Speaker 1: Hudson River Radio dot com. It beats listening to nothing.
Speaker 2: My goodness, it's Frank being Frank. Fright, were the only
Speaker 2: way to be is Frank. Hello everyone, and welcome to
Speaker 2: being Frank. We're the only way to be is well, Frank.
Speaker 2: I'm your host, Frank. We're going on and I'd like
Speaker 2: to thank you for joining us on what we like
Speaker 2: to call the Intelligent Conversation Podcast, where no conversations out
Speaker 2: of bounds and all points of view are welcome. Listeners
Speaker 2: know we record live to tape. I give you the
Speaker 2: date so you have some context and relevance. It is
Speaker 2: the eighteenth of March. As we continue to celebrate Women's
Speaker 2: History Month, I would like to add some very personal reflections.
Speaker 2: I celebrate women not just this month, but every day
Speaker 2: because I've had the great privilege to be raised by
Speaker 2: and surrounded with powerful women my whole life. My grandmother, mother, sister, ants, cousins,
Speaker 2: friends and lovers all been strong, successful women. They have
Speaker 2: made me what I am today. With that in mind,
Speaker 2: I would like to introduce you to another woman whose
Speaker 2: career in life reflects what it means to be a powerful,
Speaker 2: successful woman. Kate Connolly is a proud fourth generation Hudson
Speaker 2: Valley native from working class roots who understands the values
Speaker 2: of hard work and public service. After watching The Twin
Speaker 2: Towers fall on nine to eleven as a junior at
Speaker 2: Pine Bush High School, she applied to West Point. The
Speaker 2: first in her family to graduate from college. Kate went
Speaker 2: on to earn master's degrees from MIT and Harvard and
Speaker 2: served sixteen years as an active duty Army officer, deploying
Speaker 2: six times to combat zones including Iraq and Afghanistan, and
Speaker 2: earning three Bronze Stars as one of the first women
Speaker 2: in special ops leadership. She later served as Director of
Speaker 2: counter Terrorism on the National Secure Council at the White
Speaker 2: House and help safeguard our critical infrastructure and election system
Speaker 2: at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agent CISA. According to
Speaker 2: her website, Kate is not a lifelong politician or political operative.
Speaker 2: Throughout her career, Kate has been called upon to solve
Speaker 2: the toughest problems and deliver, and with the stakes this high,
Speaker 2: there's no time for on the job training. That's why
Speaker 2: Kate is running for Congress to stop the talk and
Speaker 2: action deliver on a better future for New Yorkers. By
Speaker 2: the way. That Congressional race is for New York seventeen,
Speaker 2: one of the most important races in the country. Please
Speaker 2: welcome Kate Connolly. Kate, thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 2: You're obviously a very busy woman this time.
Speaker 1: Grag I am honored to be here, man, and so
Speaker 1: thank you for today's conversation and just everything you do
Speaker 1: to keep important conversations going in the Hudson Valley.
Speaker 2: We appreciate hate that.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: Of course we read your CV crit VTA if you will.
Speaker 2: It's kind of the nuts and bolts, but I like
Speaker 2: to kind of read a little between the lines. Tell
Speaker 2: us a little bit about yourself, your upbringing, how you
Speaker 2: grew up, some of the influences that you had, some
Speaker 2: of the people who influenced you, role models, things of
Speaker 2: that nature. Fill in the blanks.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean, when you talk about incredible places
Speaker 1: to grow up, I could not have been more fortunate
Speaker 1: to grow up here in the Hudson Valley. So you
Speaker 1: hit it. My family's been here for generations.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 1: My great grandfather and grandfather worked in the brickyard over
Speaker 1: in Montrose back when that was open, and my dad
Speaker 1: his family born and raised Hopewell Junction up in southern Duchess.
Speaker 1: He was a construction worker. And my mom, who raised me,
Speaker 1: raised me and my two sisters. She was a postal worker.
Speaker 1: Right for forty eight years she worked for the US
Speaker 1: Postal Service, and I'm actually super proud to say she
Speaker 1: just retired after forty eight years this month. And when
Speaker 1: you talk about role models, you know, I would go
Speaker 1: on to attend West Point where at the US Military Academy,
Speaker 1: the mission is to train and educate and develop the
Speaker 1: next generation of America's military leaders. When I think about
Speaker 1: some of my first examples of leadership, Frank think of
Speaker 1: my mom. You know, I remember when she was a
Speaker 1: postmaster and we were growing up. On Christmas Day, we'd
Speaker 1: get to open a couple presents and then had to
Speaker 1: get in the car and she would drive us to
Speaker 1: the Postal plan over in Newburgh and Christmas Day we'd
Speaker 1: get out there and I'd see here meet up with
Speaker 1: someone for other colleagues, other postmasters sometimes, but they'd go
Speaker 1: in and grab packages, come out and we'd go deliver them.
Speaker 1: And I remember asking my mom, I'm like, Mom, it's
Speaker 1: the post Office. It's Christmas, like you're supposed to be closed.
Speaker 1: What are we doing? And she looked me and she said, Kay,
Speaker 1: this is our responsibility. Getting people their package is our responsibility.
Speaker 1: And you never know if this is the only pas
Speaker 1: a family is going to get on Christmas.
Speaker 2: Great point.
Speaker 1: And so it's stuff like that, Frank right where I think,
Speaker 1: you know, when we talk about Women's History Month and
Speaker 1: the heroes every day that support our communities, I think
Speaker 1: of my mom, you know. I also think of my godmother,
Speaker 1: So Betty Litz, she and my uncle fifty years ago
Speaker 1: started fred Cook Septic over here, based out in Montre's
Speaker 1: Buchanan area. Fifty years they've been servicing northern west Chester
Speaker 1: Potenham County. And again, helping family is helping people, helping
Speaker 1: businesses right with critical infrastructure and their foundations, and keeping
Speaker 1: families healthy, right, And so it's stuff like that where
Speaker 1: here's a woman who helped build a small business here
Speaker 1: in the Hudson Valley that grew for fifty years, you know,
Speaker 1: and she was like my second mom. And so when
Speaker 1: you talk about folks who who really set the example
Speaker 1: and who teach you the values of hard work and
Speaker 1: doing the right thing for your community, I am a
Speaker 1: product of the Hudson Valley. You know, we're service is
Speaker 1: something that really matters here.
