Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) went on the radio early Friday morning and announced that extreme conservative Republicans have no place in his state.
Gearing up for his 2014 re-election campaign, Susan Arbetter of WCNY interviewed Cuomo on her show, Capitol Pressroom. Arbetter expressed concern, on behalf of the listeners of her show, that Cuomo might be losing his progressive roots in light of the fact that many of his campaign contributions are coming from traditionally Republican donors.
Cuomo neatly sidestepped the query, pointing instead of the dramatic divide he sees in the Republican Party.
“I think what you’re seeing is — you have a schism within the Republican Party,” Cuomo said. “The Republican Party is searching for an identity. They’re searching to find their soul.”
The Governor went on to talk about the gridlock in Washington, blaming it on the GOP’s lack of identity. He said moderate Republicans can’t figure out how to handle “extreme” Republicans because they’re fearful of them.
“Their problem is not me and the Democrats, their problem is themselves,” he said. “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.”
Cuomo then went on to say that moderate Republicans, however, have a place in his state.
Throughout the interview, Cuomo repeatedly defended himself as a man of integrity. He decried possible challengers seeking to ‘buy’ the 2014 election through their personal wealth, even though the Governor himself is worth a reported $1.75 million. He also pushed back against the insinuation that he would be beholden to his biggest campaign donors.
“At the end of the day you have your integrity,” Cuomo said. “You have your reputation, you have your accomplishments and the warmth and the satisfaction comes from knowing that you did the right thing. And that’s how I operate.”
