Unfortunately, Republicans Accused of Sexual Harassment Will Not Suddenly Grow a Conscience and Resign

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, on Tuesday around midday, Andrew Cuomo resigned as the governor of New York. Though the move was surprising given Cuomo’s titanic ego, it was entirely appropriate given the allegations against him, which were that he sexually harassed nearly one dozen women, some of whom worked for him. (He has, naturally, denied all wrongdoing.) While Cuomo was initially insistent that he would not quit, as The Washington Post notes, “by the time Cuomo decided to leave office, he was politically isolated—having lost the support of President Joe Biden, the state’s two Democratic senators, most of the New York congressional delegation, and the bulk of the state Assembly.” Which, if one takes the position that they‘re against sexual misconduct, period—and not simply when it’s been committed by a member of the opposing political party—is how it should be.

Regardless of how good a governor Democrats thought Cuomo was—and some thought he was was pretty decent—it was obviously untenable to continue to support a guy accused of, among other things, grabbing an employee’s breast and kissing some of them on the mouth. Which is an attitude that sets Dems apart from Republicans, who think sexual harassment within their party is just fine. As Twitter helpfully pointed out shortly after Cuomo resigned:

Republicans, of course, are still supporting the political aspirations of a guy who not only tried to overthrow the government and could wind up in prison, but who has been accused of sexual harassment by more than two dozen women, charges he naturally denies. More recently, they’ve stood by Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz who, as a reminder, is currently under investigation for, among other things, having sex with a minor and transporting her across state lines. (Gaetz has denied the allegations.) Because in the GOP, sexual harassment is only something to be outraged over if it’s been committed by one’s political opponents. Otherwise it’s all good.

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Bill O’Reilly is disgusted—disgusted!—with people accused of sexual harassment

The man for whom Fox News paid out about $45 million to settle five sexual harassment claims and one verbal abuse claim is sickened by this Andy Cuomo guy.

Cuomo, naturally, still thinks he did nothing wrong

While maintaining that he does not personally believe he erred in any way, Cuomo conceded on Tuesday that other people might feel differently. Per The Washington Post:

“In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn,” Cuomo said. “There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have no excuses.” He announced his resignation shortly after his attorney, Rita Glavin, delivered a lengthy attack on a report commissioned by the state attorney general that was released last week. “The report got key facts wrong, it omitted key evidence, and it failed to include witnesses whose testimony did not support the narrative that was clear that this investigation was going to weave from day one,” Glavin said in a virtual news conference. “For the last eight days, it has been a pile on,” she added.

Despite his decision to resign, Cuomo’s troubles are very likely far from over. He still faces criminal investigations into the allegations against him, in addition to an ongoing federal investigation of his administration’s handling of nursing homes during the pandemic, the Post noted. Separately, the New York attorney general’s office, whose report set the ball rolling for his demise, is probing whether the administration, early in the pandemic, provided Cuomo‘s relatives (and other connected New Yorkers) with preferential coronavirus testing. (In a statement re: special treatment for family members, Cuomo spokesman Rich ­Azzopardi said in March: “We should avoid insincere efforts to rewrite the past. In the early days of this pandemic, when there was a heavy emphasis on contact tracing, we were absolutely going above and beyond to get people testing — including in some instances going to people’s homes — and door to door in places like New Rochelle — to take samples from those believed to have been exposed to COVID in order to identify cases and prevent additional ones. Among those we assisted were members of the general public, including legislators, reporters, state workers and their families who feared they had contracted the virus and had the capability to further spread it.”)

How are things going in Florida?

From the perspective of COVID? Really bad! Couldn’t be worse! From the perspective of Governor Ron DeSantis’s bank account? Extremely well, thanks for asking. Per Politico:

DeSantis, who has not yet formally declared his 2022 reelection bid, last month brought in political contributions from every state in the country and several United States territories as well as from members of the military serving overseas, according to campaign finance records. DeSantis’s nearly 400-page July campaign finance report represents a massive expansion of DeSantis’s fundraising footprint, driven by his increased use of email to solicit contributions.

The recent support is fueled, in part, by DeSantis’s hands-off response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s become an issue the GOP governor has used in email fundraising pitches to conservatives across the country as Florida has becomes the national epicenter for the virus’ reemergence, including 134,506 new cases last week and near daily breaking of COVID-related hospitalization records.… Overall, DeSantis’s committee brought in $4.3 million last month, and has more than $40 million in the bank—a sizable advantage over his Democratic challengers. The haul speaks to DeSantis’s popularity nationwide, and positions him well if he chooses to run for president in 2024. He’s already held multiple fundraisers across the country and has made moves to raise his profile outside of Florida, including a recent visit to the U.S. border with Mexico in Texas.

Yes, the man who has presided over a state whose COVID numbers are so bad that one doctor recently said if Florida were a country the U.S. would probably ban travel from it is extremely popular throughout the U.S. because of the catastrophic situation he’s caused at home. In case you were worried the Republican Party’s only problem was Donald Trump.

Stay tuned for Wednesday’s show, when Fox News hosts claim Hitler wrote Tuesdays With Morrie

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson don’t deserve this

This being their problematic anti-vaxxer son.

Elsewhere!

Accusers Slam Cuomo for Attacking Victims “Until the End” (The Daily Beast)

Kathy Hochul to become New York’s first female governor (Axios)

“A Publisher’s Worst Nightmare”: How Cuomo’s Book Became a Cautionary Tale (NYT)

“Goldilocks virus”: Delta vanquishes all variant rivals as scientists race to understand its tricks (Washington Post)

Citigroup Requires Vaccines for Workers Returning to Offices (Bloomberg)

Senate Passes $550 Billion Infrastructure Plan in Biden Win (Bloomberg)

Twitter suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s account for one week (CNN)

The Man Who Lost $20 Billion in Two Days Is Lying Low in New Jersey (Bloomberg)

Meet the 29-Year-Old “Landlord Influencer” Who Could Be the Next Governor of California (Intelligencer)

An Ode to the Pleasures of Flossing (NYT)

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