Donald J. Trump is returning to the White House, and all the people who gloated and talked about putting people on lists because they worked for him are now suddenly rethinking their life choices.
Just kidding. They're pretending it's different and that they're still the righteous ones.
In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are serving irony in the name of standing up to Trump with a "Freedom Initiative."
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James fired a shot over the president-elect's bow on Wednesday, warning Donald Trump that New York will fight actions by his incoming administration that are adverse to the state or New Yorkers' rights.
"New York will remain a bastion for freedom and rule of law," Hochul said at a joint press conference with James in Manhattan. "And over the next coming weeks, and years, I'll do everything in my power to ensure that New York remains a bastion from efforts where those rights are being denied in other states."
The two Democratic leaders spoke somberly as their party grappled with a dreaded outcome from the previous night: the Republican ex-president had beaten Kamala Harris and will return in January to the White House he left four years ago after losing to President Joe Biden.
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New 'Empire State Freedom Initiative' on the way
Hochul announced her administration was creating an "Empire State Freedom Initiative" to resist any threats from Washington to abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, gun safety, immigration and other areas. She said those responses might take the form of legislation, regulations and budget expenses.
Note the whole "gun safety" thing. That's what makes this so hilarious.
I get that they see abortion, catering to the Alphabet Mafia, opening the country up to literally anyone who just strolls across the border, and a lot of things as rights when they aren't, but gun rights are expressly preserved in the Bill of Rights and New York stomps all over them on a regular basis.
Plus, the supremacy clause is part of the Constitution. I don't see how New York can override federal law on things like the right to keep and bear arms when they vehemently oppose a state like Missouri nullifying federal laws. You don't get it both ways.
There's a certain irony in calling this the "Freedom Initiative" when so much of it is focused on making people less free overall.
What they're likely hoping is that they'll do what they want and any challenge from the Department of Justice will drag out until after Trump leaves office, at which point they may well figure that they can do what they want.
But I will warn them both that if they keep doing this, they're just going to piss people off, including a lot of people who are still infuriated with the state over a squirrel and a raccoon. In the long run, it's not at all going to work out well for Democrats throughout the country who are going to be saddled with a certain degree of culpability for this kind of nonsense.
