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January 18, 2023
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It is very disturbing, especially elected folks like Stec and Simpson.

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Stefanik's constituents don't care if she lies. They use the excuse that "everyone does it" for any behavior similar to the 16 year old's with underdeveloped brains. They actually do trust her. They trust her to lie and cheat and do whatever it takes to get what the Republicans "think" that they want. They think they want these folks in power until it impacts their lives in a negative way. If they notice right away that is. Few take the high road in politics any more. It is a lonely road and a bit treacherous these days.

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Very grim.

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Not true. I am a constituent and I care.

I point out her lies daily. I point it out ruthlessly.

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What disturbs me most about her evolution (devolution?) were some campaign statements I thought were just flat out racist and it seems she got a complete pass on them. The "replacement theory "ad during her campaign was criticized at the time but quickly forgotten. And then later her social media post that included the white racist slogan "Molon Labe" ( which she posted very purposefully) created barely a ripple.

It makes me wonder if I'm in some kind of alternate reality (1950s Mississippi) and I question who my neighbors are that everybody seems to be okay with this stuff.

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There was a time when a candidate's integrity and committment to improving the lives of their constiuency and safeguarding the nation was at the forefront of the representative's candidacy, whether they stood left or right on the political spectrum. Today, there is little personal scrutiny and too many people vote style over substance and often against their best interests. Ignorance? Tribalism? Just plain stupidity? It's amazing the American Experiment has survived this long.

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She’s a politician. They’re all crooked. It does not matter if they are R or D...

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Sadly, I feel his actions are playing into the theme of mistrusting our govt. Is he playing the part, to further this plan, IDK

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Interesting theory. I see the GOP as working to make the fed govt not work for the people at all, except corporate/moneyed interests, and that would play into that.

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This article fails to mention the dozens of American patriots who are now in prison because of the election lies that Stefanik told to fan the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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“It didn’t happen all at once, it was a little bit at a time, then all at once.”

That’s funny. I was listening to the podcast with Mona Charen and Charlie Sykes yesterday and she referenced that same “quote” from Hemingway about going broke, “Slowly, and then all at once.” She used in reference to the moral decline of the entire GOP which I’m sure has to be painful for the two of them to talk about. Stefanik is a microcosm of the GOP writ large.

Sadly for Elise, IMO anyway, people who are more legit in their nihilism are the ones who are going to control the House: Marge Greene, Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Jim Jordan and on and on. The recent NY Times piece revealed that Trumpworld was never considering her for Veep. That was just whispers put out her own people. 😢

She’s never going to be trusted by Dems or Republican moderates and the crazies don’t trust her either. She’s without a country. There’s a number of reps from downstate that are calling on Santos to resign because he’s going to hurt them. I’m sure it hasn’t escaped their attention that our Star of the North Country won’t return calls to the Times Union when they seek comment. Despite her being in House leadership.

She can always find time for Hannity or Bannon, tho.

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Well said.

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Stefanik's social media platform has called the current administration "The Biden Crime Family" for months now. Obviously, her aides write her posts, but she has to know what's being written. Her supporters call all Democrats pedophiles after reading these posts, and she never urges anyone to pull back. It's no surprise that she supports the liar George Santos.

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An article I read somewhere the past month said she writes all of her own posts, which I find a little hard to believe, but there you have it.

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I suppose it's possible, but I'm pretty sure her staff does it. I'd be interested in knowing!

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What I’ve heard is that she is very hands on with the messaging.

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Well, I trust that Mike Parwana guy. He seems honest.

Anyway, George Santos makes me think of Preston Scagnelli, Stefanik’s spy. He was a product of Stefanik’s campaign machine. He wrote letters to the editor using a false address. He spied on Tedra Cobb and teens who were interested in politics at a private event. The media ate up one quote from the video he was asked by other teens at the event to not record. They didn’t dwell Scagnelli’s violation of everyone’s trust. Stefanik lied repeatedly about her campaign’s relationship with him but eventually the truth came out, that he was a paid spy. Scagnelli was actively spying for Stefanik last year when he attended an event for Matt Putorti at my office under a false name and false pretenses. Stefanik teaches her young volunteers to be bad people. There is no pettiness too low. They place lawn signs on each side of an opponent’s sign on the side of the road. They have high school kids write letters to the paper and get them published under other people’s names. Last fall a young couple with a child attended a Dem picnic event in Queensbury declaring their interest in getting involved. Turns out they were GOP infiltrators lying about their identities. I’ve had North Country Deplorables trying to disrupt open political events at my place. At least they didn’t try to lie about who they were which is a step up in honor above what Stefanik’s staff is apparently teaching young people. So Santos’ lying, cheating, using false names, it all seems pretty familiar to me.

There is a huge flaw in the reasoning of the founders of this nation. They believed that people lacking basic honor would be few, rare exceptions to the norm of leaders motivated by principle. They had the quaint notion that taking an oath would bind, that shame would prevent overstepping of bounds. We see that from top to bottom there is no shame among leaders of the Republican Party. They have no honor - except for a very small number of rare exceptions, people like Kinzinger, and Liz Cheney who most of the GOP deride as traitors.