Speaker 2: Let's talk a little bit about your epiphany, if you
Speaker 2: allow me use that word of nine to eleven. What
Speaker 2: was it about it that spurred you eventually to a
Speaker 2: life of service beginning with West Point? But if you
Speaker 2: could thinking back on it, what was it that coalesced
Speaker 2: in your mind that said I have to serve?
Speaker 1: So you know how there's moments in life where you'll
Speaker 1: never forget where you were. I think for a lot
Speaker 1: of us, strength nine to eleven was one of those.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 1: I still remember sitting in English class in eleventh grade,
Speaker 1: you know, and my teacher wheeling in the television, mister McAvoy,
Speaker 1: And I remember watching the towers burn, right, and there
Speaker 1: were folks in that room whose parents actually, you know,
Speaker 1: one classmate of mine whose dad was a New York
Speaker 1: City fire captain who lost his life that day. You
Speaker 1: just remember the heartache and the pain that day and
Speaker 1: the fear. And I remember going home that night and saying, mom,
Speaker 1: he taught me to stand up and fight for what's right.
Speaker 1: You know, I don't know what just happened, but I
Speaker 1: know I want to be part of what fixes it,
Speaker 1: and so that was really the moment. Frank Werre was
Speaker 1: just like, I don't know where this is going to
Speaker 1: take us. I don't know what just caused this, But
Speaker 1: what I do know is I want to make sure
Speaker 1: I spend my life ensuring it can never happen again.
Speaker 1: And so you talk about other heroes, you know, I
Speaker 1: have to give a tremendous shout out to Demi Moore.
Speaker 1: I don't know if you remember the nineteen ninety seven
Speaker 1: classic Gi Jane, but back then, I mean, look, seeing
Speaker 1: is believing, right, That's a great point, and that in
Speaker 1: films and things.
Speaker 2: I know a great veteran here, Jerry Janellen, who became
Speaker 2: active in the Vietnam Veterans of America and Platoon, seeing
Speaker 2: that film changed his life. It was a shared experience
Speaker 2: that he had witnessed when during his time in Vietnam.
Speaker 2: So again it coalesced his service said Look, I'm not
Speaker 2: out there alone. There are others who feel the same way,
Speaker 2: share similar experience, and so he shared and became a
Speaker 2: great man through that. So I understand.
Speaker 1: The power of seeing is believing and understanding stories, and
Speaker 1: so g I Gene Demi Moore nineteen ninety seven. I
Speaker 1: still remember renting it with my dad at Blockbuster, right,
Speaker 1: like literally going.
Speaker 2: And you could get a rh K Blockbuster. A lot
Speaker 2: of people, the young people want it.
Speaker 5: Was that.
Speaker 1: A classics classic. But I'll tell you so in that movie,
Speaker 1: she went into Naval special operations. She was the first
Speaker 1: female in that movie to become a Navy seal. And
Speaker 1: so I have to say that I went the Army route,
Speaker 1: but certainly had that same aspiration and got to spend,
Speaker 1: you know, out of my sixteen years in the Army,
Speaker 1: over a decade of that was in the special operations
Speaker 1: community as the first woman in many tactical roles and
Speaker 1: leadership roles, you know, breaking those ceilings and service to
Speaker 1: this nation. But going back to Women's History month man,
Speaker 1: you know, it was bravery to represent that kind of
Speaker 1: role and hope, and I think they inspiring the whole
Speaker 1: generation of women in service.
Speaker 2: We're going to talk about your military experiences in just
Speaker 2: a minute. Before that, you went to West Point to
Speaker 2: the United States Military Academy, and I had some exposure
Speaker 2: believe or not, many many years ago I produced the
Speaker 2: Army Football Coaches Ship, So I had some experience with
Speaker 2: the military lifestyle, particularly at West Point, which is a
Speaker 2: really peculiar if you will, in particular schooling like pinging,
Speaker 2: if you will, that stiff legged You didn't think I
Speaker 2: knew that, that stiff legged walk.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, Greg, I don't think I've ever heard
Speaker 1: a non military person talk about it.
Speaker 2: So I know, I had some expo and I realized
Speaker 2: it is a very unique environment for anyone, but for
Speaker 2: a woman it must be particularly so talk a little
Speaker 2: bit about that experience and how it helped shape you.
Speaker 1: You know, when people tell me, Frank that they're losing
Speaker 1: faith in this country or America and what it means,
Speaker 1: I tell them to go to West Point and just
Speaker 1: sit down and watch. And there you'll see these cadets,
Speaker 1: these brave, selfless young men and women from all fifty
Speaker 1: states and territories, coming from families that represent the economic spectrum,
Speaker 1: some of our nation's wealthiest families, some of our nation's
Speaker 1: forest right all there wearing the same uniform, swearing an
Speaker 1: oath to the same constitution for one reason, and that
Speaker 1: is to serve this country and defend the American people.
Speaker 1: And it is truly, I think the most American and
Speaker 1: most selfless example you could see. And I try to
Speaker 1: explain to people that, I'm like, it's out of love.
Speaker 1: People go there out of love for this country, out
Speaker 1: of love for the American people and our values, out
Speaker 1: of love for our community, and they are willing to
Speaker 1: make the ultimate sacrifice because of that love and that belief,
Speaker 1: and that is so so powerful. So yeah, my four
Speaker 1: years at West Point, Frank, I loved it. I absolutely
Speaker 1: loved it because it ain't easy.
Speaker 2: I love to know that. The curriculum is difficult, the academics,
Speaker 2: the physical training. I saw all of that, and people
Speaker 2: don't realize you just don't play soldier up there. It's
Speaker 2: a lifestyle.
Speaker 1: Frank. What I love about it is you were evaluated,
Speaker 1: constantly assessed on everything you did, from how smart you
Speaker 1: were to how fast or how strong you were, to
Speaker 1: how tactically proficient you were, to how well you led.
