Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota didn’t mince words today in describing the Republican/right-wing lawmakers in Washington as “extremists who’re holding the government and the people hostage to the positions they hold.”

Speaking to reporters after a hour-long visit at Yeshiva University in Midtown, Mr. Lhota seemed to suggest that the attempt by the campaign of Bill de Blasio to paint him as a Tea-Party extremist is just not going to work. “Anyone that wants to tag me with what’s going on in Washington, is making a big mistake,” he said. “I’ve not agreed with anything the Tea Party has done – where they’re going and what the want to do – and on top of all, I’ll stand with Pete King on his position.”

Mr. Lhota also said he supports “major parts” of Obamacare but there isn’t one perfect way to deal with healthcare and it isn’t an issue in NYC. “The hang up on Obamacare, in this particular case, is wrong. Using it as leverage is wrong. And shutting down the government is wrong,” Mr. Lhota stated.

He added that he had some issues with the individual mandate but would not further discuss it before he had made up his mind on it.

Mr. de Blasio’s campaign launched a tumblr, this morning, painting mr. Lhota as an extremist and that Lhota extolled the virtues of the right-wing ideology, even telling the SI Tea Party group in May, “My philosophical issues are very close to yours in many, many ways.”

But Mr. Lhota rebuffed that claim saying, “We had a huge ‘verbally violent’ discussion about gun control and what it means in New York City. You can take selected information about a meeting that took an hour ad take out one sentence and pull it out. It is not fair. I can’t tell you how much I disagree, and have consistently disagreed, with the Tea Party. And I thin they are a bad force for the Republican Party. They’re extremists and are moving the party in a direction that I think is wrong.”

“If Bill wants to run this race with character assassination, it makes me even more confident that I’m going to win,” he added.

The NY Times forgot to write some things he disagreed with Barry Goldwater, such as his position on the equal rights act and race issues, Mr. Lhota further claimed.

“If bill wants to pave me in that position and not talk about the issues that are important to the people of New York he’s making a very big mistake. He goes into one debate and he wants to tie me with that, I will go toe to toe with him. I’ll beat him on the issues,” he said.

“Where is Bill?” Mr. Lhota asked, as he raised his voice in frustration. “Call him out. Have him asked questions make sure that its about the issues that are important for the citrus of the city of New York. Where’s his vision? Where’s his vision? Ask him questions. Where does he a at to go?”

“I’ll go toe to toe with him and I’ll win on November 5th,” Mr. Lhota proclaimed, “because my ideas are significantly better than his and because nobody knows what they are.”

Mr. Lhota also defended getting the support of David Koch, who has donated money to the tea party together with his brother. “I have received a check from David and Julia Koch from my campaign and as I’ve read in a newspaper that they are also part of an [independent expenditure], which I don’t know about,” he said. “It’s not the brothers. It’s one. It’s David. And David gave $81,000 to Andrew Cuomo and you didn’t ask him the same question. What you need to look at is who David Koch is. David Koch has spent an enormous amount of his own money philanthropically here in the City of New York. There are rooms in buildings named after him in this city, including over at Lincoln Center. He, like I, believes in a woman’s right to choose. He believes, as I do, in marriage equality. David Koch’s beliefs on social issues are no different than mine or my opponent’s when it comes to women’s choice and women’s issues and other issues like that. Tying me together with the Tea Party is just not gonna work. And if I’m tied to the Tea Party, so’s Andrew Cuomo. Ask him about the $81,000 he received from David and Julia Koch. It’s as simple as that.”

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)