Last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed hundreds of National Guard members to New York City’s subway stations to search bags for weapons in an effort to combat rising crime.
New Yorkers have felt increasingly anxious about riding the subway, and the governor thought the presence of the soldiers would ease their worries. Hochul has said it’s a temporary measure.
“We have seen a number of crimes, and again, not statistically significant, but psychologically significant,” Hochul told MSNBC. “If you feel better walking past someone in a uniform to make sure that someone doesn’t bring a knife or a gun on the subway, then that’s exactly why I did it.”
Good for her, right?
Yet, Hochul’s tough-on-crime measure has riled conservatives – not so much because of what she’s doing, but because of the hypocrisy it has revealed on the left.
It all has to do with the political persuasion of who is making the call to send in the troops.
Let me explain.
Rewind the clock to 2020. In June that year, just days after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton penned an op-ed that ran in The New York Times, with this headline: “Send in the troops.”
Cotton essentially argued that some military reinforcement may be necessary to protect cities and businesses from the rioting and looting that was happening purportedly in response to Floyd’s death. It is not a new phenomenon for bad actors to take advantage of a tragedy.
Donald Trump, who was president at the time, had said he was open to similar action, so Cotton’s opinion was far from fringe.
“One thing above all else will restore order to our streets: an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers,” Cotton wrote.
That doesn’t sound all that different from what Hochul just did.
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Cotton’s mere suggestion of involving troops was enough for all hell to break loose. The backlash by progressives inside and out of the Times’ newsroom led to the vilification of not only the senator but also the paper’s top opinion editor, James Bennet. He lost his job as a result.
Here’s the difference, though: Hochul is a Democrat. Cotton is a Republican.
As an example of the inconsistent reaction to these instances, take a look at what Times editorial board member Mara Gay had to say about Hochul’s decision.
“New York City cannot function without a thriving subway, and ensuring that the system not only is safe but feels safe is paramount,” Gay wrote. “So Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to deploy 750 National Guard members and 250 New York State Police officers to the subways after a spate of attacks is the right one.”
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Compare that with her reaction in 2020 to Cotton's idea of sending in troops to protect cities from violence.
Gay wrote this on X, formerly Twitter, after The Times published Cotton's opinion column: “Running this puts black people in danger. And other Americans standing up for our humanity and democracy, too.”
That’s why so many conservatives are left shaking their heads, wondering when Cotton will get his apology. Bennet deserves one, too.
They won’t get it, of course.
Imagine if it weren’t Hochul who made this call but another governor – say Republican Florida Ron DeSantis. I guarantee the reaction on the left would be 100% different. DeSantis would be framed as a tyrant or someone on a power trip who couldn’t be trusted.
Hochul, on the other hand, simply wants to put people’s minds at ease.
This is Hypocrisy 101, and it deserves to be called out.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques
Hypocritical much? NY sends troops to subway – and the left applauds.
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12.03.2024
Last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed hundreds of National Guard members to New York City’s subway stations to search bags for weapons in an effort to combat rising crime.
New Yorkers have felt increasingly anxious about riding the subway, and the governor thought the presence of the soldiers would ease their worries. Hochul has said it’s a temporary measure.
“We have seen a number of crimes, and again, not statistically significant, but psychologically significant,” Hochul told MSNBC. “If you feel better walking past someone in a uniform to make sure that someone doesn’t bring a knife or a gun on the subway, then that’s exactly why I did it.”
Good for her, right?
Yet, Hochul’s tough-on-crime measure has riled conservatives – not so much because of what she’s doing, but because of the hypocrisy it has revealed on the left.
It all has to do with the political persuasion of who is making the call to send in the troops.
Let me explain.
Rewind........
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