YouSaid · the spoken record

Andrew Cuomo

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2020-11-12

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2020-11-12

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1. “Yeah, I know you're almost out of time. This is one time. Ambition is a good thing. I'm ambitious for my state. I want to rebuild it better than ever before. And there was a point in my life. I was talking to my daughters about this 25, 25, and 23. Years old. You know, there is a point where you want to know who you are and how good you are and what goals you should set for yourself and where is your spot on this planet. And you have to go through that. It can be hard and it can be painful and you can push. Sooner or later, anyway. And I went through all that. And I am at a place of peace and comfort. And I do feel good where I am. And I do feel that I'm doing the right thing. men plan, right? God laughs. And then life will decide something else tomorrow. We'll deal with that”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

2. “Better than they will elect someone else. I have no desire to go back to Washington. I was a HUD secretary. I was in the cabinet, been there, done that. I have no desire, no ego to, well, I need to achieve being president. I just don't have that need, and I mean need in an unhealthy sense. Especially in politics. You have a lot of egos that are desperate, they're just desperate for affirmation. They need affirmation. Well, and let's be honest”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

3. “I'm very proud of what I've accomplished here. I'm proud of my record. I'm proud of the people I've helped and how I've done it. So I don't have a need. I'm not driven by, well, I really need to be president. I need this. I need to break my father's record. How stupid is that? Three terms versus four terms. I mean, I'm not in competition with my father. And if that was, there's no competition in number of terms. So I don't have any need. I believe I make a positive contribution as governor. I believe I handled COVID well. I believe COVID has more to do. I believe we're then going to have years of rebuilding New York. And I think my experience can help the people of New York. They decide that they can do”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

4. “I'm in the best place I think I've been On a personal level and professional level, I don't need anything, David. I've overcome more obstacles than I thought I would ever face in my life. I've been up, I've been down, I've been decked by the hardest punch you can take. And it's liberating at one point, you know.”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

5. “Before we had any chance to do anything, because the only chance is really to do testing, but then you need large-scale testing. Now we test every nursing home worker every week before they go to work. When testing started, David, the state of New York, I could only do 500 tests per day. That was the maximum number that we could do. We have 100,000 nursing home workers, 100,000. I could do 500 tests a day.”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

6. “Was a pure political narrative. It's a total. They did said it about Illinois, they said it about New Jersey, they said it about all the Democratic states. No, people in nursing homes died because that's where COVID preys, unfortunately. And the way that COVID got into the nursing homes was we were told by the federal government that the only spread was from symptomatic people, if you remember. You had a sneeze, you had to cough on someone. That was wrong. There was asymptomatic spread. And the staff was infected and went to work in the nursing home and they walked in COVID. They had no symptoms, but it was asymptomatic spread. And that happened for months before we knew there was any such thing as asymptomatic spread. And it happened for months.”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

7. “I didn't mean it that way. He was the HHS spokesperson. I didn't even realize that until they fired him. He was the spokesperson for health and human services. And he put out this narrative, not just on New York, on all Democratic governors. People died in nursing homes, and it's the fault of the Democratic governors. Because remember early on it was all the Democratic states.”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

8. “Next time. On your point about the nursing homes, that's actually not what happened, that is the Michael Caputo view of what happened. Do you know who Michael Caputo is, David?”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

9. “There were no regional stockpiles. We didn't have masks. We didn't have gowns. We didn't have the manufacturing capacity to do it. The reason New York got hurt so hard was the virus left China and went to Europe and was traveling to New York from Europe for three months before anyone said anything because the federal government was totally asleep at the switch. The lack of competence killed people. And it's the first time since World War II that government actually had to perform something big and fast. And we just didn't have the capacity to do it and we didn't have the leadership to do it and we didn't have the skill to do it. And there's going to be a next time. And I hope we learn from this time for the”

   2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

10. “Most important thing I learned is we don't know what we're talking about and we don't know what we're dealing with. And the federal government is incompetent and we should have seen this coming. You had SARS 20 years ago. You had MERS in 2012. Why didn't the federal government learn from that? Why weren't we better prepared? This is a virus that came from China. The COVID came from China. So did MERS. So did SARS. MERS, SARS-COVID, all coronaviruses. MERS, SARS-COVID all came from”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

