The Politico email Tuesday night announcing incumbent Andrew Cuomo's primary victory in New York over a far-left opponent described the incumbent Democratic governor as having an "at-times centrist governing style."
Surely that nonsense wouldn't make it into the online publication's actual story, I thought. But of course, it did. This about a governor who has openly advocated confiscating guns, and who has said that "extreme conservatives" who believe in the sanctity of life and understand the Second Amendment's clear meaning "have no place in the State of New York." Excerpts from Elizabeth Titus's travesty follow the jump (bolds are mine):
Andrew Cuomo, running mate prevail in New York
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his running mate survived Democratic primary challenges on Tuesday, beating back two prominent progressive critics by closer-than-expected margins, according to early returns.
The Associated Press called both races with 41 percent of precincts reporting. In the governor’s race, Cuomo led Fordham Law School professor Zephyr Teachout, 61 percent to 35 percent.
... Though both Cuomo and Hochul prevailed, the campaign revealed discontent among liberals with the at-times centrist governing style of the first-term chief executive, who could have future national ambitions. Cuomo was also beaten up over a pending federal investigation into the disbanding of his anti-corruption commission earlier this year.
... Teachout and Wu undertook the primary challenge after Cuomo won the Working Families Party endorsement this spring. The two upstarts garnered a lot of ink from the rabid New York media — but comparatively little campaign money.
"At-times centrist governing style" is a deliberately misleading way of saying "almost always substantively liberal."
The Working Families Party which endorsed Cuomo also endorses "Fast Food Strikes," legalizing pot statewide, and the wonders of hard-left New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. They think they can pass laws which by magic would "ensure that 50% of New York’s electric energy comes from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar by 2025." They also support single-payer healthcare, a complete ban on fracking, soaking the rich with tax increases even beyond their already ridiculous level throughout the Empire State ... you get the picture. Cuomo is therefore an endorsed hard-leftist.
Cuomo's opponent squealed about the Governor's "record of deep education cuts, his tax cuts for banks and billionaires, his refusal to ban fracking and his failure to lead on the Dream Act."
In February, Donald Lambro at Human Events properly characterized Cuomo's targeted, regulation-heavy "tax cuts" as a smoke screen, and reminded readers of the “millionaires tax” Cuomo got passed in 2011, and of the following:
The nonpartisan Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate ranks New York last among the 50 states. It’s top income-tax rate for individuals is 8.82 percent, the second-highest in the country.
But that's not high enough for the Working Families Party.
As to fracking, Cuomo is effectively killing it by sitting on it. He's done nothing since an internal state report declaring the practice safe was issued in early 2012. And as for the DREAM Act, Andy will probably get a lot more aggressive once he's safely re-elected.
"Deep education cuts"? At $19,552 per student, New York spends more on education than any other state.
As to what "times" has Cuomo has been a "centrist" in any meaningful way? Politico's Titus only referred and linked to "progressive criticism" on economic issues, which yours truly has demonstrated is completely bogus.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
