Cuomo vs. Brown: A Tale of Two Governors
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Jerry Brown and Andrew Cuomo are the kissing cousins of state government. Both Democrats are the sons of legendary former governors. Both were their state's attorney general and came to office this year vowing to get persistent budget deficits under control. So far, New York's Cuomo is succeeding; California's Brown is not.
The unique politics and culture of each state help explain why, but the better explanation may be institutional: Cuomo, with strong executive powers, was able to cajole his legislators into a deal. Brown, with less authority, threw up his hands in defeat.