House Republican Lee Zeldin goes off the rails
After having shamefully voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results, Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin announced in April that he is running for New York governor. A new cheap and dishonest stunt by this Trump sycophant reminds us why Zeldin is unfit to hold any office involving the public trust.
Yesterday evening, as Hurricane Henri barreled toward Long Island, Zeldin retweeted a video clip of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer enjoying a festive moment in Central Park, dancing with Stephen Colbert and others before the We Love NYC The Homecoming Concert began. Zeldin proceeded to create a false narrative that Schumer’s gleeful mood meant he was somehow derelict in his duty to keep New Yorkers safe from the impending storm.
“Maybe once @SenSchumer is done dancing with @StephenAtHome, he can call @POTUS & get him to sign the Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration for our state,” Zeldin complained. “The current forecast is predicting a direct hit to Long Island by Hurricane Henri in hours. Stop clowning around & do something!”
The thing is, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had already announced in a televised storm briefing that President Joe Biden told him he is willing to sign a Pre-Landfall Emergency Declaration. Cuomo explained that this would qualify New York for federal funding to cover state and local preparation costs. As Cuomo made clear, “The President has said that he is prepared to sign that, and that is good news.”
Zeldin’s irresponsible tweet isn’t the first time we’ve seen Republicans try to draw a straight line from an instance of dancing to reckless Democratic leadership. As you may recall, on the eve Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s swearing in as the youngest woman elected to Congress, a video surfaced in which she was “caught” dancing. Although there was nothing objectionable about AOC’s video, which was filmed in college years earlier, that didn’t stop Republicans from expressing their faux outrage.
Fortunately, Zeldin’s chances of becoming New York’s next governor aren’t too promising, given the overwhelming number of registered Democrats in the state. However, as a sitting insurrectionist member of Congress, Zeldin remains a threat to America’s democracy. If Zeldin decides to seek reelection next year, voters in New York’s 1st Congressional District must ensure that the next dance that offends him is his Democratic opponent’s victory dance.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month