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RELEASE: Videos, transcripts of Cuomo speech, new commercial 'The Record' to try to rehab reputation after resignation for sexual harassment.
NYSNYS News

March 17, 2022 speech:



March 14, 2022 ad:



"The Record"

We just announced the launch of our new ad, “The Record,” which demonstrates the many life-changing accomplishments that - together - we achieved during Governor Cuomo’s time in office.

Politicians like to talk, but we all know that talk is cheap and what matters in life are results.

From marriage equality to a $15 minimum wage, to free public college tuition for the middle class and the strongest gun safety and paid family leave laws in the nation, there is no doubt that New Yorkers have received more civil rights and more protections under Governor Cuomo than any other administration in modern times.

It was also Governor Cuomo who literally rebuilt this state's crumbling infrastructure, overhauling La Guardia, JFK and regional airports across the state, rebuilding the Mario M. Cuomo and Kosciuszko Bridges, building the Moynihan Train Hall, rehabbing the L-Train tunnels in record time, and constructing the Third Track on Long Island.

And, as we all remember, in the early, dark days of March 2020, it was Governor Cuomo who guided this state and this nation through the COVID crisis.

While some have attempted to rewrite history, New Yorkers know that Governor Cuomo fought and delivered real results for them — and he always will.

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Team Cuomo Launches ‘The Record’ a New TV & Digital Spot Demonstrating the Many Life-Changing Accomplishments Achieved Together Under Governor Cuomo’s Leadership

Included are Marriage Equality, $15 Minimum Wage, the Strongest Gun Safety & Paid Family Leave Laws in the Nation & Game Changing Infrastructure Projects that will Benefit New Yorkers for Generations

Ad Will Be Supported with a Significant Statewide Broadcast, Cable and Digital Buy

“While Some Have Attempted to Rewrite History, New Yorkers Know that Governor Cuomo Fought For & Delivered Real Results for Them — and He Always Will.”

Watch it Here


Team Cuomo today announced the launch of “The Record,” a new television and digital spot that demonstrates the many new rights, protections, reforms and infrastructure victories that New Yorkers achieved together under Governor Cuomo’s leadership.

“Talk is cheap — what matters in life is real results. Governor Cuomo worked every day for nearly 11 years for the people of New York -- he created a new civil right with the passage of marriage equality, made our state safer with smart, nation leading gun laws, enacted a $15 minimum wage, and created the strongest paid family leave program in the country. He literally rebuilt this state's crumbling infrastructure, overhauling La Guardia, JFK and regional airports across the state, rebuilding the Mario M. Cuomo and Kosciuszko bridges, building the Moynihan Train Hall, rehabbing the L-Train tunnels in record time, and creating the Third Track on Long Island. And in the early, dark days of March 2020, he guided this state and this nation through the COVID crisis,” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said. “While some have attempted to rewrite history, New Yorkers know that Governor Cuomo fought for and delivered real results for them — and he always will.”

“The Record”, which is narrated by Governor Cuomo, is the second in the series and will be supported by a significant broadcast, cable, and digital buy statewide.

A script of the ad is below.

THE RECORD (:30)

“IN POLITICS, LIKE IN LIFE, YOU STAND ON YOUR RECORD.”

“YOUR RESULTS”

“AS GOVERNOR, EVERY DAY I WORKED MY HARDEST TO DELIVER FOR YOU.”

“NEW AIRPORTS, TRAINS, BRIDGES, PAID FAMILY LEAVE. THE STRONGEST GUN LAWS.”

(on scene) “Cuomo Used All Means to Enact Gun Limits” (The New York Times, 1/23/13)

“AND A FIFTEEN DOLLAR MINIMUM WAGE.”

“AND WE LED THIS NATION THROUGH THE FRIGHTENING COVID CRISIS.”

“I HAVEN’T BEEN PERFECT. I’VE MADE MISTAKES.”

“BUT I ALSO MADE A DIFFERENCE.”

“I’VE NEVER STOPPED FIGHTING FOR NEW YORKERS.”

“AND I NEVER WILL.”

