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Prescription for the Presidency
Now comes this health care mess.
At the same time all the DiNapoli stuff was happening, Spitzer was taking on the huge Goliath of 1199 SEIU, the health care workers union. Headed by Dennis Rivera, one of the all-time political heavyweights (now moved on to be the head guy of the national parent union), 1199 has so many politicians in its pocket that Rivera will have to go to the tailor for a new suit with bigger pockets.
Just look at the influence the union has. They have made no secret of their love for the Republicans in the New York State Senate. That can’t be making Spitzer happy and makes 1199 very vulnerable, considering that Spitzer’s candidate on Long Island, Craig Johnson, just took the Dems closer to nirvana than they have been in recent memory.
Then there is the union’s bona fides with Andrew Cuomo, acting head of the Cuomo dynasty. 1199 literally ran the Cuomo campaign. Just look at the role their political operative Jennifer Cunningham played moving the chess pieces. The way I see it, Andrew owes 1199 big time. That, of course, has to put him at some odds with Eliot Spitzer, who seems to be going out of his way to take the union on.
What could have been on Spitzer’s mind when he decided to cut back on health care expenditures? Everyone knows that New York State’s Medicaid bill is the highest in the country. Everyone knows that Spitzer made a lot of promises about education when he was running.
On the other hand, would you want your local hospital closed down? This is a tough one for Spitzer. He may be right but he might be sacrificing some of his popularity to tighten the health care belt. Then, too, there is the Presidential thing. The truth is that unions are not faring well with the American people. Fewer people are joining and staying in. Organizing campaigns (Walmart and others) are not going well and a moderately conservative Eliot Spitzer must know that. So, even if Spitzer loses this fight, he still remains a David to the union Goliath. When the health care budget goes through the roof, Spitzer gets to say, “Well, I tried.”
Ask yourself whether the American people want the unions to be stronger or weaker. As the son of a mother who worshiped Albert Shanker as a near deity, I can only say that things have changed. Eliot continues to build on his reputation as a fighter and as a populist and to speak truth to power, something for which he is widely admired.
This leaves us wondering whether Spitzer just does the right thing (as I suspect) or whether he is this Machiavellian politician who is always trying to figure out how to advance himself.
As someone who did a radio show with the brilliant Mario Cuomo for what seems like a thousand years, I know Machiavelli when I see it. Cuomo was the reincarnation of Machiavelli. You never knew whether he meant it, whether he was being satirical, or whether he was just trying to frighten the enemy. In fact, there were days when even I didn’t know which was which. With Spitzer, you had better believe that he is sick and tired of hearing how expensive and corrupt our health care system is. He knows what ticks people off and hearing of a hospital system where the three top suits are paid $12 million, I think he’s on to something. If he can clean that up, he is one step closer to the great White House on the hill.
Alan Chartock is the president and CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio and the executive publisher and project director of The Legislative Gazette.