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 1983 Inaugural NY State of the State Address

My first speech as governor described two basic ideas that are still at the heart of my beliefs — government’s necessary and proper role in doing what we cannot do for ourselves individually, which I called “progressive pragmatism,” and the idea of society as a family. I was surprised by a much more favorable response than. had anticipated, including a letter of praise from former president Richard Nixon. I was not surprised when the Reagan administration continued to advance their policy of social Darwinism, propounding a new ethic in place of the idea of government as family: “God help those whom God had helped, and if He has left you out who are we to presume on His judgment?”

-Mario Cuomo More than Words, The Speeches of Mario Cuomo, 1993