(Above: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says “extreme conservatives” have no place in his state)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told WCNY radio host Susan Arbetter over the weekend that “extreme conservatives” who are “right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay,” have “no place in the state of New York.”
Cuomo was commenting on the difference between what he identifies as “extreme” conservatives and the more “moderate” Republicans, who he doesn’t mind keeping around.
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’s comments have received a heavy backlash from the state’s conservatives, including Dennis Poust, communications director for the New York State Catholic Conference.
My governor thinks there's no place in NY for people like me. Can I get a state grant to relocate?
— Dennis Poust (@DennisPoust) January 17, 2014
Today, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley responded to Cuomo’s comments with a simple message to Constitution-loving New Yorkers of all walks of life who feel shunned by their governor: Come on down!
“In Alabama we strongly support and uphold our great U.S. Constitution on which our nation and our states were founded,” Bentley told Yellowhammer. “The Constitution serves to protect individual Freedoms. Among them are those guaranteed in the Second Amendment, which protects the right of the people to keep and bear Arms. We will protect the Freedoms of individuals and welcome any one or any company to Alabama to discover as so many have, that we are a pro-business state filled with good, hardworking people.”
Bentley also encouraged tourists thinking about their next travel destination to consider what Alabama has to offer.
“Alabama has so much for people to enjoy, from our warm sunny beaches to our beautiful lakes and rivers,” Bentley said. “We’re proud of the cultural diversity that makes our state so unique, and we welcome New Yorkers and anyone to experience for themselves what makes our state so great.”
Back in New York, it appears that a lot of New Yorkers were already leaving, even before Cuomo encouraged them to.
A migration study conducted by United Van Lines found that 61 percent of their New York clients in 2013 were moving to other states. That’s the third highest percentage in the country.
Another study by the Tax Foundation found that 3.4 million residents left the high-taxing Empire State between 2000 and 2010. The state only gained 2.1 million new residents over that same time period, so 1.3 million more people left the state than came to it. The Tax Foundation estimates that population shift represents a loss of $45.6 billion in income for the state.
UPDATE: Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard has also taken to Facebook to encourage conservative New Yorkers to come south.
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