Cuomo declared that "we maximized the moment as governors. Governors have a new credibility. Governors have a new status." Cuomo epitomized the rush to "absolute power" that occurred in governor's mansions across the nation. After he fueled pandemic fears, the New York Times proclaimed, "Andrew Cuomo Is the Control Freak We Need Right Now." A New Yorker profile, titled "Andrew Cuomo, King of New York," explained that Cuomo and his aides saw the battle over Covid policy as "between people who believe government can be a force for good and those who think otherwise." Cuomo denounced anyone who disobeyed his edicts, including condemning sheriffs as "dictators" for refusing to enforce his mask mandate inside people's homes.