Bernie Said We Could Govern Ourselves
What made Bernie Sanders different from any major presidential candidate in our lifetimes was that he didn’t pitch himself as the most qualified pilot — he demanded that we pilot the plane ourselves.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo introduces Senator Bernie Sanders to the New York delegation at the Democratic National Convention on July 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
At every step, Bernie Sanders’s political opponents have contrasted themselves to him by appealing to their own competence and expertise. Clinton: “I’m a progressive who gets things done.” Warren: “I’ve got a plan for that.” Biden: “Let’s talk about progressive. Progressive is getting things done.”
Andrew Cuomo — the newest celebrity of the Democratic Party, a close friend and ally of its presidential nominee, and an increasingly likely 2024 presidential candidate — has risen to stardom on just such an appeal. Propelled by widespread (though highly dubious) praise of his management of the pandemic, his approval ratings and public image have taken flight.
Cuomo has long cultivated the aura of managerial effectiveness. When his challenger Cynthia Nixon pointed to decades of activism as her qualification for office, Cuomo replied that the governorship “is not a job about politics. It’s not about advocacy — it’s about doing. It’s about management.” Last year, he told a reporter:
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