Common Sense: Paris discord

President Trump was pretty clear in his explanation of his decision to remove the United States from the Paris Accord.  He described it as against the best interests of Americans from the perspective of its negative effect on the American economy and jobs.

He articulated the same argument that he spoke of during the campaign – the U.S. contributes disproportionately to this agreement.

The president also reiterated his administration’s commitment to environmental policies that are rooted in proven science and implemented in the context of a cost and benefit analysis of their effect on the economy and jobs vs. the environmental benefits they provide.

In New York State, the governor’s complete ban on fracking in the Southern Tier is an excellent example of a poorly-thought-through environmental policy.

Billions of dollars of wealth remain in the ground in a region that has extreme poverty for the sake of a protection that is generally believed to be only necessary within a watershed.  Just a few miles west in Pennsylvania, many farmers have been able to benefit from fracking without any problems.

Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis was overwhelming endorsed for mayor by the Brooklyn Republican Party. The vote of the Teddy Ghorra-led Executive Committee was 25-5. The same night, the New York County Executive Committee — which was expected to endorse Paul Massey for mayor — instead officially endorsed no one, which was viewed in the political community as a big win for Nicole.

In fact, a group of district leaders immediately came together in Manhattan to carry Nicole’s nominating petitions and independently support her.

Nicole also picked up an important endorsement from former Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota. He called her the only real Republican running for mayor and praised her ability to serve in the job.

Considering that Lhota was at one time Rudy Giuliani’s budget director and then the first deputy mayor he certainly knows what it takes to be mayor.

Nicole, together with Joe Connor, whose father was killed in the FALN-orchestrated Fraunces Tavern bombing, deserve the lion’s share of the credit for the dismantling of the support for Oscar Rivera being honored by the Puerto Rican Day parade.

Nicole was the first elected official to announce that she would boycott the parade. And Joe Connor’s efforts against Rivera were ceaseless and highly effective.

You would think no one would ever consider honoring a convicted terrorist, at least not outside of the Middle East. Yet a group in New York City tried. Hopefully, the outrage sent a message to anyone else insane enough to consider such a crazy action.

And in what was a very busy political week, Mike Long chaired an enormously successful dinner for the State Conservative Party. Say what you want about the election of President Trump, a gigantic group of New Yorkers was excited to pay $500 a ticket to spend time with White House Counselor and former Trump Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway.

Kellyanne has appeared over the years at other Conservative Party events. While living in New York, she was a registered Conservative Party member. But having her at the Sheraton Hotel representing the president was very different. For one, she had a number of Secret Service agents accompanying her.  

More importantly, in accepting the Charles Edison Award, the party’s highest award, she spoke of the president’s commitment to the themes of his campaign and her strong belief that the president’s policies remain popular with the American public. She also gave insights into the campaign, her strategy to win and her respect for the president.

Then, at the conclusion of her remarks, she allowed herself to be placed in an interview setting where she was asked questions submitted to event MC Jim Kerr.  

It was a great evening and a reminder that the Conservative Party has in the White House a president that agrees with us on many issues.