Podcast: In pursuit of progressive power

Andrew Cuomo has confounded New York liberals for years. Whether it’s his comfort working with state Senate Republicans, his reluctance to act on progressive issues until the political winds align, or his well-earned reputation as a cutthroat dealmaker, the governor has been an easy target for the left since his election in 2010.

But to Wayne Barrett, who covered both Andrew Cuomo and his father, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, extensively over more than 40 years as an investigative reporter, the reputation has never quite matched up with the accomplishments of Cuomo the younger.

“I’ve never really understood what (progressives’) problem with Andrew was,” Barrett said. “(Cuomo) passes gay marriage in the very first phase of his administration – that may be one of the most progressive thing that’s happened in this state in our lifetimes. And it was at a time when that was very unusual.”

In part two of an extended Slant Podcast (recorded before the New York primary election), Barrett analyzes the conflicting perceptions of Cuomo as the “anti-progressive” versus New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, frequently hailed as the standard-bearer of urban liberalism. While Barrett calls Cuomo’s implicit alliance with Senate Republicans the “lowpoint of his political career,” he also believes that de Blasio’s tangled web of relationships with real estate interests belies his good government reputation.

Barrett also believes that de Blasio’s insistence on a tax hike on wealthy earners to pay for his universal pre-K program is at the heart of his ongoing rivalry with Cuomo.

“He provided the money for pre-K,” Barrett said. “Why de Blasio didn’t let it go, once he had the money and had the commitment and instead he went on for six months in the middle of Andrew’s reelection year; I think that’s a principal reason why the two of them may never get along.”

Be sure to download, review and subscribe to this week's Slant Podcast on iTunes or stream the episode via Stitcher. Click here to listen to Part One of our discussion with Wayne Barrett, where he discusses the new introduction to his book on Donald Trump.