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Hours before Marc Molinaro, the Republican-Conservative-Reform nominee for governor, appeared WBAI’s Max & Murphy program, he tweeted about Gov. Cuomo’s campaign operation and the controversy over who was aware of the flyer sent to Jewish voters that smeared Cynthia Nixon as soft on anti-Semitism.
“Make no mistake,” the the Dutchess County executive and former Assemblymember wrote, “they are incapable of telling the truth & there is no line they won’t cross.”
On the show, I asked Molinaro about that claim: Did he mean that literally, that there was no line the Cuomo people wouldn’t cross? Does Molinaro feel his opponent is depraved or merely wrong on the issues?
“Honestly, I believe it’s both,” he answered. “I believe this governor has not learned the less of the 1970s when he participated in despicable campaign tactics against Ed Koch. I don’t think he’s learned from the corruption trials that have brought to justice members of his administration that have defrauded taxpayers.”
The first reference was to the contentious 1977 Democratic mayoral primary runoff race between Mario Cuomo, advised by his son Andrew, and Koch. Late in the campaign someone began circulating a poster that urged voters to “vote for Cuomo, not the homo,” a nod to rumors about Koch’s sexual orientation, which he kept private throughout his life. For many years, Koch blamed the Cuomos personally for the tactic but toward the end of the former mayor’s life he appeared to accept that neither man was personally involved. The second reference was to the convictions of top Cuomo aide Joseph Percoco and Alain Kaloyeros, a leader of the administration’s upstate revitalization efforts, in separate trials this year.
Molinaro spoke with Ben Max and me mere hours after the Cuomo campaign dropped an ad that referred to Molinaro as a puppet of President Trump. Barely a week old, the general election campaign has already moved into questions of character and personality.
On the show, however, Molinaro discussed his plans to save the MTA, his objections to the SAFE Act and the pending release of his tax-relief plan.
And we took a call. About sewage.
Hear the segment with Molinaro here:
And the full program, including excerpts from our talk with Rebecca Katz, chief strategist of the Cynthia Nixon campaign, here:
6 Comments
Jim
LARRY SHARPE FOR GOVERNOR!
Uber Hammer
A difference in morality? This guy does the same pay to play crap Cuomo does and then has the gall to call him out for it.
– Says he didn’t vote for Trump, takes $25k from his brother for campaign
– Gives Tinkelman millions of dollars in contracts and tons of tax breaks, they hire his wife.
– nominates his friend to MTA board, friend donates $20k to his campaign.
There’s more if you look, but this just scratches the surface. Top that off with the fact that he has NO policy except Cuomo is corrupt (yeah, we all know that, and so are you.), and you have a GOP empty suit.
Steven
Your facts are Wong. His wife, before they were married worked for a reputable contractor, Tinkleman, part time. She made $26,000. The county of Dutchess where the contractor is located put a project out for bid. Tinkleman like every other contractor has the right to submit a sealed bid for that contract. The process requires the county to select the lowest qualified bidder. He was the lowest qualified bidder and was awarded the contract.
There is nothing wrong with it. He followed the established process and got the contract, end of story.
He did not vote for Trump. That is a fact. He wrote in Chris Gibson for President.
You have nothing on Molinaro, so you invent shit to distract from Cuomo’s mile long record of corruption. It is no coincidence that Cuomo’s top aides are going to jail. He’s all in on the corruption yet runs away from it the moment his friends, advisors and aides are caught.
Molinaro is a good decent family man who has earned everything he has gotten in life.
You can keep up the Trump mini me charade but the voters rather than the shills like you know the truth.
David Reynolds
Media outlets such as yourself should have on your program all candidates. Have you had Larry Sharpe and others?
Jarrett Murphy
Howie Hawkins and Stephanie Miner, gubernatorial candidates of the Green and Serve America parties, respectively, will appear on Septmebr 26. Larry Sharpe will appear on October 10.
Russell Nelson
I love it when Marc and Andy fight. It makes Mr. Sharpe look like the only adult running for governor.