Former Congressman Mondaire Jones, with State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg in Peekskill
By Dan Murphy
I like to start my columns about former President Donald Trump by reminding my readers that I have not voted for Trump, or Hillary or Biden, in the 2016 and 2020 elections. I voted third party both times, and plan on voting for RFK Jr. this fall.
But, like most Americans, I was shocked and saddened when President Trump was shot during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last week. After the shooting, MSNBC pulled their Morning Joe show from the air becuase they didn’t want the constant anti-Trump rhetoric to coninue just 48 hours after an attempted assassinaiton of a former President.
Why did NBC make this decision? Because the vast majority of Americans, regardless of party affiliation, did not want to hear the divisiveness and attacks on Trump, even for a few days. To continue the same talking points against Trump, who was the victim of an assasins bullets, one of which killed an innocent man and first responder, is being tone deaf, and out of touch with most Americans, in my view.
How long should that time of decency continue? A few days? A week? I’m not sure, but 48 hours was too soon. Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, (AOC) warned democrats not to “resign themselves to fascism,” and accept that Trump will win election in November, 48 hours after the shooting.
And former Congressman Mondaire Jones is being criticized for his comments against Trump at a rally in in Peekskill on July 16. Jones said, “Donald Trump says he wants to terminate the constitution. When he could have tried to be more reasonable, he took the MAGA person to be his vice-president…And we are supposed to stop calling these people threats to democracy? Hell No.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-_jwnAEYNo).
Jones, who is running for Congress agaainst Congressman Mike Lawler, was condemned by Lawler and by State Senate candidate Gina Arena. “This has nothing to do with political parties and everything to do with common sense and common decency,” Ms. Arena said. “A U.S. Presidential candidate was shot three days ago, and a former congressman is already inciting additional hatred into the mix. It almost defies belief,” said Arena, who is challening State Senator Pete Harckham in November.
“For Mondaire Jones to double down on divisive and inflammatory rhetoric painting political opponents as enemies barely 48 hours after former President Trump was nearly assassinated shows how unfit for office Mondaire Jones really is,” said Lawler for Congress spokesman Chris Russell. “Despite widespread calls for a return to civility and a toning down of the rhetoric, including by President Biden and former President Barack Obama, Mondaire Jones has continued to show his true radical nature, yet he can’t seem to help himself. He should immediately apologize.”
Westchester democrats in attendance, including State Senator Harckham, Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg and Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, are being called on to disavow Jones’ comments on timing. “Mr. Harckham clearly should have said something at the event, but he just stood there smiling and applauding instead. That’s totally unacceptable. I call on Mr. Harckham to publicly reject Mr. Jones’s remarks from this afternoon,” said Arena.
“While Mondaire Jones attempts to incite violence against his political opponents, Congressman Lawler is actually working in a bipartisan way with Congressman Ritchie Torres to protect President Biden, former President Trump, and RFK Jr. on the campaign trail. And news broke that there is an existing Iranian plot to assassinate former President Trump. Shame on Mondaire Jones for his extreme rhetoric,” said Russell.
Jones also called Trump “an enemy to democracy itself,” when he criticized Lawler for supporting Trump at the RNC convention.
The political question is will Jones’ comments impact his race for Congress against Lawler? Did Jones just lose the small sliver of undecided voters in the 17th Congressional district of NY? Or are political campaigns today more focused on firing up their political base then reaching out to the few undecided voters.
Lawler won election to Congress in 2022 by 1,820 votes. This congressional race is one that could help decide which party controls the House of Representatives in 2025.
Arena lost to Harckham in 2022 by a 53%-47% margin.
