On Monday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law two bills that would have been unthinkable a few short years ago. The first increases the minimum wage (staggered and unevenly across the state) to $15 an hour. The second establishes New York as the fourth state with a paid-family-leave policy; at twelve weeks of paid leave, it will cover twice as much time as its closest competitors.

Politicians are famous for their short memories, but even an amnesiac would have difficulty forgetting Cuomo’s past stance on the $15 minimum wage. As late as last year, Cuomo called Mayor Bill de Blasio’s request to allow New York City to raise its minimum wage to $13 a “non-starter.” Cuomo confidently asserted that there was “no appetite” in Albany for a paid-family-leave bill.

Lest anyone be confused, Cuomo has not suddenly decided that he prefers social provision for the many over his traditional protection of the super-rich. The Occupy movement’s epithet for Cuomo — “Governor 1%” — was entirely apt. He may well be the most cynical politician in America today. His reversals are the product of hard political calculation, not a change of heart.