It’s nearly eighteen months until the 2024 elections, and the last thing you’re looking for is a discussion of candidates who may be on the ballot. But like many others, I fear for our democracy and close scrutiny of those who vie to represent us is crucial if our way of life is to prevail.
Thus, Mike Lawler, our newly minted Republican Congressman [for New York District 19]. Mr. Lawler represents himself as a moderate, one anxious to reach across the aisle and compromise, and whose purpose is to serve the interests of his constituents. But is that really so?
When recently asked about his position on banning assault weapons, Mr. Lawler’s response was principally a sermon on the glories of the Second Amendment and why the restrictions proposed by Democrats were flawed, failed to comprehend the nuances of weapons of mass destruction, and wouldn’t pass the Congress anyway.
He favors open carry of firearms in New York and believes that the restraints in New York law, currently before the courts, are too narrow and restrictive and should be struck down. He continuously expounds the party line theory that gun violence is due principally to conditions of mental illness, rather than the proliferation of firearms. But, of course, Mr. Lawler has not proposed any legislation to actively promote mental health. And it goes on from there.
So if we peel away his glitzy exterior and probe beneath the very slick public relations pronouncements of his newsletters, we find not the paragon of virtue he tries to promote, but the very soul of a hack Republican politician who hews to the party line.
So, if you:
- Favor the increased intrusion of guns into every aspect of our lives
- Believe that worship of the Second Amendment is more important than the lives of schoolchildren
- Wish to see women’s reproductive rights severely restricted, or eliminated, and abortion banned from the moment of conception
- Desire to restrict what teachers may discuss in class, and the banning—or burning—of books that the self-imposed censors of our culture find unacceptable
- Want to separate those of us who are “different” from the mainstream and prevent them from voting
- Or follow the remainder of the Republican agenda,
Then Mike Lawler is your man, and you should support him.
But if you favor a more inclusive society, one in which you can send your children to school with full confidence that they will return in the afternoon, then watch Mike Lawler very closely over the next year or so. Will he courageously take public positions in opposition to the party line or will he go along to get along, while telling you how independent and bipartisan he is?
Examine carefully what he does, as well as what he says, and come November 2024, you will be able to make an informed choice regarding who should represent us in the 17th Congressional district.
Sincerely,
Joel E. Gingold
Croton-on-Hudson