Was Zeldin's jab at Shapiro kosher?

Daily Point

Zeldin’s nasty ethnic stand-up act

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, who’s "all in" on the campaign trail for Donald Trump, said from the stage of a rally in Pennsylvania this week: "We all remember how pathetic it was to watch Josh Shapiro trying to un-Jewish himself trying to become Kamala Harris’ VP. Pathetic."

Shapiro, who is Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, replied through a spokesman: "This disgusting rhetoric is expectable from the kind of weak, pathetic man who chooses to follow Donald Trump around the country to give forgettable pre-program speeches ... The only reason he [Zeldin] has time to be here is because his state rejected him for the Governor’s office."

That’s a reference to Zeldin’s closer-than-expected showing in the 2022 election against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The rhetorical exchange has been making waves on social media. But Zeldin, a key Jewish figure in the Trump campaign, has been pushing this line for some time, and it’s clear why. A new poll from UMass Lowell and YouGov showed Harris leading Trump 48% to 46% in the electorally crucial Keystone State, suggesting a razor-close contest where all ethnic support counts.

Back on Aug. 6, Zeldin tweeted: "It’s amazing that despite America’s right, left, and center agreeing that Josh Shapiro was Harris’ best pick for VP, at the end of the day, Shapiro being Jewish disqualified him. It says so much about the state of today’s Democratic Party."

On Aug. 22, Trump himself took a different tack when he reacted to Shapiro’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. The ex-president called him a "highly overrated Jewish governor."

Chris Potter, the politics editor for WESA-FM in Pittsburgh, posted after the latest ethnically charged rally attack: "What Zeldin said tonight is basically the opposite of what happened: Shapiro spoke repeatedly about his Jewishness even as that became a focus of attack from some Dems in the process."

In covering Zeldin’s jab at Shapiro, Jacob Kornbluh, senior political reporter at the Jewish Forward, suggested on X that Zeldin had gone "into the gutter and still (got) it wrong."

"For what it’s worth, Zeldin is married to a Mormon. Shapiro has a kosher kitchen," Kornbluh wrote.

In fact, Zeldin did portray his spouse’s religion as a proud and positive public talking point in 2012 when the former congressman from Shirley was still a state senator. The context that year: Zeldin enthusiastically supported the Republicans’ Mormon nominee — Trump’s now-nemesis, Mitt Romney.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Who's the rigger?

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/0913nationalcartoons

Final Point

Is a new branding for SUNY gaining support?

Assemb. Mike Fitzpatrick is perhaps best known for his long-standing concerns regarding public pensions and salaries.

But in recent years, Fitzpatrick has championed a very different cause — the attempt to rebrand the State University of New York system.

Its new name, if Fitzpatrick gets his druthers: the University of New York — or UNY. Each individual school would be included as the location. The University of New York at Stony Brook for example.

Fitzpatrick told The Point that the effort, which he has worked on since before the pandemic, is moving forward, as he has spoken with Gov. Kathy Hochul about the issue — and she "likes the idea very much."

"I am making real progress, and I have the governor’s ear on this," Fitzpatrick said, adding that Hochul’s staffers called him after the conversation to get more details.

Comparing the new moniker with the University of North Carolina, or UNC, or the University of Virginia, or UVA, Fitzpatrick noted that the rebranding was particularly important as competition among universities for the best students has increased.

"We have a great state university but we’re not a national brand," Fitzpatrick said, noting that each of the top SUNYs do their own marketing and branding.

But now, he says, "there’s very real support" for a change.

"That issue is something I know is gaining momentum," he said.

Fitzpatrick said that as of now SUNY Chancellor John King is "noncommittal, but he’s intrigued by the idea." A SUNY spokesman and a Hochul spokesman did not return calls for comment.

Fitzpatrick said the system’s board of trustees, in concert with the governor, would have to make the decision, and that he’s waiting to put in legislation to see if he can come to an agreement without it.

But Fitzpatrick’s idea doesn’t stop with a new name. He’s hoping that in the long term, the rebranding could lead to an effort to get UNY campuses to be members of significant sports conferences, such as the Big 12 or the ACC.

"We have an opportunity here in terms of economic growth, economic development, tourism, etc., and this is a way to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps," Fitzpatrick said. "So, rebrand and then let’s get moving to get our university into a major conference and reap the benefits of big-time college sports ... It’s a winner."

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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