Andrew Cuomo and the post-#MeToo reckoning that never was

Even if harassment allegations force out the New York governor, survivors know it won’t change an entrenched culture that protects men’s insidious behavior.

Pressure is mounting for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign after a third woman accused him of inappropriate conduct.Seth Wenig/Associated Press

In 2017, monstrous allegations of sexual harassment and assault against movie producer Harvey Weinstein turned the decade-old phrase #MeToo, started by activist Tarana Burke, into a movement, sparking discussions about sexual misconduct, especially in the workplace.

After numerous women came forward, Weinstein was eventually tried, convicted, and sent to prison. So was Bill Cosby. Other men, including restaurateurs, politicians, actors, musicians, educators, and journalists were fired or forced to resign after public accusations ranging from inappropriate behavior to sexual assault.

With talk of a great reckoning, Time magazine chose “The Silence Breakers” as its 2017 Person of the Year. An accompanying essay stated, “Norms evolve, and it’s long past time for any culture to view harassment as acceptable.” It concluded, “For the moment, the world is listening.”

Apparently, that message never reached the governor’s office in Albany, N.Y. So much for the reckoning.

Pressure is now mounting for Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign after a third woman accused him of inappropriate conduct at a wedding. This follows allegations from two former aides who say he made blatantly suggestive comments, and kissed one of the women on the lips without her consent.

Whether Cuomo survives this still-unfolding scandal — he was already under scrutiny for hiding nursing home deaths last year during the COVID-19 pandemic — is irrelevant. What’s pertinent is how little has changed after many predicted a fundamental shift away from sexually predatory workplace dynamics.

When Cuomo said, “2017 brought a long-overdue reckoning where the pervasive poison of workplace sexual harassment was exposed by brave women and men who said this ends now,” he was allegedly sexually harassing women in his workplace. According to Lindsey Boylan, one of Cuomo’s accusers, the governor made a comment to her, in front of others, about playing strip poker as #MeToo was dominating headlines.

After the Weinstein accusations, Cuomo said, “I want to make sure at the end of the day, this world is a safer, better world for my three daughters.” (Never trust a man who parades his daughters as proof of his concern for all women.) Months later, he reportedly gave Boylan an unwanted kiss.

Sexual predators are exceptional only when they’re finally held accountable. And that usually comes only after decades of silent trauma for many women, because too many others believed it was more important to stay in the good graces of a powerful man than to call out pervasive wrongdoing.

It’s a precipitous plummet from the national heights Cuomo reached during the coronavirus pandemic’s first wave last year. With an able media assist, he crafted a self-serving narrative similar to Rudy Giuliani when he was mayor after the 9/11 attacks. In tragedy, both found opportunities to portray themselves as caring curmudgeons, who also never met a camera or microphone they didn’t like. Cuomo became the anti-Trump, a straight shooter with no patience for nonsense or bureaucracy. His daily press conferences became appointment TV, and Cuomo had the nerve to take a victory lap by writing a book touting his leadership style. He was even a contender for attorney general in the Biden administration.

Now he’s just the latest in a long procession of men accused of abusing their power. Weinstein and Cosby weren’t the first. Cuomo certainly won’t be the last.

After denying the first two allegations, Cuomo issued a boilerplate non-apology: “I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.” In short, he shifted blame from himself to his accusers by claiming they misunderstood his jocular nature.

“These are not the actions of someone who simply feels misunderstood,” Charlotte Bennett, one of Cuomo’s accusers, said in a statement. “They are the actions of an individual who wields his power to avoid justice.”

Allegations against Cuomo will be investigated by Letitia James, New York’s attorney general. What we also need is an investigation into why this keeps happening, and why it continues to be tolerated.

Nearly four years ago, we were promised a reckoning. What we’ve gotten instead are false apologies, more traumatized survivors, and possibly another man who publicly denounced the same entrenched systems of intimidation and impunity that privately protected and enabled him.