Cuomo: Bills Get in the Way of Legislating

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, already haunted by his campaign promise to conduct the most transparent administration in history, now says even legislative bills get in the way of legislating in Albany.

Last week’s comment was an extraordinary admission of strategy.

To some, it showed Albany was sinking far deeper into the secretive government and closed-door dealing that protects politicians while keeping New Yorkers in the dark until a bill is law.

“Normally when we release bill language before an agreement, the probability of that bill passing is very, very low,” Cuomo chuckled in telling reporters on Tuesday. “Bill language to put forth specifics, when you don’t have an agreement, in my experience polarizes the parties. It makes it harder to come to agreement because you push people into their respective corners.”

He said agreement in Albany “means every person has to feel that they were part of the solution and part of the win. When you start quantifying and polarizing, it works against that.”

A day after the comments, which many saw as violating good-government precepts enshrined in the constitution, Cuomo said he was only joking.

“I should have known better than to try to have fun,” Cuomo said. “Some bills … are just posturing. That was the point I was trying to make.”

Yet, Cuomo still won’t release his bills.

Withholding specifics works for politicians, who can later claim they supported popular aspects of the law and opposed unpopular ones. Voters won’t know the truth because of a bond by governors and legislative leaders not to divulge closed-door negotiations.

“It’s the kind of thing a benevolent dictator would prefer,” said good-government advocate Michael Benjamin. “Yes, we will criticize [a bill], but that’s the process. Government isn’t playing poker. … This is the kind of thing that leads to backroom dealing.”

Others say Cuomo simply spoke the truth of Albany, despite all the politicians’ assertions that dysfunction is a thing of the past.

“It’s too much of a truth for him to be joking,” said professor Doug Muzzio, a political scientist at Baruch College. “Democracy is slow, sloppy and sometimes totally ineffective.”

“Prior to Cuomo, you had both process and product dysfunction,” Muzzio said. “Now at least you provide product.”

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the April 22nd, 2013 edition of Hamodia.