Speaker 1: And I loved it. I think competition makes you the
Speaker 1: best version of you, you know, and steel sharp and
Speaker 1: steel Like, I loved it. And so for me west Point,
Speaker 1: I mean, I actually, I guess it's kind of weird
Speaker 1: to say, but like I had a blast and I
Speaker 1: met the closest friends i'd have, you know, the rest
Speaker 1: of my life in so many ways. And I'll tell
Speaker 1: you I was there, Frank So, I am a lesbian,
Speaker 1: and I served during Dontas, Don't Tell. And so my
Speaker 1: time at West Point and my first several years as
Speaker 1: a commissioned army officer was during don't as, Don't Tell,
Speaker 1: where you had to lie about being gay just because
Speaker 1: you were a gay, Like it was terrible.
Speaker 2: Yeah, how does that make you feel? I don't mean
Speaker 2: you get off, but that makes that point there, because
Speaker 2: I think it's really important, Kate, people understand that you served,
Speaker 2: you gave you sacrifice, and through that all you had LOFE.
Speaker 2: That's just awful to me. How did that make you feel?
Speaker 1: It was disappointing because you knew America was better than that, right,
Speaker 1: Like America is about freedom and a quality for all,
Speaker 1: and you were sitting there training to lead America's sons
Speaker 1: and daughters in defense of this nation, right, and you've
Speaker 1: realized that that nation didn't even give you the same
Speaker 1: legal protections over something you didn't even control. And the
Speaker 1: irony was it was the most un American thing and
Speaker 1: probably the most American experience, right.
Speaker 2: Lost.
Speaker 1: And I know, and I know this is a little
Speaker 1: further down. But when people ask me, you know why
Speaker 1: I'm a Democrat and running for office, I during my
Speaker 1: time in service. I believe this is part of the
Speaker 1: ethos of the American military. As an active duty military member,
Speaker 1: you should not be politically affiliated or overtly political. I
Speaker 1: think that's who we are as a country too, and
Speaker 1: important for our values. But I will tell you my
Speaker 1: love for the Democratic Party started because you know, when
Speaker 1: I was deployed over in Bagdad in the two thousands,
Speaker 1: fighting for this country, it was the Democratic Party that
Speaker 1: was fighting for my rights. And I will never forget that.
Speaker 1: And so, you know, it is amazing how much progress
Speaker 1: we've made and how much progress we still have further
Speaker 1: to go. But I will say at West Point during
Speaker 1: that time, I mean, Frank, I was there, you know,
Speaker 1: three Pho. Seven. It was right during the beginning of
Speaker 1: the war in Iraq. It was right during the surging
Speaker 1: of more troops to Afghanistan, the surge in Iraq and
Speaker 1: the kickoff of that. And you know, did you ever go,
Speaker 1: Frank to the dining facility at West Point? So, you know,
Speaker 1: the dining facility right where you've got essentially think of
Speaker 1: it as a star. In the middle, you've got this
Speaker 1: central convening area and then these hallways that come off
Speaker 1: where all the tables are. And in that middle area
Speaker 1: there's basically a platform on a second story. And as cadets,
Speaker 1: you have every breakfast together, every lunch together. Right, it's
Speaker 1: mandatory twenty minutes forty four hundred or forty eight hundred cadets,
Speaker 1: how many are still there wolfing it down. But that's
Speaker 1: also when the cadet leadership team makes announcements for the
Speaker 1: core of cadets, and Frank, I have to tell you
Speaker 1: the memories that I still feel in my gut. You're
Speaker 1: sitting there eating lunch, and the core of Cadets leadership
Speaker 1: team comes over the announcement and is giving you, you know,
Speaker 1: the updates and the news that you need. And that
Speaker 1: was also where they would announce the death of graduates.
Speaker 1: And so you would be sitting there hearing about, you know,
Speaker 1: someone who graduated and was sitting at a table that
Speaker 1: you were at the year prior, you know, or someone
Speaker 1: you shared a hallway with and the company with. And
Speaker 1: so in that sense, it was very very real. Every
Speaker 1: day you knew the stakes, you knew what you were
Speaker 1: fighting for and you knew the risks. I think that
Speaker 1: was a very powerful thing that shaped my experience there
Speaker 1: where you knew exactly what you were trying to get
Speaker 1: into and where you were going.
Speaker 2: Great, great point. Now, lots of experience in the in
Speaker 2: the military on various levels, including combat experience, a bronze star,
Speaker 2: et cetera. Of all those experiences, what would you say
Speaker 2: shaped you the most? What sticks with you within that?
Speaker 2: That the crucible of of that military experience.
