Debating pros and cons of Stefanik
At 81, Fauci looking forward to starting next chapter
By Ken Tingley
Brian Campbell is the long-time Republican supervisor from the town of Hebron in Washington County.
You probably haven’t heard of Campbell. Heck, you might be hard-pressed to find Hebron on the map. It is one of the 17 small towns in Washington County and lies about halfway between two other dots - Argyle and Salem.
Campbell has proven to be a popular representative - he has been supervisor since 2008 - and a significant contributor on the Board of Supervisors.
Facing some significant fiscal challenges in 2020, Campbell returned to his role as budget officer. But it is what he said after being appointed that should impress you.
“Honestly, our Board of Supervisors are all fiscally conservative,” The Post-Star reported in 2020. “There’s not a Republican or Democrat demographic. Where we fall short is everyone pulling in the same direction for the greater cause of Washington County.”
Maybe, that’s why my recent column critical of Rep. Elise Stefanik rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe, he felt it was time for us all to be pulling in the same direction.
Campbell 600-word long comment was unusual for its length, and frankly, for calling me about my criticism.
Our paths crossed from time to time in editorial board meetings when I was editor, but I don’t ever recall engaging in any significant one-on-one conversations.
His thoughts and insights were thoughtful and respectful, but mostly contrary to my own conclusions. I found this refreshing, challenging and an opportunity to open a dialogue with someone who sees things differently. After all, he has worked personally with four different congressional leaders since becoming a supervisor.
You might want to read Brian’s comment from Wednesday’s newsletter, “It’s Stefanik’s little lies you should worry about” before you read further.
Campbell believes I am “tilting the scale in one direction” with my criticism of our congresswoman. There is no doubt, I have been critical of her, but it is not out of ideology. I’m still a staunch fiscal conservative who believes I am more moderate Republican than anything else. In that regard, I may have lot more in common with Brian and the other supervisors than they realize.
I fear Stefanik’s aggressive politics have contributed greatly to the divide in our own region. Her use of social media to characterize Democrats as the evil enemy is not acceptable. After all, we are all Americans who want what’s best for our country.
She has regularly shown an inability to tell the truth, especially when she is playing the political game on social media. Public events where she answers constituents’ concerns are a rarity and she often avoids difficult inquiries from local media outlets. I believe these to be worthwhile criticisms and you may notice it has nothing to do with policy.
Her exceptional skill at fundraising allows her to dominate the airwaves with messaging that is not particularly accurate or fair while poisoning the atmosphere for debate. And so far, she has been unable to articulate a vision for her district and country and how she can make a difference for the people she represents.
But Campbell sees it differently and he has the advantage of having worked directly with the congresswoman. He believes in the old-fashioned way of working together. That is what Rep. Stefanik also said when she was first elected. You don’t hear that from her so much anymore.
“In my mind, all four had had great ideas and aspirations, but the three ahead of Elise left because of the political climate,” Campbell wrote. There is some truth to that.
Campbell sees Stefanik’s appearance at the outset of the social media age as an advantage. He believes she checks all the boxes for survival in this brutal political climate with her tenacity, talent and experience.
My view of the same period is different. I do not see Rep. Stefanik as a survivor, but as an opportunist contributing to the lack of civility and neighborly debate.
Campbell writes that Rep. Stefanik “works for her constituency” and “gets results.” He believes that Stefanik’s position as a leader of the Republican Party in the House and Sen. Schumer’s position as Majority Leader in the Senate have positioned our region to do great things.
I’m skeptical.
“Her winning margin increases every time she runs, because she gets results,” Campbell wrote. “Has this region of New York ever had a better opportunity in your lifetime?”
I’d like to think he is right, but I’m not clear how Rep. Stefanik has made a difference over the last eight years in office. I don’t see these “results” as clearly. What she has accomplished appears to be nothing more than what previous members of Congress did. Perhaps, I’m missing something. I see her endorsement of conspiracy theories as dividing our communities further and putting our democracy at risk.
I also don’t have the same trust in voters. Too many times as a member of the editorial board, I saw voters elect candidates I regarded as the lesser qualified.
Campbell asks me to forgive our politicians for their egos and ambitions. I can do that, but only if their egos and ambitions don’t come at the expense of their constituents.
I picked up a T-shirt at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library recently with a quote from the 41st president on the back: “Any definition of a successful life must include serving others”
Perhaps, being the youngest woman ever elected to the House of Representatives left holes in a resume of a life not yet fully lived. Maybe that will come with age.
But maybe Brian was just tired of my drum beat of criticism against the congresswoman. Maybe he saw it has negativity that had little benefit and perhaps he has a point. I see it has holding her accountable for bad behavior.
Sadly, I believe Rep. Stefanik’s own ambitions come first. She has not made “serving others” a priority.
It is what so many local elected officials have done in their communities, including Mr. Campbell. Heck, I’d give my vote in an instant to Brian Campbell if he were running for Congress.
On Wednesday, Stefanik tweeted out, “Hardworking Americans should NOT be footing the bill for the liberal elites’ student debt.”
It was an ironic position from a woman who summered as a youth with her parents at their lake-front home in the Adirondacks, attended a private high school in Albany and graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in the world - Harvard.
It made me wonder how many youngsters in Washington County will benefit from having their student loan forgiven, and if Rep. Stefanik realizes how many of these rural kids who attended SUNY Adirondack are the ones who will benefit.
Debate is good.
Brian Campbell gave me a lot to think about.
I hope I give him something to think about, too. We may not change each other’s minds, but at least we’re talking.
Newsletter endorsement
It was great to see an endorsement of this “The Front Page” newsletter by former Times Union Editor Rex Smith.
Smith, who writes a weekly newsletter column “The Upstate American” that publishes every Saturday, wrote this:
“Why was the newspaper in little Glens Falls, N.Y, the best community daily in the state for so many years? Maybe it was because of this guy, who was the paper's sensible and big-hearted editor.”
I was humbled by the kind words, but honestly, it was because I was so lucky to work alongside so many great journalists.
Fauci leaving
I suppose it should come as no surprises that Dr. Anthony Fauci is leaving government service after 50 years. Considering the criticism he received over the past two years, it is amazing he lasted this long, especially after death threats against him and his family.
But what struck me most was his reason why. He said he was leaving to “pursue the next chapter of my life.”
Fauci is 81 years old.
We all should be so luck to have the energy to peruse another chapter at age 81.
Tweet of the Day
Mr. Campbell may be ok with Stefanik’s transition to “ Full MAGA” which has caused immeasurable damage to the country. I’m amazed how she distributes money provided by bills she voted against and brags about it constantly when she deserves no credit at all. As for the student debt, the Republicans have no problem with their rich friends with PPP loans that were forgiven yet fuss over helping the middle class ( finally!) I wonder if Stefanik ever needed to even take out student loans for her Harvard Education? In the end she probably paid less for college than others that spend a lifetime only paying the interest and haven’t touched the principal.
We see now more than ever, her own ambitions coming first.
One can see it in plain sight any time she and that same group of 45 lackeys get in front of a mic. It’s humorous to watch her behind the guys at a presser, literally quivering to speak.
Similar, to say, a child waiting in line at the ice cream parlor, or sometimes it looks like man’s best friend anticipating a milk bone.
What’s not humorous, is the fact so many people still vote for her, thinking she actually DID have anything to do with what Sen Schumer actually has done for the betterment of our district.
Piggybacking I think is the term.