"Republicans for Cuomo". Ugh. What does the head of "Republicans for Cuomo" have to say today?. Over at Capital New York Billionaire Ken Langone was interviewed:
“Well about a month ago, I was interviewed by Politico,” he said, pausing to give someone in his office an order ("Print that up there!"), "and I was telling them how concerned I was by these efforts to divide Americans up by haves and have-nots, and I thought that that was not constructive and certainly not consistent with a unified nation.”
Langone was referring to an article by Ben White and Maggie Haberman in which he compared progressive talking points on income inequality to Adolph Hitler's talking points in 1930s Germany.
“I hope it’s not working,” he said at the time. “Because if you go back to 1933, with different words, this is what Hitler was saying in Germany. You don’t survive as a society if you encourage and thrive on envy or jealousy."
Nobody ever asks questions Langone cryptic anit-Fascist Corporatism or his distortions of history. Nobody asks him what did the US election of 1932 mean? Was FDR creating 'division' too? (And then there is the election of 1964...) Nobody asks - does denying the truth about divisions mean there is no division?
And then below the fold - he reveals that his main issue in the New York Governor's race is his support for Charter Schools. Ahem.
Further on Langone states:
Langone, a registered Republican, said he would not be voting for the top of the Republican ticket in this fall’s gubernatorial election, in case that was in doubt.
“I think it’s been stated publicly that I’m heading up ‘Republicans for Cuomo.’” he told me. “Could you imagine me raising money for a guy that I’m not voting for?”
Langone said he was supporting Cuomo “because in this city I’m a one trick pony. It’s all about education. That’s all I care about."
“Andrew Cuomo in my opinion has demonstrated significant support certainly for charter schools, and that's my reason,” he said.
Above, there are the facts. A billionaire, a straw man, a bogeyman and the vaporware of 'school choice'.
So without meaning to drift into argument ad hominem - what to make of that?
A guy who runs his business with an iron fist calls anyone who would tax him a little more - say at the same level as Clinton - a dictator. A guy whose inventory is shipped across the country on roads built with all of our money doesn't want to pay his fair share, thinks that's socialism. A guy whose inventory control system is built on the taxpayer's subsidization of the creation of the internet doesn't want to pay his fair share of taxes. Says that would be divisive.
And so when it comes to schools, the same guy wants to cut costs - when they are already way below the costs in the well funded suburbs - by paying inexperienced millennials to teach to the bubble test.
And so, New Yorkers, he wants you to vote for Andrew Cuomo. And he and his pals have spent millions to convince you that charter schools are more than a distraction. And Andrew Cuomo takes his money and New York City's money and doles it out to Charter Schools while neighborhood schools have their budgets cut again.
Ugh.