Michael Goodwin

Michael Goodwin

Opinion

Latest governor poll shows Albany needs to address the sleaze

Sometimes, a poll is just a snapshot that has no lasting meaning. Other times, it’s the whole ball game, an ­accurate gauge of what is and what will be.

Then there are polls like the latest one on the governor’s race. It has enough good news to encourage both Andrew Cuomo and Republican challenger Rob Astorino, and enough bad news to scare the bejesus out of both.

Most important, the results should inspire New Yorkers to pay attention. This is a contest about something important — the corruption that makes Albany a national joke. Voters have a historic chance for ­reform, if they force both candidates to ­address the sleaze.

The survey, by The Wall Street Journal, NBC and Marist College, shows Cuomo still comfortably in front among registered voters, 54-23 percent. A month ago, the tally was 59-24.

But the top-line numbers don’t tell the whole story. Some 62 percent of those surveyed said Cuomo and his office “should not have had input” in the workings of the Moreland Commission, the anti-corruption panel he started and prematurely ended.

And 52 percent said yes when asked if Cuomo “did something unethical, but not illegal.”

The modest drop in his margin is almost certainly owing to the negative coverage of Cuomo’s disputed role and tortured explanations, and of a new federal probe into whether the governor improperly intervened to protect himself.

But the failure of Astorino to make headway muddies the picture, as reflected in the Journal’s own headline: “Astorino Seems Stuck.”

Maybe he is, but neither candidate can be certain. Most voters aren’t tuned in yet and we can’t predict what will happen in ­November until we see what happens ­between now and then.

Everything I know about politics and journalism tells me the Moreland story has legs. Lots of long, juicy legs. Indeed, so many legs that they could decide the outcome.

Consider three key facts. First, crusading Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara is furious at what he regards as Cuomo’s casual tolerance for corruption. Bharara’s office is sending public signals that the governor might even have a legal problem, a move the prosecutor wouldn’t make without a green light from the Justice Department, which holds veto power over high-profile criminal cases. By definition, a case involving a governor of New York, especially one from the same party as the president, qualifies as high-profile, yet that doesn’t seem to be giving Cuomo any protection.

Second, Bharara’s probe is whetting the appetite for scandal at the state’s far-flung newspapers. Every editor and blogger is looking for a local scoop on the Moreland panel, which included members from around the Empire State. A bombshell could mean bragging rights, maybe a Pulitzer.

The Albany Times Union, for instance, reported Monday that the panel was building cases against 15 legislators when Cuomo pulled the plug. Detailed stories on those cases could have a multiplier effect on voters.

Third, the public already assumes the worst about Albany. A Siena poll last month found that two-thirds of voters believe legislators are in the job only to benefit themselves and their friends, and voters are not surprised when one gets busted.

Cuomo positioned himself in 2010 as the man who would sweep the bums out, but the continuing string of indictments, combined with the Moreland debacle, is undermining that claim. The ultimate danger for him is that Bharara finds compelling evidence that taints Cuomo directly.

As for Astorino, he may not get another opening as promising as this one, but he doesn’t have the cash to mount a serious TV blitz to capitalize. Polls show that half of voters don’t know much about him, meaning he has work to do just to be seen as a credible alternative.

The possible scenarios, then, span the spectrum. Moreland could erupt into a huge bonfire that upends the race, or it could fizzle out as Cuomo cruises to a landslide re-election.

The point is, we don’t know yet. That’s why it’s a horse race worth watching.

Just call him Rev. Al-mighty

The fake police badge identifying the Rev. Al Sharpton as city police commissioner is getting laughs from the rank-and-file, but it’s likely that neither top cop Bill Bratton nor Mayor de Blasio gets the joke. In fact, both are probably fuming — or should be.

Sharpton stole the show at last week’s so-called roundtable on police issues by lecturing the mayor and real commissioner.

They were fools to invite him, but de Blasio probably felt he had no choice because Sharpton helped elect him.

By declining to endorse Bill Thompson, the only black candidate in last year’s Democratic primary, Sharpton probably tipped the contest. The white de Blasio featured his bi-racial family and ended up splitting the black vote with Thompson, which gave him the 40 percent needed to avoid a run-off.

The political debt is one Sharpton no doubt plans to collect on forever, so de Blasio better get used to kissing the Rev’s ring. Bratton also had to know that Sharpton had the mayor’s ear when he took the job, so he can’t complain either.

Only the cops have a legitimate beef.

Unfortunately, there is nobody to stand up for them because their leaders are on bended knee.

Unholy alliance vs. Israel

As the war in Gaza began, I predicted how it would end: with Israel getting all the blame. I was too kind.

In much of the world, Hamas rocket fire and tunnel attacks were ignored as the hostility aimed at the Jewish state reached levels unprecedented in recent times. The White House didn’t help. By ratcheting up criticism of Israel, and calling one bombing “disgraceful,” President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry inadvertently helped to give license to the displays of anti-Semitism in Europe and elsewhere.

That they didn’t know better reflects their obtuseness about the Mideast and the rise of Islamic fanaticism around the world. Any daylight between friends, especially during a war, causes enemies to rejoice — and fight harder.

Yet both men insist that Hamas deserves to be treated as a worthy partner for peace, despite its pledge to eliminate Israel. They nearly echo Jimmy Carter, who, damn the facts, always manages to put all the onus on Israel.

In truth, most Arab countries know that groups like Hamas and their patron Iran are the greatest threats. They don’t love Israel, but they see it as an ally against a common enemy.

For the better part of 66 years, America also saw Israel as an ally — and much, much more. Now our government is becoming another voice in the mob blaming the Jews.

Cops & blabbers

A friend writes: “I see that some city politicians are demanding that cops wear body cameras — to keep The Finest honest. That’s funny. If there’s any group that should have to wear body cameras to keep them honest, it’s New York pols.”