Democrats are truly desperate to go after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and we're talking about bright blue ones who have destroyed their states while Florida is doing quite nicely. While Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has really stirred the pot recently, prompting even more chatter that he's running for president in 2024, the latest example comes from Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY). For whatever reason, she thought it would be funny to poke fun at Florida and DeSantis while signing legislation to do with teaching about the Holocaust.
As Zach Williams covered for The New York Post about the signing event on Wednesday, Gov. Hochul suddenly quipped, "I just want to say to the 1.77 million Jews who call New York home: Thank you for calling New York home. Don’t go anywhere or to another state. Florida is overrated. I shouldn’t say this, but look at the governor. It starts at the top down."
Before introducing Holocaust survivor Celia Kener, the governor also told the crowd that she was "getting in trouble, gotta stay on script."
Blissfully, Hochul did not go on longer to provide reasons why she decided to go after DeSantis at an unrelated event. It's worth mentioning, though, that DeSantis signed legislation requiring Holocaust education back in June 2020, and in 2019 signed an anti-semitism protection bill.
Williams' reporting includes a statement from Dave Abrams, a campaign spokesperson for the DeSantis campaign. Like Hochul, DeSantis is on the ballot this November.
"After a breakup, some people cling to the hopes of reconciliation. It’s sad to see governors acting like desperate exes. Perhaps they should spend more time relieving their people of oppressive taxes, needless mandates, shuttered businesses, and crime-infested cities. Florida’s freedom agenda works — they ought to try it," Abrams said.
Christina Pushaw, DeSantis' press secretary, tweeted and retweeted Williams' coverage.
Classy. https://t.co/MCo55Onwv3
— Christina Pushaw ?? ???? (@ChristinaPushaw) August 10, 2022
Yes exactly. Not only inappropriate for a Holocaust event, but says the opposite of what she wanted to say
— Christina Pushaw ?? ???? (@ChristinaPushaw) August 10, 2022
New York, just like California, has been losing population, while Florida gains. New York, however, has the distinction of being the state leading the country in population loss, and lost a House seat as a result. While New York has the highest Jewish population, Florida is still in the top 10, as the seventh highest state.
According to data from U.S. Census Bureau, New York experienced a population decline of 1.6 percent from July 2020-July 2021. In raw numbers, that's a loss of 319,020 people. Such a distinction has been mentioned by Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who is running to replace Hochul in November.
New York leads the US in population loss, because residents aren’t feeling safe on the streets and subways, they feel suffocated by heavy handed government action, it doesn’t make sense economically to remain here, and opportunity for a better life is presenting itself elsewhere.
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) April 12, 2022
Williams' reporting also includes a statement from Rep. Zeldin. "Can Kathy Hochul really be this totally out to lunch and clueless about why New York leads the entire nation in population loss?," Zeldin said.
When speaking about the actual topic at hand, Hochul told reporters that "the lessons of the Holocaust need to be front and center in our minds today, as we see hatred, rising up to the surface, unfettered in ways we’ve not seen before in my lifetime," referencing anti-semitic incidents that have occurred in her state.
As The Jerusalem Post covered in March, citing statistics from the NYPD, anti-semitic hate crimes went up by 400 percent in February of this year. Last year, those targeting Jews made up the most hate crimes in New York, accounting for 38 percent.
What makes Hochul's dig at DeSantis even more inopportune is that it's her state that leads the way in anti-semitic hate crimes, as highlighted by an editorial in April from The New York Post.
Zeldin, in tweeting out Williams' coverage, also referenced overall surging crime in New York, calling out Soros-backed DA Alvin Bragg, who has made it his business to be soft on crime in Manhattan. With a high recidivism rate, and thanks to cash bail with a habit of not properly punishing repeat offenders, The New York Post reported last week, using NYPD statistics, that "10 career criminals racked up nearly 500 arrests since NY bail reform began."
Can Hochul really be this out to lunch & clueless about why NY leads the entire nation in population loss? If she stopped crushing freedoms, spending money like a drunken sailor, supporting cashless bail, & backing up rogue DAs like Alvin Bragg, New York could then be saved. https://t.co/fWrrJwBUGI
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) August 11, 2022
When it comes to other legislative priorities, Hochul also signed legislation earlier this week, as Madeline reported, which now refers to inmates as "incarcerated individuals."