GOP’s NY Mayor Candidate Blasts Republicans over Shutdown

Democrats have provided New Yorkers with a shockingly poor choice for mayor in Bill de Blasio, whose left-wing resumé not only includes helping the Sandinista communists in Nicaragua but also welcoming butcher Robert Mugabe to City Hall in 2002. Yet the GOP nominee, Joe Lhota will certainly give some Republican voters pause today with a blistering attack on his own party’s leadership over the Obamacare showdown.

In a statement released this morning, Lhota echoes President Barack Obama’s slanderous talking points, calling House Republicans “extremists” and demanding that they “get their acts together and do the right thing for the country. They must put self interest aside, pass a responsible budget and avoid a government shutdown.” Lhota made no similar request of President Obama or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Interestingly, one word that Lhota left out of his statement was “Obamacare,” the legislation that is meant to go into effect tomorrow. Many New Yorkers–in contrast to other Americans–will pay less on Obamacare’s insurance exchanges than they currently do, thanks only to bad state insurance policies already in place. Still, the damage to America’s economy has not stopped at the New York state boundary.

I would approach the Lhota campaign for comment, except that Lhota’s staff does not like to return emails or telephone calls to conservative news outlets (this one, at least). Say what you will about Anthony Weiner (and we have!): his campaign was more accessible than his prospective Republican opponent. And Weiner’s personal peccadilloes pale in comparison to Red Bill’s past support for mass murderers and tyrants.