Letters

As a lifelong Democrat and feminist, I’m appalled at the rush to judgment surrounding Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Even with an investigation underway, a stunning number of political and media figures continue to pile on the accusations and demands for his resignation before any of the facts are clear. Notably, the only woman who made a serious charge anonymously refused to take it to police when asked.

Some other complainants verge on the comical. Would anyone really consider a charge that the governor held her hand for too long?

This wholesale effort to indict the governor without proof has a very familiar ring for those of us who have been politically active for a while.

Remember Al Franken? The charges against him followed this same pattern exactly. He finally resigned, not as a result of the actual incidents but because he was overwhelmed by the betrayal of Democratic colleagues who weren’t interested in learning the truth. Only much later did we find out that his prime accuser was a very close friend of GOP dirty tricks operative Roger Stone.

Or take a look at an even more highly publicized accusation: It appeared just as then-Senator Joe Biden was thinking of running for president again. A young woman who had worked briefly in his office emerged to say he had all but raped her in a basement corridor of the Capitol. That story was headline fare for weeks — but an intensive investigation by The New York Times made it clear that she had a history that was dubious.

Next up: Pete Buttigieg. He had begun campaigning for the presidency when a story surfaced claiming that this married family man with two children was involved in a hot clandestine affair with a young man. Had it been true, it would have derailed his political career. Fortunately, the young man who was supposed to have been the victim had a change of heart and came clean about his involvement in the fake scandal.

I think Cuomo drew fire because of the success of his daily broadcasts during the first months of the pandemic expansion. They might not have been FDR’s “Fireside Chats,” but they were thoughtful and thorough during the chaos that came from Washington, D.C., and he was being talked about as a possible 2024 presidential candidate.

The Times says the Cuomo incident means “Me Too” is back again. I think the polar opposite has emerged — and that is what I hear from other women. We are strong, we are eminently capable in the workplace and we can always handle ourselves. And we — certainly those of us who are Democrats — believe in the value of truth and the power of the law.

Nancy McCarthy

Bridgehampton