Today I saw a quote from Governor Cuomo (D) of New York, who was angered with people who had views opposing his.
"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."
Governor Cuomo was angered at conservatives who seemed to be undermining their Republican counterparts.
I am not here today to pick a side on abortion, gun control, or gay marriage. I want to just analyze the last half of the last sentence in the above quote.
“ . . . they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are."
This is what I am going to take issue with, for two reasons.
First, I don’t think it is ok to tell someone who believes something different than you that they have no place in whatever establishment you are in. That is called intolerance. Unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect contrary opinions or beliefs (Dictionary.com). If Cuomo doesn’t like what the conservatives believe, he should be trying to change their minds, not alienate them. I think Gov. Cuomo could use a lesson from my local pastor. I attend church on Sundays, and I know that one of my pastor’s goals is to convert people to his side, Christianity. He doesn’t kick people out who have contrasting views, he instead preaches his views and is willing to have civil conversations with people who don’t like what he says. Alienation is not a good way to get your method across.
Second, I don’t think it’s good to categorize the people of New York as having one view. New York is a Democratic state, meaning they have been voting Democrat for a while. That does not mean that everyone in New York shares those views. As of 2006, 59.1% of New Yorkers identify themselves as Democrats, while 33.6% say they are Republican. Based off of those stats, I don’t think it is fair to state that New Yorkers are pro-abortion, pro-gun control, and pro-gay marriage. Yes, a majority are for those things, but clearly not everyone is. That would be like saying “Americans are white”. Yes, most Americans are white, but obviously not all are. According to the 2010 census, 72.4% of Americans are white. The same logic.
Thoughts? Comment below with whatever is on your mind
1 comment:
JJJ,
I like the fact that you kept this focused on analyzing one quote from Cuomo. It allowed you to look at his words from different angles.
I'm not sure if the pastor comparison works, though. There's a big difference between someone who is an elected political leader and someone who is the head of a religious congregation. Are there really a lot of dissenters at church on a Sunday, for instance?
Lastly, I'd focus more on the American theme of what elected officials "owe" their constituents. I would argue that there is a higher burden placed on these politicians than on religious leaders.
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