New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took umbrage at Ted Cruz’s statement denigrating “New York values” at Thursday night’s Republican debate.
“Listen, there are many, many wonderful, wonderful working men and women in the state of New York,” Cruz said before adding, “but everyone understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal or pro-abortion or pro-gay marriage, focus around money and the media.”
Cuomo reacted defensively Friday in an interview with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota in which he defined “New York values” as “the exact opposite thing of what you heard last night coming out of Ted Cruz’s mouth. I’m not only [inaudible] what he said … New York, it’s anti-American.”
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But if Cruz’s assessment of New York values was overly broad and and un-American, he has company. In 2014, Cuomo not only offered up his own definition of “who New Yorkers are” but had choice words for those who don’t share his view:
You have a schism within the Republican Party.… They’re searching to define their soul, that’s what’s going on. 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. It’s a mirror of what’s going on in Washington. The gridlock in Washington is less about Democrats and Republicans. It’s more about extreme Republicans versus moderate Republicans.
… You’re seeing that play out in New York.… The Republican Party candidates are running against the SAFE Act — it was voted for by moderate Republicans who run the Senate! 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 they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are. [Emphasis added]
