Cuomo’s fall, #MeToo and the ‘disposables’

Why is it that a sexual harassment scandal toppled Cuomo, but not revelations about preventable elderly deaths?

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has fallen from grace. Ironically, Cuomo had been hailed as an American hero until quite recently. While his three-term tenure was marked by many impressive accomplishments, from raising the minimum wage to the passage of marriage equality, it was only following the pandemic’s outbreak that he rose to national prominence. Cuomo’s daily no-nonsense briefings led many Americans to perceive him as the voice of reason, representing the antithesis of President Donald Trump, who played down the threat posed by COVID-19 through denial and the dissemination of misinformation. In fact, Cuomo’s stature and popularity grew to the point where the media and many within the Democratic Party began to speak about his possible presidential run.