Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio faced a holy dilemma Wednesday night over whether to attend the Catholic Church’s Al Smith Dinner or the birthday bash of the man they really worship — Al Sharpton.
Cuomo was so eager to honor Sharpton on his 60th birthday that he ducked out in the middle of the Smith dinner at the Waldorf to greet The Rev and lavish praise on him at the nearby Four Seasons restaurant.
“He has grown immensely over the years,” Cuomo told the crowd. “And he’s no longer just New York’s Al Sharpton. He’s the nation’s Rev. Sharpton — and the nation is better for it.”
De Blasio quickly changed out of his formal duds and dashed over to Sharpton’s party as soon as the New York Archdiocese’s Smith dinner ended, hailing Rev. Al as “a blessing for this city.”
“The more people criticize him, the more I want to hang out with him,” Hizzoner added.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also rushed to Sharpton’s event as fast as she could, and couldn’t contain her enthusiasm.
“God bless Al Sharpton, and many more [birthdays] to come,” she gushed.
Sharpton’s shadow even extended over the Smith dinner, where billionaire Home Depot founder Ken Langone joked about the reverend while accepting an award.
“I don’t see the person in charge of the NYPD up here — Al Sharpton,” he said.
Top cop Bill Bratton, seated on the dais, cracked up.
Sharpton could hardly contain himself over his ability to pull in big names.
“The governor’s coming! They mayor’s coming!” he said as he arrived for the event. “I’ve been able to reach from the streets to the suits, and I’ll continue doing it a long time.”
One Sharpton party attendee, Comptroller Scott Stringer, bubbled with excitement as he arrived, saying: “I made the guest list!”
De Blasio’s fawning words for Sharpton didn’t stop the reverend from interrupting him as he spoke, after Sharpton spotted a much bigger star.
“I don’t usually interrupt the mayor, but The Queen is in the house,” he said as the mayor stood there. “Aretha Franklin, come on over.”
De Blasio quipped, “The Queen is higher-ranking than the mayor.”
Cuomo, who spent about 30 minutes at Sharpton’s party before heading back to the Smith dinner, was castigated by GOP rival Rob Astorino for splitting his time between the events.
“I think Andrew Cuomo is just very uncomfortable to be in a room like this with the people who are practicing Catholics who he has labeled extremists — so he’d rather be hanging out with Al Sharpton,” Astorino said as he arrived for the Smith dinner.
Cuomo’s campaign said Astorino’s jab was hypocritical given that he left the event early himself — even missing some of the keynote speakers.
Astorino’s camp acknowledged that he slipped out before the event was over to spend time with his wife and kids — not to hobnob with the Rev.
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli also went to Sharpton’s party after the Smith dinner — hosted by Cardinal Timothy Dolan — and hailed the rabble-rousing reverend: “I appreciate his friendship. I appreciate his good counsel. I appreciate his leadership for all people in our city and our state.”
Hillary Clinton did not attend, but personally called to extend her apologies, Sharpton’s spokeswoman said.
In response, Sharpton — whose actual birthday is Friday — made Clinton a “birthday vow” to “stay on the front lines of civil rights and activism until your granddaughter, Charlotte, gets old enough to vote.”He’s no longer just New York’s Al Sharpton. He’s the nation’s Rev. Sharpton — and the nation is better for it.
- Gov. Andrew Cuomo
The Al Smith Dinner, which benefits needy kids, is traditionally a major event of the election season, drawing luminaries who include presidents and their challengers.
Sharpton’s “Party for a Cause” doubled as a fundraiser for his nonprofit National Action Network activist group, which previously had hosted his birthday parties at its Harlem headquarters.
But NAN notably didn’t mention the event on its website, which instead highlighted an “Education Summit (In Celebration of Rev. Sharpton’s 60th Birthday)” earlier on Wednesday, followed by a “Justice for Eric Garner Vigil” on Staten Island on Thursday.
Spokeswoman Jacky Johnson wouldn’t say how much the birthday party cost, but the program listed big-bucks sponsors, including AT&T, Macy’s, the Forest City Ratner development firm and Viacom/BET Networks.
Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger — whose 1978 song “Some Girls” stirred racial controversy — placed a full-page congratulatory message to Sharpton in the program, saying, “The work you have done throughout your lifetime is truly admirable.”
Additional reporting by Bruce Golding and Yoav Gonen