Governor Cuomo, as Journalist Cuomo, asks the Governor, and Andrew Cuomo a question. What would it be?

By h. nazan ışık—

13 July 2020—

Today at his NYC office briefing Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced his, like it or not, Covid poster.

I decided to ask my signature question, I ask everyone I interview, that is to have them ask themselves a question.

Governor Cuomo is listening my question (photo: h. nazan ışık /NKENdiKEN)

h. nazan ışık: Last week you said, “ In my next life I’m going to be on the other side of the table and I’m going to be a terror, because I’m really just a frustrated journalist. You think you guys are terrors? I’m an educated questioner. “

Here is my question, one question, but two parts. If you were sitting here, on this side of the table as a frustrated, terror, and an educated questioner journalist, what would you ask Governor Cuomo?, And second part: What would you ask Andrew Cuomo?

Governor Cuomo’s first reaction “Oh boy” (h. nazan ışık /NKENdiKEN)

Governor Cuomo: Oh boy. I would ask Governor Cuomo: “Did you really design that poster or did somebody else design that poster? Was that really you or did somebody else do that?”

First reaction is always more interesting than the question they ask. But in this case both were very interesting; ”Oh boy”, and a question about the poster!!

h.n.ı: And your answer ?

Governor Cuomo: Answering as me?

h.n.ı: Yes, as Governor Cuomo.

Governor Cuomo: I would say, “Yes, I designed it.

I resent that question; I don’t like the implication of it. I think it was personally derogatory and hostile. So, yes, I said I designed it because I designed it.”

Governor Cuomo usually asks a follow up question instead of a journalist who asked the original question. And I wanted to ask, ”What would, as a journalist, your follow up question be?”

But he was too fast to answer the second part of my question. I didn’t interrupt ….

Governor Cuomo: What would I ask Andrew Cuomo separating him from Governor Cuomo?

Governor Cuomo, as a journalist, asking Andrew Cuomo a question ( photo: h. nazan ışık /NKENdiKEN)

I would ask Andrew Cuomo, “How are you doing through all of this? And when you look back what do you think on a personal level?”

I would say, “That’s a personal question and I think it’s inappropriate to ask me at this venue,” and I get a little defensive.

Interestingly he found the question he asked himself a personal one. On his TV interviews he answers more personal, more intimate questions, including his love life, his being single.

And then I would say, “I think at the end of the day we will actually be stronger as a society for what we went through. I think my family is stronger as a family for what we went through.”

I would say, “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I think it was the hardest thing a lot of New Yorkers did. But, I think I am stronger for it, I think my family is stronger for it, I think we’re stronger for it as a society on the theory that “that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ I just hope that we never have to go through it again and I hope this nation gets the message and those other states get the message so we save lives in this country. And if they follow what New York did, we will save lives, and nothing is more important than that.”

“Thank you guys, thank you very much!” And he left.