RIP, Mario Cuomo

Well, it is very early in the year, yet we already lost someone very memorable.

Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo died, after battling a serious illness for quite some time.

He was a famous governor, and for a time, seemed to be a leading contender for the presidency, although he never actually ran. Maybe he would have had a chance in 1988, or even in 1992. Remember that in 1992, hardly any major candidate on the Democratic side ran, because at the time, George H. W. Bush looked untouchable.

Obviously, things changed. In part, that was because Bill Clinton had a very strong Democratic National Convention in New York, and one of the most memorable speeches was from Mario Cuomo.

But his most memorable speech came in 1984, when I was admittedly too young to appreciate it (surprisingly, I am not entirely sure my parents were watching it). It was known as the "Tale of Two Cities" speech, and was a strong rebuttal to President Ronald Reagan's vision of America as a "Shining City on a Hill" for the world to marvel at, and take inspiration from.

I personally remember his great speech in 1992, which really stirred me considerably, and probably helped Bill Clinton to become president.

He never did run for president, but he remained a prominent and articulate voice of reason in an age that needed such a voice very badly. Truth be told, I would have preferred seeing him in the White House more than most of the men that I have seen occupy the Oval Office.

But alas....what might have been.

Below are some video tributes to Mario Cuomo that I found on Youtube, and added here for this blog entry.

Mario Cuomo. May he rest in peace.


Video footage of some of the famous "A Tale of Two Cities" 1984 Democratic National Convention speech:



Here is the audio of the speech in it's entirety, in four parts:












Here is the speech from the 1992 Democratic National Convention, which I do personally remember, and which had a strong impact on me. Cuomo really was a great public speaker!












Some news footage on the story of Mario Cuomo's death: