Stefanik has to choose: Democracy or dictatorship

By Ken Tingley

The New York Times described in its lead story Monday that Donald Trump and his allies are planning a “sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government” if he wins re-election.

The plan is to increase the president’s power over every part of the federal government and end the independence of the Justice Department.

Heather Cox Richardson, a historian and professor at Boston College, wrote it more succinctly in her newsletter “Letters from an American” that Trump and his allies “are planning to create a dictatorship.”

Think about that for a second.

It would mean the end of 250 years of democracy.

It means the bad guys win.

We can have our political differences about what is best for the country, but we cannot allow for one man to have all the power and that is what Trump and his allies are proposing.

Combine the Times reporting with what we already know about Trump’s behavior after the election - the phone call to Brad Raffensperger in Georgia asking him to find him the votes needed to win the state - and specifically his failure to do anything to stop the rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Trump’s plans to trample on our democracy in a second term Monday were eclipsed by the news that Trump is expected to be indicted for his role in trying to overturn the presidential election.

Considering that Trump has already been indicted twice - the New York charges of illegal payments to Stormy Daniels are starting to look pretty tame - and the grand jury in Atlanta is listening to evidence about election meddling from the Raffensperger phone call, and its hard to believe anyone could support the former president.

But our congresswoman does.

This is not just smoke, this is a raging dumpster fire that might explain the smoky haze over most of the Adirondacks.

Rep. Elise Stefanik stepped up to microphone in Washington, D.C. Tuesday and blamed President Biden for Trump’s troubles without any evidence. We’ve been reading about the evidence against Trump - at least the well read citizens have - for months. None of this should be a surprise.

Back in April, Stefanik reaffirmed her belief that Donald Trump would be re-elected president and that she remained committed to him despite recent indictments. She continues to support a House’s committee investigating weaponization of government when it appears that is exactly what the committee is doing. It has uncovered no evidence of wrong doing by Biden.

Rep. Stefanik continues to dodge the most important issues of our day.

It is becoming clear that Donald Trump’s plan is to be re-elected president, fire everyone who is investigating him, take over the FBI and Justice Department and end 250 years of democracy.

It sounds like a wild science fiction potboiler.

I understand our country is divided politically. But is it realistic to consider that the evidence against Donald Trump has all been manufactured by political foes?

If we are a nation of laws, we must believe in our institutions or they will crumble.

Elise Stefanik no longer believes in those institutions. She is rolling the dice, betting on Trump in her lust for power.

That is the only explanation.

During her first re-election campaign, the editorial board at The Post-Star - I was a member - asked her not to lie.

She refused and continues to do it today.

The Times reported that Trump and his allies plan on bringing the Federal Communications Commission - which enforces rules for television and internet companies - and the Federal Trade Commission - which enforces antitrust and consumer protection rules against businesses - under the direction of the president.

It means that the president could control the media.

It means that the president could do business favors to anyone willing to make a big donation to his campaign.

The Times also reported he wants “revive the practice of impounding funds” so any programs Congress appropriates money for - battling climate change for instance - does not have to be spent if the president does not like it.

Congress would no longer have any power either.

Trump’s plan would also strip employment protections for thousands of career civil servants in the federal government if they oppose his agenda.

It calls for weeding out employees in the intelligence agencies, State Department and defense agencies to remove officials that oppose the president’s agenda.

It is unfathomable that any American could support such an agenda.

But Elise Stefanik has said only that it is Biden to blame and not Trump.

Rep.Stefanik needs to tell her constituency whether she supports more power in the hands of the presidency.

She needs to take say whether she supports eliminating the independence ofgovernment agencies.

She needs to say whether she is for or against the checks and balances that currently exist in our democracy.

Is she for democracy or dictatorship?

When she spoke Tuesday, it sounded like dictatorship.

Promote LAN

The first week of three-day-a-week delivery is in the books. We got our newspaper two out of three times. The Saturday paper came with the Tuesday newspaper.

By not having the produce seven newspapers, there was definitely more local reporting and something of it quite ambitious. I’d like to see more of that.

But its free lancers were also missing.

“The Last American Newspaper” chronicles the last 20 years of community newspapers. You can still pick it up at Ace Hardware, Warren County Historical Society, Queensbury; Chapman Museum, Glens Falls; McKernon Gallery, Hudson Falls; Battenkill Books, Cambridge; and the Corner Stone Bookhouse, Plattsburgh.

Promote Preorder

Another 90 of my columns will be available in August in “The Last American Editor, Vol. 2.” You can preorder it today on the Something or Other Publishing website.