Letters: Not much enthusiasm for Cuomo
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo after a "Women for Cuomo" event at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Manhattan on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. Credit: Bryan Smith
Results of the election show how dissatisfied many Democrats are with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, even though he won ["Lukewarm embrace for re-elected guv," News, Nov. 6].
In 2010, Cuomo received just short of 3 million votes, or 62.6 percent of the total. In 2014, he only received 1.9 million votes, which was 54 percent.
By contrast, Republican candidates Carl Paladino in 2010 and Rob Astorino this time around each received almost the same number of votes, about 1.5 million.
Why was the Cuomo vote so much lower? First, Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins did better. Second, many voters for other offices withheld their vote for governor.
Third, many Democrats stayed home and did not vote at all. This indicates dissatisfaction among Democrats who simply passed on this election.
Joseph Marcal, Commack
Newsday's endorsement of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo included the reason that he had delivered four straight on-time budgets ["Re-elect Andrew Cuomo," Editorial, Oct. 26]. Such a feat had not been accomplished in 40 years.
While Cuomo deserves credit for being the governor as these budgets were passed, much of the credit also belongs to former Gov. David A. Patterson.
In June 2010, Patterson realized that he could add his own pieces of legislation to budget extenders to keep the government operating beyond the April 1 deadline. Lawmakers could either agree to his demands, shut down government or reach a compromise. They chose compromise.
Joe Behrman, North Merrick
