The fantasyland of Elise Stefanik

Gazette spells out 2024 resolutions for elected officials

By Ken Tingley

Kristen Welker gave Rep. Elise Stefanik 20 minutes to make her case to be Donald Trump’s running mate Sunday.

She did a good job.

And every voter in the 21st Congressional should pay attention to what she said because what she did was make a case for why she no longer believes in democracy.

We are represented by someone who no longer believes in our Constitution.

That’s frightening.

And more importantly, it is not overstated.

Within just a few minutes on Meet the Press Sunday, Rep. Elise Stefanik said:

- She believes that those convicted of crimes on Jan. 6 are innocent and are “hostages” of the United States government.

- She believes the entire election system is corrupt and that she will not commit to certifying the 2024 election results.

- She believes that investigators at the FBI and prosecutors at the Justice Department are all corrupt and the indictments brought against Donald Trump were commanded by President Joe Biden.

- She said that NBC News and the news media in general corrupt and biased against Republicans and conservatives.

And she did it with a smile on her face.

This is Elise Stefanik’s fantasyland.

This is the nightmare we have in the 21st Congressional District where six out of 10 voters favored her over a Democratic challenger who had impeccable credentials in national security.

We should fear Elise Stefanik.

We have been betrayed.

Jill Lochner, Stefanik’s Republican challenger, wrote on X: “Jan 6 was one of the darkest days of our democracy. Stefanik’s refusal to simply agree that it was a tragic day is disgusting, and it proves to us all that her focus is not the advancement of our country. She continuously shows us that she does not stand for #NY21 or for the American people. She stands only for herself and Trump.”

Lochner is being kind.

Lochner is a Republican running to restore congressional integrity we used to have in the district when Gerry Solomon represented us.

Stefanik’s rapid-fire delivery left Meet the Press host Kristen Welker struggling to retain control over her own interview. Or maybe she just couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

As the interview unfolded, Welker was criticized on social media for not pushing back against Stefanik’s use of the term “hostages” to describe those convicted of crimes on January 6. Trump had used the term earlier in the week.

Tom Jones, who writes a media column for the Poynter Institute, wrote on Monday, “To call those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 `hostages’ is an outrageous claim. Welker should not have let Stefanik get away with echoing the rhetoric of former President Donald Trump.”

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, appearing on Face the Nation Sunday, also said that Stefanik used the word “hostages” because Trump used the word.

“And it's outrageous, and it's disgusting. And if you go and you look at what individuals have been convicted for, who are incarcerated, you'll find (that), extensively, these are people who were involved in violence against police officers in the assault on the Capitol,” Cheney said. “And it's disgraceful for Donald Trump to be saying what he's saying. And then for those who are attempting to enable him or attempting to further their own political careers to repeat it, it's a disgrace. And you cannot say that you are a member of a party that believes in the rule of law. You can't say that you're pro-law enforcement. If you then go out and you say these people are ‘hostages.’ It’s disgraceful.”

It makes you wonder what Warren County Sheriff Jim Farr thinks of Stefanik’s statements. Or any member of law enforcement in the 21st Congressional District.

Welker went on to play an excerpt from Stefanik’s speech on the floor of the House the evening of Jan. 6 when she said “violence in any form is absolutely unacceptable,” then added “it is anti-American and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

That’s when Stefanik accused her and NBC of bias.

Stefanik’s words were not taken out of context. The clip came on the heels of her proclaiming just minutes earlier those convicted are “hostages.”

Not surprisingly, Stefanik doubled down and said, “So I absolutely stand by my floor speech.”

She essentially endorsed the beating of police officers who were trying to protect her.

She was promising to do anything to further her own career, even if it meant endorsing a dictator.

It was a PTSD moment for me. It brought back memories of editorial board meetings with the young congresswoman when even then, the follow-up to every one of her responses was: “You didn’t answer the question.”

“There is no one in America running harder for Trump's vice presidential slot than Elise Stefanik. That is it," former GOP Rep. Dave Jolly (FL) said on Sunday.

Rep. Stefanik seems unaware of the cartoon character she has become.

She posted an excerpt from her interview on X.

“I have concerns about the treatment of January 6 hostages. We have a role in Congress of oversight over our treatment of prisoners, and I believe that we're seeing the weaponization of the federal government against not just President Trump, but we're seeing it against conservatives. We're seeing it against Catholics, and that's one of the reasons why I'm so proud to serve on the Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Government because the American people want answers.”

Stefanik did not provide any proof.

I hope her constituents see this.

That many of them have been bamboozled.

The American people and her constituents don’t need ridiculous accusations unless there is accompanying proof.

Every voter in the 21st Congressional District needs to be screaming about this.

Why does Elise Stefanik say those convicted of beating police officers are “hostages?”

Does she believe those convicted of assaulting police officers should immediately be released?

How many of NBC’s 35,000 employees  are wild-eyed liberals intent on pushing a political agenda instead of reporting the news and what are the examples?

What are the specific problems with our country’s election system that make her unwilling to certify the election later this year and if there are such widespread problems why isn’t she not doing something about it?

Those who voted for her - and those who plan to vote for her again - need to ask if this is the type of country they want to reside.

Stefanik’s interview on Meet the Press was an audition for Trump.

All part of this horrid political game.

All part of her desperate attempt to reach the highest echelons of power in the country, not by doing good for her constituents, but by repeatedly lying .

Elise Stefanik repeatedly says the American voters are smart.

Eventually, they will see through her con.

I hope it is soon.

I hope it is now.

Gazette editorial

In a New Year’s editorial, the Schenectady Gazette asked all politicians to adopt some old-fashioned New Year’s resolutions.

While the editorial was aimed at all politicians, I couldn’t help but believe there was one politician that has failed all five of the Gazette’s tests - Elise Stefanik.

Here is what the Gazette asked of politicians:

1. Be honest and tell the truth.

2. Practice and support transparency.

3. Stand up for principles and never compromise their integrity to support their party.

4. Look out for those in need of help.

5. Compromise.

Every elected official should ask if they are adhering to each of these important standards.

In Elise Stefanik’s case, she fails on all five counts.

The Gazette didn’t even have to say it.

It is that obvious.