Stay silent….
New York’s battered Republican Party has been presented with an unexpected gift as three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo tries to weave back together the tatters of a reputation torn apart by scandal.
So how will the party — which hasn’t won a statewide election in nearly two decades — capitalize on its good fortune?
Possibly by doing nothing, according to party officials and political operatives familiar with party leadership. While Republicans in the state Assembly, who have no actual power in the chamber, are preparing a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against the governor, the broader approach appears to be more passive as next year’s gubernatorial election approaches. One Republican predicted there wouldn’t be rallies to remind voters of the ongoing nursing home scandal. Nor will there be any lavish fundraisers seeking to exploit sexual harassment accusations made against the governor.
There’s a strategic edge behind this apparent inaction. New York Republicans say they don’t need to lob the kind of explosive attacks associated with the party under former President Donald Trump. As Cuomo continues to lose his grasp on power, they are simply waiting for Democrats to eat their own.
The collective power of the New York’s Democrats, who dominate the governor’s mansion, the Legislature and the state’s congressional delegation, has been muted by intra-party divisions over whether to back the embattled Cuomo, said more than a dozen Republican officials, allies, political consultants and strategists in interviews with POLITICO….