It was Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, when it all started to go downhill for Andrew Cuomo. The New York governor had been enjoying a reputation for competency and, somewhat surprisingly, congeniality since the pandemic began. Cuomo built up an image of steady, calm leadership. His press conferences were soothing. The word “Cuomosexual” entered our lexicon. The facade was holding up well. But Cuomo, a career-long bully of an almost cartoonishly thuggish nature, was bound to break character. By November, things were starting to fall apart, and an unforced error caused his nice guy house of cards to collapse. New York City public schools had reopened in September, after two delays, on a very part-time basis. It was hardly a win for students or their parents, but New York City was the first major city to open its schools and so enjoyed some praise. Trouble, however, was brewing. The deal Mayor Bill de Blasio had struck with the teachers union to open schools included the provision that schools would close if the city's positivity rate hit 3% across a seven-day rolling average. By mid-November, New York City was edging closer to that rate. That Wednesday, the mayor was scheduled to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Reporters were ready, and New York City parents braced for the worst. But the mayor didn’t show. The 11 o'clock hour came and went. At 1:30 p.m., Cuomo began...