By Carol Tannenhauser
If you missed last night’s one-and-only debate between the candidates in New York’s race for governor, you can catch up with recaps from The New York Times, New York Post, Daily News, and Fox News.
It was a contentious but controlled debate, with challenger U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R) attacking incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for the state of New York State, which he characterized as “in crisis” — crime and corruption ridden; and Hochul doggedly defending her record, and attacking Zeldin for his votes on abortion, gun control, and certifying the 2020 election (which he voted against).
Most sources — except the Post — did not cite a clear winner of the debate, agreeing with The Times, which wrote that “neither candidate appeared to have a major breakout moment or gaffe that could reshape the race, which, according to recent polls, may be tightening just two weeks before Election Day.”
Zeldin appeared live on Fox immediately following the debate. Here’s the clip.
And here, so that you can judge for yourself, is the debate via YouTube. It’s only an hour and change and well worth watching.
Here are the important dates for the November 8 General Election.
Maybe it was draw. But the undeniable fact describes “insanity,” as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Repeating the same inaccurate talking points in comment after comment is another form of insanity. Neither political party (locally or nationally) cares more about or is better at combating crime than the other. Crime rises and falls based on a myriad of factors that sociologists and criminologist continue to study and debate long after the fact. There currently is zero evidence to support the allegation that bail reform is responsible for a rise in crime. Crime rates are NOT lower in so-called “red states” or cities with Republican mayors. NYC’s crime rate was significantly higher during Rudolph Giuliani’s two terms as Mayor than it is today. There’s strong evidence to suggest that access to guns (or gun control), reproductive rights (access to abortion), and income inequality have as much or more to do with crime rates as most of the other factors that people on this board so frequently cite.
Beautifully put. I want crime to be addressed and current leadership just talks.
Republicans have flooded our cities and towns with guns – and it will only get worse with the unravelling of commonsense gun laws in New York due to a radicalized state and federal judiciary.
Yes, I want a safer state – so voting for a pro-gun republican would be an act of madness.
All guns used in New York City crimes are illegally obtained. It is nearly impossible to purchase a gun legally in this state. Your statement is bizarre.
My statement is 100% accurate.
Illegal guns are sourced in republican-majority states with lax gun regulations and then trafficked into NY’s cities and towns.
Republicans can’t have it both ways. You can’t be tough on crime while also being soft on guns.
Sure you can. It’s called arresting people, having bail set at amounts appropriate for the crime committed, and prosecuting violent offenders with significant sentences handed out. As we all know, almost none of this is happening right now, which is why we are where we are.
Um, you can purchase most long guns with nothing but a background check in just about all of NYS outside of NYC (semi-auto long guns now require a permit). Handguns require a permit everywhere in NYS, with requirements varying by county. However, I agree that almost all guns used in crime in NYC are illegally obtained, since both long guns and handguns in NYC require a difficult-to-obtain permit.
Ummmm. Maybe you missed the FACT that right now Governor Hochul is trying to halt guns from being carried openly in our subways and places like Times Square. It’ss good to read the news, right Cardi Z??
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/times-square-gun-ban-other-ny-curbs-ruled-unconstitutional. Maybe you will agree with the gun lobby’s and the Republican Party’s efforts to carry guns everywhere in our city.
Problem is there will always be illegal guns like illegal drugs. The criminals now have no fear because they know they would almost always walk free. That is way more concerning than guns alone. I saw someone who walked into Duane Reade just last week, grabbed 4 bags of Halloween chocolate and calmly walked out without paying. Everyone saw him including the store clerk but said nothing. It only hit me later that I am slowly adjusting to the new reality that someone stealing is “no big deal”, in the sense that people start to pretend not to see and then we all forget about it. While that did not involve guns but that is where lawlessness begins. Remember this is also what kids are expose to and that tells them stealing (and who knows what more) is ok. Put criminals behind bars before the society really erodes.
The problem with debating guns in NYC is that hardly anyone knows the terminology. NO ONE (other than the police) now or previously is allowed to carry guns ‘openly’ in NYC or anywhere else in the state, for that matter. If you are one of a very few people who have been granted a permit to carry a concealed handgun in NYC, either by handling large sums of cash or being a celebrity, all this hastily passed law did was to make it more difficult for those few people to go through Times Square or ride the subways.
Can it then be assumed that those “celebrity” singers who openly advocate violence and attacks on police can get carry permits simply because of their “celebrity” position?
That’s not accurate. There are others without law enforcement badges that can openly carry.
No open carry. You’re exactly right.
Likewise madness to vote for a MAGA Republican for governor. Republicans in Albany always defund NYC, always increase the gap between all the money we send to Albany (NYC is the state’s economic engine still) and the lesser amount we get back.
Republican cuts to transit, health, education and other things will not reduce crime, probably increase it.
Those who think replacing Hochul with Zeldin will magically cure crime are being ridiculously simplistic.
She has been in office for a year. And she has made efforts to push back bail reform. And much of this is out of her jurisdiction. And firing someone who was elected is not something that should be taken lightly.