11. “Yes, I did. Yes, I did. And at the end of the day, David, I am fine with the trade. I believe we've... We've changed life for the better for millions of people. I believe during this COVID situation, we saved thousands of lives. But there's always a price. And you give up a lot to be in public service.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

12. “Then you were portrayed. The Ethics Commission was, because I wanted to get an ethics bill done by the legislature, which I actually did get passed by the legislature. And that was the point of that exercise. The real low point, I think, if anything, was just the, there's a tremendous personal cost. It's time, it's seven days a week. It's less time with your family, less time with your girls, less time to travel, less time to see friends. So it's that cost, I think, that is probably you came out.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

13. “The downsides that you mentioned close aid, close friend of mine got convicted, not of taking state money, but of having outside income that was unreported, basically, to put it in layman's terms. And that was very difficult for me. And it was a complicated case. He had been in state government left, had clients when he left, then came back. So it was a complicated situation, but that really, really hurt and hurt him and his family, et cetera. So that was both personal and professional. On the other painful, on the other hand, during that situation, it was a very aggressive prosecutor who went through everything on every level. And that was the one person that he found anything on. And after 10 years, people are going to make mistakes. And you hope that nobody does. But that one hurt. The Ethics Commission is more complicated.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

14. “The high is New York has passed more progressive legislation than any state in the United States of America, period, from free college tuition to marriage equality to the most aggressive environmental program, most aggressive green program, et cetera. We've done more building and more construction than ever, as you mentioned, Bridges Airports, et cetera. So we've gotten more things done for people. Government has worked and made a difference in people's lives.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

15. “From what I discern, they're working on a tax fraud case. And when you have people like Michael Cohen out there who was intimately involved in a lot of dealings with Donald Trump, who was orchestrating a lot of payments for him, how did you made a payment to a woman? Did you deduct that payment? Did you call it a business expense? I'd be very worried if I was Donald Trump.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

16. “If I'm Donald Trump, I'm very worried. The New York Attorney General's office has both civil and criminal jurisdiction. They're in charge of charities, and that's one of the things they're in charge of as charities, and that's what they're pursuing with him is his charitable organization. The Manhattan DA's office is working on a tax fraud case. I don't have any inside information. Right, of course.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

17. “Who I had talked into coming on to my father's first administration the first year to me and I worked together, called up and he said the network is about to call it and say that your father lost and I had to walk in and tell my father that he and I couldn't even tell him that he lost. I opened the door to the bedroom and he just looked at me and I didn't say anything and he said, what's wrong? And I didn't say anything. And he said, what's wrong? Said, we're going to need a different speech. That's all I said. And so he was crushed. I was crushed. Then I ran for governor, as you mentioned, and lost. And then we were both crushed.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

18. “Devastated him. He lost in 94. 94 was the Gingrich year. It was the first Clinton midterm. It was after gays in the military, et cetera. And it was the Gingrich Revolution. We lost a lot of seats. My father lost in 94. Devastating for him, devastating for me because I had been had gone to Washington, so I wasn't available to help him. So I blamed myself for not being available to help. My father never saw it coming. He was prepared on election night to give a victory speech. He had written the speech. We're in a hotel suite. And he goes into the bedroom. He's laying on the bed. And he has the speech on his chest. He's fully dressed in a suit. And he's going through the speeches. His mind. Tim Russert, God rest his soul.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

19. “That is exactly right, but yeah, it's a family pass that you buy. You can't protect them from it. Your children become subject to that same kind of public scrutiny. And it's terrible and it's lousy and it's ugly, but it's also real.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

20. “Is the price you pay, my friend, when you walk into the theater, talk about being prepared for public life, elected life. That's one of the situations you have to consider. You subject yourself to scrutiny and publicity, and I lived with it for a long time, but then you bring your children into it. People around you are affected. But it's a price you pay. And if you're not willing to pay that price, don't enter the theater. Don't enter the arena. And it is hard.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

21. “And it turned out to be a lot harder and a lot more complicated than I thought. And I spent six years doing it, built more housing for the homeless than any organization in the nation, went from building one place to building about 12, went from two employees to having over 500 employees, and we housed 6,000 people on any given night, largest organization for families in the country. So it was supposed to be just, again, it was the naivete. This is relatively simple. Let's build 100 units of housing and empty this hotel. And it went on from there.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

