2 weeks ago
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Gov’s Empire State of mind
A cook successful his whites — minus the accustomed chapeau — served Kathy Hochul and maine blistery steak and iced wine.
Dinner was connected the terrace surrounding Albany’s enforcement live-in mansion.
The 3rd uninvited guest?
A nosy squirrel who kept moving done the bushes.
It’s possibly consumed with the esprit de Cuomo who misses the place?
“No,” said the governor.
“Not him. Won’t beryllium Cuomo.”
“Look, I’m present 2 days a week. Funny, erstwhile I arrived, primitively Cuomo was inactive successful this mansion. Right here. Hadn’t moved out. Be historical if helium returned and had to determination maine retired truthful helium could determination backmost successful — and adjacent with his aforesaid unit of radical — but won’t happen.”
“Cuomo’s going for mayor. Can’t halt Cuomo from going for mayor. And nary substance what anyone says astir our existent politician helium has done immoderate bully things. Could hap a campaigner is immoderate affluent antheral — large money, wants importance, bash good, get his sanction astir — similar maybe Ron Lauder. Or underestimated Long Island congressman Lee Zeldin. I’m much down the scenes. I don’t get recognition for things.”
Nat’l pol-ing
Her thoughts on Kamala?
“Tough. I cognize astir being No. 2. She’s been tested. Ready for the job.”
Shucking my heels for her comfy slippers arsenic she — looking stunning successful achromatic pants, sweater, adjacent a matching chemoreceptor bandage “which finishes this week” — showed the mansion’s FDR wheelchair, its motion “Please bash not sit,” 1932 Eleanor Roosevelt photograph knitting, and photograph of his parent Sara Delano lasting down astatine her son’s swearing in.
So if not re-elected, is NY’s 57th and archetypal pistillate gov backmost to glorious downtown Buffalo?
“No. I privation to bask New York City. Appreciate the architecture. I emotion this toughest media marketplace successful the world. I conscionable don’t emotion the everyplace scaffolding.”
Maybe would beryllium bully to amusement disconnected this beauteous metropolis to this beauteous governor.
To maine Albany’s New York State Executive Mansion connected Eagle Street, circa 1875, erstwhile a affluent man’s backstage location — immense outdoor pools positive an outdoor outfitted excavation country positive spectacular gardens positive the uniformed serviceman wrong the alloy gates positive photos of the gov’s household positive the Princess Suite successful which I was to beryllium parked overnight — looks antithetic from the days erstwhile I saw Matilda Cuomo’s redo.
Now, flowers, drapes, rugs, photos, tchotchkes, Teddy Roosevelt who built a third-floor gym truthful helium could signifier boxing, books by Grover Cleveland, Averell Harriman 1955, Dewey 1945, Nelson Rockefeller 1963, Hugh Carey — with his 12 children being sworn in, Alfred E. Smith who installed an elevator 1926, Gov. Lehman 1937, George Pataki’s World Trade Center charred alloy piece.
Family matters
“Listen,” she told me, “My mother’s parent was abused. My parent uneducated. Raised 3 kids, immoderate fractional siblings. Mom met ungraded mediocre dada successful Ireland successful eighth grade. Life was trailer park. Next we lived implicit a state station. Grampa was a servant. I wore utilized clothing. I’m present precise empathetic. This beingness contiguous means everything to me.”
“And I attraction astir the Jewish problem. Discrimination is violation. Hamas indispensable beryllium defeated. Laws request beryllium changed. School teachers person to beryllium accountable. To combat hatred crimes. There has to beryllium acquisition successful schools. I recognize that New Yorkers are nether siege close now.”
Speaking of history, retrieve we are speaking of American patriots.
Like the 1 who saw enactment successful Europe, enactment successful the Philippines and a small enactment successful a motel downtown, which we amended not speech about.
Only successful New York, kids, lone successful New York.
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