One of Gov. Cuomo’s top Republican supporters ignited an uproar Tuesday by comparing populist appeals targeting income inequality to arguments made by Nazis in pre-war Germany.
Kenneth Langone, the billionaire co-founder of The Home Depot and a chairman of Republicans for Cuomo, made the remark when asked by Politico how the rich view the political arguments made by Mayor de Blasio and other liberals.
“I hope it’s not working. Because if you go back to 1933, with different words, this is what Hitler was saying,” he said. “You don’t survive as a society if you encourage and thrive on envy or jealousy.”
Eleven hours later, Langone backpedaled.
“My remarks were intended to discourage pitting one group against another group,” he said. “If my choice of words was inappropriate — and they well may have been that — I extend my profound apologies to anyone and everyone who I may have offended.”
Cuomo’s Republican challenger for governor, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, called the remarks “outrageous” and demanded that Cuomo repudiate them.
“We can disagree in society. We’re supposed to disagree in society. That’s why you have different political parties. But all this extremist conversation anytime somebody disagrees with you has gone way too far,” said Astorino, speaking in Albany after addressing an evangelical Christian group.
A coalition of liberal activists sent a letter to Cuomo calling on him to not only reject Langone’s comments, but also return his donations.
At day’s end, Cuomo spokesman Matt Wing said, “He apologized for using inappropriate words.”
De Blasio, a self-styled progressive who has locked horns with Cuomo for wanting to increase taxes on the wealthy to fund expanded prekindergarten and afterschool programs, demurred when asked if the governor should have chastised Langone.
“I think the comment was obviously over the top to say the least, so I think it’s perfectly appropriate if someone doesn’t want to speak to that,” the mayor said.