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OPINION
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‘Biggy Rat’ departs the political rat race
BY J.D. HAYWORTH Glendale Star Columnist
Newton H. Minow, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under John F. Kennedy, denounced television as a “vast wasteland” in 1961. But at that same time, the nation’s children viewed the fl ickering images inside the electronic box as a “vast wonderland” — especially on Saturday mornings.
With parents and children freed from the routines of work and school for the weekend, mom and dad would sleep in, while the kids would pour bowls of sugar-infused breakfast cereal and plant themselves in front of the television for the morning’s animated fare. Comedy, action and even morality play came into the nation’s homes, courtesy of cartoons. It didn’t take long for the kids to distinguish the “good guys” and “bad guys,” as the contrast was as stark as the black and white in which it was televised.
One dastardly duo of that era’s animation — Biggy Rat and Itchy Brother — came roaring back into the collective consciousness of baby boomers last year in the real-life personas of Andrew and Chris Cuomo. The governor of New York and his younger sibling, a hectoring, lecturing cable news host, were ushered into American homes on a regular basis with repartee that the low-IQ brain trust at CNN apparently regarded as the epitome of “infotainment.”
As they basked in their self-imagined, refracted fraternal glory, it became apparent within a nanosecond that the Cuomo brothers would never be confused with the Smothers Brothers, though Chris and Andrew did their own variation of the “mom always liked you best” routine. It was also painfully obvious that neither Cuomo boy grew into the man their father was. In the age of Reagan, Gov. Mario Cuomo emerged as the “Great Democrat Hope,” especially following his keynote address at the 1984 San Francisco Convention.
No less a Republican than Richard Nixon praised the elder Cuomo’s speech for its eloquence and effectiveness. But New York’s fi rst Gov. Cuomo earned the unfl attering nickname “Hamlet on the Hudson” for his indecisiveness and ultimate refusal to run for president. In late December 1991, a chartered plane was poised to fl y him to New Hampshire 90 minutes prior to that state closing fi ling for its fi rst in the nation presidential primary in February 1992. Mario Cuomo said no; another Democrat governor, Bill Clinton of Arkansas, became the 42nd president of the United States.
The second Gov. Cuomo was ultimately discovered to possess hungers and habits that can only be described as “Clintonesque.” But prior to those revelations, Andrew found another vehicle to raise his profi le. Like so many other Democrats in 2020, he decided to politicize the pandemic; but unlike the rest of his leftist cohorts, he took a page out of his younger brother’s career handbook — daily television.
By making his “Live from Albany” daily telecasts available to CNN and every other conceivable video outlet, Andrew Cuomo was able to feast on the political equivalent of Manna — free media. It was a political masterstroke.
Given the constant demand for COVID-19 news, and the media’s decided leftist tilt, Gov. Andrew Cuomo fi lled the vacuum and earned predictable plaudits. Reporter Shannon Fish-
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er’s account from April 2020 is typical of the praise-fi lled prose:
It also earned him a Daytime Emmy Award for his TV performances and over $5 million for his book, titled “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
The aforementioned “white-hot spotlight” and the partisan predilections of most in the press corps combined to slow scrutiny of the failures of Gov. Cuomo’s leadership. But eventually they were exposed. No less a progressive publication than the New York Times proved it wasn’t fooling around on April Fool’s Day of this year, when it reported that the governor’s staff lowered the number of COVID-19 nursing home fatalities appearing in a July 2020 report from 9,844 to 6,432.
The practice of treating elderly patients with COVID-19 in hospital and then prematurely readmitting them to rest homes put other seniors at risk and undoubtedly led to additional deaths.
Strange, then, that the nursing home scandal did not prompt Andrew Cuomo’s resignation as governor. Instead, subsequent charges of sexual harassment proved the catalyst that forced the “Luv Guv” to call it quits.
Why?
Curious observers would do well to remember the political environment that exists in today’s Democratic Party. There are allegations of similar nursing home fatalities in Pennsylvania and Michigan, and both those states hold gubernatorial elections next year. Had Cuomo departed Albany because of the nursing home scandal, Tom Wolf and Gretchen Whitmer could have faced a similar fate in Harrisburg and Lansing, respectively.
Instead, New York’s female lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, becomes the Empire State’s fi rst female governor, giving NY Dems the chance to “turn the page” prior to their own 2022 gubernatorial election.
What’s next for Andrew Cuomo? It would seem a “vast wasteland.”
While some predict a political comeback, it would be wise for him to wait until 2032… the Year of the Rat.
J.D. Hayworth worked as a sportscaster at Channel 10, Phoenix, from 1987 until 1994 and represented Arizona in Congress from 19952007.
The Olympics were quirky fun this summer
BY JUDY BLUHM Glendale Star Columnist
Oh, those Olympics. Inspiring, incredible, heartbreaking, fun and heartwarming. No other sporting event on Earth can produce so many plots, twists, turns and moments to enjoy and ponder as the summer games.
The athletes pushed their bodies to try and capture bronze, silver or gold, leaving us “ordinary” folks to ask, “How did they do that?” Many pundits focused harshly on Simone Biles or liked to use the term “woke” when an athlete or team struggled to perform to the usual “gold standard.”
Hey, have you done a backfl ip lately? Hmm, didn’t think so. I did a handstand once many years ago, and it didn’t end well. Let’s leave fl ippant remarks to those who can fl ip (in the air).
Oh, that devil of a horse name Saint Boy really messed up the gold medal dreams of the German rider Annika Schleu. Schleu was fi rst in points to medal in the modern pentathlon until she mounted the uncooperative “saint.”
This is a sport that includes equestrian show jumping, fencing, swimming, cross-country running and laser pistol shooting. Riders must use horses they have not trained or bonded with prior to the competition. Well, Saint Boy reminded me of my old horse Baxter, a very handsome gelding who would do anything you asked and go anywhere you wanted him to go. Unless he had other plans. Those other plans often meant standing, grazing, walking slowly, or simply refusing to follow the simplest commands.
Saint Baxter is what I should have called him. But when a coach punched Saint Boy in the rear end, it didn’t help matters. Schleu cried her way to fi nish last on a horse that just wasn’t going to jump. Several other horses in the event acted less than saintly, bucking or throwing their riders off in a stunning show of bad manners.
Do you need a nice winter wool sweater? How about having Great Britain’s gold medalist diver, Tom Daley, knit you a little something? While Daley was in between dives, he could be seen knitting away. Evidently, it gets boring waiting poolside, so knitting has become a therapeutic way for the champion to “relax and unwind.” His true “masterpiece” is the little pouch he made to keep his gold medal. He left the competitors in stitches.
Some of the weird images of the Tokyo Olympics included a six-legged runner. Yes, a cockroach was given “moments of stardom” when a cameraman decided to focus his lens on a cockroach during the fi nal minutes of the Spain-Argentina women’s fi eld hockey match. Geez, Mr. Cameraman, you have one job! This is the Olympics! Why must you shoot an insect making its way along a ledge at the side of the stadium? One announcer from Spain screamed “la cucaracha!” in disbelief.
There were some unsettling things that happened in Tokyo. We couldn’t escape controversy. But there were also records that were smashed and a feast of sporting events that thrilled. We had the chance to observe greatness. Our athletes were on fi re. And for a few weeks, we could bask in their glory. Yea for Team USA!
Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a comment or a story? Email her at judy@judybluhm.com.
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