Brunch with Governor Hochul and Friends
June 7, Wilton, NY

Mary and I were off to Wilton yesterday morning to hang out with Governor Kathy Hochul, Representative Paul Tonko, and Assemblyman John McDonald at a brunch event sponsored by, and for, the Saratoga County Democratic Committee (SCDC). The food was OK, but who cares? The company was great. And the speeches and presentations by our three elected leaders were top shelf.

We went to the same “Belmont Stakes” event last year. It was very similar in most ways this year, but with one major difference: the tone of the three speeches given by Hochul, McDonald, and Tonko were all imbued this time with an urgency that far exceed the tone of last year’s presentations, all of which were more or less “campaign rally” speeches.

Tonko’s Presentation:

Paul Tonko said point blank, with no word-mincing, that the intention of his Republican anti-colleagues in the House is to impose authoritarian government.

At least for me, it was in a way refreshing to hear that frank level of distress. And it’s no wonder, given how far we’ve slid down the fascist rabbit hole in the last five months, that Rep. Tonko’s address and 30 minutes of Town Hall Q&A had the tone of fearful alarm.

Of particular concern in the medium-term, he said, was the shift in New York toward Trump in 2024. As he pointed out, Trump won a majority of Latino and Black men in the state, with a very worrisome swing among young people overall. As he said, New Yorkers should worry about that, because the frightening fact is that 47 percent of New Yorkers voted for Trump.

In the short-term, meanwhile, is that in one form or another the GOP is going to cram an impossibly regressive and oppressive budget bill down our throats in the next few weeks. There’s just no escaping that horrible fact, and the truth is that as currently written, that budget will give a permanent tax cut to billionaires of $5 trillion, while cutting $3 trillion in costs – the vast majority of which mean one basic thing: A dramatic reduction in the quality of life for New Yorkers and all Americans … to include 15 to 16 million Americans losing their Medicaid and Medicare healthcare benefits, SNAP benefits being cut, childcare and education services eliminated, and seniors being thrown out of nursing homes. Not to mention the destabilization of the economy and the degradation of the American dollar that comes with unnecessary huge increase of trillions of dollars in the national deficit and debt.

Hochul’s and McDonald’s Presentation:

The talks given by the Governor and our own good Assemblyman, John McDonald were more directed at the recent past than the near future. That's understandable because they’ve been consumed with passing the NYS budget., a massive and highly stressful task, demanding long study and difficult conversations for months, and sleepless nights for weeks and days.

Both Hochul and McDonald very appropriately tooted their own horns for getting the budget bill through the legislature and signed by the Governor. Hochul read an impressive list of benefits to New Yorkers that will come from the budget; McDonald praised the Governor and the process, saying it was the best budget he has been involved in during his 13 years as Assemblyman, and that he is proud of what it does for New Yorkers.

Neither of them spoke much to the coming storm of revenue cuts. But it’s absolutely safe to say that their perspective and their rhetoric will change very soon, as the U.S. GOP moves forward with its “death to the American Dream” reconciliation bill that is predicted by various experts to cause between 35 and 55 thousand extra deaths each year.

It’s a literally murderous budget and, in addition to a lot of people needlessly dying, will cause countless people (perhaps myself included) to lose their jobs, lose medical coverage, and suffer in any number of needless ways.

Waterford Democratic Committee's upcoming Town Hall event with John McDonald

It's important to note that MOST of these blows to our Quality of Life will not be directly inflicted on us by the Federal Government, but by the government of the State of New York, which will be forced to administer the huge cuts in revenue for government services that will be sacrificed at the altar of making millionaires and billionaires richer.

It’s not only me saying that the perspectives and rhetoric of state politicians will change. I know, because last week I contacted John McDonald to ask if he would do a Zoom Town Hall event for the Waterford Democratic Committee (WDC) and voters in this region to talk about how State Government will handle the federal government’s body slam to New Yorkers of moderate and modest income. His response was an enthusiastic yes: “Happy to do so for multiple reasons. People need to understand what is happening and I will be happy to share from the state perspective and health care perspective.”

John, as a long-time member of committees related to healthcare, as a committed and vocal advocate for adequate and equitable healthcare, and as a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the current Chair of the important Assembly General Operations Committee, is as well or better situated as anybody else in the Assembly to address these issues. He will be able to provide much insight about how, and how badly, the GOP Cruelty Budget will impact New Yorkers, and how the State will be able, or unable, to deal with huge challenges to current services.

Waterford Democrats … and voters in our region more generally … will be hearing much more about the Zoom Town Hall with John McDonald between now and July 16, the date of the event. By that time, the poison reconciliation bill may have already been shoved down our throats by the ‘cruelty is the point’ GOP congress and DJT. In which case, John can help us to understand what it might mean in the coming months.

Or, if we’re lucky, perhaps the GOP will be unable to pass the bill by July 4th, which they say is their goal … and we will have a short time to try even harder to keep the damage from being done.

Either way, we on the WDC are excited about having the opportunity for an intimate exchange of information with Assemblyman McDonald. As mentioned, you will be hearing a lot more about this event soon, and we hope very much you will join us!