Andrew Cuomo, New York’s bad governor, is currently facing a robust primary challenge from actress and activist Cynthia Nixon, meaning that he needs to really “up his game” right now. So how’s that going?
Let us journey to Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem, where Cuomo spoke on Sunday morning. This is some of what he had to say:
I want you to know as a matter of full disclosure, I am a Catholic. Catholics basically believe the same teachings that Baptists believe. We just do it without the rhythm. But we try. We are not as without rhythm as some of our Jewish brothers and sisters. I was watching Mr. Sheinkopf here in the front row moving to the music. It was ugly, I’ll tell you the truth.
To recap. Cuomo: not Jewish. Cuomo’s joke: very Jew-related. This is what you might call “stupid” on his part.
Cuomo’s spokesperson told the New York Post that Cuomo was “clearly poking fun at himself and one longtime friend who was in the audience,” which would be a good excuse if the aforementioned friend, Hank Sheinkopf, had not also spoken rather caustically to the paper. “There weren’t many people laughing, but I didn’t feel humiliated,” he said. You know something’s gone well when the best your buddy can say about it is “I didn’t feel humiliated”!
As a Jew with limited dancing abilities, I am more weirded out than offended by Cuomo’s gaffe. As a New Yorker who wants him to be thrown out of office, I am delighted.