Blake Gendebien social media is mainly to ask you for money.. *
- - > I have no doubt it cost money to run for office, but if you look at his lack of policy on those pages ../ you can only say he is a 'moderate' if you say pos_tfnKKK is a moderate... if you don't back it up with policy.
His problem is and will be the lies republicans tell.. in this substack Mr. Tingley points out pos_tfnKKK was a liar from day one (but remember the Post-Star hardly ever pointed out that fact). She has no policy, just lies. The republicans who want to replace her... have no policy, just lies (notable: stec_ickkk, tonie cog_tino).. all are living on hate, fumes and jingos (and of course lies)
As soon as he says he is a democrat... a large swath of ny21 will not vote for him. And when you look at his web presence and see he has no policy, lots of people are going to say why bother...
======
Very few rich people in ny21... in fact most of the people who voted for pos_tfnKKK
main investment seems to be in guns... and make it from week to week paycheck to pay for the loans for their snowmobiles, side by side...
And their lack of education.. means they don't have student loans, and resent anyone who goes to school..
The irony is often the jobs that gQpeds of ny21 have did require education, from mechanics to repair to getting a CDL to drive the snow truck. From Police to correction officers.. If you worked in Public Service
But they don't get it... They miss the part where all training and education qualifies.. if they work in public service.. which is those truck drivers...and law enfrocement..
WELL that was.. now hmpy trmPEDOfile has taken that away
Blake Gendebien could come out and say he believes in education and training. He could have a plan.
He could say a lot, but doesn't
ª if you are an unemployed (or underemployed)gQped.. who wants to be a mechanic
ª if you are an unemployed (or underemployed)gQped.. who wants to be a police officer
ª if you are an unemployed (or underemployed)gQped.. who wants to be a CDL plow driver
You could benefit from a candidate who says he will help you to be making a livable watch.. who wants to help the ny21 and America workforce.. right now he has no plan
He is just like the gQpedos republicans (pos_tfnKKK, d-stec_ickkk, et. al.)... the only thing he doesn’t do is kneel to the guy who is crashing the economy.
Do you read https://paulaforny.substack.com/ ? some of the things she has said about the Democratic Party (of NY and probably the nation) -- if you read between the lines -- kind of tells you the thing Michelle Wolf said is true:
"
But I also want to make fun of Democrats. Democrats are harder to make fun of because you guys don’t do anything.
People think you might flip the House and Senate this November, but you guys always find a way to mess it up. You’re somehow going to lose by 12 points to a guy named Jeff Pedophile Nazi Doctor. Oh, he’s a doctor?
"
look at the last 20 years... blocking Bernie Sanders at every turn... and more recently picking Gerry Connolly over AOC...
The reason why the Dems worry so much about third party candidates is they know how weak they are at doing the right thing
in a single post... you have liked my comments and responded more than the DNC in a life-time of being a democrats.. unless you count the times they asked for money.
In fact.... Patrick Nelson (d) once wrote to me and tanked me for a donatoin..
And after I donated to Janet Duprey (r) and she emailed me and said she was returning my donation because she had decided (because of health reasons) she was not going to run again. I let he keep the money (and am glad to see she is still kicking at 79.
====
Add I once donated to Tedra Cobb (d)... and a week later I went to see her speak. Not only did her 'people' coerce me into another donation.... but told me to stop taking pictures (from the back row of the theater)..
I need to add, I believe the reason I am on every democratic party (and probably some republican) mailing list, is because when I donated to Cobb.. they got my email.
Aug. 9, 1988... for many Canadians was one of the saddest days.
I remember seeing fans all over Canada crying when they heard the news that Wayne Gretzky was traded...not just traded but to an American team (LA Kings)... but even then Canadians loved him
But aligning himself with hmpy trmPEDO.. was the step to far for most Canadians...
Interesting that your reader thinks Blake has no chance... when I heard he had been picked I was overjoyed and thought the exact opposite: here's someone with a chance!
My family has a dairy farm in Northern St. Lawrence County. Farmers around here know that the Gendebiens are salt of the earth Good People. I have never heard a bad word said about them and they are well liked in the farming community, even among the hard core right wingers. If anyone has a chance of appealing to Stefanik voters, it's Blake Gendebien.