Speaker 1: I think the courage of the young men and women
Speaker 1: who sign up to do this. You know, I served
Speaker 1: during Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden, so I've served under presidents
Speaker 1: of both political parties multiple and I have to tell you,
Speaker 1: when you were in the uniform, you're not doing it
Speaker 1: for a person or a political party. You're doing it
Speaker 1: for a country and truly living that every day. And
Speaker 1: what is so powerful about the military is it is
Speaker 1: the ultimate meritocracy, right because the stakes are so high
Speaker 1: there is no room for anything other than performance, because
Speaker 1: if you fail, the consequence couldn't or maybe not just
Speaker 1: your life, but someone else's. And so when it comes
Speaker 1: to truly a place where people value you based on
Speaker 1: who you are and what you do and how well
Speaker 1: you perform and can you get the job done? You know,
Speaker 1: I talk a lot about this when it comes to
Speaker 1: I was part of the generation of women that push
Speaker 1: to end the exclusion of women in combat branch, just
Speaker 1: like infantry, because the reality was, you looked at Iraq,
Speaker 1: in Afghanistan and other places, the enemy didn't care what
Speaker 1: gender you are. The enemy only cared that you're an
Speaker 1: American soldier and showing that we could do the job, period,
Speaker 1: And that was all we ever asked for the opportunity
Speaker 1: to do. And I believe when it comes to that,
Speaker 1: like war is the ultimate equalizer because you have to
Speaker 1: perform and the enemy doesn't care if you're this or
Speaker 1: that's they just see you as the enemy. And so
Speaker 1: in that sense, you know, I think the military has
Speaker 1: been a great example of what true meritocracy and equality
Speaker 1: and ingration looks like, where people just care about can
Speaker 1: you do the job? And can I trust you and
Speaker 1: you have my back?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 2: The good good segue into my question situation with Iraq,
Speaker 2: I call it a war that seems to be the
Speaker 2: subject of some debate with the current administration. If you
Speaker 2: were in Congress, now, what would your thoughts be is
Speaker 2: what was this the right thing to do? Where are
Speaker 2: we going with it? What would you do again? If
Speaker 2: you were in Congress as a congress person, how would
Speaker 2: you deal with the situation?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would be hauling heg Seth and every one
Speaker 1: of that leadership civilian team, civilian leadership team in front
Speaker 1: of my committee and having them under oath answer some
Speaker 1: really hard damn questions to include what the heck is
Speaker 1: the plan to what is the exit strategy? What are
Speaker 1: the objectives? Because Frank I will tell you, look, there
Speaker 1: is no love loss for the Iranian regime. What you saw,
Speaker 1: I told KAMENI is was evil. His regime was responsible
Speaker 1: for the deaths of the hundreds of Americans, thousands of
Speaker 1: innocent Iranians. Right, truly an evil regime. And I am
Speaker 1: a firm believer, as someone who has literally watched as
Speaker 1: Iran has become the largest purveyor, the largest distributor of
Speaker 1: lethal aid to terror groups in the world. I am
Speaker 1: a firm believer. We cannot let Iran get a nuclear weapon.
Speaker 1: But what we are seeing where the American people woke
Speaker 1: up on a Saturday morning to a president declaring war
Speaker 1: without going to Congress and seeking authorization without making the
Speaker 1: case to the American people. Let's be very clear, I
Speaker 1: don't care who is in office. That is illegal like
Speaker 1: that is unconstitutional. Congress has the authority to declare war,
Speaker 1: to authorize the use of military force. That's how we
Speaker 1: went to I Rock, That's how we went to Afghanistans.
Speaker 1: How we fought isis, That's how we still fight. Isis
Speaker 1: in al Kaida, the two thousand and one AUMF that's Congress.
Speaker 1: And so for this administration to literally disregard the rule
Speaker 1: of law and get us into a war without explaining
Speaker 1: the why, the how, they don't have a plan. You
Speaker 1: are literally seeing the objectives change every day. You had
Speaker 1: Donald Trump saying we're there for regime change. Yeah, yet
Speaker 1: the guy who's taken over a run is the son
Speaker 1: of the Ayatola, who's arguably even more hardline. Yeah, we're
Speaker 1: not helping the Iranian people. And so, Frank, I got
Speaker 1: real issues when you've got people, you know, five time
Speaker 1: draft Dodger in sitting in the Oval office and as
Speaker 1: sectaff who knows more about botox than bombs, feeling like
Speaker 1: they can just send America's sons and daughters into conflict
Speaker 1: without a plan. I got a real issue with that
Speaker 1: because I've been there, and I will tell you American
Speaker 1: service members deserve better.
Speaker 2: Let's now talk specifics about New York seventeen, as I
Speaker 2: mentioned in my preview, perhaps the most important congressional race
Speaker 2: in the country, because it's considered a flip district currently
Speaker 2: held by Republican Mike Lawler, who won in an overwhelmingly
Speaker 2: democratic disc certainly at least a Democratic majority. How did
Speaker 2: that happen? Kate? How did we get there? Where? Again,
Speaker 2: this is considered a pretty progressive, pretty blue area, yet
Speaker 2: you have a Republican and a maga Republican in the seat.
Speaker 2: How did that happen in the first place?
Speaker 1: Brian, I think that is the most important question.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 1: So there's a saying in the army the fastest way
Speaker 1: to lose the current war is to fight the last one.
Speaker 1: And I think we need to be very, very cleared
Speaker 1: about what it takes to win in New York seventeen
Speaker 1: and twenty twenty six, and a very brief version of
Speaker 1: history and what got us here. It's important to understand
Speaker 1: the New York seventeen of today because when I was
Speaker 1: growing up New York seventeen was in the bronx right.
Speaker 1: Every ten years we do a census, and we've been
Speaker 1: losing people, so we've had to redraw congressional lines. And
Speaker 1: so when you look at twenty eleven to twenty twenty,
Speaker 1: New York seventeen was basically Westchestern Rockland Counties. That was
Speaker 1: really it solidly blue. Biden wins by double digits in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty. We've had a Democratic rep you know, for decades,
Speaker 1: solidly blue. Well, in twenty twenty one, coming out of
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty census, the New York Independent Redistricting Commission
Speaker 1: readrew the lines, and so today's New York seventeen is
Speaker 1: very different. It's still Rockland County and northern Westchester, but
Speaker 1: we lost the majority of Westchester and instead it's now
Speaker 1: northern Westchester, all of Putnam County, and southern Duchess. You know,
Speaker 1: it is a district where there's actually not enough registered
Speaker 1: Democratic voters to win alone. You got twenty percent of
Speaker 1: registered voters New York seventeen who are unaffiliated or independent.
Speaker 1: If you want to win New York seventeen, you have
Speaker 1: to give voters a person, not just a party to
Speaker 1: vote for and believe in. And I think that's part
Speaker 1: of how we've lost this Frank, is to win this district,
Speaker 1: you got to put one hundred percent of it in play,
Speaker 1: and you've got to have a candidate that people can support,
Speaker 1: even if they don't agree with every policy position, they
Speaker 1: can see them and say, you know what, I know
Speaker 1: they're going to do the right thing for me and
Speaker 1: my family. And I think that is the biggest thing
Speaker 1: that we have to understand is winning this district is
Speaker 1: truly about winning people and getting them to choose a person,
Speaker 1: not just a political party.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: And it's impossible to talk about elections in this area
Speaker 2: without special interest groups, in particular one that it's known
Speaker 2: as the block, the ultra orthodox vote from the Munsi area,
Speaker 2: which have a tendency to vote singularly according to the
Speaker 2: instructions of the Grand Reby, et cetera. So how do
Speaker 2: you deal with a situation of where people don't And again,
Speaker 2: to play devil's advocate, you'll say, well, you'll do anything
Speaker 2: to appease the block, because you can get thousands of
Speaker 2: votes in a single visit if you will, if you
Speaker 2: should impress the REBI, how do you deal with that
Speaker 2: realistically is that you know, it's within the law, and
Speaker 2: I think people have to understand that they get out
Speaker 2: the vote and they vote. But as a politician, and
Speaker 2: I understand the need for political expediency, you'd like to
Speaker 2: have the votes. But how do you balance the idea
Speaker 2: of is it really the right thing to do to
Speaker 2: basically say what they what they want to hear so
Speaker 2: that you can get their votes. Your thoughts on that.
