It’s no secret that the national media LOVES New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo:
Watching Andrew Cuomo is inspiring, uplifting, fascinating. He weaves details and humor and math and common sense all together. He is magnificent. Let's just listen to him.
— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) March 25, 2020
And thanks to that praise, Gov. Cuomo polls really well regarding his response to coronavirus:
NBC/WSJ Poll – Who do you trust regarding coronavirus?
CDC 69-13 (+56)
Your governor 66-20 (+46)
Dr. Fauci 60-8 (+52)
Gov Cuomo 46-17 (+29)
Pres Trump 36-52 (-16)
Pence 35-37 (-2)
Biden 26-29 (-3)Not only is Trump not trusted, but has the worst net number of them all by far.
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) April 19, 2020
But those poll numbers might comes as a shock to the millions of unemployed New Yorkers who are having problems even applying for benefits:
Pressure continues to build on New York State officials over delays in the processing of applications for unemployment benefits.
https://t.co/ldfxIJz0fu— News 4 Buffalo (@news4buffalo) April 22, 2020
It’s been over a month since New York City and the rest of the state starting closing businesses and it’s still a freaking mess:
As Bills Pile Up, Getting Unemployment Benefits In NY Is Still A “Kafkaesque Mess” https://t.co/0gx2wkQseK pic.twitter.com/ntwvFRR347
— Gothamist (@Gothamist) April 22, 2020
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A month. She’s been trying for a month:
“The whole thing is a complete Kafkaesque mess,” said Brooklyn resident Courtney Henley, who runs media events for small businesses. Henley, who began attempting to file for benefits while recovering from COVID-19 last month, has been unable to login to the website or reach a DOL representative for assistance. On Tuesday, she managed to reset her password.
National media, why aren’t you paying attention to this?
Payment delays and filing backlogs, though, have fueled skepticism of the New York government’s efforts. Brooklyn resident Jazmine Alzado said that, after filing a claim online, she received notice that the DOL would call her back within 72 hours—a system implemented as part of the “Tech Surge” to simplify filing. More than a week later, she’s still waiting.
“I have no faith in getting a call back,” said Alzado. “I have never been unemployed, I have always paid taxes. I vote, I do whatever I can to be a responsible citizen. And this is how the [government] is treating me.”
And if you’re an independent contractor? Forget about it:
I don't know a single freelancer who has successfully received pandemic unemployment insurance money in New York. Get it together Governor Cufflinks https://t.co/8pKP0b8MSF
— Clayton Cubitt (@claytoncubitt) April 22, 2020
Every damn question in his next briefing should about unemployment:
Two weeks ago CNBC reported:
"Google has created an application portal to help the state of New York deal with a historic surge in unemployment filings."https://t.co/ZSyoDJu0eX
Today, they report: New York’s unemployment website “collapsed."https://t.co/y3ZLjyzJBD
— Avi Asher-Schapiro (@AASchapiro) April 22, 2020
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