BONUS: Biggest requirement for GOP - Hate Democrats
House, Stefanik vote to end PBS, NPR funding that North Country values
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Gov. Kathy Hochul went to Congress this week and got mugged.
Right there on Capitol Hill.
Republican attack dogs - Elise Stefanik and Marjorie Taylor Greene - growled and snarled at Hochul for some five hours in a question and answer session in which Hochul was not given a chance to answer the questions.
It was a political show.
Theater of the absurd.
The New York Times characterized the hearing this way: "The panel is stacked with vocal ideologues, and though immigration was the hearing’s main focus, it often veered off-topic as lawmakers tried to rack up political points."
It's a game.
Wasted time and resources.
Those asking the questions are not serious people, just actors playing a role.
Hochul, the mild-mannered New York governor from Buffalo, just couldn't muster enough gumption to tell the two congresswoman where to go.
Someone should.
Taylor Greene told Hochul she should be charged with murder.
About the only thing Stefanik did not accuse Hochul of doing was the Nicole Brown Simpson murder and the Kennedy assassination.
It was that bad.
The level of hate being shown by Republicans toward Democrats reminds me of a scene from Aaron Sorkin's old show The Newsroom when the television newsman Will McAvoy talks about the current state of the Republican Party - and this was 13 years ago. Here is one of my favorite passages from fictional anchorman Will McAvoy:
Will McAvoy
No, I call myself a Republican 'cause I am one. I believe in market solutions and I believe in common sense realities and the necessity to defend ourselves against a dangerous world and that's about it.
Problem is now I have to be homophobic.
I have to count the number of times people go to church.
I have to deny facts and think scientific research is a long con.
I have to think poor people are getting a sweet ride.
And I have to have such a stunning inferiority complex that I fear education and intellect in the 21st century.
But most of all, the biggest new requirement,
really the only requirement, is that I have to hate Democrats.
Aaron Sorkin was way ahead of his time.
When you characterize the Republican Party of today that way, it explains a lot.
I'm sure many Democrats feel that way as well, but at least they have many of hte facts on their side.
So while President Donald Trump is ripping up the streets of Washington, D.C. today with a military parade reminiscent of dictators, hundreds will take to the streets around the region to stand up for democracy. Events are planned in Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls and Warrensburg.
What those people will be protesting is not necessarily political, it is about preserving our freedoms, due process of law and announcing that this hate needs to stop and you politicians needs to work for the people and not against them.
House kills PBS funding
Elise Stefanik likes to brag about being the deciding vote in congressional votes so she should get credit for helping to kill PBS funding as the House of Representatives voted 214-112 to cut $9.4 billin in funding that had previously been approved in Congress
The voted also stops funding to National Public Radio.
The Senate will not vote on the measure until July so there is still a chance the funding can be saved.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, said she supports public broadcasting.
"Not only would a large portion of Alaska communities lose their local programming, but warning systems for natural disasters, power outages, boil water advisories, and other alerts would be severely hampered,” Murkowski wrote. “What may seem like a frivolous expense to some has proven to be an invaluable resource that saves lives in Alaska.”
That is probably true in many rural parts of the country, including the North Country where North Country Public Radio has been a vital resource for news and information.
These same communities who will be harmed also voted for Elise Stefanik to represent them for two more years and yet she has been absent since that election.
Bad reputation
I never understood why so many people bad mouth California.
It's got Disneyland, Hollywood, Santa Anita, Big Sur, Redwood trees, Yosemite, Pebble Beach and Catalina Island.
It's also got a governor with a pretty good command of the comeback. When Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on X that unlike California, her state values “order over chaos,” Newsom responded with a zinger.
“Your homicide rate is literally DOUBLE California’s,”Newsom said.
The Front Page
Citizens across the region will be standing up for what they believe in on Saturday.
Keep in mind, this is not political, this is patriotic. This is not about any policy, it is about losing the bedrock principles of our democracy. The Front Page will continue to give voice to all those efforts.
Thanks to all of you who continue to support our efforts here at The Front Page. Spread the word to friends and neighbors. Consider upgrading to a paid subscription.
But most of all support those people on the streets and join them.
Ken Tingley spent more than four decades working in small community newspapers in upstate New York. Since retirement in 2020 he has written three books and is currently adapting his second book "The Last American Newspaper" into a play. He currently lives in Queensbury, N.Y.
Stefanik's attacks on Hochul are all about her possible campaign for Governor, but I wonder if it will backfire. To have a shot, Stefanik would need to get a lot of Dem and Independent votes; people tepid towards Hochul (like me), might like her more if Stefanik attacks her (like me again). Color me a Never Stefank-er; I think she is such a troll, I'll vote for anyone who runs against her.
Watched several minutes of Stefaniks abuse of power. She went after Governor Hochul with a fierceness of a rabid dog. Seriously hard to watch. More of the same not allowed to even answer. That was well summed up a show.
This is the depth of Stedaniks intelect. A repeat of her attack of Harvard's directors.
What we will look back on in time is a remaking of McCarthy style attacks. It's out of control. But were in such a normalization of acting dramatic and rude. If my children were to have treated another person this way. I correct them publicly. This is the ugly American act. It's ok to be an ass because this is how our President acts.
Be better don't be a Republican or Democrat children. Be a good human.