641 STUPIDISM V. SILLY-BILLISM: Sheryl Gay Stolberg is a very bad person, as she makes clear today: WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011

Coming across as a fraud: It helps when you have a good candidate! Smiling broadly and speaking clear regional English, Kathy Hochul came across as a superb political figure in her victory speech last night. As county clerk of Erie County, Hochul is an experienced public figure, of course—but beyond that, she seems familiar with life out in the real world.

Hochul came across as a superb public figure. We only wish we could say the same for Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), who appeared on last night’s Ed Show to celebrate Hochul’s victory. Schultz kept the goose-stepping to a minimum—but Israel offered pure twaddle:

ISRAEL (5/24/11): This is not just a win for Democrats and it is not just a win for Kathy Hochul, who will be an extraordinary and independent member of Congress. It is a win for Medicare. And it is a very serious warning sign for Republicans who would continue this reckless scheme to terminate Medicare in order to fund those tax cuts for big oil companies.
[…]
I think tonight proves to Democrats and Republicans throughout the entire country that we have better priorities. We don’t need to reduce Medicare, we need to reduce the tax subsidies to the big oil companies. That’s the choice that we presented to the American people and the voters of New York’s 26th district agree with our choice and our priorities.

That highlighted statement is pure perfect garbage. Do we need to “reduce Medicare” in some way? You’ll have to speak to some actual experts. (That would not include Digby.) But if we get rid of those “tax subsidies to the big oil companies,” it will reduce future deficits by $21 billion total, over the next ten years. The current deficit, just for this year, is around $1.5 trillion.

A trillion is quite a bit more than a billion; you can check with your local math teacher. Nor does anyone need to “terminate Medicare” to fund those tax cuts for the big oil companies. Are we really that dumb?

To our eye and ear, Hochul came across as a superb public figure. Israel came across a fraud.