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Careless talk

New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo accuses others of extremism while being pretty extreme himself

    by STU BYKOFSKY
    Published 
On an NPR radio show, discussing fractures that do exist in the Republican Party, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo got carried away by his, um, shall we say enthusiasm.
My conservative friends have been boiling over what seems to be the governor inviting conservatives to leave New York state. Not really. Here's the key text elements from his interview with Susan Arbetter on the "Capitol Newsroom" show:

"Is the Republican party in this state a moderate party or is it an extreme conservative party? That's what they're trying to figure out. And it's very interesting because it's a mirror of what's going on in Washington, right? The gridlock in Washington is less about Democrats and Republicans. It's more about extreme Republicans versus moderate Republicans.

ARBETTER: Mm-hmm.

CUOMO: And the moderate Republicans in Washington can't figure out how to deal with the extreme Republicans, and the moderate Republicans are afraid of the extreme conservative Republicans in Washington, in my opinion.

CUOMO: Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that's who they are and if they are the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York —

ARBETTER: So this –

CUOMO: — because that's not who New Yorkers are.

If they're moderate Republicans like in the (New York) Senate right now, who control the Senate —

ARBETTER: Mm-hmm.

— moderate Republicans have a place in this state....."

So Cuomo wants to be the decider of who's moderate and who's extreme? OK. But here's where he stepped in it, in  my opinion. He tossed together people who are pro-life and pro-Second Amendment with homophobes.
First, I don't accept that even "extreme" conservatives are homophobes, unless you believe that supporting traditional marriage is homophobic, which I do not. I also believe that "moderate" Republicans (and many Democrats) are pro-life.
But if he truly believes that being pro-life and "pro-gun" (which the majority of Americans are) gets you booted from the Empire State, that is not only extreme, but it smacks of political segregation. Either agree with my view, or get out. That not only tyranny, but stupidity. Is Cuomo think about running for president -- or Pope of the Progressives?
It's this kind of divisiveness that is poisoning politics.
    SB
    STU BYKOFSKY