Albany, NY – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s political opponents on the right and left seized Thursday on his comment that America “was never that great,” with Republicans buying him a bus ticket to Canada and intra-party rival Cynthia Nixon accusing him of trying and failing to sound like a progressive.
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The Democratic governor’s allies, meanwhile, rallied around Cuomo, saying his comment was merely an acknowledgement of the country’s history of racism, sexism and intolerance.
The remark was made Wednesday at a bill signing in Manhattan as the two-term governor was criticizing Republican President Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” slogan.
“We’re not going to make America great again — it was never that great” said Cuomo, who is running for a third term this November. “We have not reached greatness. We will reach greatness when every American is fully engaged.”
Cuomo’s staff later said that Cuomo does in fact think America is great, but that he was arguing the country must look forward to greater equality, not backward to a time of less opportunity for many Americans.
The explanation did little to stanch the flow of enthusiastic outrage from his critics.
“No matter what the governor’s radical leftist advisers want him to say, America was, is, and always will be great,” said state Senate leader John Flanagan, R-Long Island.
The state Republican Party bought Cuomo a $55 one-way ticket to Montreal — valid only for travel on Friday. Late Wednesday night, Trump himself tweeted that Cuomo was having a “total meltdown!”
Cuomo’s spokesman declined to comment when asked whether the governor’s remarks were a part of the prepared speech or an addition.
Nixon, the liberal activist and former “Sex and the City” star, said Cuomo’s remarks were an attempt to connect with his party’s liberal base — one that fell flat. Her campaign joked that Cuomo “makes America cringe again.”
“This is just another example of Andrew Cuomo trying to figure out what a progressive sounds like and missing by a mile,” she said.
Both candidates have fought hard to attract liberal voters, who are expected to play a pivotal role in next month’s primary. Polls give Cuomo a commanding lead.
Allies of the governor quickly moved to defend him — even as they avoided direct references to his comment.
“There are those who think ‘great again’ means going backward and trampling on workers’ rights,” tweeted state AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento. “We are with (Cuomo) who supports moving forward toward a better, brighter tomorrow.”
Cuomo abandoned his first run for governor in 2002 after being accused of politicizing the Sept. 11 attacks when he said then-Gov. George Pataki did not deserve to be called a leader when it came to response to the attack.
“He stood behind the leader. He held the leader’s coat,” Cuomo said of Pataki, referring to then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the leader.
Comon Commo U Goofed yourself up You are a goner. Forget about running anywhere except to visit your aunt Hillary in the woods. Smendrik you goofed yourself up forever. Watch your sewer mouth , your explanation is coming a bit too late. You fhilty MENUVEL
GOP all have free First class tickets to Moscow, any time they want.
His father must be turning over in his grave because of his son’s stupid comments. FEH
To #2
You don’t seem to understand the Matzov . From WW2 and on (I don’t know how old you are) this country was the greatest place in the world for Yiden to live in. It’s just after the Democratic party started with the liberal movement and especially after the 8 years of the Obama administration this country got to be so low in morality and got disrespected through out the world. Here we have a president (has a bit loose tongue) is trying his best to get the US back it’s respect and the morality should be at a normal level so as us Yiden can walk the streets. I consider that getting greater again as it was from Truman years until Obama years
Please read # 8 just how great it was for Yiden in the USA in the 1930s 1950s and just how terrible it was under Obama in 2008-16. More money went to Israel, more Yeshivas opened in the USA under President Obama than in the entire 20th Century. In case you are too young let me make it simple. Yiddischkeit flourished more under President Obamas 8 Years in the USA and Israel than in the previous 100 years combined. Just 20 years ago Israel was a 3rd world country. After 8 years of Obama is one of the Greatest Industrialized Nation (B’H it countinues und Trump) the 2nd best in Technology etc. Just say Thank You President Obama (and lets hope Trump not turning his back on us like he did to sso so so many people and countrys, like Canada is our enemy now and No Korea is our Friend)