New York’s Democrats have won the power they wanted. Now they must own the consequences.
Betsy McCaughey’s latest column warns that a bluer Albany could bring higher taxes, a proposed inheritance tax, single-payer health care and a push to loosen criminal penalties. These are not abstract ideas anymore. Democrats now have veto-proof majorities in both houses of the state Legislature, and the election results in Westchester and Dutchess show how thoroughly the party has consolidated power closer to home.
Westchester is on track to have no Republicans on its 17-member county Board of Legislators. In Dutchess, Democrats are projected to hold 16 of 25 seats. The political message is unmistakable: Republicans have been pushed to the margins, and Democrats will have fewer voices challenging their decisions.
That should worry even voters who supported the winners. One-party control makes it easier for politicians to confuse an election victory with a blank check. Democrats can raise taxes and call it fairness. They can weaken criminal penalties and call it reform. They can expand government and promise the bill will somehow land on someone else.
But the bill always lands on people: families trying to keep a home in the family, small businesses trying to make payroll, taxpayers already stretched by New York’s high costs, and residents who expect their government to put public safety first.
Westchester voters will have no Republican legislators on the county board to serve as an organized opposition. Dutchess voters will see a newly strengthened Democratic majority. Those outcomes do not prove every Democratic proposal is wrong. They do make scrutiny more essential—and put a heavier burden on Democratic leaders to listen, explain and accept responsibility.
Republicans helped create this imbalance by failing to offer a compelling alternative in too many races. But that failure does not excuse Democrats from governing responsibly. A party that controls Albany, dominates Westchester and now holds a strong majority in Dutchess cannot blame the opposition when its policies drive up costs or leave residents feeling less safe.
The voters have handed Democrats power. They have not given them permission to ignore the consequences.