I had the same response, thrilled that someone from the North Country, and a dairy farmer to boot, was stepping up to run. We do not need another candidate who uses the district as a launching pad to bigger positions in government. The DNC never supported a candidate because they knew Stefanik was unbeatable. We need Blake Gendebien in Congress. He's a moderate Dem who KNOWS the NY21. I believe he has more than a fighting chance. BTW, I believe, without knowing, he probably is getting support from the DNC already. Don't quote me on that!
Sara, he cannot receive from DNC until a campaign is official. That starts when ES resigns. This is such an important election to increase Democratic representation in Congress. The nation should be throwing funding at this campaign.
The problem is that the DNC has not followed the Dean 50:state strategy since Obama put Rahm in charge and they turned to celebrities. Sure, Oprah made Obama, but that isn’t a long term strategy.
What happens is that Republican incumbents have ongoing machinery to get out their voters every 2 years while the opposition Dems bring in a new person to run and that person has to navigate the complexities and internal politics, the bruised feelings, the 500 different opinions about what they are doing wrong, what Dems are screwing up, etc.
The DNC could fund a full time organizer for every district in the nation so that a new candidate would have some minimal support structure in place to build on. Our county committee system is not doing that work. At least not effectively.
Unfortunately, the problem is not his character or intelligence - which may be superior - but the fact that the Democrats are so demonized is the problem. People use to vote for both parties all the time, but less so now.
I have written to the state Democratic party and urged them to put more support into the campaign in District 21. Gendebien deserves and is due lots of support after all the support they gave Elise for all those useless years. We attended a rally in Beekmantown in a packed room. He was very well received and Bill Owens was there speaking and giving his full support. If Gendebien is too radical, what do you call Elise's support of a man who just gave away our status in the world away to Putin. Unbelievable!
Blake Gendebien needs more than local support. I know for a fact that Democrats from other states are making phone calls and contributing to his campaign but this isn’t enough. I am not happy with the DNC , it has written off NY 21 and treats the Democrats of this district as unwanted stepchildren. This makes me furious. When I receive phone calls from DNC representatives my answer is clear. “I will not give you a dime until you begin supporting our Democratic candidates; I’ll give my contribution to the candidate instead”. This time with the House majority at stake, one would hope that the DNC will wake up.
Let's not forget that all Musk has to do is open his change purse and drop a few million in #21 and there is no way the locals or the DNC can compete with that kind of dough. We better hope that people are seeing how money corrupts and get their butts out to vote, but I am afraid that many of our constituents will not.
At the moment it looks like there is a big hole in the bottom of Musk’s change purse. Not only is Twitter crashing, but so is Tesla stock. But ist isn’t burning like a Tesla car is likely to do.
I wouldn’t totally agree that he NEEDS to be vague, but the reality is that only the tiniest portion of the electorate care enough about policy positions to visit a candidate website.
Opposition research is much more interested in that sort of stuff.
I agree that Blake Gendebien has the right stuff to connect with North Country voters, particularly if they get to see how the Trumpies are betraying them. But the Democratic National Committee needs to put some money into this race. For once the Dems really have a chance and Gendebien may be just the candidate to make it happen. We’re not a “star” kind of place.
What evidence do you have that the Democrats have a chance, given the voter registration numbers, the previous elections in this district (2022 and 2024), and that Trump is still polling well among the majority of voters in this district? Wasn't this district gerrymandered by Democrats to "pack" as many Republicans as possible into one district so that Democrats would have a better chance in districts further down the Hudson Valley? Wouldn't national Democrats be better off giving money to the Democratic nominee for the Supreme Court in this spring's election in Wisconsin than giving to Democratic candidates in either NY-21 or the two Florida special elections for the congressional seats given up by Gaetz and Waltz?
Thanks again for this morning’s edition of The Front Page. Like the former supervisor, it’s my first read of the day on MWF on my treadmill at Planet Fitness. Keep on “toiling” Ken and Will!
As to Blake G, perhaps it’s good to first get to know what’s in his heart (who he is as a person), and later find out what’s in his head (his positions on issues facing our district and the nation). There will be plenty of time for the latter.
We need a person of integrity who has empathy and a sense of civility; and there is no empathy and civility without humility. By humility I mean creating space in our lives where others can enter in.
