A critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of the coronavirus is publishing his own “book” spoofing the governor’s “leadership” on the topic.
Proceeds of former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov. Hikind’s $19.99 publishing shtick — a counterpoint to Cuomo’s recently published book discussing his response to the pandemic — will go to his group Americans against Anti-Semitism.
The cover shows a mock king Cuomo holding the crown on his head and sitting on his throne with the book headline: LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP: KING COVIDIUS CUOMO:
But inside the cover are hundreds of blank white pages.
The empty tome does have a foreword.
“After more than 30,000 people died in his realm, the highest number throughout the land, and with a virulent virus still raging King Covidius Cuomo decided now was the right time to bring to you his immense wisdom gleaned from years of successful `leadership,'” the introduction says.
It goes on to accuse the governor of such things as “intimidation” and “loving the sound of your own voice.”
Hikind has publicly accused Cuomo of singling out ultra-orthodox Jews for failing to abide by safety protocols, helping spread COVID-19 in several hotspots in New York.
“Lessons in Leadership is a real page turner and is filled to the brim with real-world knowledge guaranteed to change your life just the way King Covidius Cuomo has changed the lives of every subject in his realm,” the intro jabs.
Hikind also provides a 1 minute 40 second video of himself lying on his couch, pretending to read the book. About halfway through the viewer sees him looking at blank pages.
“When I grow up I just want to be like King Cuomo,” Hikind says, tongue-firmly-in cheek. “It takes real leadership to send corona patients to nursing homes. Blaming others for your failure.
Cuomo has been criticized for a since-rescinded March 25 order by his health department that required nursing homes to accept medically stable coronavirus patients sent from hospitals amid the pandemic. The governor insisted that infected staffers and visitors — not the policy — caused the deadly bug to spread like “fire through dry grass” among frail nursing home residents.
“Wow. That’s Machiavellian. That’s perfect. I love that,” Hikind said in the video. “You’re the prince, you’re the king! Oh, yeah. When all else fails, blame the Jews. The Jews. The Jews. They’re responsible. That’s great. Let me write that down. That’s an important one.
“Wow. I finished the book in no time and so can you! This book is available for $19.99. An instant classic!”
Cuomo’s best-seller is titled “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
New York has suffered more deaths than any other state in the nation from the pandemic, substantially greater than more populous California, Texas and Florida.
New York State reports 26,005 deaths from the bug. The John Hopkins University tracker reports 33,705 deaths in New York tied to COVID-19.
Dov HikindStefan JeremiahAbout 6,500 suspected deaths from the disease have occurred in New York’s nursing home and adult care facilities — though some critics say the number of nursing home resident fatalities is substantially higher because the state doesn’t count residents who died after being transported to hospitals, an issue that is the subject of litigation.
New York’s infection rate jumped to more than 3 percent on Tuesday for the first time since June, though its positivity rate is currently among the lowest in the country.
Cuomo senior adviser Richard Azzopardi responded, “Support for the governor’s pandemic response has consistently been in the 70s and his book is a New York Times best seller, while Hikand is a former pol seeking attention whose dumb stunt is a New York Post smear. That all tracks.”




