Careless talk

"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....."