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HQ download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sDLWJ7hn2Ugn80zHBN6OitsZI7NbSbbQ/view?usp=sharing

Address can Also be Viewed at andrewcuomo.com

Andrew M. Cuomo, the 56th Governor of the State of New York Delivers Remarks to the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization

Calls for Additional Changes to State's Bail Reform Laws, Increased Police Presence on New York City Subways & Suspended Gas Tax

‘There is an old expression that says, “the politician who does nothing does nothing wrong.” Meaning when there are varying opinions, if a politician takes no action they offend no one. That was Albany when I got there. They called it Albany dysfunction. But the politicians are wrong. When you do nothing, you also do nothing right. Inaction is an action. It is an action to continue the status quo and the status quo in this case is unacceptable.’


‘I have made many major changes such as bail reform in state laws. Any major change is always a work in progress because it then affects other laws and responsible government then comes back and responds to those unanticipated effects and consequences. I made changes to bail reform after we passed it and we now know more changes are necessary. They require changes to the law. That is not a step backwards, it is a step forwards. Anyone who knows Albany will tell you it has to be done in the next two weeks before the state budget is done, otherwise it will never get done.’


‘There is also extra federal money in the budget this year. But rather than using that money to take care of their donors, they should help the hard working people of New York. Inflation is crushing families, gasoline is close to $5 a gallon. It hurts. Use any available money to suspend the gas tax and cut income and business taxes for working families. Use the money to help you – not the special interest few.’


Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the 56th Governor of the State of New York earlier this morning addressed the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization at the Iglesia Cristiana De La Comunidad (Christian Community Neighborhood Church) in the Bronx. The remarks, as prepared, are below.

Thank you for having me here today. It’s a pleasure to be with all of you. I thank Reverend Diaz for the invitation and I’m going to have more to say about the Reverend in a moment.


Happy St. Patrick’s Day.


Full disclosure. You should know I am Catholic. A product of the Sisters of Mercy for elementary school, Marist brothers at Archbishop Molloy, and Jesuits at Fordham, Rosehill Bronx campus of course. So, if you don’t like anything I say today, blame the Jesuits.

It’s a pleasure to be back in the Bronx. I have learned much in the Bronx. In 1977 my father ran for mayor and I was the 20 year old campaign manager. Ed Koch won. But we did well in the Bronx.


In my early 30s I built housing in the Bronx on Morris Ave, on Crotona Park and University Heights. It was the late 1980s and early 1990s and it was a different Bronx then. But I remember it well and so should we all.


One of the things I learned is that people in the Bronx respect straight talk and the unvarnished truth. And that is what I will offer you today. I don’t speak as a politician. I speak as a concerned New Yorker, a very concerned New Yorker.


We are in pivotal and dangerous times in the state and country. You can feel the growing tension that hangs in the air. It starts with anxiety which then begets frustration and the frustration then begets anger.


It’s been festering for years and it got worse through COVID with its isolation, the genuine fear for one’s family, basic economic insecurity, and it is spread through a growing social media network that provides a marketplace for negativity and hostility.


They all combine to create a toxic mix for the body politic.


It has created a culture of judgementalism and intolerance. There is little discussion and dialogue but many strong opinions which equate decibel level to intelligence and righteousness.


A pluralistic democracy such as ours does not function well in this environment. And it is exactly the time that it must function well.


We have seen intolerance and extremism on both sides of the political aisle. We saw it first with the Republican’s Tea Party which proclaimed an uncompromising radical position and insisted on compliance and discipline. It didn’t serve the Republicans or the country well.


We see it now with the Democratic Party with the extremists dictating radical positions which in many ways are driving the Democratic Party.


James Carville, an entertaining democratic pundit says, the woke Democrats and what he calls the noisy Democrats, are driving the extremist positions.


But there’s no doubt that we have the tail wagging the dog.


One manifestation of the extremism is this so-called cancel culture. Cancel culture says if you don’t agree with me and my point of view you should be canceled. It is communicated through social media quickly and effectively and it demonizes anyone who doesn’t agree with their position. It is a social death penalty. Anyone can get canceled at any time. And it happens today with frequency.


