I’m a Conservative Republican and live just north of NYC and work in NYC. We all know exactly what he means by NY values. It’s only the liberals in NY (plenty of them) who are offended because they also know exactly what he means. He could have said California or Hollywood values. Pretty much the same.
A relative of mine who lives in NYC (upper west side), an educated and successful person, actual rejoiced in Scalia’s death (on Facebook, no less) since we had a Democratic President to appoint another lefty. Aside from his lack of knowledge of the process (which I pray stops any appointment this year), I was horrified as how far a previously reasonable person could go bash a deceased Great American over politics.
Some people aren’t old enough the recall the 1984 GOP Convention which nominated Ronald Reagan to a second term when keynote speaker Jeane Kirkpatrick, a former Democrat, used the term “San Francisco Democrats” as the very theme of her speech. It didn’t seem to hurt Reagan.