Cuomo Endorses Castle?
April 8, 2010 · 4:00 PM EDT
Doing a little spring cleaning this week, I came across New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s book, Crossroads: The Future of American Politics, written and edited in the wake of Cuomo’s primary loss in the 2002 gubernatorial race.
Since he is the heavy favorite to win the Empire State’s governorship this fall, I decided to crack open the book to try to uncover some hidden gems.
“I have asked forty-one of the nation’s most thoughtful citizens to address the current state of American politics,” Cuomo wrote in the book’s introduction. One of those citizens is Republican Congressman and candidate for the U.S. Senate Mike Castle of Delaware.
The introduction to Castle’s chapter is even more glowing as it describes the Republican’s ideology as “focusing his efforts on finding pragmatic, bipartisan solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing the nation.”
Those are kind words, but not something Castle will want to take to a Tea Party. It doesn’t look like Castle will need to dust off the quotes in his race this year, but you never know.
Cuomo is up big in his own race this year, but he may be interested in helping Republicans recruit a top tier candidate.
“I believe in checks and balances and the two-party system,” Cuomo wrote in 2003. “Each party serves the nation better when faced with stiff opposition from the other party. The old adage is true: your game is only as good as the person on the other side of the net. To that end, a vigorous debate between two viable parties (at a minimum) is essential.”
Of course that was written at a time when Democrats were on their heels and in the minority. Cuomo might have a different definition of checks and balances today.
Looking back, Cuomo compiled an interesting collection of “thoughtful citizens” that demonstrates how people’s profiles change over time. Former Sen. John Edwards was an aspiring presidential candidate who is now known for his marital problems and then-Gov. Gray Davis (D) was recalled by California voters within the same year that the book was published. On the other hand, then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi ascended to become the Speaker of the House.