The more I understand politics, the more I realize that Republicans -- as dishonest and evil as they are -- have a knack for simple messaging, repeated over and over. I think Dems need to hire a Republican-minded strategist to shape their message, whatever it might be.
Is Medicaid - and talk of cutting it - a political issue in the North Country? I notice that The NY Times said last week that about a third of families in the 21st are on Medicaid. The Times piece showed that the Medicaid figures for the 21st are among the 20 highest in the US in districts
represented by Republicans.
(I am a GF native but currently living in Maryland.)
Medicaid is huge here, not just because so many need it for their healthcare coverage but also because healthcare jobs are a significant part of our economy and reduction of Medicaid reimbursement will probably force closure of rural health facilities, including nursing homes.
Stefanik sent postcards promising to fight for Medicare, Social Security , and the VA, but she voted against them. The Republican candidate will have to answer for that.
NCPR this morning did another segment about the impact that Trump/Musk and the DOGE Backpack Boys cutting federal funding and employees is already having on the North Country. Last week they did one on how the freeze of federal funding has stopped improvements to NCPR's Emergency Broadcast System capabilities, putting people in NY21 in danger by not being able to warn local residents, for example, if there is a rapid rise of rivers and imminent flooding as we go into the spring melt.
Of course, if these actions were taken by a Democrat, we would hear nonstop screeching from Stefanik. But, true to her utter fealty to her Donald, she has remained mute. So much for her oft touted "working for NY21" claims. This past weekend she was hanging out with the likes of Noem and Loeffler "celebrating" International Women's Day.
Sad to say, all we can hope for is by the time of the special election, that more and more residents in NY21 will have personally felt the impact of Trump's policies and actions and hopefully they will choose Blake. The longer it takes for Stefanik not to resign her seat I think it is an advantage for Dems to run with it and broadcast, constantly, what harm is being done and to point out the failure of Stefanik and her MAGA allies and how they are just standing by and doing absolutely nothing.
Blake has to keep highlighting the dangers and damages of what Trump/Must have done to America and to the North Country. He should have a chat with Chris Murphy of Connecticut, since Sen. Murphy is out there loudly pointing out, with facts, the harm that is being done by Trump. On the other hand, New York's two sitting senators have been quite pathetic in messaging.
You are SO right about our Senators doing nothing to help elect Blake Gendebien. I have called their offices to leave messages about giving him their enthusiastic support. Who knows if they ever get those messages. His connecting with the vocal Chris Murphy is a great idea! Murphy may be campaigning for President in 2028, but if so, he's got my vote!
Gendebien has the bona fides, intelligence, personality and drive to win this race — there’s no doubt it will be an uphill battle. Outreach costs money —he’s already raised a decent amount, but more donations are needed. The DNC needs to get behind his candidacy, to invest in our district, to stop writing it off as a lost cause!!!
When I saw the heading about stars, I was nervous. We don't need a star. We need a candidate who is genuine, who knows and loves the north country, and is smart. I had heard there was a dairy farmer interested in the Democratic nomination. I went to a gathering in Gouverneur a few weeks ago and I was blown away by Blake Gendebien! If I were to design the perfect candidate for this district, it would be very much like, if not identical to, Blake. He
comes across immediately as genuine, informed, articulate, sincere, in touch...I could go on. I said, "There is a star who can beat anyone the R's put up. If you get a chance to meet him, GO! Believe me, you will leave enthusiastic!
As always.....well said!
Blake Gendebien social media is mainly to ask you for money.. *
- - > I have no doubt it cost money to run for office, but if you look at his lack of policy on those pages ../ you can only say he is a 'moderate' if you say pos_tfnKKK is a moderate... if you don't back it up with policy.
*
https://blakegendebienforcongress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570535124774
https://bsky.app/profile/blakegendebien.bsky.social
His problem is and will be the lies republicans tell.. in this substack Mr. Tingley points out pos_tfnKKK was a liar from day one (but remember the Post-Star hardly ever pointed out that fact). She has no policy, just lies. The republicans who want to replace her... have no policy, just lies (notable: stec_ickkk, tonie cog_tino).. all are living on hate, fumes and jingos (and of course lies)
As soon as he says he is a democrat... a large swath of ny21 will not vote for him. And when you look at his web presence and see he has no policy, lots of people are going to say why bother...
