Opinion

Andrew’s surrender

A scant 11 months into his incumbency, Gov. Cuomo this weekend surrendered to New York’s culture of corrupt profligacy — abandoning the no-tax-hike pledge that was a core campaign principle and laying to rest the notion that he’s a Democrat of a different sort.

How high will taxes go now? Who knows?

Right now, “negotiations” are under way — apparently intended to get the tax-hike heavy lifting out of the way before the Legislature convenes in a month.

Time enough then to divvy up the spoils; just rest assured that every penny raised by the hikes will be spent in a flash — and then the clamor for more will commence.

Yesterday, Cuomo said that New York needs the hikes because it’s “the progressive capital of the nation.”

Well, of course it is. That’s why the demand for more taxes never ends: All that “progressivism” must be paid for.

We thought Cuomo understood the consequences of that approach to government.

“You are kidding yourself if you think you can be one of the highest-taxed states in the nation, have a reputation for being anti-business — and have a rosy economic future” is how he put it in October.

And on the day he was inaugurated, he put it this way: “No new taxes, period.”

Now, you can bet there will be no end to the sophistries explaining how the forthcoming imposts won’t really be new taxes at all. No, siree.

Except that they will raise billions in new revenues — while making New York just that much less attractive as an investment opportunity.

Cuomo says he intends to “to fashion a job-creating economic plan.” (As if government can ever create jobs; markets do that, and tax hikes make the task harder.)

And he means to “defy the political gridlock like we see in Washington.”

Translation: Anyone who disagrees with me is a hyperpartisan extremist who should just shut up.

We have no doubt that the governor’s powers of persuasion will bring some unlikely allies into his camp.

But it remains that Cuomo lacks the skill, the stamina and the imagination needed to defeat Albany’s special interests.

Or even to make a serious effort.

Fact is, all the polls show that he enjoys huge public approval: His so-called “favorables” are running as high as 71 percent.

Wouldn’t it have been better to spend a little of that political capital in defense of his no-new-taxes pledge?

There may have come a time when some flexibility on taxes would have been necessary — in exchange for meaningful, sustained spending cuts, for example.

But Andrew Cuomo surrendered the principle without firing a shot.

He’ll come to regret it.