In an obvious last-minute pandering effort to far-left extremists in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo voiced his support for college tuition aid for illegal immigrants. The comments were made during a primary rally in Manhattan and represent a completely out-of-the-blue platform for the governor.
Such a platform is a clear indication that Cuomo is concerned about his brand being damaged during today’s Democratic primary, as his opponent, Zephyr Teachout, and Teachout’s running mate, Tim Wu, look to grab a sizable share of the Democratic vote. Cuomo’s name has taken a hit in left-wing circles, as he is often accused of being too centrist in his governing policies. On top of that, he has struggled with recent corruption charges of his own. Teachout and Wu are largely considered the true progressives in this primary.
Instead of going for moderation however, Cuomo opted to go full liberal. And as everybody knows, you never go full liberal.
Via the New York Times:
Hours earlier, at a boisterous rally in a union auditorium near Times Square in Manhattan, Mr. Cuomo voiced support for a number of causes important to liberals. To loud cheers, he ended his speech by calling for state tuition aid for undocumented immigrants, an issue he avoided talking about, let alone advocating, for much of his time as New York’s governor.
Cuomo governs a state in which conservatives are not welcome but would like to offer free college tuition aid to those who entered the country illegally. He has proven once before that adherence to the law isn’t necessarily an important factor when it comes to using taxpayer money for college tuition.
In February, Cuomo announced a plan for New York’s taxpayers to pay for college education for prison inmates. The idea didn’t go over well with Republicans, Democrats, families of murder victims, current college students, and essentially everybody with opposable thumbs.
Cross-posted at the Mental Recession
