By Larry Gordon

There are about 13 million potential voters in New York State. Just over 46% are registered Democrats while only 24% are registered as Republicans. So, mathematically, it is an uphill battle for a Republican to win a statewide office. But that is conventional thinking in these unconventional times.

Democrat leadership over the last two years has been devoted to the unraveling of a civilized society that just about everyone values and desires. We have witnessed backward and upside-down thinking that panders to a sector that imagines that New York, and even the U.S. overall, can be dismantled and then rebuilt in their unworkable progressive image.

The brakes need to be applied before it is too late for all of us. This begins with defeating Kathy Hochul and electing Lee Zeldin as governor here in New York.

The polls currently show Hochul ahead in most polls by 4–6%. A few weeks ago, the Democrats—who rely mostly on deception—were telling us through the media outlets always on their side that Hochul was ahead by more than 20%. If that original poll was true, then Hochul is on a serious downward slide.

Over last weekend Real Clear Politics characterized the race between Hochul and Zeldin as a “toss-up.” This is quite an anomaly in New York and an indicator that the fraud in the Democrat Party playbook can only take them so far.

Over the last few months there have been several key points that can turn this gubernatorial race in one direction or another. First, there was the Supreme Court decision to reverse the long-held federal allowance and legality of abortion rights. That decision, though long overdue, shifted sentiment in the direction of Democrat candidates.

But that decision has been greatly distorted by Democrat Party leaders.

What the Supreme Court decision actually did was return the law on abortion to the states instead of leaving it as a federal mandate. In other words, on the abortion issue in New York absolutely nothing changes. If Kathy Hochul and Chuck Schumer tell you that the court is trying to deprive women of their rights, they are lying. If you believe what they are saying, that is just an additional problem. Abortion law as passed by the state legislative bodies will never change or be adjusted.

Then there is the issue of a policy that is changing—and that is the matter of the State Education Department involvement in our yeshiva curricula. And on top of that is the inexplicable support of Orthodox Jewish community leaders for incumbents like Hochul, Schumer, and so on.

I know from speaking to some of them that they would love nothing more than for Lee Zeldin to be elected the next governor of New York. But they are afraid what the repercussions might be if they don’t support Hochul and she wins.

The fact of the matter is that for the yeshivas and schools for whom it is relevant, it’s a lose-lose situation. Because even if they outwardly wholeheartedly support Governor Hochul, either way the State Education Department is going to lower the boom on them.

And make no mistake: some of these yeshivas have brought these difficulties upon themselves. If you are taking education money from the state, you have an obligation to include in your educational curriculum whatever the state is paying for. If you are taking millions of dollars to bring Wi-Fi into your institutions but just don’t do it, it is a problem on a legal as well as halachic level. Let’s be clear; yeshivas that are not effectively teaching fundamentals like English and math are not only violating the law but are doing a significant disservice to their students and their families.

However, yeshivas and other religious institutions in the state also have the right to protect their religious and cultural interests, which will be extremely vulnerable if the Democrats in New York maintain full control of the three branches of government in the state.

The fear in yeshivas as a whole is that once the SED is involved in one aspect of yeshiva education, there may not be any limit to the extent of that involvement.

Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, and MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber announce a Subway Safety Plan at Fulton Transit Center on Fri., February 18, 2022.
(Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

If Kathy Hochul wins, it might become open season on our yeshivas. We won’t have that kind of problem with Zeldin as governor.

Coverage of the upcoming midterm elections has been so elongated and widespread that it is not surprising if you are tired of hearing about the elections all day long. And that can be part of the strategy—to wear you down until you say that you are no longer interested.

That’s understandable when things are sailing along, as may have been the case for decades prior to the current era. But since about the time of the election of Barack Obama in 2008, there seems to be an irreversible shift fueled by a racial divisiveness that was so much a part of the Obama agenda.

That divide has become especially pronounced in the two years of the Biden administration. This is not the way America is supposed to work. If we disagree or have a different vision for what is best for America, then the discourse should be civil and respectful.

Even if you a registered Democrat and have been voting for Democrats all your life, aren’t you tired of the vilification, the denigration, and the lies that we are told on a daily basis? Aren’t you just sick of the Andrew Cuomo–Kathy Hochul tactics that don’t have a nose-dropper’s worth of honesty in them?

The Democrats have been deceptive and that has become business as usual for their leaders. The good news is that we still have the power to stop this nonsense and gain control of our lives once again. Let’s not waste this opportunity.

Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

1 COMMENT

  1. B”H This candidate is utterly without merit for promotion, identifying always with the 45th’s Big Lie, refusing to twice impeach him, even abusing English as he refers to the Democrat not Democratic Party. Reactionary politics must be rejected in NYS! So states this moderate-progressive-liberal Republican who will gladly cross the aisle and vote with the like-minded majority of our coreligionists! With fraternal affection, Asher 😩😢

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