Tough Talk from Cuomo: 'Maybe Mother Nature Doesn't Want You Here'

Politicians in New York and New Jersey are not known for keeping quiet about what they think. On the contrary. Pols in the Garden and Empire states often earn such epithets as “brash,” “outspoken,” and “candid.” Governor Chris Christie has proudly referred to himself as “this loud guy from New Jersey.” In a region where everybody has an opinion and is more than willing to run his mouth about it, that’s not an insult. It’s a job requirement.

In the months since Sandy hit the tristate area, New York governor Andrew Cuomo has been right out there sounding off with the best of them. Immediately after the storm hit, he started talking about the role climate change played in the disaster with a frankness nearly unprecedented for a sitting elected official. “I think part of learning from this is the recognition that climate change is a reality, extreme weather is a reality, it is a reality that we are vulnerable,” said Cuomo then.