Andrew Cuomo NOT Vs. Dean Skelos

I believe it was Westchester County Exec Rob Astorino who commented recently that if you close your eyes, Cuomo "sounds like a Republican."    ahhhhhhhhhh  my quote of the say....now Rob....if you close your eyes, "Paladino sounds like a.........nut???  sorry...could not resist......meanwhile Celeste is on her political honeymoon.......


The Daily Politics

By Celeste Katz

Who doesn't love that honeymoon period?
Gov.-Elect Andrew Cuomo and Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos sat down for a half-hour chat at Cuomo's Manhattan office today, and the Senate GOP's Scott Reif reports all was sunny:

Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos

"This meeting was positive and cordial. They discussed a number of important issues, including the need to reduce spending to balance our budget. In addition, Sen. Skelos was pleased to once again hear the Governor-elect’s commitment to not raising taxes, a commitment that he shares. The Senator looks forward to working with the Governor-elect in the days and weeks ahead to find positive solutions to the challenges we face, so we can help businesses create jobs and provide relief to middle-class taxpayers and their families."
Of course, this early on, there isn't necessarily a reason for Cuomo and Skelos to be throwing paperweights at each other; in fact, many pundits have said Cuomo's no-new-taxes pledge is more in line with the GOP agenda than that of the Dems. I believe it was Westchester County Exec Rob Astorino who commented recently that if you close your eyes, Cuomo "sounds like a Republican."
(Maybe the fact that I just saw the Eliot Spitzer biopic "Client 9" took me back to the bad old days when, to paraphrase Spike Milligan, every "good morning" between the Second Floor and the Senate GOP was a declaration of war.)
And, of course, it makes sense for Democrat Cuomo to forge good relations with the Republicans early and often -- especially since the power balance of the chamber remains up in the air. (Update: A source also notes Cuomo had a sitdown with Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, who, like Skelos, is on the governor-elect's transition team.)