Wednesday, May 6, 2020

I'm crushing on Governor Cuomo


A poll came out last week showing that Gov. Cuomo's job performance approval rating is 71%.  Two months ago it was 36%.  So I'm not the only one who has had an abrupt change of heart.

It's easy to see why.  The Governor is delivering a master class in crisis communications before our very eyes. When we locked down on March 12, I was in a state of absolute panic.  I had stopped eating and sleeping, lost focus and couldn't stop obsessing about the news.  And with Trump babbling about hoaxes and drinking Lysol, watching the news was not helping.

But then I started tuning into Gov. Cuomo's daily briefing, and I could breathe again.  He starts his briefing with the most recent statistics.  Then he cheerleads, cajoles and scolds depending upon which is called for as he guides us through the pandemic.   He also spends a great deal of time trying to explain to Federal officials what they should and could be doing.  And sometimes they even take his advice.

Kudos also goes to his uber-competent staff.  When someone asks them a question during the Q&A that they don't have an answer to, they follow-up with the answer the next day.  Once when an expert explained something, Cuomo turned to the audience after and said "Did you understand that?  Because I sure didn't."  The expert rephrased.

The governor is very careful to distinguish facts from opinions, and points out that opinions are not facts and that while people are entitled to their own opinions they are not entitled to their own facts.  No fake news allowed here.

But he also spends a considerable amount of time talking about his own family and how this crisis is affecting them and their relationships.  And when he does, his love for them shines through.  Because "his mother is not expendable" he created Matilda's Law to protect seniors.  And I am not surprised that when his brother Chris was hallucinating during his bout of Covid-19, he saw his big bro as a good fairy trying to make the virus disappear.

Because at the end of the day, what Governor Cuomo has done is to reassure me and everyone else at the epicenter of the pandemic, that we have a steady, competent leader at the helm who can get us through this difficult time.  And that's why 78% of people surveyed said they trusted the governor to determine when it will be safe for businesses to reopen.  (Vielkind, 2020)

Others would do well to follow his example.


Vielkind, J. (2020, April 27)  Big Majority of New York Voters Back Coronavirus Lockdown Measures.  wsj.com.  retrieved May 6, 2020, from  https://www.wsj.com/articles/large-majority-of-new-york-voters-back-face-coverings-in-public-poll-shows-11587987790

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