OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
‘The View’ has once again set a new low for trashy, rancorous, and partisan rhetoric on daytime television.
On Wednesday, Sunny Hostin downplayed the political assassination attempt on Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) in July by saying that ‘he’s hated.’
“I’d be happy to tell you the Republican plan,” Alyssa Farah Griffin said.
“Well, what’s interesting to me is that —“ Hostin interrupted.
“No, no, his plan,” Goldberg chimed in. “Just his.”
“He voted against the ban on semiautomatic weapons,” Hostin said, apparently unaware that nearly every legally owned firearm in the United States is a ‘semiautomatic weapon.’
“Of course, he did,” Joy Behar scoffed.
“And homicides are up,” Hostin noted. “And I think most people — having been a prosecutor, I know this — they care about violent crimes. They don’t care about broken window crimes. They really don’t care about that as much. They care about violent crimes. And so —“
“In the last few months, Lee Zeldin was nearly stabbed on stage while campaigning in New York. A bullet came within thirty —“ Griffin said.
“Well, he’s hated,” Hostin said. “That’s true.”
“Yeah,” Whoopi added.
“That’s not OK though,” Griffin objected. “That’s horrifying.”
“No, I’m not saying so,” Hostin said, and added, “He is — he is —“
“It’s crime and political violence,” Griffin said.
“Right,” Whoopi agreed.
“And then, there — he’s — there was a shooting outside of his house that came within 30 feet of his home while his daughters were in the house,” Griffin added. “He is very familiar with the crime that is going on. And one thing I want —“
“No, he’s familiar with what just happened to him,” Whoopi remarked. “Because that’s New York’s — that’s New York City right now.”
“That’s New York City right now.”
Kathy Hochul couldn’t have said it any better herself. In her debate against Zeldin on Tuesday night, the current unelected New York Governor dismissed concerns about crime in the city.
“She still hasn’t talked about locking up anyone committing any crimes,” Zeldin said at one point in the debate.
“Anyone who commits a crime under our laws, especially with the change we made to bail, has consequences,” Hochul responded.
“I don’t know why that’s so important to you,” Hochul added.
This may be the tone-deaf political comment of the year. Lee Zeldin wasted no time dialing up the soundbite for his campaign.
Kathy Hochul's response to me tonight when I spoke about how we need to lock up criminals:
"I don’t know why that's so important to you"?
NYers are getting beaten, slashed, stabbed, and pushed in front of subway cars every day, yet @KathyHochul still can't address crime in NY. pic.twitter.com/rXvGH6XuKd
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) October 26, 2022
“Kathy Hochul’s response to me tonight when I spoke about how we need to lock up criminals,” Zeldin said, “I don’t know why that’s so important to you”?
“NYers are getting beaten, slashed, stabbed, and pushed in front of subway cars every day, yet @KathyHochul still can’t address crime in NY,” he added.
Zeldin knows these things personally. In July, a political assassination attempt was made on New York Congressman Lee Zeldin at a campaign event.
The suspect, 43-year-old David G. Jakubonis, leapt on stage brandishing a weapon and swung at the Congressman’s neck.
Rep. Zeldin released a statement on the harrowing attack on Twitter.
His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were “you’re done”, but several attendees, including @EspositoforNY, quickly jumped into action & tackled the guy.
Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes.
The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY’s laws. pic.twitter.com/wZEyIyrjFe
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) July 22, 2022
“His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were ‘you’re done’, but several attendees, including @EspositoforNY, quickly jumped into action & tackled the guy,” Zeldin said. “Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes.”
“The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY’s laws,” Zeldin added. It turned out that he was later proven correct.
The Monroe County sheriff’s office released a statement that bore out that Jakubonis was released on his own recognizance.
“On July 21, 2022 at approximately 8:00 p.m., Representative Lee Zeldin was on stage giving a campaign speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8495 at 300 Macedon Center Road, in the Town of Perinton,” the statement says. “A male from the crowd climbed up on the stage and approached Zeldin. The male had a weapon in his hand, swung it towards Zeldin’s neck, and told him, ‘You’re done.'”
“Members of the audience and Rep. Zeldin’s campaign restrained the male until deputies arrived and took him into custody,” the statement continued. “There were no injuries. The suspect is identified as David G. Jakubonis, 43 y/o, of Fairport.”
“Jakubonis is charged with: Attempted Assault in the Second Degree (E-Felony),” the statement added. “Jakubonis was arraigned in Perinton Town Court and released on his own recognizance.”
The political assassination attempt made on Lee Zeldin was covered with a fairly subdued reaction in the national media. And now, ‘The View’ has remarked on it with contempt and derisiveness.
Hostin’s comment could rank as one of the most vicious uttered during an already heated campaign season. It is simply not something anyone who has any concern for the victim of an attack says.
“Well, he’s hated.”
No. That’s not something a compassionate person remarks about a fellow citizen, a father, and a husband who may have been killed. Not just once, but twice.
If Americans want to know what discourse is a ‘threat to democracy,’ they can look no further than the callous disregard for political violence in the national media whenever the victim happens to be a conservative or a Republican.