Speaker 1: So, Frank, partlus is going to connect back my last statement, right,
Speaker 1: which is we got to stop fighting the last war
Speaker 1: and start fighting the current war. And what I mean
Speaker 1: by that is, you know, you hear people talk a
Speaker 1: lot about certain parts of the district that were especially
Speaker 1: influential last decade, right, and to put in context, like
Speaker 1: we got to be talking about every community in this district,
Speaker 1: not just the block, but like the block and every community.
Speaker 1: So to put it in context, the number of registered
Speaker 1: voters in the block community that you're talking about is
Speaker 1: fewer than the number of registered voters in East Fishkill
Speaker 1: in Dutchess County. But we don't talk about that the
Speaker 1: same way. You know what I mean, I think this
Speaker 1: goes back to where I think Democrats have just lost
Speaker 1: this district is because we've stopped thinking about the importance
Speaker 1: of reaching all voters. The job I'm fighting for is
Speaker 1: to earn the vote and respect and the ability to
Speaker 1: advocate and fight for every single person in this district.
Speaker 1: And so I'm going to approach this where I'm trying
Speaker 1: to earn every person's vote, regardless of what part of
Speaker 1: the district they live in or what community. I think
Speaker 1: that that is is not just who I am, right,
Speaker 1: I think that is an important part of how we
Speaker 1: rebuild trust in the institutions too.
Speaker 2: With that in mind, what do you see as the
Speaker 2: key issues in this race?
Speaker 1: I mean when you talk about affordability, that comes up
Speaker 1: right in every conversation. There's a lot of different aspects
Speaker 1: to it, though, Frank. You know, when I talk to
Speaker 1: certain families, you get parents who are in tears because
Speaker 1: they tried to give their kids the American dream, right
Speaker 1: they gave or they did what society told them to do,
Speaker 1: which is the same thing my parents did. My parents
Speaker 1: didn't graduate from college, right. They told me I was
Speaker 1: going to college because that was the way to the
Speaker 1: middle class. You know, my mom, as I'm scrounging in
Speaker 1: the couch, literally trying to find fifty cents so she
Speaker 1: can get a coffee at the local deli on her
Speaker 1: way to the post office, yelling at me, you're going
Speaker 1: to college, you know what I mean, Like you're going
Speaker 1: because Frank, back then, that was the way to the
Speaker 1: middle class, right, And I have to tell you, I
Speaker 1: think today you see so much the families who are
Speaker 1: distraught because they're like, I did that for my kids,
Speaker 1: and now we're one hundred or two hundred k in debt.
Speaker 1: My kids graduated and maybe they did find a job,
Speaker 1: but it's not one that they make enough to pay
Speaker 1: the bills, and they certainly can't afford to move back
Speaker 1: or Frank, they might not even been able to find
Speaker 1: a job, and they're living back home in the basement,
Speaker 1: you know, are back in their own room. And so
Speaker 1: you see families struggling in that way where there's a
Speaker 1: lack of economic opportunity for the current generation. Right. The
Speaker 1: other thing you see is workforce struggles with housing. So yeah,
Speaker 1: there's a struggle with there's not enough affordable housing in
Speaker 1: the area. But the other part is who's got twenty
Speaker 1: percent to put down for a mortgage? Right now? I
Speaker 1: just turned forty, Frank my age and younger. Like in
Speaker 1: the nineteen seventies, the average is for first time home
Speaker 1: buyer was twenty one. Today it's four. It is so
Speaker 1: hard to be able to save when the overwhelming burden
Speaker 1: of costs are felt in every part of life, right,
Speaker 1: And so that goes back to when we talk about affordability,
Speaker 1: Economic opportunity and housing are huge utility costs, right with
Speaker 1: these monopolies that are just sucking up our cash, our
Speaker 1: tax dollars, our money, and then failing to deliver in
Speaker 1: the way they should be, and then tunneling us that
Speaker 1: we need to give more going to the PSC and
Speaker 1: seeking a double digit rating crease across the board by
Speaker 1: every one of the providers. By the way, New York seventeen.
Speaker 1: It's everything right now, it's the price of groceries. And
Speaker 1: so I think this goes to, well, there's a different
Speaker 1: element of affordability that I hear from different folks. It's
Speaker 1: the same root issues. Everything costs too much, Real wages
Speaker 1: have not kept up. There's not economic opportunity to keep
Speaker 1: the younger generations here in the Hudson Valley and for
Speaker 1: them to be able to live a lifestyle that's even
Speaker 1: equivalent to their parents.
Speaker 5: Frank.
Speaker 1: For the first time in modern American history, the economic
Speaker 1: prospects of young Americans are worse than their parents or grandparents. Frank,
Speaker 1: that's us failing.