22. “Running through the midst of this. It was just, and I was 20-something years old. It was just, I mean, I couldn't sleep. I remember I can still smell the smells. And I said, well, this is simple. My father was governor. We'll work with government. We'll build housing. We'll get the people out of this hotel and we'll put them in the housing. And it was supposed to be one project that I was going to do.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

23. “And this was an entirely new problem, and government started using welfare hotels, right? So-called welfare hotels. He took me to a place I'll never forget called the Hotel Martinique, which was the most disgusting place I had ever been in. Because what they did is they took hotels and they put families in these rooms. There was no kitchen. Just think of it as an old hotel room. And now you're there, a mother with three kids in one hotel room and a hot plate and extension cords all over the room. And the kids playing in the hall and people with substance abuse problems and doing what they do to support substance abuse, performing sex acts in the hallways and in the stairwells. I mean, and children...”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

24. “I backed into it, David. I was practicing law. I had a good buddy of mine who said, who was working in a homeless organization? This is when homelessness was just starting in the 80s. And homelessness was always a single male issue. In the 80s is when the real housing shortage started to hit. And it was becoming”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

25. “And had gone with Koch. So he had no fealty to the incumbent administration. And he made wholesale changes. And I was the transition director who actually implemented that. And plus, it's always a lot easier to dislike the son than dislike the governor. You know, nobody likes to say I hate the governor, but it's a lot easier to say it's his kid who's a pain in the hymen.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

26. “Now, part of it is also the role, right? I was the campaign manager against the Democratic Party, which we were the challenger to the Democratic Party. And how dare you? And, you know, that whole, just the irritant to the party mechanism. And a campaign manager is a tough role, and especially in that situation. And if you're not tough, you're not doing the job, frankly. I then became transition director. And transition director, my father was taking over, he had been lieutenant governor to the preceding governor. So the assumption was the administration would continue, right? Because they saw it as one Democratic administration to another. That's not how my father saw it. My father saw it as the preceding governor had opposed him.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

27. “Well, first, I had run, my father had run, as you mentioned, a few campaigns before, so I had been involved since the time I was about 16, 17, 18, different roles in different campaigns. So I had some knowledge from the past campaigns. And it was such a crazy race that my father took on that credible person would go near it.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

28. “No, he thought he had no option. He was the sitting lieutenant governor. The position for governor became open. The governor at the time was Hugh Carey. He supported Ed Koch. My father was sitting lieutenant governor. It was sort of up or out, David, right? He had no choice. And that gave him, it was a certain liberation because when you don't second guess the decision, it's a lot easier. He had no choice. It was up or out, so he ran. But it was a terrible, hard, hard race. Koch was not only a Titanic force national voice. He was going to be president. He was the overwhelming Democratic endorsed candidate. We had a run against the party. First poll, 37 points down to Ed Koch.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

29. “As a son, and that's why I made a special effort with Chris that I wanted to be there for Chris. My father wasn't there to do the things for me. You know, there were no ball games. There was no Little League. There was none of that. I wanted to make sure Chris had someone with him. I used to say to Chris, mom took me to a Boy Scout meeting and I was the only boy there with his mother and the Boy Scout meeting. And I was a little embarrassed. And I said to Christian, you'll never be, mom will never have to take you to a Boy Scout meeting. Now, of course, never became a Boy Scout. Nothing about him would fit being a Boy Scout. And he violated everything. But I was ready to take him if he wanted to go.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

30. “Yeah, I think that's right. And I think what Chris said to you is the bookend to that. My father was not around. He was a workaholic to a different level than you or I have ever experienced literally. You didn't see him. He was gone from the house before I went to school and he came home after I went to bed. The deal with my mother was he would be home Sunday at 7 o'clock at night for dinner once a week. That was the arrangement and he never made it at 7 o'clock. So he was gone a lot. I think I became involved in his campaigns in some ways as a way to get close to him and learn about him because either you were in his world or you didn't exist. I felt that absence.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

31. “Yes, he loved the debate. He loved the analysis. He loved the provocation. He did not like the day-to-day management and operation. He did not like the compromise with the legislature. End up back and forth with a legislative body seeking compromise with 200 people. Frankly, he just didn't have the patience for it, but he was beautiful. I mean, he would, people would say he gives his speeches, known for his oratory. He had an ability to use the English language to paint a picture that could appeal to the best in people and develop support and educate and motivate at the same time. And he did it like very few people did it. I mean, I was in the audience.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

