New York Councilman Finds Governor Cuomo Speech Too Taxing

Governor Andrew Cuomo's speech

Another State Governor has been dealing with speech hecklers this week.

This time around the hecklers interrupted a speech being given by Governor Andrew Cuomo, the newly inaugurated Governor of New York state.

The hecklers attended his speech at the state Convention Centre where the state Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators was having its conference.

The hecklers were led by a fellow Democrat, City Councilman Charles Barron, protesting over the Governors plans to shift the weight of tax from the rich.

His speech was disrupted to a familiar chant of:

Tax the Rich

To which the new resident of 138 Eagle Street retorted:

How are you tonight, Charles? I can’t see who it is, but I know who it is.

It was a priceless retort that drew plenty of laughs from his audience of some 500.

He managed to defuse the situation involved with his chief heckler, Charles Barron, and supporters marching down the centre aisle of the auditorium. That defusion was probably not surprising. Many in the audience no doubt felt that Councilman Barron, who contested the Governor’s election last year, was still a bit sore at his defeat.

Once the Governor had shifted the attention back to the speech and the speaker, he then set out the evidence for his tax cut plans. He had the platform and Councilman Barron didn’t.

As a technique for dealing with hecklers this speaker had it all worked out.