Stefanik still smiling with knife in her back
Editorial on Qby conflict of interest reminds us of need to support journalism
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Rep. Elise Stefanik's frozen smile is one that constituents in the 21st Congressional District are used to after a decade of Fox News television interviews. What was truly remarkable Thursday night was Stefanik's ability to maintain it despite the knife in her back.
Elise Stefanik's daily reminder about being the first Republican to endorse Donald Trump was part of an astute political calculation that his success would put her on the path to the White House herself.
It turned out to be a gross miscalculation.
She defended Trump during his impeachment, disputed the Electoral College votes after the Jan. 6 riot and sang his praises during even the worst of his behavior.
Trump's lies became her lies as she sold her soul to the devil.
But on Thursday, with her bags backed, her staff dispersed and a farewell tour complete, Donald Trump pulled the plug on her nomination to be United Nations ambassador.
Instead of a luxury Manhattan apartment, Stefanik heads back to Schuylerville.
Instead of rubbing shoulders with world leaders, she will back stumping with town supervisors in dozens of little burgs across the North Country.
Imagine getting your dream job and then after quitting your current job, saying your goodbyes and shopping for a new house, the boss tells you he changed his mind.
But don't feel sorry for Elise Stefanik.
Because here's the thing, what Donald Trump did to her, she had already done to her constituents in the North Country.
From the moment Stefanik and Trump were elected on Nov. 7, Stefanik was out the door. Trump picked her for the U.N. job and that was the last constituents heard from her. You're not supposed to burn bridges, but I don't think she ever really built any in the first place.
So with the president worried about the Republicans tiny fractious majority in the House, Stefanik was commanded to keep the seat warm for the foreseeable future, expressing to Stefanik her true value.
"There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations," Trump said.
Ouch!
During that interview on Fox News, Stefanik said she was a "team player.
I watched closely. I really expected there to be a twitch, a tick, some sign that the facade was finally going to crack after this final, brutal double cross.
But the smile remained frozen.
Axios reported that most of her congressional staff had moved on.
She had already given up her seat on the important House Intelligence Committee.
And her Republican leadership position was filled.
That left Stefanik with nothing left to do except work for the people of the North Country.
Just last week, a couple hundred folks turned out for an open-chair town hall event at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls where Stefanik was invited but did not show.
Everyone knew she would not attend.
Why would she?
She had checked out four months ago.
After 10 years, there was not much of a legacy for her to report. She was leaving the North Country no better than she found it.
There was reporting there were phone calls back and forth between President Trump and Stefanik on Thursday.
It is assumed there was pleading not to send her back.
But Trump showed he can be just as cruel to his friends as his enemies, although the president did suggest there could be a future role in his administration. After all, Trump does have a reputation for firing people.
One person inside the White House reportedly told Axios that some in the administration believe a U.N. ambassador isn't even needed.
So Elise is back.
Absent since Election Day, it's time for an update of what she hopes to accomplish over the next two years.
It's time for Elise Stefanik to fill that chair, starting with Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls.
Get back to basics.
Return to her roots.
Every constituent in the 21st Congressional District should respectfully ask for Rep. Stefanik to hold a Town Hall tour so she can renew her concerns about the challenges facing the North Country in as many as those small burgs as possible. After all, winter is almost over.
She needs to prove she still knows where Glens Falls is.
At the end of the Fox News interview, Stefanik - face still frozen in smile - said with the confirmation hearing behind her, she could "speak out" even more.
"The American people will be hearing a lot more from me," she said.
But will the people in the 21st Congressional District be hearing from her.
That's the more important question.
Fighting back
I found another way to fight back against a world that has become totally unhinged.
After the Schenectady Gazette ran an editorial criticizing the Queensbury Town Board for failing to address a Town Board member's conflict of interest, I signed up for a six-month subscription to the Gazette. It was just $10. I urge others to do the same to support editorial writing that addresses the issues in our community.
But I didn't stop there.
With the Signal controversy in full throttle and members of the administration blaming the editor of The Atlantic for their carelessness, I immediately took out a year's subscription to The Atlantic.
Play of stories
I've been retired for five years now and up until now I've tried to avoid criticizing my former newspaper. I know what a tough job it is and its work is critical at this time. I just want it to do better.
As editor, I was often criticized for overplaying or underplaying certain stories, especially when it came to politics. It is a totally subjective decision I often explained, but Wednesday's front page left me scratching my head.
The newspaper's three-story front page ran a feature about a Queensbury student who earned college scholarship for his video gaming skills, the conviction of a Glens Falls man for attempted murder and a "school notes" column made up of press releases.
On page A3 was the coverage of the "empty chair" protest event at Crandall Library over the weekend that the newspaper covered with a reporter and was attended by hundreds. It is good reporting and reflects the outrage that many people feel about Rep. Stefanik's disappearing act and what is going on in Washington, D.C.
It's just my opinion, but I think it should have been on the front page. It is an important story about outrage in the community and reflects what is going on in many other places around the country.
The feature on the Queensbury student could easily have been held for another day.
Congressional campaign
The New York State Conservative Party endorsed Sen. Dan Stec as the preferred Republican to replace Rep. Stefanik.
But Anthony Constantino, an all-in-for-Trump candidate, continued to make noise around the district. His campaign released an internal poll of 1,500 voters from around the region that had him leading the race over Stec with likely voters 46.7 to 37.7.
Then, the Times Union reported on Thursday that if Constantino did not get the nomination, he was considering running as an independent. That could divide the Republican ticket and give the seat to the Democrats.
Some wondered if that drove Trump to kill Stefanik's U.N. job.
Constantino's campaign then announced it had paid nearly $60,000 for a poll that showed him beating Stec by five points.
But right now, Constantino has nothing to run for.
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.
I love to read your stuff, but when you said she had to go back to her roots, I had to laugh. She doesn’t have any roots here. The north country was never anything more than a steppingstone.
As much as I hate the thought that Elise is my congressperson, I do hope we use this gift of time wisely. Blake Gendebien needs to be aggressive in getting in front of voters. He needs to hit all 15 counties with town halls and show how and what Elise has done with her votes in Congress. His supporters need to help him meet friends and neighbors in the district. This district can flip if we all keep our eye on the prize.