It's time to treat Republican Party unfairly
Stefanik voted to keep Santos in Congress; this week he pled guilty
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For journalists to be absolutely fair in these unprecedented political times, they need to start being unfair.
Ruthlessly unfair.
Brutally unfair without apology.
They need to stop worrying about balanced coverage.
They need to have such a command of the facts that they can not only call out a bald-faced lie in real time, but call out a campaign for repeated deception.
They need to be truth-tellers.
They need to hold everyone accountable.
Dan Froomkin, a long-time Washington journalist who is editor of Press Watch and writes a Substack column, lured me to this reasoning with this headline recently, "Political reporters should report honestly that Trump's campaign is based on lies."
That means that those candidate who religiously support him - like Rep. Elise Stefanik and every elected Republican who has not public condemned it - are also guilty of the lies, expanding them and promoting them and they must be called out for every social media post, every press release and statement that has no relationship with the truth.
Those of us that follow politics, who demand facts, have realized for some time, Republican politicians are not twisting the truth, they are living in an alternative non-factual universe.
That statement will draw accusations of bias from Republicans and conservatives. They will cry that Democrats are just as guilty.
No, not like this.
Anyone who has reviewed the thousands and thousands of untruths uttered by the former president knows this sad fact and its repudiation is long overdue.
While this flies in the face of my own sense of fair play and 40 years of professional journalist ethics, it is the way politics needs to be covered this year.
"Political journalists at our most powerful news organizations are strongly averse to taking sides in a partisan dispute. They don't want to be accused of bias. Their bosses tell them to afflict both sides. They consider themselves above the fray," Froomkin wrote in his Aug. 9 column. "But when one of the two political parties' entire argument is so obviously deceitful, from start to finish, it's not right for journalist to treat them alike."
Here is the Republicans core argument in their own words:
America needs determined Republican Leadership at every level of Government to address the core threats to our very survival: Our disastrously Open Border, our weakened Economy, crippling restrictions on American Energy Production, our depleted Military, attacks on the American System of Justice, and much more.
"It's imperative that journalists point out the most salient characteristic of the Republican platform: That's it almost entirely based on lies," Froomkin wrote.
- The border is not open. In fact, it is the most fortified it has ever been. There is no migrant crime wave, no tidal wave of illegal aliens and the illegal drugs coming across the border are coming via ports of entry.
- The economy is not "weak" and inflation has not "crushed the middle class." The economy is doing better than any other country in the world and anyone who wants a job can get one.
- There are no "crippling restrictions" on U.S. energy production. In fact, it is at record levels this year.
- We continue to spend more on national defense than any other country in the world. The military is hardly depleted.
The lying is so overwhelming, it is impossible for any one reporter or news organization to keep up. The fact checks that are done are helpful, but not enough.
"Every article or broadcast segment about where Trump stands on the issues should make it clear that his entire pitch is built on an edifice of lies," Froomkin wrote.
The lead on a Trump press conference needs to be something like this:
Former President Donald Trump spoke for more than an hour and repeated his usual stew of lies and misinformation.
"That's biased," some will scream.
But it is the truth.
This past year the Republicans in the House of Representative established a committee to end the "weaponization of government" with its core motivation to "weaponize" their power in the House of Representatives as revenge for the two impeachments of Donald Trump.
The difference was Trump's impeachments were based on actual misdeeds that were well chronicled by those in his his administration and own party.
The 300-page report released by the Republicans Monday called for impeachment of President Biden without any actual evidence.
Froomkin writes that Trump and the Republicans "aren't so much trying to persuade as they're trying to deceive."
The sad part is they are succeeding, especially in places like the 21st Congressional District where Rep. Elise Stefanik will again be elected while continually repeating things that are not true.
A day doesn't go by when I see a meme on Facebook from a friend or acquaintance that is absolutely fased on falsehoods.
And I let it go.
None of us - but the media most of all - can’t afford to let it go anymore.
Santos pleads guilty
For a time after he was elected to Congress in 2022, George Santos was the face of the most extraordinary lying in politics.
Maybe ever.
Rep. Elise Stefanik had supported Santos' run for Congress, encouraged many well-heeled Republicans to donate to his campaign, and when it was obvious that Santos entire life story was mostly a fabrication, Stefanik was one of over 100 Republicans who voted to keep him in Congress.
She told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise at the time of her vote that expulsion set a "dangerous precedent" and that she had concerns about "due process."
The dangerous precedent was electing someone to Congress under false pretenses and Stefanik deserves some of the blame for that.
Despite Stefanik's vote, Santos was expelled anyway.
This week Santos pled guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft while admitting to many other frauds. He was ordered to pay $375,000 in restitution and could face jail time of 6 to eight years.
He said he was broke.
Missed opportunity
Gov. Kathy Hochul got to experience the cell phone service problem in the Adirondacks recently when she was tried to make a phone call from Lake George to congratulate Vice President Kamala Harris for her run for president.
Sen. Dan Stec of Queensbury took the opportunity to demand Hochul have the Adirondack Park Agency update its antiquated 2002 cell tower policy which requires communication companies to make the towers visibly unobtrusive in the Adirondack Park. It is the "Frankenpine" rule.
“Remedying unreliable cell service for the 130,000 permanent residents of the Adirondack Park and its visitors doesn’t require executive action or legislation, just a change in policy. We request that you direct the Adirondack Park Agency to revisit and revise its woefully antiquated cell tower policy so it reflects current cell phone usage and the challenges we face today,” Stec said.
"While a lack of (cell service) prevented your ability to make a congratulatory call to the vice president, an inability for our residents to use a cell phone to call 911 is literally a matter of life or death," Stec wrote.
Just this past month, Queensbury Town Board member Harrison Freer was stricken while cycling in Bolton Landing. When his companion tried to call for help, there was no cell phone service.
Lack of cell phone service in the Adirondacks is a matter of life and death and Stec is right, that is far more important than an occasional ugly cell phone tower.
Green buses
There continues to be skepticism about whether electric school buses are safe and viable in the northern parts of the state.
The state has mandated all school bus fleets to transition to zero-emission electric vehicles by 2035.
To help with that initiative, some $200 million was pulled from the state's Bond Act funds and is being distributed to school districts through the New York School Bus Incentive program.
Some school districts are eligible for more money if they are listed as "priority districts."
Every local school district should investigate this program to help defray the cost of electric school buses. The technology continues to improve and it can work. Getting the money now, will help defray the cost to taxpayers.
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.
Back in 2011, when Trump was considering a run for president, he laid the groundwork for his lies about Barack Obama's birthplace. "I want him to show his birth certificate. There is something on that birth certificate that he doesn’t like," Trump said in a televised interview.
Trump revealed from the beginning exactly who he was, at least to those who were paying attention.
Stefanik has mastered the art of deception. One only has to read her weekly newsletter to see for themselves. Stefanik uses the phrase, "through the appropriation process" to claim credit for funding of projects that were made possible by legislation she voted against. Her dishonesty permeates throughout her statements and actions. Sadly, here in NY21, we'll have to probably put up with her for at least another two years.