Over the course of the last week, many people have been shocked to learn that Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of the state of New York, has been accused of sexual assault against several women.
In the last day alone, what started as one allegation has turned into multiple, with several more women coming forward with their own narratives to raise the total number of allegations up to five. At this time, Cuomo has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by former aides and employees, as well as others, who have come forth with their stories of abuse while employed by the Democratic politician.
Cuomo, who is now on his third term as the governor of New York, has been largely regarded as a democratic hero throughout his political career, particularly in the last year, as a result of his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Certainly, no politician is without their faults, but up until this moment, the governor’s standing with the average left-wing citizen had been relatively secure.
Since the allegations have been brought to light, Cuomo has issued an apology for any behavior that might have made people feel ill at ease; however, he has been adamant that he will not be resigning his position, despite several public cries for him to do so.
What’s beginning to trouble me most isn’t the fact that he’s saying he won’t resign. In fact, I generally expected that to be the case the moment the story broke.
What is making me so uncomfortable is the amount of voters who align themselves with the Democratic Party who support his decision and accept his apology on behalf of the women he harmed.
Democrats, as well as those who specifically identify as liberals, have made it incredibly clear that they will back any social justice movement to the hills until someone they idolize becomes the subject of concern.
Though the circumstances are entirely different, I can’t help but think back to the hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh back in 2018. Rightly so, everyone was appalled by the backing that Kavanaugh had as former President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, despite his history of sexual assault, which was presented by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
In that instance, a vast majority of Democrats and liberals were quick to stand behind Ford and believe her story, which exposed the sexual assault that was done to her by Kavanaugh while they were in high school. People spoke freely and openly about their opposition of the potential wielding of power by someone who has shown their violent ways. Those same people were also in strong support of the #MeToo movement, which seeks to amplify and back people like Ford in these times.
While the public was obviously correct in their reaction to that specific situation, I can’t help but wonder: where is that energy now?
Why is the self-proclaimed left so quick to turn their back on survivors of sexual assault the moment the assailant is from their own side? If they claim to support #MeToo so deeply, why do they suddenly forget all the work they are to be doing when someone they idolize falls from grace?
Because of this, it appears that the support of incredible movements, such as #MeToo, are not so much about actual change for Democrats and liberals as it is a weapon they can deploy against the enemy.
Dr. Ford deserved the world’s support and more. There is absolutely no denying that the amount of love and praise that she did receive for her courage was beyond warranted, and that she was worthy of so much more.
But the women who have bravely spoken out against Governor Cuomo deserve that same kind of respect, attention and care, yet in this moment we’re just not seeing it.
Because Cuomo is a member of the Democratic Party, fellow Democrats who would otherwise be on the survivors’ side are now nowhere to be found. Or, worse yet, they can be seen publicly defending Cuomo against the women he has hurt.
In times such as these, it is amazing to see the ways in which Democrats will abandon everything they claim to stand for in order to protect a person of power that they have deemed untouchable. They would sooner choose hypocrisy and leave their fellow constituents out to dry than stick to their morals even when it means renouncing someone they once admired.
As a student and a newer voter, it is so infuriating to watch Americans be failed time and time again by a party that puts itself on such a high moral pedestal. When Democrats refuse to call out their own, they are absolutely no better than the GOP that they claim to differ from so greatly.
No one can grow when they think they are an exception to a rule, and until Democrats recognize this, we will be stuck hearing these narratives and lacking growth as a country and on community levels indefinitely.
Ali Kochik is a third-year English Writing major with minors in Journalism and Women’s and Gender Studies. AK908461@WCUPA.EDU