Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that leaders from business and higher education will be joining New York’s trade mission to Cuba – the first Governor-led state trade mission to Cuba since President Obama began the process to normalize diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. The trade mission delegation will depart on April 20, 2015.
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In addition to the below industry leaders, the delegation is joined by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader and Coalition Co-Leader Jeffrey Klein.
The Governor’s trade mission includes representatives from a variety of industries, including air travel, health care, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, financial services, agriculture and higher education.
Now if I remember correctly, Stewart-Cousins wasn't included in budget negotiations because, as the ranking member of the minority party in the State Senate, Cuomo felt she wasn't important enough to be there.
The decision to exclude Stewart-Cousins from budget negotiations brought condemnation from Democratic activists and politicians, with one going so far as to say:
“We have to make sure that Gov. Cuomo understands that we will not be duped. We will not be hoodwinked. We will not be put in the back.”
Ah, but now that Cuomo needs as much cover as he can get for this ridiculous "trade mission" to Cuba, he's happy to invite Stewart-Cousins on the trip and she is happy to oblige him.
She says she's going so she can talk to him on the plane about her conference's legislative priorities.
And I'm sure he'll listen, just as soon as he and the representatives from a variety of industries get finished carving up the cake shaped like Cuba.
You know, like this:
What are the chances the next time Stewart-Cousins needs something from Cuomo, like being a part of the budget negotiations even though she's Senate Minority Leader, he'll be happy to oblige?
Cuomo rarely keeps his promises unless he is absolutely forced to (just as Working Families Party or Bill de Blasio) and he doesn't believe in ever owing anybody any favors.
Maybe Stewart-Cousins thinks being included on this trip is enough, but quite frankly, if I were a Democratic Party politician who kept getting screwed over by Andrew Cuomo, I'd be damned if I'd provide him political cover for it.
Cuomo can break the public school monopoly in Cuba as his education initiative.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can alert Raoul before they arrive. There is no good that can come out of the health care or pharmaceutical industry going there. Look what has been done here.
ReplyDeleteCuomo is buying Cuban cigars for the other men in the backroom, his cronies.
ReplyDeleteCuomo and the other Dems do not want to be around next week to field questions on the even higher Math OPT OUT numbers.
ReplyDeleteI think Cuomo is going to Cuba to sell his book because it didn't to do well in the NYS.
ReplyDeleteHas it been translated to Spanish?
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