Dear Donald Trump,
Are you not paying attention?
You NEED to be doing both.
Look, if anyone in your administration is making a list of 
Americans who are the opposite of loyal to you by now you might have noticed I’m on the naughty list. No, I will never wear a MAGA hat. But this isn’t about me. This edition of Inspection is not intended to be nothing more than an insult laden rant.
No, I don’t want to help you in November. But I feel writing this is more important than any desire to see you lose because cutting back on the COVID carnage is so crucial. If there’s any time we desperately need “so much winning” this is it.
I’m sure you know, like you, Andrew Cuomo has had daily briefings. Never guess who is winning at impressing the public? Who is getting more coverage? Who most of the networks cut short or not even go to? Who is coming off as the true leader in a time of crisis? Even, dare I type, presidential?
Let’s cut all the braggadocio, all the grandstanding, please, and get to the core of my point. This should be easy. There are plenty of people in New York State: even those on the left, who are not Cuomo’s biggest fans. In this brief-off Cuomo should be losing due to so many who simply don’t care for him.
”Brief-off?” Yeah, there’s a joke there I won’t go for, except the difference in some ways is like the guy who brags about himself on the way to that encounter and puts down perceived rivals, and the guy that is sincere and shows concern and care for their partner on the way.
I haven’t lived in the state since 78, so I have no opinion of him. I haven’t lived under his rule. I do know what I’ve heard from relatives, friends and neighbors. We bought two places there in the past 20 years, and I now spend almost half a year there. We kept our friends in the state so we visited frequently before that and I toured through the state: staying many weeks at a time, so I have had lots of clients for almost 40 years.
From all the time I spend and spent in the state Cuomo has more than the usual share of enemies that most pols have. There are quite a few who despise him: yes, even on the left. So this shouldn’t be happening. What’s happening? You’re making him into a hero. Right now if Cuomo were to run for president your poll numbers in the 2020 election would sink faster than some of the wiseguys with cement overshoes did after pushed into the East River.
No amount of threats, attempts at misdirection, memes or BS blather will change that. You can’t fire him. And as long as he continues to handle it without turning it into a constant Trump beat down he’ll continue to make you look like a fool.
Slight sidebar! After that last sentence, Donald, I have an increased appreciation for why you spend so much presidential time attempting to toss out snarky comments.
Here are several reasons why: by no means all the reasons…
The contrast between his factual, serious, far more less than partisan briefings, and you focusing in on your ratings and other less than related things.
Him working with other states to get PPE and your feds stealing PPE ordered.
Him working with other states and your administration given those stolen goods to governors who kiss your…
The contrast of him admitting faults and possible mistakes, and you blaming everyone else for everything…
His consistency and explaining when he isn’t consistent v. your herky jerky pronouncements.
You encouraging your followers to “liberate states…” hard NOT to perceive this as a more of a villain inspiring violence and murder v. his talking logically about how, where and when we might open back up.
Very short list.
None of this is good for your image. And even some of the normally right wing loyal certainly know the last thing we need right now in the time of COVID is this partisan game show, Barnum and Bailey-like, spectacular. That has increasingly been impressing close to no one, long before COVID revealed itself.
All this is how one makes the Andrew Cuomos out there into heroes.
I assume you want to get reelected, right?
I am hoping you’ll prove me wrong that in my opinion you haven’t the ability to do any of this, nor the maturity.
Your choice: save more of the seniors, more of the vulnerable, not leave children parentless, not kill pregnant women… you have claimed to be pro-life, right? I know your VP does. OR you can continue to talk, spew and verbally puke your way out of the presidency. Indeed, if I were a gambler I would bet you will do just the opposite. Please try to make sure I lose that bet. Prove you can act like a president should.
I am not holding my breath.
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Inspection is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 40 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks, and into the unseen cracks and crevasses, that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.
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