Eliot Spitzer and Andrew M. Cuomo

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New York's political face has been transformed. These are two new generation Democrats with very important platforms. Their terms should be anything but dull . . .





In an hour-long interview, Attorney General-elect Andrew M. Cuomo told Jonathan Hicks of The Times that he wants to make his mark in other areas than his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, who became known as “the sheriff of Wall Street.”

Mr. Cuomo said:

"The attorney general has an important, continuing role with regard to Wall Street. But it’s a different time now than when Eliot addressed the issue. He addressed it when there was a void and the federal government was asleep at the switch. "


Mr. Cuomo, who is expected to name a transition team this week headed by Robert Abrams, a former A.G. and member of the Spitzer transition team, said his focus would inclue civil rights and discrimination, environmental protection and ethics reform in Albany. He favors a ban on all gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers and he would prohibit legislators from accepting honorariums for speeches. He also favors a three-year ban on lobbying by elected officials and other state executives after they leave office, as well as campaign finance changes.

How he views his mandate from the voters:

We started this campaign talking about a reform agenda. And we laid out specific legislative priorities. I think that’s the mandate from the people. They want reform in Albany. They say: Clean it up. Fix it. There is a lack of trust between the people and the government. It’s not a perception problem. It’s a reality.

Mr. Cuomo declined to discuss the office’s current investigation into the ethical lapses of State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, except to say that Mr. Hevesi had “seriously compromised” his ability to do his job; Gov. George E. Pataki is pursuing a separate inquiry and is expected to give his special counsel subpoena power in the case, Danny Hakim report today.


http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/11/20/a-different-kind-of-sheriff/



http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[sui generis]

1. well there is one thing I hate about Spitzer

the idea of universal healthcare isn't even in his political vocabulary.

Anyone who says "expect hospitals to close" because he thinks government subsidized healthcare is bloated needs to be examined very very closely in bright light before supporting.

"hospitals closing" means fewer hospitals for everyone. And bloat in govt healthcare spending happens because we have allowed pharma to charge a bloated unnegotiated price on medicine and doctors on basic healthcare.

I would certainly like to hear greatly clarified remarks from Spitzer before supporting him wholeheartedly.

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2. good. I'll be looking for that as well.

thanks