Speaker 2: Well, how do we address it? Kate? That's the issue,
Speaker 2: and most people understand it as an issue. You live it,
Speaker 2: But how do you address it?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: So, number one, we need to be investing in economic
Speaker 1: opportunities that give Americans right here in the Hudson Valley
Speaker 1: pathways to the middle class people who would just want
Speaker 1: to be able to put food on the table, roof
Speaker 1: over their heads, right like afford their bills, save for
Speaker 1: a better future. We should have pathways to that here
Speaker 1: that don't put people in lifelong student debt. And so
Speaker 1: I think the good news story here is there is
Speaker 1: going to be tremendous opportunity to make money, to have
Speaker 1: financial security and opportunity like the trade skills in healthcare,
Speaker 1: in education, and so increasing our federal government assistance and
Speaker 1: grant programming to expand things like boss like community college
Speaker 1: certification programs helping expand apprenticeships. Those are going to be
Speaker 1: crucial in helping kids understand that there is so much
Speaker 1: economic opportunity there. You want to do a job where
Speaker 1: you can make money like six figures in a few
Speaker 1: years of graduating from high school, become an electrician or
Speaker 1: a plumber. And you know what, Frank, there's so much
Speaker 1: honor in that work. You're calling these professionals right as
Speaker 1: a family or a business on one of your worst days,
Speaker 1: when you've got a problem, you are there in people's
Speaker 1: homes and businesses, keeping them safe and healthy. There is
Speaker 1: so much honor in this work, and we don't have enough,
Speaker 1: you know.
Speaker 2: It's a very interesting way to look at it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that is one. There's another one I want to
Speaker 1: get to you. There so economic opportunity like investing in
Speaker 1: boci's in vocational tech and trade skill programming. That is
Speaker 1: something I promise I will lead the charge on in
Speaker 1: Congress because it is the future. You know. We talk
Speaker 1: about incredible BOSIS programming that's going on throughout this district
Speaker 1: and community college programming. We need to give them the
Speaker 1: resources to do even more because that is going to
Speaker 1: be the pathway to the middle class for so many
Speaker 1: families here, and they can stay here. I will tell
Speaker 1: you the second part. I think there is absolutely no
Speaker 1: excuse that we have for not capping the interest rate
Speaker 1: on federal student loans that should be capped period, the
Speaker 1: fact that we haven't done that yet. And again, that's
Speaker 1: not one getting a handout, Right, I pay from one
Speaker 1: of my graduate degrees out of pocket. It costs more
Speaker 1: than my first house, you know what I mean, Like,
Speaker 1: it's insane. What we're talking about is if I take
Speaker 1: out a student loan for fifty K, I shouldn't end
Speaker 1: up paying two hundred k because of cumulative interest over
Speaker 1: the next twenty years. Like that's not right. So we
Speaker 1: got to find a way to make sure we're not
Speaker 1: killing kids for just trying to get to the middle class,
Speaker 1: right and saddling them with this debt that they can't shake.
Speaker 1: Let them pay it off, let them earn their way.
Speaker 1: The second thing I'll say though, in the housing front. Look,
Speaker 1: I was able to buy my house when I was
Speaker 1: an Army officer because of the VA loan program. I
Speaker 1: didn't have enough money saved to put twenty percent down.
Speaker 1: I wasn't gonna make it. But the VA loan program
Speaker 1: what it is is after a certain number of years
Speaker 1: of service, you qualify for a VA loan. And what
Speaker 1: that means is the Department of Veterans Affairs guarantees twenty
Speaker 1: five percent of your mortgage to a private lender. What
Speaker 1: that allows that private lender to do is to give
Speaker 1: you a competitive interest rate without paying PMI without twenty
Speaker 1: percent down. It's not a handout. No one's give me anything.
Speaker 1: In fact, the funding fee to keep the program going
Speaker 1: me as the person taking out the mortgage actually pays.
Speaker 1: This type of program where people earn that kind of
Speaker 1: support for their time in service. Frank, I think we
Speaker 1: need a public service loan program equivalent. That's like the
Speaker 1: VA loan where if you're a first responder, if you're
Speaker 1: a teacher, if you're a nurse, you qualify after ten
Speaker 1: years of serving your community. The Department of Labor backs
Speaker 1: you by providing you to the same kind of loan service. Again,
Speaker 1: no one gives you money. All it's saying is, instead
Speaker 1: of needing twenty percent to put down on a house here, which,
Speaker 1: by the way, if you're in those careers you're never
Speaker 1: gonna be able to afford, We're gonna let you qualify
Speaker 1: for a loan rate that's competitive with everyone else without
Speaker 1: the twenty percent down.
Speaker 2: Okay, we're gonna take a break in a minute. I'm
Speaker 2: gonna ask you one more question before we go to
Speaker 2: the breakfast. Has been absolutely terrific, and a couple of
Speaker 2: people wanted me to ask you this. Some people say,
Speaker 2: because of where you grew up and the way the
Speaker 2: lines are drawn into District seventeen, your connection is tenuous,
Speaker 2: is the word they use address that. What would you
Speaker 2: say to people who say, well, one person said, well,
Speaker 2: it's kind of like carpetbagging. What would you say to that?
Speaker 1: I would say, my family for four generations has called
Speaker 1: this district home, and with all due respect, I would
Speaker 1: have loved to have been living in Bedford instead of
Speaker 1: Bagdad the last twenty years. But I want where my
Speaker 1: country needed me to go. And so what I promise
Speaker 1: you is you're not going to find a more fierce
Speaker 1: fighter in New York seventeen to take on Loler and
Speaker 1: more importantly, to deliver for our families. Not I know.
Speaker 2: Okay, we're going to take a quick break of it's
Speaker 2: been terrific. Few more questions to go go ball tape,
Speaker 2: but we're strected to a little bit of time. Anyway,
Speaker 2: this is being Frank, my very special guest, is New
Speaker 2: York District seventeen congressional Democratic candidate Kate Connolly. I'm your host, Franklebono.
Speaker 2: We'll be back with more Being Frank right after these
Speaker 2: brief commercial messages. Please don't go anywhere yet, still a
Speaker 2: lot more to talk about.
Speaker 1: Hudson Riverradio dot com. This is Hudson River Radio dot com.
Speaker 6: Hudson River Radio dot com.