32. “Well, my father was an anomaly. He was not a politician. He was never a politician. As you said, he was a practicing lawyer, got involved with a lot of community issues and then wound up running later in life relatively, but was never a part of a Democratic club. He ran against the party machine. And was Lieutenant Governor and then governor. And he very much did it as an art form. My father was very intellectual, cerebral. You would say, David, if you were designing a position for him, he should be a U.S. senator. I thought he should be a Supreme Court judge because”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

33. “And look, your point is right. You know when I started in this state? I said, look, the point has come to restructure public safety. Mr. Floyd, we had Eric Garner in this state. You can go back to 20 years Abner Luima, Rodney King, police abuse cases. The time has come. The public has said enough is enough. And what we did is I mandated every local government with a police force. You engage the community, you have a collaborative, and you restructure your public safety department. How many police? How many mental health workers? How many social service people? Not every 911 call is responded to with a gun. The answer to every 911 call is not an arrest. Redesign your public safety department community by community. That was the smart answer, right? The logical answer, but defund the police was a very unfortunate expression.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

34. “No police, so when someone is breaking into my house, I dial 911 and nothing happens, you know, of course he seized on it. But, you know, we also handed it to him. And we didn't even mean defund the police, right?”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

35. “Now, use that. Look, I agree 100%. Trump is an excellent marketing man. That's what he is. He's a marketing man. You mentioned LaGuardia Airport. There's been a plane that was parked at LaGuardia Airport for years. Never moved. It said Trump all across the big letters, Trump. And the plane just sat there on the tarmac and he paid to leave the plane there. But the plane never flew. And I said to someone at the airport, I said, why does he pay to park the plane right there in front of everyone, never flies? He said, oh, it's just a billboard for everyone to know he has a big plane, but the plane doesn't fly. He's always been a marketing man. Yeah. We handed it to him, David. Defund the police. That is not a good expression.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

36. “And I think many people just don't know the difference, right? I did free college tuition. I had to phase it in because I couldn't afford it in one year. So I phased it in over three years, but then we have free college tuition, $15 minimum wage, highest minimum wage in the country. I needed to give businesses notice so I had to phase it in over two years. Well, I want it tomorrow. I know, but that's not possible. It's not that I'm weak of spine or ideology. It's not possible. We'll bankrupt the businesses and then nobody gets $15. But that is a level of sophistication that we should have. If you want to have this debate, David.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

37. “Look, I understand the Socratic debate. If it is incremental for the sake of incremental, I am against it. If it is incremental because of lack of political will, I am against it. And I find that frustrating. If it is gradual because it is not possible otherwise I support it. And that is, and knowing the difference is the sophisticated art form we're talking about here.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

38. “It was all a political public relations fiasco. Government matters and leadership matters. And government is not just advocacy. That plays into the conservatives. We should do this, we should do this, we should do this, but we never wind up doing anything. I know, and that's why I'm a conservative, and I argue you Democrats are all full of baloney because you never get anything done. You just talk and talk and talk. Competence matters. Leadership matters. Skill matters. There's a line between politics and government. And government is a skill set. And if you want to be in government, know what you are doing. You want to make change. Know how to make change. Otherwise, be Advocate.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

39. “Need a license. Can anyone be a veterinarian? No. Can anyone be a plumber? No, you have to be licensed. Can anyone be governor? Yes, anybody can be governor. You don't need a license. You don't need any credential. You don't need any experience. Baloney. It was untrue. You don't need a license or experience or credentials until you do. What happened with COVID was Trump and the White House did not know where they were. And they failed because it wasn't about celebrity and it wasn't about public relations. It was about government and policy and respect for the position and the full power of the position. And they failed. And they never said they knew how to govern. They never said they wanted to govern.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

40. “Yeah, no, I wasn't talking about Congresswoman Ozio Cortes at all. Here's, I think there is the debate and the moment come together. COVID should be a transformational moment. Why? Because what COVID showed was there is actually a functionality to government. Government actually has a job. It's not just a political parlor game. It makes a difference and it can make the difference between life and death. And it is an art form. And you have to know how to do it. There is something to a skill level in government. It's not just that anyone can do it. You know, when we have a diminished view of government, this respect for government, we think anyone can do it. Well, like Donald Trump, yeah, does he have any government experience? No, any policy experience? No. But anybody can do it. It's the only occupation, David. Can anybody fly a plane? No, no, no. You need a license. Can anyone operate? No, no.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

