Gov. Kathy Hochul is bizarrely slamming Rep. Mike Lawler for being unable to face as much as his personal get together, when that shoe suits a heck of loads higher on her foot.
She's nominally mocking the Hudson Valley Republican's push to ban mid-decade Home redistricting and rein in gerrymandering, however weirdly also claimed he had “caved to “Trump on SALT,” and adopted up by scoffing that Lawler “has no energy.”
What hogwash: Lawler in reality received the GOP to cave to him (and the remainder of the state's Republican delegation) on SALT, managing to spice up the “ceiling” on the State And Native Tax deduction from $10,000 to $40,000 (for incomes beneath $500,000) — a large achieve for his constituents in defiance of GOP orthodoxy.
And this, regardless of President Donald Trump's warning that Lawler wanted to “again off.”
Be aware, too, that New York Democrats couldn't get SALT addressed when their get together managed the White Home and Congress in 2021-2.
Which means that Lawler wields lots of energy throughout the GOP — greater than, say, Lengthy Island Rep. Tom Suozzi (who talked SALT nonstop in these years) does amongst Dems.
Heck, greater than Sen. Chuck Schumer, too . . . except Schumer simply didn't prioritize making good on his vows to repair SALT.
For that matter, we've bother pondering of something Hochul received for New York when Democrats dominated Washington.
As for Lawler's bid to rein in gerrymandering, a response to Texas' drive to redraw its Home map this yr and to the noise from Hochul and different Dems about searching for to do the identical: No, he in all probability received't get speedy motion, however don't wager in opposition to him in the long run.
Whereas Hochul can't presumably ship anytime quickly on her personal threats to “combat hearth with hearth” by gerrymandering right here in New York — because it'd require amending the state Structure, which is a two-year course of.
Nor does she deliver a shred of precept to the combat: She was all aboard state Democrats' bid to gerrymander Republicans into oblivion in 2022, and fortunately performed together with the district-redrawing NY Dems did pull off final yr, serving to them claw a number of seats from the GOP final November.
By the best way, the one invoice Hochul managed to go throughout her time within the Home . . . ensured that garments deserted at airport-security checkpoints could be donated to charity.
Nor has she proven a lot potential as gov to have her approach with the state Legislature.
Certainly, its progressives routinely outright bully her, together with with the unprecedented 2023 rejection of Justice Hector LaSalle, her eminently certified nominee to grow to be the state's chief choose.
She's additionally been unable to win critical modifications to the Legislature's disastrous criminal-justice reforms, and has even gone together with some new ones.
Standing as much as your get together? Lawler mocked MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene because the “Jewish area laser girl” and efficiently pushed the expulsion of disgraced Republican liar Rep. George Santos.
Hochul doesn't even dare denounce Zohran Mamdani because the extremist he clearly is, and even makes excuses for him.
Which makes it all of the extra pathetic that she's taking pictures at Lawler, despite the fact that he has handed on his personal run for governor subsequent yr.
Perhaps the governor is just jealous that Mike Lawler is the principled, efficient average she solely pretends to be?
