PRESENTING: YOUR ANDREW CUOMO “LIE OF THE DAY”

SPECIAL: Today’s installment is two for the price of one!

NEW YORK -Claiming that Andrew Cuomo has a “propensity for exaggeration, mistruth, fibbing and fabrication growing by the day,” his opponent in the Democratic primary, Cynthia Nixon’s campaign highlighted what senior advisor Bill Hyers called “his newest whopper.”

“Another day, another instance of Andrew Cuomo inventing an imaginary life,” said  Hyers. “It’s a little surprising that he’d lie about stuff that’s easy to check, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.”

In an interview on NY1 last night with Errol Louis, Cuomo said: “I’m with organized labor, I stand with labor, I always have. I’m a consistent fellow.”

Has Cuomo really consistently stood with labor? Take a look:

FACT: In a 2010 New York Times article called, “Andrew Cuomo Vows Offensive Against Labor Unions,” Cuomo’s relationship with and plan for labor as governor was described thus:

Andrew M. Cuomo will mount a presidential-style permanent political campaign to counter the well-financed labor unions he believes have bullied previous governors and lawmakers into making bad decisions. He will seek to transform the state’s weak business lobby into a more formidable ally, believing that corporate leaders in New York have virtually surrendered the field to big labor.

….

In the 90-minute discussion, Mr. Cuomo for the first time laid out his strategy to isolate, destabilize, and ultimately defeat the tangle of entrenched interests that has left state government bankrupt, infamously dysfunctional, and mired in scandal. He would not submit to the fate, Mr. Cuomo said, that met the Democrats Eliot Spitzer and David A. Paterson after they took office as governor.

“We’ve seen the same play run for 10 years,” Mr. Cuomo said. “The governor announces the budget, unions come together, put $10 million in a bank account, run television ads against the governor. The governor’s popularity drops; the governor’s knees weaken; the governor falls to one knee, collapses, makes a deal.”

Following up on that, Cuomo indeed did govern as a pro-business Democrat, who cracked down on unions:

New York Times Headline: “Despite Protests, Cuomo Says He Will Not Extend A Tax Surcharge On Top Earners.” [New York Times, 10/17/11]

Cuomo Pushed To “Broadly Limit Retirement Benefits” And Restrict Pension Benefits. According to the New York Times, “Cuomo’s proposal would still cause significant changes to worker retirement plans” and “benefits for law enforcement officers and firefighters…would also be scaled back.” [New York Times, 6/8/11]

Cuomo Rips Teachers as Selfish ‘Industry’. According to the Daily News, Cuomo assailed teachers as more interested in members’ rights than student needs. [Daily News, 1/23/15]

NOTE: Sometimes, Cuomo doesn’t just lie once. In the same interview, he said:

“I’m a middle-class guy from Queens.”

FACT: According to Cuomo’s Department of Health, the median household income in New York is between $60,000-70,000 a year. Cuomo was the son of a governor, who then worked as a partner at a corporate law firm representing real estate interests, sold a book for over $700,000, currently earns nearly triple the median salary, and lives in a more-than million dollar home.

He is not a middle-class guy.

This information is provided by Cynthia for New York