All Over Albany

Speed reading the coverage of Andrew Cuomo's campaign announcement

Andrew Cuomo has publicly declared that he's running for governor (finally).

Here are a bunch of the quick scan highlights from the coverage, including bits about Cuomo's plan, his apparent cold shoulder toward Sheldon Silver, being an insider-outsider-upsidedownsider and Sandra Lee.

The announcement

Here's the video in which Cuomo announced he's running. He also lays out many of his positions:

From the video message:

Our state government in Albany is disreputable and discredited.

New York State is upside down and backwards; high taxes and low performance. The New York State government was at one time a national model. Now, unfortunately, it's a national disgrace. Sometimes, the corruption in Albany could even make Boss Tweed blush.

In my opinion, politicians of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, share the blame. Both are guilty of playing partisan politics and bringing New York State to the brink.

Later on in the message, he says: "We want to know how the candidates for the State legislature are going to vote on key issues and we want to know now. Let's make this a litmus test for change."

Here's a transcript of the video.

The plan

The Cuomo campaign has released a 250-page pdf detailing its platform. Here are the five main points.

NYT's Nick Confessore and Jeremy Peters write: "...where Eliot Spitzer failed, the current attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, hopes to succeed, drawing on the lessons of Mr. Spitzer's failure, his own deep political experience in Washington and Albany, and an ambitious campaign plan carefully conceived to wage and win crucial political battles before he is even sworn into office. " [NYT]

Response from Republicans

Rick Lazio: "Andrew Cuomo has been a central figure in Albany for thirty years, and bears responsibility for the worst four years in the history of New York government. Why should we give him another four?"

Steve Levy: "You can say you're an insider, you can say you're an outsider, but people are going to say, 'What have you ever done in your background that shows you're a fiscal manager that can save this state from fiscal insolvency?'" [CBS2]

A spokesman for Carl Paladino: "How can [Cuomo] fix an economy he personally crashed as the father of the subprime mortgage crisis? New York has questions for Andrew Cuomo, and it's time for answers." [TU CapCon]

From the state Republican party, which referred to Cuomo as "Prince Andrew": "We look forward to more evasion tactics, more platitudes, and more thin rhetoric in the months ahead from the new head of New York's corrupt Democratic establishment." [LoHud]

Response from Democrats

David Paterson, who says he's supporting Cuomo's candidacy: "With his leadership, I am confident that he will continue my efforts to build a brighter future for all New Yorkers." [Daily Politics]

Sheldon Silver: "I am proud to endorse Andrew and look forward to continuing to work with him to improve the lives of working families." [WSJ]

Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson: "New York needs strong leaders in hard times. I thank Andrew Cuomo for stepping forward to be our party's standard bearer, and congratulate him as he continues his journey of public service." [TU CapCon]

Reaction from Capital Region politicians

Assemblyman Bob Reilly: "Instead of being contentious, as we saw with Spitzer who came in with the same energy and the same reform-mindedness, but, in fact, had no intention of working with the legislature to get things done, hopefully Andrew will see us as equal partners." [WNYT]

State senator Neil Breslin: "I think [Cuomo will] make the right decision to downsize government to cut programs effectively and efficiently." [WNYT]

Jack McEneny says Cuomo's reform proposals will go over "as motherhood and apple pie, but in the real world the devil will be in the details." [TU]

State senator Roy McDonald: "I don't care who it is; they better get off their butts and start caring about upstate New York, because that's where my mission is." [Troy Record]

Sheldon Silver

NYDN's Ken Lovett writes: "Cuomo's reform agenda has him on a direct collision course with [Sheldon] Silver, who has killed more than one governor's high-minded platform." [NYDN]

The New York Post's Fred Dicker says sources tell him: "A 'seismic shift' away from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the longtime Democratic power broker in the Legislature, is expected as a result of Andrew Cuomo's announcement that he's running for governor..." [NY Post]

When asked whether Silver should continue to be speaker of the Assembly, Cuomo responded Sunday: "It's not my place to say who the speaker of the Assembly should be or the leader of the Senate should be or the minority leader. That's not what I do. I respect the separation of powers." [State of Politics]

The history in Albany, the Mario legacy and the evolution

Maurice Carroll, director of Quinnipiac's polling institute: "Andrew was a bumptious, pushy young man with a reputation for quite a temper, but he's buried those traits as attorney general and turned himself into a remarkably disciplined public official." [Bloomberg]

The Post's Fred Dicker: "There has never been anyone better prepared to be governor than Andrew Cuomo, and if you speak to people close to the 52-year-old attorney general, the word 'destiny' is often heard." [NY Post]

Eliot Spitzer: "His DNA...comes very much out of that cauldron of Albany politics." [NYT]

Politico's Maggie Haberman writes: "Cuomo cut his teeth working for his dad in Albany, and their relationship has long been characterized, according to insiders, by both deep love and deep rivalry." [Politico]

Andrew Cuomo, speaking to reporters: "My father, I believe, was an outstanding Governor of New York. I think he brought and integrity and principle to the office. He brought and honor and a dignity to the office." [Politico]

On whether he considers himself an outsider: "We use those words: Are you an outsider, are you an insider, are you an upside-downer? ...Do I think I know how state government works. Yes. Do I think that's an asset? Yes." [WSJ]

NYDN's Joshua Greenman on the current version of AC: "[Andrew Cuomo's] one part triangulating Bill Clinton, one part steamrolling Eliot Spitzer, and one part - okay, maybe two - Mario." [NYDN]

North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann: "For the time being, it appears that Cuomo will run practically speaking as an independent, unfettered by close party loyalties or by reliance on unions and other big special interests." [NCPR]

The choice of a lieutenant governor

Jimmy Vielkind runs through the short list mentioned by sources. He adds that Jerry Jennings' "name has been mentioned and discarded in recent days." [TU CapCon] [TU]

NYDN's Ken Lovett writes: "...Cuomo also seems to be looking outside politics, with a number of sources saying his choice could come from the business community."

The polls

The latest Siena poll reports that Cuomo crushes any of the three potential Republican nominees in hypothetical matchups. Even 58 percent of Republican respondents said they had a favorable opinion of AC.

Also

The Cuomo campaign logo is getting poor reviews for legibility. [NYDN]

Sandra Lee, the Food Network star and Cuomo's ladyfriend, was at his public announcement in NYC but he didn't mention her. [State of Politics]

David Paterson: "I'm adjusting the basketball rim at the mansion a little lower so he can dunk on it." [NYT]

screengrab: AndrewCuomo.com