Speaker 1: This is Hudson Riverradio dot com.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to Being Frank, the Intelligent conversation podcast. Thanks
Speaker 2: for sticking with us. I'm your host, Frank Lubono and
Speaker 2: as always, our engineers, the mailman mister Neil Richter. We
Speaker 2: bring our audience a fresh topic every week, and we
Speaker 2: stream from Hudson River Radio, located and beautiful and historic
Speaker 2: Stony Point, New York. But remember you can catch Being
Speaker 2: Frank anywhere you get your favorite podcasts like Apple, Spotify,
Speaker 2: iHeartRadio and all the others. And because every Being Frank
Speaker 2: is archived, you can listen to any of our programs
Speaker 2: anytime you like. You can find a link to Being
Speaker 2: Frank on the Hudson River Radio Facebook page or at
Speaker 2: our website Hudsonriverradio dot com. Just click and you're there. Okay,
Speaker 2: we'll be back with our very special guest, District seventeen
Speaker 2: Congressional District, I should say seventeen Democratic candidate Kate Connolly.
Speaker 2: I want to remind everyone that Being Frank is archives,
Speaker 2: so you listen to any of our programs anytime you like.
Speaker 2: Can also find a link to Being Frank on the
Speaker 2: Hudson River Radio Facebook page and our website also Hudson
Speaker 2: Riverradio dot com. All right, let's get back to our
Speaker 2: discussion the key issues and one of v she raises
Speaker 2: not only for New York but for the country. Ok.
Speaker 2: In a broader sense too. I wonder you're feeling money
Speaker 2: in politics. It has become more and more of a reality.
Speaker 2: And that reality is the more money you have, the
Speaker 2: greater your chance you have of getting elected. What can
Speaker 2: we do about that? How do you see that situation
Speaker 2: being resolved or should it be resolved? Frank?
Speaker 1: I'll even back it up one where I think this
Speaker 1: is a system designed where people like me who don't
Speaker 1: come from a wealthy family or a politically connected family. Frank,
Speaker 1: it's almost impossible for regular people to run for federal
Speaker 1: office like this because it's a full time job, right,
Speaker 1: And so you essentially have to be able to take
Speaker 1: time off and not have an income for like over
Speaker 1: a year, you know, or it's just insane, and so.
Speaker 2: People can really think of that this is your job.
Speaker 1: And that's what I mean. It's like, you know, you
Speaker 1: talk about how people how no, no, you talk about
Speaker 1: how this country and how Congress has gotten to be
Speaker 1: the way it is. Frank there are more millionaires in
Speaker 1: Congress than there are moms. Okay, we have developed a
Speaker 1: system where it is really not just about the elite
Speaker 1: benefiting from this system, but literally becoming this system because
Speaker 1: they're the only ones who can afford to do it.
Speaker 1: And my despise over money in politics starts at the
Speaker 1: very beginning as someone who has had to struggle to
Speaker 1: even do this financially, you know. And I'll have to
Speaker 1: tell you I was one of the few folks in
Speaker 1: this primary who's net worth wasn't multiple millions of dollars, right.
Speaker 1: Why should someone have an advantage just because they've got
Speaker 1: millions of dollars and they can sell fund Like, why,
Speaker 1: I don't think that's what our founders intended. This is
Speaker 1: supposed to be the House of the people, and when
Speaker 1: ninety nine percent of the people can't afford a ticket
Speaker 1: to get in the door, you know, you know, it's
Speaker 1: it's messed up. So I think when you see money
Speaker 1: in politics the other part, you know, when the Supreme
Speaker 1: Court overturned Citizens United and said that corporations and people
Speaker 1: can just write these blank checks on this soft side, right,
Speaker 1: that that changed politics in a way that we still
Speaker 1: aren't recovered. And I will tell you, as a member
Speaker 1: of Congress, I would proudly advocate for legislation to put
Speaker 1: limits and to end Citizens United right in all of
Speaker 1: the absolutely like unaccountable maxel like crazy amounts of money
Speaker 1: that you see people like Elon Musk pouring in to
Speaker 1: help somebody like Mike Waller in twenty twenty four million
Speaker 1: dollars is what Elon Musk gave Mike Lawler in twenty
Speaker 1: twenty four.
Speaker 2: How much did you get? Yeah, yeah, right, we don't
Speaker 2: do video, but you're holding up a big goose egg.
Speaker 1: Zero zero from Elon, you know. And it's one of
Speaker 1: these things, Ryank, where it's just like, look, the system
Speaker 1: is broken, And I think this is why you need
Speaker 1: people like me who are going to go in call
Speaker 1: a spade a spade, recognize that we can fix this,
Speaker 1: and that it's incentivizing people who don't represent America to
Speaker 1: be sitting there representing us. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about your race, not only against Mike lower.
Speaker 2: You have to win a primary, and there are other
Speaker 2: Democratic candidates, a few of them, all qualified in their
Speaker 2: own right way. How do you do you see that
Speaker 2: as a good thing or a bad thing to have
Speaker 2: so many candidates in a primary, because I can see
Speaker 2: it both ways. What are your thoughts?
Speaker 1: I love competition, right, I love it. We talked about
Speaker 1: this during the West Point section, right, Like I love competition.
Speaker 1: I think it makes you a better athlete. I think
Speaker 1: it makes you a better candidate. I am glad and
Speaker 1: I want people to feel like they have a choice, right,
Speaker 1: And so in that sense, I am grateful for this
Speaker 1: Democratic primary because I think it's making us better. It's
Speaker 1: making me a better candidate, and so I think that's
Speaker 1: great and hopefully getting people energized about the democratic process.
Speaker 2: One of the things I wonder too, with doing that,
Speaker 2: you have to I mean, it's realistic to think you
Speaker 2: have to accentuate what's positive about you and at the
Speaker 2: same time not dwelling on it. But criticize other candidates,
Speaker 2: if you will, for lacking in certain areas. I mean,
Speaker 2: that's the reality of competition and winning the election. How
Speaker 2: do you do that without beating each other up to
Speaker 2: the point where it can then eventually be used against
Speaker 2: you in the general election. I've always been curious how
Speaker 2: do you strike that back else?
