Andrew Cuomo on Attacking Pro-Lifers: “I Wasn’t Saying Anyone Should Leave the State”

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 12, 2014   |   3:51PM   |   Albany, NY

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is backtracking after facing national criticism and calls to resign over his comments that pro-life people “have no place”in the state.

In January, Cuomo eventually said it’s “fine” if pro-life people live in New York and he blamed his insensitive comments on the New York City media. Now he’s walking back his comments even further, saying his position is the “exact opposite” of telling pro-lifers to leave.

From a local news report:

andrewcuomo5The Democratic governor sought to reiterate that point when asked by reporters today at the Capitol.

“I was not saying anyone should leave the state, right? And anyone who heard the comments knows that’s not what I was saying,” Cuomo explained. “To the extent people want to have a political dialogue, that’s what it is.”

He continued, “But I wasn’t saying anyone should leave the state. My position is the exact opposite, right? We have all sorts of opinions in this state. We have people all along the spectrum, and it’s one of the things that makes New York special.”

As LifeNews reported Friday, Cuomo said the following initially:

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.

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… 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.