No one is immune. Politicians certainly, but even the press is afraid of the cancel culture because their business is now also about clicks and Tweets and Twitter followers. Even bigshots like CNN, AT&T, Time Warner and Discovery are afraid of the cancel culture. Even billionaire media owners like John Malone, John Stankey and David Zaslav fear being canceled.


It's dangerous because it demonizes any dissension.


But in this country our social policies are a function of evolution through discussion and understanding. We want to encourage, not discourage that debate and growth.


The Democratic Party calls itself the big tent party. Throughout history, we have been trying to reconcile different racial, ideological and religious positions to deal with changing times.


Intolerance is the enemy of a collective democracy because it precludes reasonableness in reaching a resolution.


Think about what is happening …. politicians become paralyzed, afraid to act and that is gridlock. And when you paralyze government then government can make no progress, and when government makes no progress the underlying issues causing the anxiety and intolerance actually increase, and now you’re in a downward spiral, you created a negative synergy, because anger begets more anger and intolerance begets more intolerance.


We see it playing out today in many situations. Intolerance defeating progress on issues that truly matter and need immediate action.


We are seeing crime increase at an alarming rate through the City. At the same time people are upset by abusive police conduct, and with good cause.


The popular extreme position is to “defund the police”. But the defund the police movement, while driven by legitimate concern, is counterproductive. It is an elitist position that has no reality for the majority of people who live in this state.


Maybe if you live in a Manhattan high-rise with private security and doormen you can defund the police because you provide your own. But if you live in the Bronx and you hear the window breaking in your home in the middle of the night, when you dial 911 you want someone to come.

Many Democratic politicians are afraid if they don’t agree with the “defund the police” movement they will be canceled. They will be defeated in a primary election.

Reasonableness. Stop abusive, racist, stereotyping police, yes, but that doesn’t mean defund the police. Fund services to keep young people from a life of crime, yes, fund mental health and domestic violence services, yes, but that doesn’t mean defund the police.

Realism. Crime is taking over the City. The Bronx is besieged with crime. The majority of the victims of crime are black and brown in poor communities. If we don’t get control of the crime problem, people will die. That is not hyperbolic, that is the factual reality rather than the ideological theory.

We must fight crime and stop police abuse. It’s not either, or, it’s both.

As we speak to the issue of bail reform is being debated in this legislative session. Let me rephrase that because it’s not really being debated, because the extremists refuse to have a reasonable conversation.

I proudly supported bail reform because there are many wrongs that needed to be righted. You are innocent until proven guilty. That is a sacrosanct principle. There were young men who spent years in Rikers because they were accused of minor crimes. They were traumatized. That was a gross injustice that had to be remedied.

But also what happened with Samuel Diaz was a gross injustice. Sammy was stabbed several times and is lucky to be alive. And the man who almost killed him, despite the violent act and despite having a long criminal record, was released on bail and then killed another man.

And the extremists say they won’t even engage in a conversation. The politicians are frightened and make excuses. Well it wasn’t bail reform, it was the district attorneys, it was the judges.


It doesn’t matter who it was or what it was, pull your head out of the sand and make whatever changes you need to make to fix it and fix it now so people feel free to walk the streets once again and provide hope that their government is actually working.

There’s good news / bad news on this front. I believe our new Mayor, Eric Adams, understands the reality of the crime problem we’re facing and wants to do what needs to be done. He gets it. He was a cop.

The bad news is he can’t do it on his own. He needs new state laws to make this City safe again.

I have made many major changes such as bail reform in state laws. Any major change is always a work in progress because it then affects other laws and responsible government then comes back and responds to those unanticipated effects and consequences. I made changes to bail reform after we passed it and we now know more changes are necessary. They require changes to the law. That is not a step backwards, it is a step forwards.

Anyone who knows Albany will tell you it has to be done in the next two weeks before the state budget is done, otherwise it will never get done.

They now say they won’t do it in the budget but will do it later. Tomorrow. In Albany tomorrow never comes.

