We are a far better country, for the service of Mario Cuomo. It is so sad to lose him, today. We keep his legacy, and his family, in our hearts. A champion for the poor and tireless opponent of the death penalty, he was as personable as a politician gets, one who liked to sleep in his own bed. From The New York Times By 1984… An eloquent spokesman for liberal politics, he stood out in a relatively barren field of Democrats with national stature. And behind the scenes, two close advisers, his son Andrew and Tim Russert, who went on to host Meet the Press, saw an opportunity. They successfully lobbied the party to invite Mr. Cuomo to deliver the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. On the night of July 16, as the lights at the Moscone Center were dimmed — a bit of stage management orchestrated by the two advisers — Mr. Cuomo seized his moment, depicting President Reagan as having turned his back on struggling Americans. “A shining city is perhaps all the president sees from the portico of the White House and the veranda of his ranch, where everyone seems to be doing well, Mr. Cuomo said. But there’s another part to the shining city. In this part of the city there are more poor than ever, more families in trouble, more and more people who need help but can’t find it. He became the story of the convention, overshadowing the nominee, Mr. Mondale, and an instant prospective candidate for president in 1988 should Mr. Mondale fail, as he was widely expected to do (and did). In the excitement of the evening, many Democrats failed to notice that the object of this attention had left for the airport, for a flight back to Albany. Mr. Cuomo liked to sleep in his own bed. “People asked me what I want as an epitaph, Mr. Cuomo said. He then reprised a line he had used many years earlier traveling across upstate New York, a fresh public figure displaying astonishing talent and obvious potential. “He tried, Mr. Cuomo said.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 02:53:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015