“You’re going to hear some people say about me, ‘Yeah, you know Steve’s a good guy, but he’s a lightning rod.’ Good, I’m glad. By the way: so is Donald Trump. He’s the all-time greatest lightning rod in history.”
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin spoke these words as late afternoon broke into evening at the tail-end of the first day of the Albany Hilton-held New York Conservative Party Conference on Sunday, Feb. 2nd.
The former Assemblyman believes Trump will be “very involved” with the Governor’s race next year, and will be supportive of a “MAGA conservative common sense candidate.”
Also a commercial airline pilot of 14 years and 12,000 hours before getting into politics, McLaughlin says for him, “it’s always been about two things: the people, and this nation,” because there was no room for error in his prior industry. “If I did not succeed in my mission, people would be dead.”
For this reason, he believes ‘lightning rod’ leaders in government of the Conservative persuasion are the ones who historically get it done. “Reality is coming real hard for [Gov.] Hochul and the rest of the far left” in the aftermath of President Trump’s latest election victory, he says. “The voters know what’s going on. They are paying attention. They want a government that provides a better future and protects their quality of life.”
McLaughlin calls the current political landscape “the fight for freedom,” a battle in which his party-men are at the frontlines with fixations on providing a “day of reckoning for progressive panderers.” He states the Conservative Party—“especially in New York State”—is in many ways “the conscience of the entire movement.”
“[Democrats]...are fueled by a hatred of our values. They hate us because we win. They hate us because we are right. They hate us because we love America. And they hate what this country stands for… the days ahead will be filled with challenges and obstacles. But we have the most powerful ally in the Oval Office… and he will not fail.”
“Only a lightning rod would say no to putting COVID positive seniors in nursing homes,” McLaughlin explained, recalling his push against everything Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the pandemic.
“Only I lightning rod would stand up and push back against an illegal alien invasion of our nation. Those that say that about me are either Democrats, or weak RINOS, and are far too willing to bow down to the far left and try to destroy this nation. Ask yourself: what leaders have you ever seen in your life that are not lightning rods? So I wear that [being called ‘a lightning rod’] as a badge of honor.”
On this note, the longtime New York representative evoked the prestige western series “Yellowstone,” noting: “There’s a great scene in it where the cowboy’s talking to another cowboy. This kid’s on a Buck’n bronco. And he says, “you see that? You can’t teach that. You’re either born a Willow, or you’re born an Oak.”
“There are far too many Willows in politics,” McLaughlin said. “It’s time we started electing more Oaks.”