Mamound and Andrew

What does the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran have in common with the governor of New York?

Well, if you write out the name Mamound Ahmadinejad on a piece of paper fold it in half and turn it upside down and look at it in a mirror, it will spell Andrew Mark Cuomo. (and if you tried that please stop reading the blog and run for office)

The other thing is that the both Ahmadinejad and Cuomo have in common is a real penchant for overstatement.

Mamound declared the other day: “Iran is a model for the rest of the world!”

And Andrew proclaimed with similar passion: “I said my administration would be the most open and transparent in history, and with this effort we’re showing that we are!”

The effort Cuomo was referring to is a new website that purports to disclose all sorts of information about the governor’s office that has “never been revealed before.”

Pause. Catch breath. Continue.

Ok … the governor is doing a good thing here. The website is rather promotional, but it is informative. But I do have a few questions. If the administration is sooooo open:

Why was it such a hassle to get the administration to reveal the names of the financial backers for the Committee to Save New York?

Why was the entire budget process conducted behind closed doors by the governor and the leaders?

Why has there been a blackout on information about appointments to the new state integrity panel?

What was the big deal over records on the use of the state aircraft?

Why are all the reporters who cover state government complaining about the way they are treated?

No, Cuomo is not Ahmadinejad. He’s no despot. It’s just that he’s been laying it on really thick of late, and nobody seems to want to challenge him.

Here’s my point: Not challenging elected officials is a bad thing. It’s bad for the public and bad for the official. It’s what produces people like Amandinejad.

No matter how good a politician is doing in the polls, it’s no excuse for the media and the rest of us not to challenge him. And in that regard, maybe the governor will answer this additional question: “What second floor meetings with disgraced soon to be former PIC Executive Director Barry Ginsberg did you leave off the list that was published on the new website?”