The man who once dubbed himself “the lobbyist for students,” before taking a wrecking ball to New York State’s public education system, now claims that he is refusing to debate his opponent in the Democratic primary, Zephyr Teachout, because he thinks that debates do a disservice to democracy.

Via the New York Times…

“I’ve been in many debates that I think were a disservice to democracy,” he added. “So anyone who says debates are always a service to democracy hasn’t watched all the debates that I’ve been in.”

Huh?

So Cuomo thinks mayoral control of schools, which take school control away from local communities and give it to the mayors of those cities, is just swell.  He supports the reform agenda pushed by John King and Merryl Tisch and loathed by virtually every parent and educator in the state.  Yet debating an opponent is where Cuomo draws the line on things that do a disservice to democracy?

Regardless of what he is saying, Cuomo is scared.  He can feel the surging momentum of Teachout and knows that giving her a platform to make him defend his abysmal record, which has benefitted only big banks and billionaires, could put him in really dangerous territory when it comes to the primary next week.

With Cuomo running scared it makes me harken back to what our friend Reality-Based Educator wrote about him last year, when Cuomo wasn’t in hiding but was instead attacking public schools…

If Governor Cuomo thinks it is time some schools be given the “death penalty” for struggles that are often beyond their means to fix, then it is time for teachers of all political ideologies to get together and help pull the plug on the 2014 Cuomo re-election plan and the Cuomo 2016 presidential plan.

Andrew Cuomo is a thug and a bully and a crook, that we’ve known for a while.

Now, after the “death penalty for schools” statement, he is also a war criminal against public schools.

It is time to put an end to his Reign of Terror.

We finally have a chance to pull the plug on Cuomo.  As early as the Democratic primary next Tuesday.  Join us tomorrow in Hauppauge as we rally in support of Zephyr Teachout.  As we rally in support of public schools.  As we rally to end Andrew Cuomo’s Reign of Terror.