Political Publicity

Editor, Times-Union:
News release: Rudy Yakym authored bill passed out of committee.
News release: Rudy Yakym led a bipartisan letter.
News release: Rudy Yakym leads bipartisan push.
The strategy of issuing press releases that mimic campaign ads is not unique to Yakym. All politicians do it. It's free, uncontested coverage, and it adds an air of validity. It allows politicians to dominate local news sources like Inkfree and the Times-Union, while opposing voices struggle to be heard.
In Yakym’s case, it's easy to see why he's so eager to employ this strategy. If not for news releases dressed up as accomplishments, he would have scant little to crow about.
The current Congress, fully controlled by Yakym and his fellow Republicans, ranks as one of the least productive in decades. The 119th Congress will not be remembered for what it did to help hard-working Americans. It will be known for significantly weakening both the legislative branch, and our Democracy. Yakym enabled this outcome by effectively surrendering Congress’s power of the purse —and its broader Article One authority — to a chaotic narcissist who likens himself to Jesus while consistently targeting society’s most vulnerable.
Yakym can brag about what he did in committee until the cows come home, but news releases about showcase pieces of legislation can't hide the harm he's done. They won't feed families who have lost SNAP benefits, or restore farmers’ export markets lost in a reckless trade war. Yakym should devote less time trying to create the illusion of success, and more time listening to the people in his district.
If he were to hold town hall meetings, this is what he would hear: his big ugly bill exploded the national debt and drove up inflation; his bill sent our health insurance premiums through the roof; his cuts to Medicaid and the ACA caused millions to lose healthcare; he killed the clean energy credits important to manufacturers like Warsaw’s Slate Auto; and his support for detaining migrants with no criminal history, while ignoring the Trump family’s self-dealing and corrupt business ventures, makes no sense.
If Yakym ever met with his constituents, he might explain why he gave tax breaks to billionaires at our expense; why we have billions for war in Iran, but not for healthcare; and why he is protecting Trump and the Epstein class by not upholding the law requiring full release of the Epstein files. Yakym does have one legislative achievement: The Working Dog Health and Welfare Act. I have a dog who is part of my family, but the irony of passing healthcare for dogs while taking it away from millions of humans, is lost on no one.
News releases, government by executive order and shutdown brinkmanship are not why we send someone to Congress. We need a representative who will put our interests first. For the sake of everyone in the 2nd District, we need a news release in November that reads: Rudy Yakym Defeated!
Robert Osbun
Leesburg, via email