[KerrAvon]

And if you need a backgrounder on Stefanik, she got elected before Trump, decided she preferred staying in DC to her hometown, sold out her previously-stated principles almost immediately when she saw a chance to gain power, and is now doing as much damage to civil liberties as Nixon and McCarthy ever managed:

https://theracket.news/p/stop-going-stefanik-committee-fools

She doesn't care about whether the bill does something valid or even whether it survives legal challenges, as long she can use it to score political points. It's a real shame. Congresspeople are supposed to be servants beholden to the public good, not power-hungry sycophants who can't be bothered with the details of governance.

[kotaKat]

I'll add more as a NY21 local:

I've never seen her. I've never heard from her locally. You can't fucking find Elise. It's all events in the past. There's never been a townhall up in this portion of her region.

Bonus: Her husband is a lobbyist for a leading gun industry trade group. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Stefanik-s-husband-K...

[acdha]

I’ll contrast that with people like Jamie Raskin. I’ve met him personally (briefly, but multiple times) because he shows up at random music festivals and civic events. It’s really not hard to tell when a politician is interested in public feedback.

[SV_BubbleTime]

Her husband has lobbied for NSSF… Why is that bad?

[mauvehaus]

The complaint is typically about access. If you have a policy you'd like your rep to advance, you're stuck going through the same channels nearly everyone is: call, write a letter, etc.

If Alice Armalite or Bob Browning[0] wants something advanced, they call their guy who knows not just Stefanik, but probably a bunch of other reps socially through her.

Who's more likely to actually get the ear of a politician: you, or Alice Armalite?

To be clear, I don't think it's a good look for a politician to have personal ties that close with any lobbyist, even ones for the American Foundation for Fluffy and Adorable Kittens.

[0] Not real people, one suspects.

[SV_BubbleTime]

That’s fine.

But GP didn’t care about industry lobbying, just wanted to cry about guns.