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