======
Very few rich people in ny21... in fact most of the people who voted for pos_tfnKKK
main investment seems to be in guns... and make it from week to week paycheck to pay for the loans for their snowmobiles, side by side...
And their lack of education.. means they don't have student loans, and resent anyone who goes to school..
The irony is often the jobs that gQpeds of ny21 have did require education, from mechanics to repair to getting a CDL to drive the snow truck. From Police to correction officers.. If you worked in Public Service
But they don't get it... They miss the part where all training and education qualifies.. if they work in public service.. which is those truck drivers...and law enfrocement..
WELL that was.. now hmpy trmPEDOfile has taken that away
https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5182839-trump-signs-executive-order-limiting-eligibility-for-public-service-loan-forgiveness/
Blake Gendebien could come out and say he believes in education and training. He could have a plan.
He could say a lot, but doesn't
ª if you are an unemployed (or underemployed)gQped.. who wants to be a mechanic
ª if you are an unemployed (or underemployed)gQped.. who wants to be a police officer
ª if you are an unemployed (or underemployed)gQped.. who wants to be a CDL plow driver
You could benefit from a candidate who says he will help you to be making a livable watch.. who wants to help the ny21 and America workforce.. right now he has no plan
He is just like the gQpedos republicans (pos_tfnKKK, d-stec_ickkk, et. al.)... the only thing he doesn’t do is kneel to the guy who is crashing the economy.
Who is going to pull the Democratic Party out of the mud in 21 (and nationally?} They seem to be just spinning their (money) wheels.
I refuse to believe there’s no hope of ever turning that around. But I guess that’s a given you don’t field or fund competitive candidates.
Do you read https://paulaforny.substack.com/ ? some of the things she has said about the Democratic Party (of NY and probably the nation) -- if you read between the lines -- kind of tells you the thing Michelle Wolf said is true:
"
But I also want to make fun of Democrats. Democrats are harder to make fun of because you guys don’t do anything.
People think you might flip the House and Senate this November, but you guys always find a way to mess it up. You’re somehow going to lose by 12 points to a guy named Jeff Pedophile Nazi Doctor. Oh, he’s a doctor?
"
look at the last 20 years... blocking Bernie Sanders at every turn... and more recently picking Gerry Connolly over AOC...
The reason why the Dems worry so much about third party candidates is they know how weak they are at doing the right thing
A bit harsh, but I understand born out of frustration.
in a single post... you have liked my comments and responded more than the DNC in a life-time of being a democrats.. unless you count the times they asked for money.
In fact.... Patrick Nelson (d) once wrote to me and tanked me for a donatoin..
And after I donated to Janet Duprey (r) and she emailed me and said she was returning my donation because she had decided (because of health reasons) she was not going to run again. I let he keep the money (and am glad to see she is still kicking at 79.
====
Add I once donated to Tedra Cobb (d)... and a week later I went to see her speak. Not only did her 'people' coerce me into another donation.... but told me to stop taking pictures (from the back row of the theater)..
I wonder if maybe my comment wasn't HARSH enough.
I need to add, I believe the reason I am on every democratic party (and probably some republican) mailing list, is because when I donated to Cobb.. they got my email.
Yes I do. I feel similarly.
Aug. 9, 1988... for many Canadians was one of the saddest days.
I remember seeing fans all over Canada crying when they heard the news that Wayne Gretzky was traded...not just traded but to an American team (LA Kings)... but even then Canadians loved him
But aligning himself with hmpy trmPEDO.. was the step to far for most Canadians...
Interesting that your reader thinks Blake has no chance... when I heard he had been picked I was overjoyed and thought the exact opposite: here's someone with a chance!
My family has a dairy farm in Northern St. Lawrence County. Farmers around here know that the Gendebiens are salt of the earth Good People. I have never heard a bad word said about them and they are well liked in the farming community, even among the hard core right wingers. If anyone has a chance of appealing to Stefanik voters, it's Blake Gendebien.
I had the same response, thrilled that someone from the North Country, and a dairy farmer to boot, was stepping up to run. We do not need another candidate who uses the district as a launching pad to bigger positions in government. The DNC never supported a candidate because they knew Stefanik was unbeatable. We need Blake Gendebien in Congress. He's a moderate Dem who KNOWS the NY21. I believe he has more than a fighting chance. BTW, I believe, without knowing, he probably is getting support from the DNC already. Don't quote me on that!
