ALTONA Rep. Paul Tonko (D-Amsterdam) does not think the country is headed in the right direction.
The pullback from the Paris Climate Agreement is "a scar." Income inequality remains an issue. Proposed cutbacks in scientific research have his scientistfriends outraged and pushing him to take action. And the looming rollback of the Affordable Care Act lacks compassion.
Were not going to take this anymore, Tonko said, throwing his arms up in frustration.
The crowd whooped and hollered.
Tonko, speaking Friday night at a labor dinner organized by the Clinton County Democratic Committee, repeatedly assailed Republican policy in Washington, D.C. in a half-hour stemwinder.
Darwinism doesnt quite cut it, Tonko said on White House policies, including the court-entangled travel ban from Muslim-majority counties, efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and proposed deep budget cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and social programs.
Weve been cutting these agencies since Republicans controlled the House, Tonko said. Were asking unimaginable things with this budget.
On the reduction in funding for scientific research: Its foolish, foolish thinking.
Tonko, who represents the Capital District, serves on the Science, Space and Technology and Emergency and Commerce Committees, as well as the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
Doing so gives him a firsthand perch to witness what he said are science deniers sitting on top GOP-controlled House committees.
Thats what drove him to author the Scientific Integrity Act, a bill he said would put watchdogs at every federal agency to make sure when the federal government invests in research, federal officials cannot manipulate, misrepresent, mischaracterize, suppress or not share those findings.
Tonko did not mention President Donald Trump by name, nor the lawmaker who represents the 21st Congressional District, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-Willsboro).
The lawmaker took particular relish in eviscerating the American Health Care Act, calling the bill a poison pill."
And on the Paris Agreement: What a scar across the face of America, Tonko said. A deep scar shared with the entire world.
Jobs in the renewable energy sector including the manufacture of turbines and solar panels will instead go elsewhere, he said.
Whos going to produce these jobs now? The nations who are at the table.
The countrys infrastructure is deteriorating to the point where the electric grid is currently unable to import renewables from Canada, Tonko said, citing field visits across the country as part of a congressional task force.
The White House is expected to roll out a $1 billion infrastructure plan this week.
But the plan, said Tonko, needs to be detailed and paired with how it will be paid for not vague commitments or promises of tax relief to contractors.
This is the kind of smart government that America needs and deserves, Tonko said.Were going to Make America Great Again, were going to put you to work do not give us broken promises. Do not tell us you stand for something and then you pull our job opportunities away.
CANDIDATES EMERGE
The speech was red meat to Democrats disaffected with current administration policy including prospective candidates Tonko acknowledged were in the audience, including Patrick Nelson, a Stillwater-based political organizer who has already declared his candidacy to run against Stefanik, and Emily Martz, a Saranac Lake resident who has been involved in community organizing since last falls election.
Im looking at running at the congressional level as well as the local level, Martz told the Sun after the event. Im committed to running for something.
Martz, a registered Democrat, said she appreciated the lack of partisan politics in the area.
That to me is important. The lack of party politics is strong at the local level, and I wish we could get that at the state and local level, Martz said. We need to move beyond that. Its not about party its about the people.
Mike Derrick, who challenged Stefanik last year as a Democrat, also expressed interest in a rematch.
I havent decided yet, said Derrick, who attended the event.
EYE ON 2017
This year is a local election year. On the tailwinds of last November's combative national election, Clinton County Democratic Chairman Sara Rowden said she has seen an uptick in local interest and enthusiasm over the previous local election cycle.
The activity isnt only coming from the left, she said, but also the center, with health care as a driving interest.
Grassroots groups were scant ahead of last years election, she said. But now she estimated there are 40+ independent groups actively involved in the region.
I think we need to take advantage of this momentum and everyone that is there, Rowden said. This is our time.
Clinton County was the only county in the 12-county congressional district that went for former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, who notched a razor-thin 1 point margin over Trump, besting him by just 265 votes.
Stefanik defeated Derrick by 35 points the highest margin for a Republican in the state.
Rowden said the Democratic Party has become complacent due to recent big-ticket accomplishments, including social justice issues.
The party, she said, must now return to their roots if they want to start winning elections again.
Social justice may have overshadowed our commitment to the working class, Rowden said.
Clinton County Republican Chairman Don McBrayer said he respects true grassroots involvement, but questioned if some of the recent local protests he witnessed in the area could be categorized as locally-organized.
To me, it looked more like protests being organized by state and federal level organizers to promote populist politics, McBrayer told the Sun. It is not something I wish to be a part of.
McBrayer said the GOP prefers to work with people individually, educating them on issues, and finding dedicated candidates willing to put in the sweat-equity required to keep local government efficient, transparent and honest.
McBrayer said local Republicans are excited about the reelection prospects for a number of local and county races, and the committee looked forward to recruiting more candidates this spring and summer.
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'Darwinism doesn't quite cut it,' says Tonko, rallying North Country Democrats - Sun Community News