I’ll tell you what my crystal ball says. This is a game they are playing and they all know It and even the press knows it because it defies fifty years of legislative history. They don’t want to do it in the budget because they don’t want to do it. No one passed more difficult legislation than I did and the budget is the place to do it or it doesn’t get done. If it’s not done in the budget they have no incentive to take a difficult vote and they have no protection for having taken the vote. They don’t take hard votes at the end of session, especially weeks before an election.

I will wager anyone in the room if they don’t pass a law changing bail reform in the budget they won’t pass any meaningful reform by the end of the session in June. And Mayor Eric Adams’ pleas will be in vain.

There is an old expression that says, “the politician who does nothing does nothing wrong.” Meaning when there are varying opinions, if a politician takes no action they offend no one.

That was Albany when I got there. They called it Albany dysfunction. But the politicians are wrong. When you do nothing, you also do nothing right. Inaction is an action. It is an action to continue the status quo and the status quo in this case is unacceptable.


Inaction in this case allows crime to continue to increase in New York City and that will accelerate our decline.

And forget the political garbage for a moment. Let me ask you as people, as people of faith, how many more people have to be shot before they act, robbed before they act, assaulted before they act – stabbed like Sammy Diaz.

How much more pain and suffering and loss will occur while they are taking months to decide to do their job?

That’s why New Yorkers are angry, and they should be.


Nothing will happen with this crime pandemic unless the people of New York City rise up and rise up quickly and demand that their politicians make changes and do it now.

Common sense. Look at the subways – the transportation for many working New Yorkers. They must be safe. I said three years ago we need to put police back in the subways. Make it simple: a police officer on every train. We know it works, we did it before. But the New York City politicians opposed my proposal because they were afraid of the “defund the police” movement.

The subway system is overrun with homeless people, many with mental illness. The extreme position is that the homeless have a right to live on the subways and in the stations. That doesn’t serve anyone: the homeless or the commuters.

During COVID I started a new protocol where all homeless were removed from the trains and stations every night so that the system could be cleaned. It worked. For the first time in decades there were no homeless in the system. It was also a perfect opportunity to get them the help they actually needed. The subways were never cleaner or safer.

Since then the City reverted to the status quo because they were afraid of the homeless advocates. Nonsense. Compassion and humanity dictate that the homeless deserve better. They deserve a safe shelter and necessary services and I challenge any homeless advocate who believes living in a dangerous subway system is the best way to help a fellow human being in need.

Look at the economic situation of the State and City and look clearly because we better open our eyes. Covid changed the world in many ways. People in society now realize they can work from home – either full-time or part-time. Especially people who work on the computer. Zoom meetings have become a norm. So people have a new flexibility about where they can live. I don’t have to live in New York, I can work from anywhere. And if New York is difficult to do business, if you are going to suffocate small businesses in regulations, if New York is unsafe, if New York charges me the highest taxes, I can move. I’ll come back to visit.

Why do I need to be in New York afraid to leave my house, and deal with 25° temperature when I can be in Florida or South Carolina or North Carolina and sit on the beach and get a suntan. That is the reality and a frightening reality.

I didn’t build a new LaGuardia and JFK airport to make it easier for people to fly to Florida and leave New York.

I’ll tell you what else my crystal ball says. It says that this is an election year and the state will pass a bloated budget that dramatically increases state spending. I controlled state spending to a 2% increase per year – they are now talking about triple or quadruple that rate of increase.

There is also extra federal money in the budget this year. But rather than using that money to take care of their donors, they should help the hard working people of New York. Inflation is crushing families, gasoline is close to $5 a gallon. It hurts. Use any available money to suspend the gas tax and cut income and business taxes for working families. Use the money to help you – not the special interest few.

If they don’t, this state is headed for a financial cliff when the federal money runs out and an inflated budget will only increase the incentive for people and businesses to leave this state.

The true danger is that these problems are real and the anger and intolerance they cause is real. And when it paralyzes politicians and government, those problems get worse and the anger and intolerance grows. That is a death spiral.

Look at Washington with a Democratic President, Democratic Senate, and Democratic Congress and still we have gridlock.

Look at New York – major problems with crime, education, healthcare, the economy and we are taking baby steps when we should be taking leaps and bounds.

So what’s the answer. Let me suggest three paths to follow.

