Former three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo’s stirring speeches rocketed him to national stardom and inspired millions of like-minded liberals and fellow Democrats who believed government could be a force for good in people’s lives.
Cuomo was catapulted by his 1984 keynote address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention.
The “Tale of Two Cities” speech — preceding Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign mantra by 30 years — countered then- President Ronald Reagan’s description of America as a “shining city on a hill.”
Later, when pro-choice Catholic Democratic politicians were being pilloried by church leaders for supporting abortion rights, Cuomo delivered a rebuttal address at Notre Dame University.
He argued that the constitutional separation of church and state should discourage politicians from imposing their religious beliefs on others.
“I protect my right to be a Catholic by preserving your right to believe as a Jew, a Protestant or non-believer, or as anything else you choose. We know that the price of seeking to force our beliefs on others is that they might some day force theirs on us,” he said.
In his 1983 first-term inaugural speech, Cuomo talked about New York’s “progressive pragmatism” as a beacon for the nation.
“For more than 50 years without dramatic deviation, whatever party happened to be in power, New York has proven that government can be a positive source for good, and it still can be,” he said.
Andrew Cuomo, who was sworn in to a second term as governor Thursday, channeled his father’s powerful oratory in his own inaugural speech.
“It’s time to be bold, my friends, because there is no small solution to big problems,” Andrew Cuomo said.
He warned that public schools had devolved from the “great equalizer” in his father’s day to the “great discriminator” for many poor kids.