Is it Right versus Left, or right versus wrong?
Based on what a single friend told him, the Cuomo Whisperer, Chris had an on-air epiphany and said, mea culpa, he had been adding to the very real division in America by defining it as Right versus Left.
I’ve been watching Chris Cuomo on NewsNation lately, much more than when he was on CNN, where he struck me as a mosh pit for progressives and was way too dramatic for my taste. He always seemed to be preening and acting.
Then he got canned for being a shill and advisor to his older brother Andrew, who was chased out of New York’s governor mansion by widespread accusations of sexual misconduct.
This was before — lacking an iota of self-awareness — the elder Cuomo unwisely thrust himself into the New York mayoralty election, where he was thrashed by a largely unknown trust fund Democratic socialist.
The younger Cuomo has had scrapes, such as being out and about during the Covid lockdown, and also threatening someone who called him Fredo. (That’s an allusion to the much lesser Corleone brother in “The Godfather.” And it gets under his skin to this day.)
When he was reborn on NewsNation — a startup that launched in 2021, promising to appeal to all Americans, not just Right or Left — Cuomo usually opened his show by saying this was where Right and Left meet to engage, to have polite but frank discussions.
He generally had well-informed guests representing opposing points of view. I liked it, because I am a middleist and I want to hear both sides. My decades of journalism teaches me there are always two sides to every story.
At least.
His show reminded me, in principle, of the old CNN show called “Crossfire,” in which a liberal and a conservative partisan squared off, often supplemented by two additional guests. It ran from 1982 to 2005, then came back with a revised version that failed.
What I liked was hearing the point and counterpoint, hearing fact and opposing fact. Sometimes the debate resulted in a tie, and I couldn’t figure out who “won.” But at least I heard both sides and had food for thought. I almost always heard something I did not know.
Anyway, on Cuomo’s show, there were rarely any pit bull attacks; it was lively but calm.
Then, suddenly, about a week ago, Cuomo changed course like a fox being chased by a pack of hounds.
Based on what a single friend told him, call him the Cuomo Whisperer, Chris had an on-air epiphany and said, mea culpa, he had been adding to the very real division in America by defining it as Right versus Left.
The real equation, he said, is right versus wrong.
Guess what?
He is wrong. I can prove it.
He unwittingly contradicted his philosophical U-turn two minutes later when he asked why the Left accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of caving in by agreeing to turn over convicted felons to ICE.
With that, Cuomo pointed a finger at the Left.
Hard to avoid, as it is when the Right says nurse Alex Pretti brandished a gun and was a threat to the federal officers who surrounded and assaulted him in an attempt to make a questionable arrest.
Earlier, some Americans saw the death of Renee Good as justified, while others saw it as homicide.
If Americans can’t agree on basic facts, how can Cuomo expect them to agree on concepts like right and wrong?
Some calls are easy. Stealing is wrong. Murder is wrong. Pedophilia is wrong.
But illegal entry into America?
People like me say it is wrong, breaking a law that should be enforced.
People unlike me say they are poor, or abused, or terrified, and anyway hard-working people who should not be punished for following their dreams.
We can’t agree on right and wrong because too many of us are locked into a silo formed by our progressive or conservative beliefs. Too many of us have closed minds. We are uninterested in hearing the other side. Maybe that’s why Cuomo’s ratings are anemic.
Was bombing Iran's nuclear facilities right — or wrong? Or both?
Arresting and extracting Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro — right, or wrong?
Threatening allies with tariffs — right, or wrong?
Allowing trans women to compete in athletics with biological women — right, or wrong?
Suing universities and media companies, right, or wrong?
Let me give you a startling example. When it comes to illegal immigration, everyone agrees that the bad hombres, the ones convicted of violent crimes, should be deported.
Right?
Wrong. As amazing as it seems, not everyone agrees, not even close.
As you can see, 25% of Democrats would not deport them, 19% of Independents wouldn’t kick them out, and even 10% of Republicans wouldn’t deport them. Makes me wonder what the F you would have to do to get kicked out.
Want one more?
Not everyone likes apple pie, so let’s look at motherhood.
Even that isn’t sacrosanct. Two-thirds of women believe having children is detrimental to their careers, according to a Good Housekeeping story. Are they right, or wrong?
Final question: Burning the U.S. Flag. Right, or wrong?
There is no “right” answer, it is legal, and your answer likely can be predicted by your politics.
Which is why Cuomo ought to return to Left versus Right. That is where the fault line lies. He can do right versus wrong as an overlay.
His rethink was hasty and confusing. I wonder — because it is television where money moved the needle — if his motive is to improve ratings.
I may be right, or wrong.
