Cuomo the podcast: Going after the left and the right with a mic

A lot of  former politicians can’t keep out of the spotlight for too long, and Andrew Cuomo is no exception. The ex-governor released the first episode of his new podcast Thursday where he aimed to posture himself as the “sensible” progressive Democrat that chastises the “extreme” left and right. Cuomo paints himself as a champion of “middle lane politics” in an effort to appeal to a silent majority that’s tired of hearing about polarized politics. It also potentially creates a lane for him to rise as an alternative centrist candidate if he returns to politics. His brother Chris is also taking it up against the left and right at his new tv gig on NewsNation after being fired from CNN. 

But whereas Chris can be a little more intense, Andrew seems to be channeling his inner Larry King for his podcast, with a desktop microphone and the Manhattan skyline in the background. The style and cadence of his speech is also reminiscent of his once-popular COVID-19 briefings during the height of the pandemic. Last but not least, there’s a poster of Franklin Delano Roosevelt nearby, possibly to evoke the trustworthiness of the president’s fireside chats. 

Listeners to the podcast heard Cuomo introduce his first guest, Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci, a hedge fund manager who served as White House communications director under President Donald Trump, a job that lasted only 10 days before he was fired for comments he made about the administration. Scaramucci pushed the narrative that Cuomo’s downfall was to blame on the “woke left” that was out to get him as Cuomo nodded along fervently. During the conversation, both blamed “cancel culture” for taking down figureheads like Cuomo.  

The Mooch took up most of the 58 minute podcast, titled “As a matter of fact… with Andrew Cuomo.”  But there was still time for Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow in the governance studies program and director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution, and political strategist Mark Penn. Both made extremely brief appearances to make one comment each on the polarization plaguing the nation.

To end the podcast, Cuomo offered his assessment of the Democratic Party and his recommendations on how they can do better. Almost a foreshadow of what he would bring to the table if he were to run again.