Gov. Cuomo earned plaudits from the “right” political precincts recently when the dean of the New York Republican Party gave the state’s top Democrat honors for his first 100 days in office.
“So far, I’d give [him] an A — and I hate to say good things about Democrats,” quipped Guy Molinari, a former Staten Island congressman and borough president who tangled at times with Cuomo’s dad, former Gov. Mario Cuomo.
“I’m very impressed,” Molinari said. “Andrew is teaching the Democrats in the state to act more like Republicans. He’s come in with sound policies. He’s strong and tough.”
Briefly turning his eye toward national politics, Molinari, a close ally of Rudy Giuliani, said he might back Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nod because he “has the best chance of winning.”
As for his home state, Molinari praised Cuomo’s fiscal conservatism and his decision ending the so-called “millionaires tax,” supported by liberal interest groups. He complained that past New York lawmakers let such “temporary” surcharges last for decades.
Other conservatives are also singing Cuomo’s praises. A co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots said last week that the new governor acts and sounds like a Tea Partier.
Molinari, a legendary old-school political warrior known to reward friends and punish enemies, said Cuomo’s popularity has kept the liberal wing of his party in line.
He also said the governor knows how to leverage power.
“A lot of legislators are afraid of Cuomo,” he noted. “They’d better be. Democrats who fight him are going to pay the price.”