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Cuomo's Moreland woes

Questions remain over Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Moreland Commission scandal. Photo:

It is never good when the U.S. attorney is mad at you. Yet that is the position Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in as he contorts himself with explanations over Moreland-gate, his on-again, off-again commission to investigate political corruption in the state. Three major questions loom.

Why did he do it?

"It" is all-encompassing. Why did he form a commission that he called independent? Why did he interfere so intrusively in its operations? (And there really isn't any doubt he did interfere.) Why did he suddenly disband it? And why is he so contradictory in his responses to The New York Times investigation of his administration's Moreland actions?

The best answer to all this is to understand the governor's obsession: to win the largest possible victory in the November election. Consider just one tidbit. The governor, or at least his top aides, reportedly went ballistic when the Moreland Commission sent a subpoena to the Real Estate Board of New York to review its extensive political giving. The subpoena was withdrawn, although REBNY provided all the information. Who was going to be shocked that real estate interests give millions of dollars to politicians to influence their thinking? How about no one?

The Cuomo mentality has been to allow nothing to detract from his re-election story. No misstep, no embarrassment; only highly orchestrated speeches, events and triumphs (like the last-minute Long Island Rail Road contract miracle).

Does Moreland-gate say anything fundamental about Mr. Cuomo?

One can only guess about the governor's motivations. One possibility is that some enormous scandal is out there that personally ensnares the governor and that his actions are nothing less than a cover-up. Assuming that isn't true (and I think it is unlikely), Moreland-gate stems from the fact that Mr. Cuomo is a control freak. Early in his term, Crain's wondered why the monthly state jobs report routinely arrived hours late. The unofficial answer was that the press release had to be cleared by the governor's office. (The governor's people always denied this was the case, although I never believed them.) If the governor cared so much about such a small thing as the jobs report, just imagine his obsession with everything Moreland.

What will the impact of all this be?

Last week, it was reported that even Rudy Giuliani won't endorse Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, which followed Gov. Chris Christie's disparaging comments about the Westchester county executive. It is hard to see Moreland-gate derailing the governor's suddenly bumpy re-election ride.

No, the big effects will be felt next year, when a weakened Mr. Cuomo faces a new equation in Albany. A Democratic-controlled Senate is expected to join the always very liberal Assembly in pushing a new agenda for the state. After four years of being dominated by this governor, legislators will be looking for any way to show their own political strength. So much for any landslide victory.


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