We who live in the 21st district need to reject Elise Stefanik’s lust for power.

Rarely does Stefanik venture beyond the safe right wing propaganda channels like Fox News, but she did so recently on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Why? If there is any certainty in life, it’s that Stefanik operates via her own self-centered political calculus. She was on NBC to speak to an audience of one—Donald Trump. She touted her stuff as a MAGA cheerleader auditioning for Trump’s vice presidential spot.

    Of course, when Meet the Press’s host Kristen Walker noted the major discrepancies between her Pre-MAGA Critic of Trump persona  and her present MAGA Trump loving, election and insurrection denying persona, Stefanik attacked her as “biased media.” This is the go to Trump vetted attack strategy against anyone bold enough to raise uncomfortable questions.

   Here are the facts: 

      On NBC Stefanik reiterated her bogus claims  that she simply objected to PA, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan’s voting because they “had violated the Constitution by making changes to election processes without approval from state legislatures.” There simply is no basis for this. In the case of PA, for example, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case, period. In fact, she endorsed the meritless Republican lawsuit to overturn the election in 2021. She calls Trump “President” rather than “former President,” a dog whistle to her MAGA base that he, not Biden, is our legitimate president. Stefanik continues working hard to spread big lies and misinform her supporters about the 2020 election.

      In the interview, she baldly parrots Trump by saying the January 6th insurrectionists are “hostages,” and  that “we’re seeing the weaponization of the federal government against not just President Trump but we’re seeing it against conservatives.” 

      The 1200 thugs (and counting) charged with storming the Capitol on January 6th are convicted criminals, not victims. They violently tried to destroy our duly elected government, and were found guilty in federal court—no firing squad--we are a country of laws after all. To claim otherwise is to deny that our democracy was victimized by Trump’s treasonist putsch on January 6th.

   Whether a Democrat or Republican—use your brains and develop a patriotic conscience. How can you vote for someone who loves lies and deceit, violates her oath of office, and cheers the overthrow of the very government she gets paid to serve?

To vote for her for even dogcatcher is a crime.

Mark MacWilliams
Canton