New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo already kinda’-sorta’ tried to walk back his rather indelicately phrased remarks about those “extreme” pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment conservative having “no place in the state of New York,” but apparently the attempt didn’t really resonate. He’s still getting some oh-so-stubbornly lingering flak for the episode, and he tried again at a press conference today to clarify that “everyone has a right to an opinion” and he wasn’t saying that “anyone should leave the state.” Mmm hmmm.

I was not saying anyone should leave the state, right, and anyone who heard the comments knows that’s not what I was saying. To the extent people want to have a political dialogue, that’s what it is. But I wasn’t saying anyone should leave the state. My position is the exact opposite, right? We have all sorts of opinions in this state. We have people all along the spectrum, and it’s one of the things that makes New York special. We can agree to disagree, and everyone has a right to an opinion.