New York, New York. Is the Thrill Gone?

After the terror attack of 9/11/01, the people of this country rallied around the city and state of New York and their people. Now they have elected a governor who, like fellow Democrat Barack Hussein Obama II, seems to despise and feel disdain for many of his fellow citizens.  Is this going to be Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Phil Robertson moment?  Will Cuomo get the Paula Deen treatment?

A few days ago, Cuomo said something that’s completely outrageous for any governor to say, but especially for the governor of a state that collects a lot of money from tourism and businesses via taxes.

What did Cuomo say, when speaking about the Republican Party?  [emphasis added to quotes]

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, because that’s not who New Yorkers are.

This disdainful, tone-deaf statement is reminiscent of what Obama said in 2008, referring to small-town Pennsylvanians and rural Midwesterners:

And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

At least Obama hasn’t said (yet) that such people have no place in the USA.  Want to bet on whether or not he’s thinking it?

Cuomo believes that if you are “right to life” then you have no place in NY and are an extremist.   (Who doesn’t believe in the right to life, by the way?  That’s something that We the People hold to be “self-evident” truth.)  If by “right to life” Cuomo means anti-abortion, then he’s talking about roughly half the population; and these folks are all extremists, in Cuomo’s opinion.

Who exactly is “anti-gay” in Cuomo’s universe?  Most certainly, he means Christians, like Phil Robertson, who believe that homosexual acts are sinful and also disapprove of gay “marriage” (not gay people).  Such folks also are extremists, in Cuomo’s opinion.  That would be roughly half the population of the USA, who oppose gay “marriage”.

What about those who are “pro-assault weapon?”  Well, since those who oppose banning “assault weapons” represent roughly 42% of the population, then all of those folks are extremists, too, in Cuomo’s opinion.

Cuomo believes that what he calls “extreme” conservatives have no place in New York.  This is so sad for the state of New York because we “extreme conservatives” may just take him at his word and

BOYCOTT NEW YORK!!!

If we have no place there, then why should we spend our very hard-earned dollars in that state?  Why should we visit New York City or the Finger Lakes region or Cooperstown or any other tourist trap in the state of New York?

We have no place there, according to their governor.

By now Cuomo has already realized the intemperate (read stupid) quality of his remarks and tried to walk them back via the typical lame excuse that he was misinterpreted or taken out of context (but read his very clear and concise quote again, above).  If you read the entire transcript, it sounds even worse when he says,

Well if you are right to life, that is your opinion and that’s your religious belief, that is fine but that is not the opinion of this state, which 70% are pro-choice in this state. …

So if you happen to be among the 30% of New Yorkers who oppose abortion, then you also are not part of (only the opinion of?) “this state.” Hmm.  So Cuomo makes outcasts of 30% of New York citizens, as well.

There’s “no place” for diversity, or tolerance of the conservative minority, in New York state.  That’s one minority that the Democrat Party despises: conservatives.  If you’re an “extreme conservative” (which is the same thing as being conservative), then you’re disenfranchised in NY state.

Another gem from the full statement:

70% of this state wants intelligent gun control.

In case you’re an extreme conservative, I’ll spell it out for you:  Cuomo says in so many words that unless you agree with 70% of New Yorkers on gun control, then you are not “intelligent”.  In other words, you’re a dummy, like those “bitter” people who Obama says “cling” to their guns out of frustration.

Finally, there’s this:

… 70% of this state about, is now pro-gay marriage so figure out who you are and figure out if you are of a [sic] extreme conservative philosophy and if you can survive in this state. And the answer is no.

Got it?  Talk about the politics of exclusion.  If you are not pro-gay marriage, then you hold an “extreme conservative philosophy” (along with half the US population) and you simply cannot “survive” in that state.  Cuomo says so. Why even try?

Give up and get out.  Don’t bother to even try to engage in politics, in the marketplace of ideas. You’re doomed, defeated, and disenfranchised by the governor of your own state before you even begin!  You’re not  even “New Yorkers”, according to Cuomo. Just get out of NY because there’s no place for you.

Cuomo still doesn’t get it. Tone deaf.

Glenn Beck had a great response:

The fundamental basis on which our country was built was on robust free speech. The very first right that the Founders of this nation enshrined in our Bill of Rights was freedom of speech because we created this country to escape the yoke of tyranny. When freedom of speech is chilled, we cannot openly express our ideas, and without competing ideas there can be only tyranny.

If a man cannot be free in his thoughts, can a man be free?

If a nation cannot tolerate all thoughts, can a nation be free? Is not our very strength as a country measured on its ability to tolerate and encourage all ideas?

Do we not all lose something when any one of us is excommunicated from society for our deep-seated opinions and beliefs?

So Gov. Cuomo, we must ask in light of your comments, would you build a tyranny here in New York? Would you stand against your constituents and blot them out into the darkness merely because you disagree with them, or because it serves you or your party politically? Would disenfranchised peoples have ever gained their freedoms in this country were it not for the right to free speech, and the pluralistic and truly diverse society that free speech facilitates?

Our organization creates jobs for hundreds of people in your state, and provides news, opinion, entertainment and a helping hand for millions of people across this country. Are our contributions, tax dollars, and genuine goodness as citizens not welcome here?

We respectfully request an answer on whether there are two classes of citizens.

But Gov. Cuomo, it’s not us that you should worry about, because as we have seen, every time this kind of speech is taken up by those in power, eventually history demands an answer.

Donald Trump, Ed Cox, and Rob Astorino also weighed in.  Cox called upon Cuomo to apologize. Don’t hold your breath.  He’ll probably say he’s sorry you were offended.

Extreme conservative Sean Hannity is threatening to fold his tent and leave New York for more welcoming pastures:

Now I want to tell you something – I was born and raised in New York. … I want you to know that and I can’t wait to get out of here. I really can’t. I don’t want to pay their 10-percent state tax anymore. I live in the second-highest property taxed county in the entire country in Nassau County. I can’t wait to sell my house to somebody who wants it. I can’t wait to pay no state income tax down in Florida or Texas. I haven’t decided yet, but I’m leaning Florida because I like the water and I like to fish. …

Gov. Cuomo, I’m going to leave and I’m taking all of my money with me – every single solitary penny. … And by the way governor, because I work here – there’s a whole bunch of people that work for me and benefit because I do two shows. And I guess maybe some of them will be out of work, governor. I’m sure you’ll take care of them.

What say the PEOPLE of New York in response to the statements by their governor?

Do 70% of them support him on this?

Do 70% of New Yorkers believe that 30 % of their fellow state citizens and 50% of their fellow US citizens have “no place” in New York state?

Is our love affair with New York over?

#####