He is also an unknown and the election cycle will be short so he needs to get lots of media attention.
Sara, he cannot receive from DNC until a campaign is official. That starts when ES resigns. This is such an important election to increase Democratic representation in Congress. The nation should be throwing funding at this campaign.
The problem is that the DNC has not followed the Dean 50:state strategy since Obama put Rahm in charge and they turned to celebrities. Sure, Oprah made Obama, but that isn’t a long term strategy.
What happens is that Republican incumbents have ongoing machinery to get out their voters every 2 years while the opposition Dems bring in a new person to run and that person has to navigate the complexities and internal politics, the bruised feelings, the 500 different opinions about what they are doing wrong, what Dems are screwing up, etc.
The DNC could fund a full time organizer for every district in the nation so that a new candidate would have some minimal support structure in place to build on. Our county committee system is not doing that work. At least not effectively.
But the DNC hasn’t done that.
Unfortunately, the problem is not his character or intelligence - which may be superior - but the fact that the Democrats are so demonized is the problem. People use to vote for both parties all the time, but less so now.
I have written to the state Democratic party and urged them to put more support into the campaign in District 21. Gendebien deserves and is due lots of support after all the support they gave Elise for all those useless years. We attended a rally in Beekmantown in a packed room. He was very well received and Bill Owens was there speaking and giving his full support. If Gendebien is too radical, what do you call Elise's support of a man who just gave away our status in the world away to Putin. Unbelievable!
Did you receive a response from the Democratic Party?
I emailed the county chair
https://www.nydems.org/about/counties#franklin-county
https://www.facebook.com/franklincountynydems
about selection of the ny21 candidate
NO response
Blake Gendebien needs more than local support. I know for a fact that Democrats from other states are making phone calls and contributing to his campaign but this isn’t enough. I am not happy with the DNC , it has written off NY 21 and treats the Democrats of this district as unwanted stepchildren. This makes me furious. When I receive phone calls from DNC representatives my answer is clear. “I will not give you a dime until you begin supporting our Democratic candidates; I’ll give my contribution to the candidate instead”. This time with the House majority at stake, one would hope that the DNC will wake up.
Let's not forget that all Musk has to do is open his change purse and drop a few million in #21 and there is no way the locals or the DNC can compete with that kind of dough. We better hope that people are seeing how money corrupts and get their butts out to vote, but I am afraid that many of our constituents will not.
At the moment it looks like there is a big hole in the bottom of Musk’s change purse. Not only is Twitter crashing, but so is Tesla stock. But ist isn’t burning like a Tesla car is likely to do.
Blake needs to be vague to draw in both sides
He owes the Dems nothing more than his honesty and capacity to run
He needs moderate republicans to have a shot
This is only about upending MAGA
Privileged Idealists need a reality check
Political strategy and offering an off ramp for the non MAGA conservative is the name of the game
I wouldn’t totally agree that he NEEDS to be vague, but the reality is that only the tiniest portion of the electorate care enough about policy positions to visit a candidate website.
Opposition research is much more interested in that sort of stuff.
I agree. It was a lazy way to say he needs to play his cards wisely. The choice should be a no brainer for Democrats.
I agree that Blake Gendebien has the right stuff to connect with North Country voters, particularly if they get to see how the Trumpies are betraying them. But the Democratic National Committee needs to put some money into this race. For once the Dems really have a chance and Gendebien may be just the candidate to make it happen. We’re not a “star” kind of place.
What evidence do you have that the Democrats have a chance, given the voter registration numbers, the previous elections in this district (2022 and 2024), and that Trump is still polling well among the majority of voters in this district? Wasn't this district gerrymandered by Democrats to "pack" as many Republicans as possible into one district so that Democrats would have a better chance in districts further down the Hudson Valley? Wouldn't national Democrats be better off giving money to the Democratic nominee for the Supreme Court in this spring's election in Wisconsin than giving to Democratic candidates in either NY-21 or the two Florida special elections for the congressional seats given up by Gaetz and Waltz?
Thanks again for this morning’s edition of The Front Page. Like the former supervisor, it’s my first read of the day on MWF on my treadmill at Planet Fitness. Keep on “toiling” Ken and Will!
