You’ve all heard of the “Three Tenors” who owned the world of opera. They were Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti. Then in the word of bluegrass, there were the “Three Pickers,” Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs and Ricky Skaggs. It really doesn’t get any better than those two threesomes.
Now in New York, let’s consider the three New Yorkers who would be president. We’ll call them “The Three Pols.” Unlike the Three Tenors and the Three Pickers who made music together, the Three Pols are competing for the top job in politics, the presidency of the United States, and unlike the other triplets, these three would probably like to cut each other’s livers out. Politics is a deadly game, especially when it is being played by the likes of Andrew Cuomo, Bill de Blasio and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Governor Cuomo is known to be a mean dude with neither the time, the temperament, nor the inclination to play well with others. So far, that temperament has not detracted from his political success. Even with several of his closest aides on trial, facing the prospect of potentially spending a lot of time in jail, the governor’s take-no-prisoners approach has garnered very good political poll ratings. No doubt his political lineage is somewhat guaranteed by his having sprung from his father’s loins. In New York City and among Democrats, the Cuomo name is magic. Hey, it worked for Jerry Brown in California and it is working for Andrew, sometimes known around Albany as “The Dark Prince.” With millions of dollars of campaign money in the bank and the governor’s pulpit to shout from, Cuomo is well positioned to run again for governor and then for president. But there are the other two political triplets to contend with. In fact, while the others may not “take him out” as they say in the underworld, they may cause so much chaos within their own ranks that he will be unable to advance to the top spot of the national Democratic ticket.
Take New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio recently took a trip to Iowa. For those who say, “Give me a break,” I’m here to tell you that politicians don’t go to Iowa for the health spas. They go because New Hampshire and Iowa are presidential makers or breakers. He may as well have raised a banner saying, “I’m running.” My bet is that when he did that, a black cloud was hanging over Prince Andrew’s head.
Mayor de Blasio wants to run as America’s left wing candidate. Who other than Bernie Sanders presided over de Blasio’s second inauguration? Sanders was clearly laying his liberal hands on de Blasio and not on centrist Andrew Cuomo, up to now a Clinton favorite. De Blasio is term limited. He cannot run for New York City mayor again, and he has absolutely nothing to lose by trying for the top job. Of course, he is virtually unknown in the rest of the country and voters in other parts of the country are not known for supporting New York mayors for president.
Then there is Senator Gillibrand. Some people think that she’s a political lightweight but she comes from a political family that was never known for taking prisoners — quite the contrary. She has taken on the mantle of the “#MeToo” movement in the race and my bet is that she will try to ride that to the presidency or at least to the number-two job. While Andrew can battle with de Blasio, he had better watch his step if he gets mean with Gillibrand. A whole lot of people in this country are in no mood to tolerate bully politicians, particularly male bullies, so I believe Gillibrand is a real threat to Cuomo. There will be some though internal politics as the run up 2020 takes place. My bet is that the Three Pols might end up killing each other off.
