The End of Dynasties
With the resignation of Andrew Cuomo as New York State Governor another dynasty bites the dust.
While the Cuomos did not have the impact on a national scale as let’s say, the Kennedy clan, they had a huge impact on New York State while they were in office. Mario was an excellent governor and a very savvy politician and Andrew had his ups and downs but he wielded power like very few governors in history. Some will question if two political figures can actually be called a dynasty and I will admit I am playing fast and loose for the purposes of this column but there have many other examples of a father and son or close relatives having an outsized influence on politics.
Some that come to mind are the Browns in California and the Daley’s in Chicago. Both families, for better or worse, shaped their respective domains by sheer force of will and playing the political card so smoothly that the end result was almost always what they wanted or some very close approximation. The Browns did it like most true Democrats by handing out huge contracts to favorite players while the Daleys did it by coercion. Different tactics, same results.
Most governors have an unusual ability to steer contracts in the direction of those big donors and while state attorney generals have been trying to shut this down for decades, it still continues. It was said that Albany was one of the dirtiest places in America but you pretty much can look at any state capitol and see corruption so while Andrew Cuomo went in with the belief he could root out this evil, he soon found out it was next to impossible.
However, thats not what this column is about, it’s about dynasties and how the Cuomo dynasty might be one of the last. If you look at his family, there doesn’t seem to be any interest into continuing to carrying the family name into politics. Andrew’s daughters (being Kennedys helps) may go into politics at some point but they all lean towards social activism. His brother, Chris, isn’t giving up his CNN job to go do battle in Albany. His two sisters have shown no inclination towards politics as well. They are both successful in their own right.
Looking at some of the other political dynasties in the US you would have to start with the Kennedys, of course and there are so many of them running around that it is hard to say which one will actually pop up and be the next Kennedy-of-the-moment so I will just say that it is very possible.
The Bushes come to mind next. Two presidents and a governor would be a pretty solid foundation to build a dynasty on but at this time, everyone seems to be laying low. This family’s influence goes back generations and I would not be surprised if there were offspring in the future that might want to carry the family name back into politics but right now, no one comes to mind. The only Bush active right now is George P. Bush and to say his chances of filling the family shoes are slim is an understatement.
The Browns of California may have a shot since several of the kids are involved in state politics at some level but you don’t hear any groundswell about moving them to the next level.
One family I won’t include is the Clinton family. Having a husband and wife as powerful as the Clintons may be perfect breeding ground for a beginning dynasty but I am not really sure if Chelsea Clinton is leaning towards politics or just philanthropy and her TV gig.
Another family that some would say have the beginnings of a political dynasty are the Trumps. While President Trump had several members of his family involved in the White House, I believe that they all have decided they like business better than politics and thats where they have been most successful.
Overall, I do think there still possible political dynasties out there but it is still a dirty game and the coming generation, for the most part, doesn’t have the stomach to deal with the political machines that control the Democratic and Republican parties. Their idealism can better be served in social media than in State Capitals or Washington.