut down NY, NJ, and CT. Maybe just maybe he would do it that afternoon, then Cuomo came back with it would be a “Declaration of War”. This was a political mistake by both (two hotheads) and put us NY, NJ, and CT residents at risk in Trumplandia states. It is not all roses on the Cuomo show between the NY governor and our president Trump. Blows most likely will soon follow, like Kuschner’s response, each individual state should fend for themselves. What is next in this delicate reality show dance, NY shutting its borders after the curve flattens to other states? https://www.newsweek.com/ny-governor-cuomo-says-federal-quarantine-ordered-trump-would-declaration-war-states-1494857
Good Read
Governor Cuomo daily is must see TV
After trying to follow can no longer watch Trump daily at all.
The length, lies, self adulation, and lack of urgency in national response NOW is unforgivable
Why no uniform calls for resignation?
He is in over his head.
He could be starring in a better show if seen as responding
His genius is now severely lacking because he would be better received as competent, honest, and driven.
How’s this for reality TV, call the Obamas, Clinton’s, Gore, Bush, Romney, Kerry, Carter, Powell, Wes Clark in for a tour de force roundup to solve problem
Amen!! Trump and Pence need to be thrown out of office immediately!! They are making a terrible situation so much worse and thousands of people are dying!!! Get those bozos out now! We have intelligent and sane people who would gladly step up to save our lives. Let’s use them!!!
You expressed so eloquently what I had been thinking, but everything I write sounds like an order to Sears Roebuck.
As for me, I will not be satisfied until every EVERY Republican is lined up against Trump’s wall, without blindfolds… you get where I’m going here. Hold your fire until I get there.
Trump’s lack of every leadership quality, every human quality is appalling and he doesn’t deserve to enjoy all the perks he and his disgusting family are stealing for themselves. “Off with their heads!”
Agree with you completely!!
Gov Cuomo’s daily briefings have become must see tv for me; he is direct, straightforward, & i love the clear, uncluttered power point slides. Yes, he’s a political animal, but here shows how govement is supposed to work FOR its citizens. The current occupant of the WH works only for himself, so here were are. You’ve articulated for me why i watch him.
I’m in Florida where the governor is a dotard sycophant and can’t make a decision without consulting him first. I have turned off trump and DeSantis and I watch the Cuomo show daily. I can relate to him even being college educated, working class southerner who’s now disabled. This is Trump’s worst nightmare and it will do him in finally. Cuomo/Biden ticket.
Absolutely spot on! Keep writing this type of review, because, yes, the political theater does need an arts critic.! I You have identified the cultural phenomenon which has pervaded the American culture for years: the preference for entertainment over substance, critical thinking or civic responsibility. I have forwarded this blog to my dad, who is a retired history teacher and he will truly love it. Thank you!
Bravo! Excellent article! You nailed it!
After living in Western NY for 50 years I have seen plenty of NY State politicans. Our portion of the state that’s outside My and the five boros has been distroyed by the Democratic Albany political system. Our manufacturing base has been taxed out of existence. The incredible unfunded mandates forced upon our communities and local towns are killing NY State and especially Western NY. Under the Coumo dictatorship NY has lots population more than any other state.
Coumo has created the ventilator problem by not listening to his State Health Commissioner Dr. Zucker. Check out the Ventilator Allocation Guidelines from 2015 where the guidelines defined that NYS needed 15,700+ ventilators big there was an 1918 type pandemic. Coumo chose not to buy any at that time.
DON’T TRUST HIM. HE’S A POLITICAN WHO IS THE VERY WORST TYPE OF PERSON.
HE IS A EGOTISTICAL MSGLAMANIC.
DO NOT TRUST HIM. YOU’LL BE SO SORRY.
Also take a look the most recent election results for the NYS governor. Check out the by county results . Coumo only won NYC and the five boros. But the population size in those locations gave him the win.
I wish NYS had the electoral college in it, our state would be so much better than it is with emporer Coumo as governor.
please…
Sounds like a big echo chamber here, except for the 90yo woman who had the best comment!!! Other comments for ex “As for me, I will not be satisfied until every EVERY Republican is lined up against Trump’s wall, without blindfolds… you get where I’m going here. Hold your fire until I get there.” is from someone that may need to be on medication. New Yorkers didn’t even practice safe distancing for the first week of the out break when Trumps team recommended it. Both side are to blame for the entire mess, so grow up!
“Note, this is not a left-right political discussion, nor a hate or love President Trump discussion. “. HAHAHA what a joke. Most the comments about this article shows your leaning. Fake fake fake
Fake News…Eeek! George Soros is hiding in my barn…
This blog is the best example I’ve ever seen of the need for proofreading. Good gawd, my blood pressure just shot through the roof. Oh, but maybe English is your second language? In that case, I’d give you a C+. You didn’t write for politics. You vomited ideas and some very kind and generous soul rendered it readable.
Take care of yourself SR, if you will pay for a proofreader, I will be happy to hire one..just let me know and I’ll tell you where to send the check…
Brilliant article! You’ve hit the nail! Thank you!
Love Gov Como for his knowledge and genuine warmth and caring for citizens everywhere. Move over Trump!
Unfortunately Mr. Katz this virus is real and the danger should not be dIluted by calling your political article a reality show. At the beginning and at the end you attempt to suggest this is not a hate or love for President Trump. You then basically spend every paragraph dissing the president and make it exactly that. The fact that you are a co chair of the Westcoast Democratic HQ confirms you obligation to be so one sided. This virus is not simply a New York problem to solve and while that state’s governor is doing a good job, there are 49 other states for the president to worry about. That is where America needs the strongest leader possible, not simply one that can cry on cue to impress writers like yourself. Grow up Mr. Katz and pray to God that our world leaders fiqure this out without losing too many more valuable lives.
Hmmmph!
Spot on! The Gov is a breath of way over due fresh air! Who ever thought that watching a man give a news briefing about one of the worst world wide health crisis ever could leave us all feeling so comforted and encouraged ? Im grateful for that. I’m so happy to see that there are still people that can lead with dignity, honesty, respect , humor and confidence even during the worst of times. Love the Gov!
Really liked the piece, but I wonder, after reading many of the comments above, whether people are really getting the take away I did, which is that both are politicians in their own right. They are both playing their audiences for a purpose. Both are masters at their craft. So easy for intelligent people to dismiss the buffoonery of the sad man who our country managed to allow to take over our country, but let’s be careful not to be taken in by a more intelligent tempered version of a similar type of politician. I think “arrogance and ruthlessness” was the phrase used in the piece. I just hope this horrific pandemic we are experiencing does not blind us from exercising informed/good judgement at the polls. I stay up nights worrying about our country and my kids’ futures.
I never really liked Andrew Cuomo; too rough and gruff for me. After watching the first few installments of his “show, ” my opinion changed because of many of the points you made here. I saw him as trying to influence Trump by what be said in a very indirect way. I saw this as masterful! In the beginning, he was on right before Trump. I was wary when Trump changed his time, thinking that it was purposeful. And then I surprised myself when I felt disappointed at hearing him say that he wouldn’t run for president! Thanks so much for this insightful piece!>
Excellent article! Love Gov Cuomo. Trump needs to go.
Thanks for your insight, Jon! I’ve never watched a reality TV show, so your article helped me to grasp tRump. I also watch Gov. Cuomo at in the morning, often IL Gov. Pritzker in the afternoon, and then the train wreck at the WH. From what I see, my governor and Gov. Cuomo are fine examples of public servants. tRump is a charlatan. Period.