The Sports Editor of Southern News raised his hand.
"Why didn't you run for President in 1988?"
He stared at me. Awkward silence. Absent an immediate answer, I thought it wise to keep talking.
"You were mentioned as a strong candidate."
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| Kevin slaps himself in the face after botching an interview with Mario Cuomo. |
His eyes twinkled. His lips grinned ever so slightly. Casually, and sarcastically, he spoke.
"Because in 1988 Michael Dukakis was running for President, and you can't have two Mediterraneans running for the same ballot."
The room of 40 or so professional journalists broke into uproarious laughter. Boom. I had certainly been put in my place. With that, the 2004 Distinguished Lecturer for Southern Connecticut State University closed his pre-lecture press conference.
And yet, from the back of the room, a savior.
"Why not 1992?"
It was Jerry Dunklee, reporter-turned journalism professor, and current faculty advisor to WSIN radio.
Mario had been walking away, but as soon as the sound waves pierced his eardrum his eyes lit up and he spun like a whirlpool back to the podium.
"Let me tell you about 1992," said the former Governor. "I was ready to get on that plane and go to New Hampshire, but we [the state of New York] had a very difficult budget that year. I had a job to do."
The reporters who had put their pens and notebooks down were now furiously scribbling each of Cuomo's words as he went into Press Conference Overtime.
"And what do they say about me? They say he has mob ties, they say there are no Mario's down South--sometimes I wish they would say I had a blonde intern."
More laughter, but not as much this time. With that, Phase I of Mario Cuomo's appearance at Southern Connecticut State University was over. Phase II entailed a meet and greet with the some of the students, followed by a black tie dinner with select fundraisers for the university, culminating with Mario's actual prepared speech at the Lyman Arts Center that night.
I was pulling double duty at Southern News that year, fulfilling my role as the paper's (paid) Sports Editor and following my reporter's nose for straight news. Between studying for finals and staying up all night practicing Velvet Underground guitar solos, I was burning the candle at both ends. But whereas most politicians can put you to sleep when they speak, Mario had a way of waking you up.
Here are just a few quotes of his from that day that I have committed to memory in the ten years since:
"Robert Moses created Authority; I hated Authority, which is why I got into government."
"In a boiling pot, all the flavor is melted away. When we retain our cultural identity, we have a stained glass window, which is more representative of the cultural mosaic that is America."
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| A moment worthy of Seinfeld: Isobel catches Cuomo scratching his nose. When our Editor saw the photo, she scratched it right off the front page. |
"The journalist haven't really changed, it's the devices. And the ownership. You say you write for the Times, which also owns the Globe and the real estate and the sausage factory--and you want to interview me for story about sausages?"
Ironically, none of this quotes made it to the print version. One of our more seasoned staff members had written a synopsis of the main lecture, and integrating my work with hers proved difficult. In retrospect, if there had been one night to cut back on my guitar playing, this would have been it. Also, Robin, the paper's Editor-in-Chief, was none too pleased that Isobel's only photo of the man in question was when Mario Cuomo scratched his nose. It was a moment worthy of Seinfeld. Robin, the pinnacle of professionalism, was firm on her stance.
"We can't have Mario Cuomo picking his nose on the front page!"
"It's not a pick," said Isobel. "It's a scratch."
Robin had the final word, and we went with a different photo, thank goodness.
Not all of my work got the ax, however. I had interviewed some students that day as well. One of them made a very good point.
"He's a cool dude," said my colleague Christian Faraclas. "He's deep in thought."
Indeed, it was a welcome departure from most politicians, who seem either unwilling or unable to engage in thought at any level.
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