Speaker 1: I think ever a candidate owes voters the case for
Speaker 1: two things. One why they are the best athlete, the
Speaker 1: best person, the best candidate to beat Mike Lawler in
Speaker 1: November and then Frank. The second one is why are
Speaker 1: they the best person to be there in January twenty
Speaker 1: twenty seven to deliver? And so I try to just
Speaker 1: focus on answering those questions right, because I think that
Speaker 1: is the strongest case out there. Look for the first
Speaker 1: one when it comes to beating Lawler. We have watched
Speaker 1: Mike Lawler take on and beat two Democratic politicians already.
Speaker 1: They were former members of Congress right for parts of
Speaker 1: this district right. I think if we want a different
Speaker 1: kind of outcome, you need a different kind of Democrat.
Speaker 1: And that's where well, Mike Lawler has faced politicians and
Speaker 1: beaten them. He has never faced someone like me, and
Speaker 1: that is going to make a difference. You know, I
Speaker 1: don't like to quote him often, but I like to
Speaker 1: quote him on this because of how I'm going to
Speaker 1: beat him. Mike Lawler talks about New York seventeen as
Speaker 1: being the district of heroes. We're over fifty percent of
Speaker 1: households are veterans, the family of veterans, first responders, the
Speaker 1: family of first responders. And I feel that, Frank like
Speaker 1: you feel it. Like, Look, I was raised, my grandfather,
Speaker 1: my uncle's right, everybody who was here Courtland Fire Engine
Speaker 1: over Northern west Chester, lifelong members for decades, right Like,
Speaker 1: there was an expectation. My mom remember the Ladies Montress Auxiliary.
Speaker 1: You know, my godmother, Betty I mentioned earlier, spend the
Speaker 1: Montros Lady's Auxiliary for sixty three years, right Like. Service
Speaker 1: is part of who we are. And I do believe
Speaker 1: when you talk about winning New York seventeen and winning people,
Speaker 1: my lifetime of service from combat zones to you name it,
Speaker 1: right the White House situation room, fighting for this country,
Speaker 1: serving this nation is going to matter to people here
Speaker 1: because they get the stakes, you know, and so I
Speaker 1: think that first part of who your best athlete to
Speaker 1: win against Lawler. I believe that is me. We've seen
Speaker 1: third party polling show it's me. Mike Waller beats the
Speaker 1: other Democrats. He does not beat me. The second part, though,
Speaker 1: we do not have time for someone to be learning
Speaker 1: what Congress does, what the federal government does. In January
Speaker 1: twenty twenty seven, we do not have time for on
Speaker 1: the job training. You need somebody who can get in
Speaker 1: there and get it done. And that is where I
Speaker 1: spent the last four years of my public service, working
Speaker 1: with Congress, working with members and committees, writing federal legislation,
Speaker 1: overseeing executing national budgets. I can do this job on
Speaker 1: day one at a sprint, and with what is going
Speaker 1: on in this country, we need that. And so Frank,
Speaker 1: that's how I do it. I just talk about why
Speaker 1: I am the best athlete for this district and why
Speaker 1: I will fight like heck to make sure we deliver.
Speaker 2: All right, let's well have a little fun with this.
Speaker 2: If you could give me three three words, just three
Speaker 2: words at best describe you. If you need to think
Speaker 2: for a minute, go ahead, three three words the best
Speaker 2: described Kate con.
Speaker 1: Service, commitment, courage, fair enough, service commitment, courage.
Speaker 2: Now, obviously you have websites people can find out more
Speaker 2: information about your campaign about you donate if they should
Speaker 2: choose to, please give that information to our listeners.
Speaker 1: I would love for you all to check us out
Speaker 1: at Kateconley dot com at C A I T C
Speaker 1: O N L e y the old Irish spelling of
Speaker 1: Kate Kateconley dot com. We keep it simple, but would
Speaker 1: love for you to check us out or follow us
Speaker 1: on socials or on all of them.
Speaker 2: I meant to wish you were happy happy Saint Patrick's
Speaker 2: stake too as well, of course, and to all our
Speaker 2: Irish brothers and sisters and the great contributions they've made
Speaker 2: to America are undeniable. You know, I'd like to thank
Speaker 2: you so much Kate for being Frank and your intelligent
Speaker 2: conversation with all those things and more, really really great.
Speaker 1: Thanks for having me Frank anytime man.
Speaker 2: You know, of course, we offer special thanks to our listeners.
Speaker 2: They take time to go as a voice in their lives.
Speaker 2: Remember you offer fresh topic every week and catch us
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Speaker 2: Hudson River Radio Facebook page, leave us a comment and
Speaker 2: like us too. We also ask that you consider sharing
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Speaker 2: word out. Of course, I leave you with two little
Speaker 2: last little extra tidbits when if you want to call
Speaker 2: them a slogan, and some great original music. And this
Speaker 2: one comes from Mary Shelley. I thought that might be
Speaker 2: interesting with the popularity of the new Franken Sein of
Speaker 2: if you've seen it yet, it's spectacular and it's a
Speaker 2: kind of a more true telling of the novel than
Speaker 2: the early Hollywood versions. I think it was interesting. I've also,
Speaker 2: you know, having seen them and read the book. There's
Speaker 2: so much more to the creature and then Hollywood make
Speaker 2: him out to be, and the new version I think
Speaker 2: shows that well. Anyway, she said, I do not wish
Speaker 2: women to have power over men, but over themselves. I
Speaker 2: think that's strong. I think it's simple and strong. Okay,
Speaker 2: we're gonna leave you with music in just a minute
Speaker 2: from my friend Stephen Swan And but before that, you know,
Speaker 2: I'd like to thank our engineer, mister Neil Richter for
Speaker 2: them being the mailman. He always delivers, keeps us going,
Speaker 2: he deals with my crazy schedule. Hey, Neil, you got
Speaker 2: an hour for me Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday. And he always
Speaker 2: comes through, so we appreciate the mailman, mister Neil Richter.
Speaker 2: I'm your host, Frank Lebono, and I would like to have
Speaker 2: you join us for the next being. Frank, We're the
Speaker 2: only way to be is Frank. Here's some terrific music
Speaker 2: from Stephen Swan. Enjoy everyone, You'll see you the next time.
Speaker 5: Beauty the wonder round.
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Speaker 2: Hudson River Radio dot com. Mm hmm