First reduce the anger among society. Use your ministry. Emotion clouds logic. I know it’s easier said than done. I know how hard it is myself from what happened to me.

I am trying to cross the bridge from resentment to reconciliation. Jesus gives us guidance and I am taking solace and strength from his word. Jesus said……

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly – Proverbs 14:29

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away for you along with all malice – Ephesians 4:31


Step two stand up to the ignorance and intolerance, stand up to the bullies. Stand up to the extremists. Cancel the cancel culture.

Our cancel culture mentality today is like modern day stoneings. Remember the wisdom of Jesus in John 8:7. Let he without sin throw the first stone. Everyone walked away.

Step three: They say people get the government they deserve. Demand better. Elect leaders to represent you who have the qualities to do the job and it is a hard job. Leaders who can handle a crisis, who will stand up to the pressure of the times and put the interests of their people first.

An old wise politician once said to me, “It’s not the dumb politician who is a problem, it’s the frightened politician who is a problem”. I know these are frightening times for politicians but you shouldn’t be in politics if you’re not willing to take the heat.

Unfortunately, in reality many politicians are weathervanes and will turn with the prevailing wind. The noisy Democrats blow hard. You have to blow back.

There are examples of elected officials who have the strength to speak their mind, the courage to act in the face of a storm and the wisdom to know government must act to instill confidence. And let me end where I started.

The Bronx and Reverend Diaz pose a specific example.

Several years back, I proposed New York state pass marriage equality and I said at the time I believed to limit marriage to heterosexual couples violated our state law and was unconstitutional by federal law.

Reverend Diaz disagreed with me. To say he disagreed with me is the understatement of the year. He passionately disagreed with me. He vociferously disagreed with me. He vehemently disagreed with me. He criticized me, cajoled me, harassed me and harangued me. He published those long messages against me.

He was more direct than Jesus to the money changers in the temple.

I frankly did not appreciate his strenuous condemnation. I thought he went too far when he brought in the fires of hell.

And I don’t want to point out that the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality was legal for the entire country four years after we passed it. I won’t say that because I don’t want to provoke the Reverend who is easily provoked.

But it wasn’t about me or Reverend Diaz.

There was also another agenda, a more important agenda, and that agenda was helping the Bronx and helping his constituents. To make progress. To deliver. And that was Reverend Diaz’s goal. To help his people.

So Reverend Diaz put aside his disagreements with me and I put aside my disagreements with him and we stood up and we worked on rebuilding the Bronx.

And together, Reverend Diaz, Ruben Diaz, Jr., Marcos Crespo and myself, did more to rebuild the Bronx than any state government in modern history.

We invested almost $100 million dollars targeted at young black and brown males to reduce unemployment in the Bronx. The county unemployment rate went from 12.4% when I took office in 2011 to 4.2% in 2020. We built more affordable housing than ever before. We cleaned up the Bronx River. We reconfigured the Sheridan Parkway to end pedestrian deaths. We invested $1.7 billion to get the trucks directly to Hunts Point market and reduce the asthma rate which is something they talked about doing for 40 years but did nothing.

We recognized that for too long the Bronx had been a transportation desert and we came together to actually build 4 new Metro North stops here.

We rebuilt Roberto Clemente Park.

When Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria and the federal government was nowhere to be found, it was New York State who came to the rescue and did everything possible and more: we even sent Con Edison trucks by barge to San Juan.

We did it together because there is no other way.
The point is that we can disagree. We can disagree vehemently but we must have the tolerance and the wisdom to understand different religious and principled points of view and respect each other even though we disagree with each other. And the driving goal must be progress for the people.

That is the only way this works. That is the only way it has ever worked. E Pluribus Unum – Out of Many One.

Nosotros somos mas que amigos somos hermanos y hermanas somos uno.

Our credo is to find common ground, and that the few cannot defeat the many.

This American experiment in democracy that invites people from all over the world to one place – different religions, colors, cultures – demands tolerance and courage so that we can work together in cooperation.

So let’s face the storm together, each helping in their own way, and make progress on these pressing issues which will restore New Yorker’s hope and hope will defeat the anger. It always has, it always will. Thank you for having me.

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