Perversely, his abrasiveness may have given him a sort of immunity to consequences until now, at least when it comes to his public image. Any time he exhibits terrible interpersonal behavior, it can be regarded as an intrinsic part of his personality. He’s established a reputation as a jerk who treats people badly, so people shrug when he proves, yet again, that he is a jerk who treats people badly. His behavior is normalized because it seems normal for Andrew Cuomo.

Mr. Cuomo himself reinforces this perception. When accused of bestowing an unwanted kiss upon a women at a wedding in 2019, he said, “You can find hundreds of pictures of me kissing people.” And “It is my way of greeting people,” as though the fact that he has always behaved this way excuses his actions. He will even point out that his father, one of his predecessors as governor, Mario Cuomo, did the same.

There’s a bit of grudging admiration in some circles for his tactics. Over his 10 years as governor, he has employed those tactics to get what he wants, from reportedly working to help Republicans maintain power in the State Senate to allegedly undermining an anticorruption commission his own office created once it became apparent that it was also scrutinizing groups with ties to him. There are people who have benefited from those victories. But being good at consolidating and buttressing power is not synonymous with good governance, and Mr. Cuomo’s strategic belligerence often masks his failures.