Speaking with Brian Lehrer and Timmy Facciola, Jeff Coltin, who was also a co-moderator in the debate held at Manhattanville University on April 9th, was asked about his take on two of the more centrist Democrats in the race, Cait Conley and Beth Davidson. He said that there was a “lot of agreement on the issues, on almost everything, but it’s really a stylistic difference between those two.” The difference goes deeper though. In her opening statement Beth Davidson barbed Cait as a “Biden administration insider who just moved to this district,” characterizing her as someone who came back to this area solely to run for Congressional office.
What she is choosing to ignore is that Cait has come home to the place she was raised after tireless years of service to our country in the wake of 9/11. If she is an opportunist, as Ms. Davidson would like to paint her, the opportunity she is pursuing is a continuation of her service to this country. After graduating from West Point, she put on the uniform and was deployed three times to the Middle East. She then returned to the US and worked in Washington in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, helping to keep our infrastructure and elections systems safe.
This kind of commitment is not just admirable, it is courageous, and that’s who Cait Conley is. Her service demonstrates a strength of character and mettle that Ms. Davidson doesn’t appear to have. She has chosen instead to adopt the view that an Army veteran who has returned home after being deployed to serve our country for 16 years does not deserve a seat at the table when it comes to representing the people she has served. How does this look, I wonder, to the veterans that live here?
Ms. Davidson should be welcoming Cait Conley home and respecting her service, not denigrating her and casting her aside. While there may be parallels between these candidates when it comes to defeating Mike Lawler, there is a distinct difference between the two, not only in style but in their character. I believe we’ve had enough of the slimy political attacks the likes of which Ms. Davidson promotes. Rather, we need leaders who refuse to wallow in that sort of political hackery and simply and honestly get to the difficult task of righting a government that is clearly off track. People like Cait.
Clenn Reed
Ossining, NY
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