As to Blake G, perhaps it’s good to first get to know what’s in his heart (who he is as a person), and later find out what’s in his head (his positions on issues facing our district and the nation). There will be plenty of time for the latter.
We need a person of integrity who has empathy and a sense of civility; and there is no empathy and civility without humility. By humility I mean creating space in our lives where others can enter in.
Integrity and empathy in politics? Oh my, is that possible anymore. I hope so.
Yes, I believe it is possible. I see signs of it now, but it seems to appear on only one side of the aisle, unfortunately.
The more I understand politics, the more I realize that Republicans -- as dishonest and evil as they are -- have a knack for simple messaging, repeated over and over. I think Dems need to hire a Republican-minded strategist to shape their message, whatever it might be.
and sadly.. they do this about complex issues.. and often through hate.
We are a country of immigrants.... but the gQp with propaganda (fox,oan, etc) make people afraid of immigrants... they are the nazi's 3.0
Is Medicaid - and talk of cutting it - a political issue in the North Country? I notice that The NY Times said last week that about a third of families in the 21st are on Medicaid. The Times piece showed that the Medicaid figures for the 21st are among the 20 highest in the US in districts
represented by Republicans.
(I am a GF native but currently living in Maryland.)
I saw the piece but did not read it all. I will have to go back and check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TPY7NAu9ygY
Medicaid is huge here, not just because so many need it for their healthcare coverage but also because healthcare jobs are a significant part of our economy and reduction of Medicaid reimbursement will probably force closure of rural health facilities, including nursing homes.
Stefanik sent postcards promising to fight for Medicare, Social Security , and the VA, but she voted against them. The Republican candidate will have to answer for that.
NCPR this morning did another segment about the impact that Trump/Musk and the DOGE Backpack Boys cutting federal funding and employees is already having on the North Country. Last week they did one on how the freeze of federal funding has stopped improvements to NCPR's Emergency Broadcast System capabilities, putting people in NY21 in danger by not being able to warn local residents, for example, if there is a rapid rise of rivers and imminent flooding as we go into the spring melt.
Of course, if these actions were taken by a Democrat, we would hear nonstop screeching from Stefanik. But, true to her utter fealty to her Donald, she has remained mute. So much for her oft touted "working for NY21" claims. This past weekend she was hanging out with the likes of Noem and Loeffler "celebrating" International Women's Day.
Sad to say, all we can hope for is by the time of the special election, that more and more residents in NY21 will have personally felt the impact of Trump's policies and actions and hopefully they will choose Blake. The longer it takes for Stefanik not to resign her seat I think it is an advantage for Dems to run with it and broadcast, constantly, what harm is being done and to point out the failure of Stefanik and her MAGA allies and how they are just standing by and doing absolutely nothing.
Blake has to keep highlighting the dangers and damages of what Trump/Must have done to America and to the North Country. He should have a chat with Chris Murphy of Connecticut, since Sen. Murphy is out there loudly pointing out, with facts, the harm that is being done by Trump. On the other hand, New York's two sitting senators have been quite pathetic in messaging.
You are SO right about our Senators doing nothing to help elect Blake Gendebien. I have called their offices to leave messages about giving him their enthusiastic support. Who knows if they ever get those messages. His connecting with the vocal Chris Murphy is a great idea! Murphy may be campaigning for President in 2028, but if so, he's got my vote!
Gendebien has the bona fides, intelligence, personality and drive to win this race — there’s no doubt it will be an uphill battle. Outreach costs money —he’s already raised a decent amount, but more donations are needed. The DNC needs to get behind his candidacy, to invest in our district, to stop writing it off as a lost cause!!!
Given his name, he will win the support of genderbenders.
When I saw the heading about stars, I was nervous. We don't need a star. We need a candidate who is genuine, who knows and loves the north country, and is smart. I had heard there was a dairy farmer interested in the Democratic nomination. I went to a gathering in Gouverneur a few weeks ago and I was blown away by Blake Gendebien! If I were to design the perfect candidate for this district, it would be very much like, if not identical to, Blake. He
comes across immediately as genuine, informed, articulate, sincere, in touch...I could go on. I said, "There is a star who can beat anyone the R's put up. If you get a chance to meet him, GO! Believe me, you will leave enthusiastic!
The national Dems need to step up. They haven’t put any $ in 21 in a number of years