THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Politial Memo; Clinton Sets Off Spark, And Cuomo Fans Flame
Already troubled by allegations of marital infidelity, Gov. Bill Clinton's Presidential campaign now faces mounting difficulties in New York -- and perhaps beyond -- because of an ethnic remark he made about Gov. Mario M. Cuomo. And, political strategists agree, Mr. Cuomo has reacted with a bit of hardball politics that seemed designed to extract a heavy political price from the Arkansas Governor.
Mr. Cuomo, who has a history of political differences with Mr. Clinton, spent much of Tuesday transforming Mr. Clinton's comment that Mr. Cuomo "acts like" a member of the Mafia into an assault on all ethnic minorities. He was not placated by Mr. Clinton's apology, and made his displeasure known not only in a news conference in Albany but also in telephone interviews with a number of reporters.
The contretemps between the two Governors became front-page news today in many New York newspapers and was picked up elsewhere across the country. By this afternoon, the conflict had started to tear at Mr. Clinton's support in New York, which many strategists believed was soft anyway because it was based more on his ability to be elected, rather than on ideological compatibility. 'No Desire to Participate'