Who among our local GOP have openly declared their opposition to the lies, to the treachery, to the insurrection of January 6th? At the opening of the Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting in 2021 our local leaders failed to support a resolution decrying the events of January 6th. They are complicit and that is an indication of the sway Stefanik holds on their souls.

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I hope everyone reads your post Mike.

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“Who among our local GOP have openly declared their opposition to the lies, to the treachery, to the insurrection of January 6th?”

That’s really a good point because I haven’t heard any local Republican come out honestly about it. I know Ken wrote about Ray someone recently who had sworn off from Trump but was still enamored of Elise Stefanik. And there’s really not a difference.

Trump spent 2 months riling up millions of people with the lie that the election was stolen and he was repeatedly told by people around him that what he was saying was not true. ES knew it wasn’t true but still signed onto the ludicrous Texas lawsuit and voted to disenfranchise Pennsylvanians even after the attack. She has culpability for that.

I still want to know why she made no attempt to get Trump to call it off as so many others did. Fox people did. Her fellow reps who were not as influential as she was tried to.

The poison of Trumpism has seeped all the way down into even the local politics. I can’t imagine if Dan Stec or whoever decides to run for Stefanik’s seat at some point they’re not going to look at what worked for her.

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I can’t help but think part of the problem lies in the media consumption as well. I would imagine that many of those local Republicans choose Fox or similar media for their news.

I mentioned Mona Charen and Charlie Sykes in an earlier comment. Their politics are certainly to the right of mine, but they’re grounded in reality. I’d absolutely recommend Bulwark to any of the local Republican pols. If a far left, socialist, (whatever Elise’s latest tag is) like me can enjoy it I would think they’d find it enlightening.

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You key comment is “grounded in reality.” I think we all could debate policy choices, but it’s tough to debate right and wrong. That should be something we all agree on.

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Without getting deep into epistemology, I would like to think so. 😉

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Mike. I believe there is flaw in the logic of your proposition, that a huge flaw in the founding fathers reasoning existed.

What is your evidence that the founders held a belief that the government they were creating would function on hope? On the “hope” that a greater number of men seeking to govern, would seek to serve the interest of others before serving their own relational self-interest.

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I said nothing about “hope.”

Honor was deeply ingrained in the founders’ belief system. They fought duels over it. Burr shot Hamilton over it. They understood that there would be an occasional cheat, fraud, liar and grifter who would come along but that the Electoral College would defend against such a person being seated. In Hamilton’s words, “ The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” Turns out Hamilton was wrong about Burr (or perhaps not) and the Electoral College has failed Hamilton’s intent.

So, I stand by my contention.

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Mike so your evidence to the founder’s belief, that a greater number of men seeking to govern, would seek to serve the interest of others before serving their own relational self-interest? Is Aaron Burr the sitting Vice President of the United States in 1804 killing Alexander Hamilton former Secretary of the Treasury in a duel. So, what was the breach of honor they fought over?

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Goodbye troll.

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ad hominem

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I don't understand why people in the 21st continue to vote against their own best interests.

Only 1%ers and authoritarians benefit from this GOP.

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“I guess, unfortunately, we rely on the person to be truthful to us.”

This is to say, they gave santos the benefit of the doubt. Within your party or your tribe and maybe your family that is understandable. Once. Maybe twice

We are past that with santos and way past that with #POs_Tefanik. They did not become, they are what they are -- liars. Calculating liars.

To give stiffy the benefit of the doubt that she was the cub of a grizzly bear that might become a teddy bear.. is to ignore reality. Her supporters ignore reality, but those of us who have planted our feet in reality.. need to stop giving her any benefit of the doubt.

She was born a liar, has always been a liar. A calculating liar.

And she always will BE a liar.

We are past saying let’s put the teddy bear to bed with your children. Or with our economies or the environment. She is not a teddy bear.

She is a liar.

And a conversation about ‘when’ eLIEs knew sanos is a liar is foolhardy. If she only found out santos was a liar yesterday... she is lying. But if she only knew he was lying yesterday that means stiffy is a clueless liar.

But she is not clueless. She is not a grizzly bear, that wants you to think she is teddy bear.

She is a calculating liar.

And if you look at her voting history, of bills she voted against, like Violence Against Women Act, the environment and so many others ---- we can safely say she is much more deadly than a grizzly bear.

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I applaud you if you are calling her out but can’t understand anyone that would continue to support her. Until people refuse to vote for her she will continue on this path.

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Give the political winds a little more time blow against Santos and Stefanik will drop him like a hot potato and kick him to the curb. If nothing else, she is consistently slippery.

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I find it difficult to trust any politicians.

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let's just take a second and look art what she said/she did she being #POS_tefanik

look at what she said

July 21, 2022

https://stefanik.house.gov/2022/7/stefanik-advocates-for-access-to-safe-contraception-in-the-face-of-radical-abortion-on-demand-agenda

and how she voted

July 21, 2022

https://www.wwnytv.com/2022/07/21/stefanik-votes-against-bill-guaranteeing-right-contraceptives/

now the f-ing fools that support her.. here is your chance to see she is a LIAR

or stay criminally ignorant

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