I wish Bragg would come out and say that he is going to go after more crimes. I get the sense that that is already happening – a friend recently had jury duty for a crime that I thought Bragg wasn’t going after. Plus anecdotally, I have seen more cops on the subway in the last week.
I thought all of the crazies were in the bright red states. But they are apparently among us here. And I am a moderate who is very unhappy with the current crime situation.
Come on people, use your brains. Don’t let the Post brainwash you into stupidity.
“Come on people, use your brains” — I wholeheartedly agree. Use your eyes and ears and what you have seen happening to this city. How do you feel walking anywhere at night? Is your head on a swivel while waiting on the platform for a subway (that is, if you still take the subway)? Don’t let any media, NY Post included, sway you. Face reality.
I take the subway every day, and I walk at night. I don’t bury my head in my phone, but I also don’t live in terror. Contrary to what the Post says, we are not living in a war zone. They know it too. I don’t see THEM selling their real estate and fleeing the city. They spew lies.
Zeldin makes up stories about being attacked when it isn’t true and frankly, is scared of NYC, no matter what period of history we are living through.
I do not trust him. He does not have our best interests at heart, nor does he actually have any authority to do half the things he claims to be able to do. He doesn’t even know his job description!
I will vote for Hochul.
Using your head might stop you from blaming the Governor for crime in NYC when she’s been in office for about a year and we do have a Mayor far more in control of what happens in this city. Not to mention that the candidate running against the Governor is an election denier and seems to have had no problem with his role model Trump who planned and executed an insurrection again the government of this country when he was the President! Rather than Lee Zeldin saying the election denial he voted for was a lie he has been carrying Trump’s water. Zeldin is anti-choice until he started running for Governor of a blue state that is fighting to maintain it’s laws about reproductive freedom. He supports the liberalization of gun proliferation, cowtows to a party trying mightily to eliminate or privatize social security and Medicare which they have openly admitted even recently. That’s no ordinary Republican! That’s an extremist masquerading as a Moderate. Using your brain precludes electing someone who stands against so much of what most New Yorkers value and depend upon.
I agree with you, mostly.
However, Zeldin is STILL UNAPOLOGETICALLY anti-choice! He only said that he wouldn’t be ABLE, as governor, to override what has been codified in NY as law “even if he wanted to.”
And Adams has very limited control over what can actually be done in NYC to ameliorate the crime situation, with the exception of deploying more police officers, which he’s doing. If we had a D.A. who would actually support his efforts and prosecute the criminals who practically have been given Bragg’s blessing to keep stealing and mugging and sucker-punching with virtually no repercussions, Adam’s would be able to be more effective.
I’m not a fan of Hochul’s, but I can’t bring myself to vote for an anti-choice MAGA election-denier, and we’ve seen what happens in elections when people who don’t like either candidate just stay home. No WAY I’m gonna stay home and facilitate NY going past the point of no return into the crapper! Might as well move to Florida if that were to happen!
It’s funny that you would move to a state like Florida where you presumably would not be happy with Desantis’ politics either.
That’s exactly my point. If I were to just stay home and not try and keep NY as blue as possible, I might as well move to a red state (where I HATE the political landscape).
Here, here!
Hochul engaged in a lot of name calling and ad hominem attacks like election denier, truth denier and anti-vaxxer. She just kept repeating them over and over. It seems that democrats think these slogans work — we will see what the voters think in a couple of weeks.
It’s not a slogan. It’s 100% verifiably true.
And that means that Zeldin isn’t fit for office.
While concerned about crime/homeless etc and not happy about Hochul on multiple levels, I intend to vote for Hochul.
Related to issue of crime….have huge concerns about City building new jails in the boroughs. Incredibly costly (in 2019 estimated at $8.7 billion), facilities will be inadequate and neighborhoods will be wrecked.
Rikers Island has space – it should be used to build new humane/therapeutic facilities.
The public safety and crime debate is a rabbit hole because no one wants to acknowledge that the solution to lowering and preventing crime from increasing is to invest in people and society by fully fund public education/schools, mental health and social services, jobs programs, and our communities. Neither Hochul or Zeldin will do a thing to address what’s at the core of declining public safety. Both just vomit rhetoric that’s meant to heighten fear and panic while continuing to throw public monies at failed policies.
NYC spends $40K per year per pupil. Suburbs are 17K. What makes you think that the schools are under-funded?
People think this debate was a tie?
Zeldin spent the entire debate incoherently running through Fox News talking points, Hochul pointed to actual policies she’s implemented.
It’s interesting that people always knock Fox News talking points as if it’s an anomaly that conservative people watch Fox News just as liberals tend toward CNN & MMSNBC which have no shortage of Democrat talking points. If they’re so familiar with Fox’s talking points, they must also have seen when Fox compiles all the liberal news outlets’ repeating the same thing supporting the Democrats.
Many NYers do not seem to understand that criminals are taking over our beautiful city due to our soft on crime politicians who are supposed to be keeping all law abiding citizens safe. Criminals have easy access to illegal guns. Criminals also use knives and fists without hesitation. If every single gun was taken off our streets, criminals would still be criminals. I’m not a gun advocate at all. But people need to understand that criminals do not miraculously become law abiding citizens when their guns are taken away.
Thank you Gina!