More and more Democrats around the country — Democrats — are saying yes to fracking.
But in New York, the top Dem, Gov. Cuomo, is instead doubling down on casinos, even as they’re starting to fold elsewhere.
Doesn’t he see the disconnect?
Bucking environmentalists on the left, Colorado’s up-and-coming Democratic Rep. Jared Polis killed two ballot initiatives that would’ve blocked fracking in the state.
With the public clearly behind the industry, the measures had threatened the re-election hopes of two other Democrats — Gov. John Hickenlooper and US Sen. Mark Udall.
In California, meanwhile, the Democratic-dominated state Senate rejected a ban on fracking, with the Golden State’s 8 percent unemployment factoring into the vote.
These reversals aren’t profiles in courage so much as responses to a widespread recognition among voters across the country that fracking can provide huge economic (and geostrategic) gains — with little downside.
Indeed, the benefits could be a godsend for economically ailing upstate New York. Yet Cuomo, favoring his environmentalist pals on the left, refuses to allow fracking here.
Instead, he’s betting heavily on gambling, having pushed through a referendum to authorize the opening of four new casinos, perhaps by next year.
Oops: He’s a bit late. Fact is, the gaming industry is contracting, particularly here in the Northeast.
This week, Atlantic City’s huge $2.5 billion Revel Casino Hotel announced it will close next month, after being open only two years. Say good-bye to 3,000 jobs. All told, Atlantic City will see four of its 12 casinos shut by year’s end.
So here’s a question for Cuomo: Rather than jump on a bandwagon whose best days are behind it, doesn’t it make more sense to heed the wisdom of fellow Democrats, embrace a surging industry, fracking, and let New York reap the profits?