Michael Goodwin: Bruce Blakeman says hell shock the world and kick Kathy Hochul out of Albany
The most important question of the week comes from the Wall Street Journal editorial board.As usual, its headline gets straight to the point, asking, “Is New York stuck with Kathy Hochul?”I winced, yet dared to hope the writers had found reasons why the answer to the question could be a resounding no.They were not able to get completely there, but did cite key details about the vast decline of the Empire State on Hochul’s watch.After noting that the population keeps shrinking, the editorial added, “Hochul’s New York has punitive taxes, a bloated welfare state, high utility costs, and too many failing schools.”That litany is sad but true and yet, if public polls are right, voters are nonetheless ready to rehire Hochul for four more years on Nov.
3.Searching for a reason to keep hope alive, I contacted her GOP opponent, Bruce Blakeman, and asked how he would answer the Journal’s question.He didn’t hesitate or equivocate.Speaking by phone between campaign stops, he declared himself an optimist and insisted, “Our private polling shows we’re in a virtual dead heat.”He has released some of those polls, which did show a much tighter race than public polls do, and says Hochul hasn’t released any of her internal surveys.“She has to be seeing the same things we are,” Blakeman said.
“People aren’t buying it anymore.“She has been governor for five years, and New Yorkers are sophisticated enough to see what’s going on in our state, and that’s why we are going to shock the world with a big victory.”The Journal helps make his case about her tenure, especially on taxes.It cites the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, which puts New York at No.
50 among the states in overall competitiveness.It ranks 47th worst for its high property taxes, 42nd for sales taxes and 50th for individual income taxes.The editorial references the exorbitant top rates for both the city and state and observes that when combined with the top federal rate, the three levels o...