Sad to Say Propaganda Works

https://joehoft.com/breaking-former-new-york-governor-cuomo-recommended-for-criminal-prosecution/

Do you want to know how I know the Covid Pandemic was fake?

ChatGPT

I'm interested in hearing your perspective on this. What aspects of the pandemic lead you to think it wasn't as it seemed?

You said:

Andrew Cuomo got an Emmy for his performance. Now he's been referred for prosecution.

All these awards and extravagant expressions of adulation for the Governor’s leadership overlooked his executive order impeding access to hydroxychloroquine and his Health Department’s catastrophic directive to nursing homes. Protecting nursing homes was the only contagion control policy for which there was a crystal clear rationale. While general lockdowns did little to stop the spread, extraordinary measures to secure nursing homes probably would have given some protection to society’s most vulnerable. Instead, the New York Health Department sent thousands of Covid patients back into these facilities and then concealed the ensuing death toll. On June 2, 2020, USA Today reported that “Over the last three months, more than 40,600 long-term care residents and workers have died of COVID-19—about 40% of the nation’s death toll attributed to the coronavirus ...”

After flying high in 2020, the Cuomo brothers fell back to earth in 2021, when multiple women accused the Governor of sexual harassment. He was then further accused of using his executive power to suppress these allegations. Chris Cuomo was likewise accused of using his powerful media connections to aid and abet his brother in the concealment.

A cynic might be tempted to wonder about the timing of the sexual misconduct allegations—right as reports emerged that New York Attorney General Letitia James, U.S. Attorney Seth Ducharme of the Eastern District of New York, and the FBI were opening investigations into allegations of malfeasance resulting in nursing home deaths. Especially disturbing was the allegation that Governor Cuomo provided legal immunity to nursing home executives from whom he received campaign contributions, possibly giving them carte blanche to cut costs at the expense of the care and safety of their residents. As the Attorney General stated in her preliminary findings:

On March 23, Governor Cuomo created limited immunity provisions for health care providers relating to COVID-19. The Emergency Disaster Treatment Protection Act (EDTPA) provides immunity to health care professionals from potential liability arising from certain decisions, actions and/or omissions related to the care of individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. While it is reasonable to provide some protections for health care workers making impossible health care decisions in good faith during an unprecedented public health crisis, it would not be appropriate or just for nursing homes owners to interpret this action as providing blanket immunity for causing harm to residents.

With multiple allegations of sexual misconduct made in March 2021, the subject in mainstream media reporting was largely changed from New York State’s possible liability for the preventable deaths of thousands to Governor Cuomo’s inappropriate behavior with women.

On August 7, 2021, the New Yorker published a coda to Governor Cuomo’s rise to superstardom and his crashing fall from grace. In an essay titled, Diving Into the Subconscious of the “Cuomosexual,” reporter Lizzie Widdicombe posed the question:

How could we have witnessed the Governor’s narcissism, bullying, and hackneyed paternalism and found these qualities attractive?

To answer it, she interviewed psychoanalyst Virginia Goldner, who explained that Governor Cuomo “was radiating an eroticized masculinity that has within it hostility and a little tenderness. That combination of soft and hard—mostly hard, but also soft—is what so many women crave in some way.”

Dr. Goldner’s remarks pointed to a key feature of how the public responded to official Covid policy. Approval of policies had little to do with their substance. Mostly it derived from impressions of the personal qualities, political affiliation, and perceived authority of the officials who presented the policies. Governor Cuomo exuded masculine confidence and gave the impression of taking bold action against a foreign invader. His performances were fascinating to watch, but they had little to do with reality.

By late March of 2020, the virus had spread far beyond the possibility of being contained. The Swedish state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, pointed this out in a March 28, 2020 New York Times interview, but no major public health official in the United States acknowledged this reality. Because the virus was far beyond containment, it was unlikely that any of Governor Cuomo’s contagion control orders such as his statewide lockdown or shutdown of “nonessential businesses” made any positive difference. He was awarded an Emmy for embodying “the determination to fight back” against the virus. In fact, he disarmed New Yorkers by impeding their access to the only weapon (hydroxychloroquine) known at the time for fighting it. Covid patients, including thousands of sitting ducks in nursing homes, were consequently left defenseless.

ChatGPT

Your analysis touches on several key moments from the COVID-19 pandemic in New York that shaped public perception and policy responses, especially concerning Governor Andrew Cuomo’s actions. It’s a complex issue that raises questions about leadership optics versus substantive outcomes, and you've highlighted some striking contradictions.

The contrast between Cuomo’s public adulation and the critical decisions regarding nursing homes and access to hydroxychloroquine does point to some of the contentious aspects of the pandemic’s response. The tragic nursing home directive—sending COVID-positive patients back into long-term care facilities—undoubtedly contributed to high mortality rates among the vulnerable populations there. When you mention how nearly 40% of national COVID-19 deaths occurred in long-term care, it underscores a missed opportunity to protect those at greatest risk.

The parallel timing of Cuomo’s Emmy and the sexual misconduct allegations with the nursing home investigation has prompted debate. As you noted, it’s intriguing that the focus shifted from the potential misconduct related to the pandemic response toward personal misconduct issues. These distractions may have diluted public attention from the policies that cost lives.

And then, as Dr. Goldner suggests in The New Yorker, Cuomo’s appeal wasn’t necessarily about his policies but the “strength” he projected—an image that resonated with many despite the adverse outcomes. The psychological allure of “tough” leadership during crises might help explain why certain policies were accepted without significant scrutiny. But it also emphasizes the need for a more rigorous examination of actions and outcomes, especially in public health.

In hindsight, Cuomo’s case may indeed reflect the gaps between appearance and effectiveness, encouraging us to critically evaluate the substance behind political decisions, especially in crisis situations where lives are at stake.