41. “I know, but David, it's the first in 20 years. Just think about that. You fly all over the world. You have these beautiful airports and entertainment center, malls, business centers. And we haven't built one in 20 years.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

42. “When was there a time when government really produced and really made a difference? And you could be proud of it. We have to focus on that. And I think Joe Biden can do that. Look, if he does a stimulus and he puts it together with a smart infrastructure plan and you see jobs and you see trades people working again and you see airports and you see bridges and new train stations, we're building an airport in New York. You know, we haven't built a new airport in this nation in 20 years?”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

43. “They do welfare. They argue amongst themselves. Nothing ever happens. That's the conservatives argument. Prove them wrong. Prove them wrong. Prove that you can make a positive difference and it can actually work and you can build a bridge. And look, it stands up. It doesn't fall down. And by the way, it was on time and it was on budget. And we built a new airport. How beautiful and it helps our economy. That you can do these things. And they're real. That's how you beat the conservatives. You want to call them Republicans. You want to call them Trump based, whatever you want to call them. But that's the fundamental conflict that we have been engaged in. And we have still not succeeded, right? That's why we keep going back to FDR.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

44. “Your child now can go to school, college tuition free, fifteen dollars minimum wage, nine dollars to fifteen dollars totally changes your lifestyle. Marriage equality, true equality, civil rights. We have to make a difference. And that's my argument with Democrats. Focus on what you can get done and do it. And when government fails, David, conservatives win. When government fails, conservatives win. Because the macro argument is binary. The conservatives are saying, look, this thing called government, it makes no sense. It never works. They have these ideas. They want to do housing for everybody. They build public housing projects that destroy communities. They want to help.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

45. “Has to be addressed, and we have to be honest about that. I think long-term ultimate vindication will come if the Democrats and President Biden can make the government work and actually accomplish real progress. I think it's very simple at the end of the day. As complicated as we make it, it's very simple. And it's what I try to do in New York Make a difference in people's lives. Period. Forget all the words. If you can make a difference in their life, and it's a positive difference, and they feel it and they see it, that's what the Democratic Party is all about. I passed free college tuition. We didn't talk about it. You pass it, you do it.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

46. “No, you're exactly right. Look, I think there's no doubt if you want to truly look in the mirror, that the Democratic Party had a message here also, that they have to receive. We should have done better. We just should have done better. And part of it was our own internal machinations, I think. Law and order being supportive of public safety, being supportive of the police, we had mixed messages on that. And I think that hurt us. I think there is a fear that the Democratic Party is going too far. And that's alienating certain voters. We didn't address that well either. I think that”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

47. “No, I agree with you. I agree with you. The basic political force of the base will remain. My point is Trump was an accelerant And an aggravating factor in that he would make a phone call twice a day and remind you of it. So it wasn't just the abstract fear.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

48. “I agree that the Trump base, let's call it, if you want to say it's an evolution of that Tea Party, but that Trump base. Is going to be a powerful force within the Republican Party on an ongoing basis. Trump, however, on the elected officials was very forceful. You know, he was a chief executive, David, like you and I have never experienced before. Everything was leverage. Everything was extortion. This was a chief executive. That White House would call up a governor and say, if you don't do this, then you won't get X. They took the bully pulpit and leveraged to an entirely new level. And I know from governors I've spoken with, they said, look, you know, I would love to do this, but the White House let me know that I'll be persona non grata. And persona non grata was a very heavy penalty. In the Trump administration.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

49. “Undertaking this ambitious vaccination program? No, I don't think it makes any sense. And I think the Republicans understand that happened in the election. And I think they'll know that they have to move forward. And a stimulus with infrastructure, with good jobs, with a green component. I think they agree.”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

50. “Think the Republicans, even if we lose Georgia, I think the Republicans have been chastened here. And I think the Republican irritant is gone with Trump. Trump made it harder for the Republicans to compromise. I talked to Republican governors all day long. All the states have a financial problem. All the states are long overdue for infrastructure projects. There is consensus to be reached here without even bending over backwards at compromise. Every economist will say, if you don't have a stimulus and you now starve state and local governments and you force me to lay off workers, it's going to hurt the overall economy and it could drive you into a recession. And you want me to fire essential workers just when we're”

    2020-11-12 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 419 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source