Returning to my theme – the heavy censorial hand of the media, both social and news being already at play against Republicans in this election cycle – a great example has just emerged in the New York state governor’s race. New York Congressman Lee Zeldin won the GOP nomination to take on interim Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, the former LtGov who failed upward when Andrew Cuomo was forced from office.
By any measure, Gov Hochul has been an unmitigated disaster for the business community in New York City. After the brutal hit incurred by the draconian NYC lock-downs, and ludicrous reopening orders charades, business folks in all walks looked to her for real relief from the unrelenting assault of repeat offenders and out-of-control, zero consequence/no-cash-bail violence permeating both the streets and their establishments. In a multi-cultural, multi-racial consensus, they begged her to “FIX IT NOW!”
…“We’re in trouble. So Gov. Hochul, Speaker [Carl] Heastie, Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, majority leader, please rollback the bail reform,” Phil Wong, president of the Chinese-American Citizens Alliance, said during a Lower East Side rally.
“Listen to Eric Adams, have a special session and discuss it and talk about it. … You cannot just ignore it. This is the data. People getting shot and killed, robbing. That’s your data. Read it,” he said…
…Frank Garcia, the head of the National Association of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, said the city’s small business owners are so upset that they’re ready to ditch Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul in favor of Republican challenger, Rep. Lee Zeldin, in the November election for governor.
“Our members are fed up and willing to vote against the governor. I’m afraid she will lose the Latino vote if she does not reach out to us after this,” Garcia said.
…Adams, citing NYPD data, said on Wednesday that a small group of just 10 career criminals was allowed to run amok across the Big Apple and rack up nearly 500 arrests after New York approved bail reform — and most of them are still out on the streets.
HER DATA. The governor’s response?
“Get back with me next year.”
…Hochul, during an unrelated Albany press conference, said she and the legislature will not revisit the bail law this year….
…“The legislature meets again next January and by that time we’ll be able to assess the real impact of our changes,” she added.
YOICKS. So NOT the answer from your mansion in Albany guys in teeny bodegas ducking for their lives behind counters want to hear. Girlfriend – one guy who was at the get-together? His little restaurant was practically destroyed because of a fight over the price of dipping sauce. He doesn’t have ’til next year.
For the love of God, at least feign interest or concern; do not tell them to cool their jets. You have security 24/7. They have anarchy and bankruptcy if they’re lucky. Same with the citizens of Gotham, minding their own business, walking from place to place. Now they have to worry if it will be a fist to the back of the head, maybe a baseball bat, or just the same guy with an axe. Shoot – they couldn’t keep him locked up. He was right back on the street, and is probably already cranky enough to start whacking again.
This terrifying law and lack of order minuet has led to a major tightening of the race in the state. Where Hochul had been up as much as 24 points in the spring, by the beginning of September, pro-law enforcement Zeldin had closed the gap to 4 points.
New @InsiderAdv/@trafalgar_group #NYGov #Poll (8/31-9/1) shows #Hochul w/lead but #Zeldin a bit closer than expected. #nypol
47.8% @KathyHochul
43.4% @leezeldin
2.1% @LarrySharpe
6.7% UndSee Report: https://t.co/pfW0ZnmfkW pic.twitter.com/NspqBKA0mf
— Robert C. Cahaly (@RobertCahaly) September 3, 2022
The pucker factor has to be off the charts, which means *trumpets sound the call* it’s time to engage the shock troops.
Enter Twitter.
Lee Zeldin’s campaign came out with a new ad, all about the unfettered violence in the city. Now, I doubt there is a single one of these gruesome, absolutely barbaric NYC street violence videos that you haven’t seen repeatedly, either on the news, on shows like Tucker’s or in your Twitter feed.
Holy cow this Lee Zeldin (R) for #NYGov ad is seriously intense! 👇pic.twitter.com/u7ZJ1f144j
— RRH Elections (@RRHElections) September 14, 2022
I recognized every last one of them. Twitter immediately slapped a sensitive warning on it, and kept it there for the next 8 days.
Twitter prevented people from seeing this Lee Zeldin (R) ad without going through a content warning for 8 full days. What does that do to a political campaign and how does it silence their message from reaching the public? pic.twitter.com/bRCvkuEveg
— RRH Elections (@RRHElections) September 22, 2022
Another, inadvertent, “Oops.” Right. I didn’t just fall off the cabbage truck yesterday.
And there is no recourse. There is no remedy for the compromised content, no way of accounting for the eyeballs that might have been on it, had the ad not been flagged. Oops. Guarantee this is merely the start.
They need to be strung up by the thumbs they have on the scales.