While everybody loves Raymond, it’s hard to imagine how anybody could love Republican congressional candidate Jackie Auringer, much less vote for her, after last week’s bailout in a long-scheduled virtual debate with Democratic incumbent Pat Ryan sponsored by the Daily Freeman.

Auringer, who had been peppering Pat since she announced for office last winter, had him right in her sights, virtually face-to-face. The much-anticipated live encounter was Zoomed from the Freeman’s backstreet office headquarters on Green Street in Uptown Kingston.

Did she pounce? Yes, but only for an opening statement. After rattling off a list of grievances against the incumbent, peppered with a few boilerplate positions of her own, and ending with an attack on the Freeman itself, the contender steamed off in a cloud of bile.

Ryan, who sat grim-faced as Auringer proceeded to tank her campaign, had little to say after the smoke cleared. But why say anything? Self-immolation is ugly enough.

With Election Day a bit more than three weeks away, Auringer might have forfeited her last best chance to make a dent in what is widely perceived as a rising Democratic tide in the 18th Congressional District. A few weeks ago, I had that race at 60-40, a landslide, but hardly utter humiliation. After this debacle, it could be trending towards 70 percent, Ryan, with low turnout.

For Ryan, the gripes of wrath could lead to even easier fundraising for an already multi-million war chest. Has anyone noticed that Ryan has been doing almost no advertising in his district? Apparently, he and his K Street handlers thought he didn’t need to, if 60-40 was in play. Now, he can stash it away for his next rung up the ladder.

As for Auringer, insiders say she's waging a (Maurice) Hinchey-like campaign: Get within striking distance the first campaign, then come back in two years and finish the job. After last Friday, her team is probably looking for a warm vacation, sans their candidate.

On the other hand, things could change. Or as Casey Stengel once said of one of his struggling ballplayers, “He’s got a good chance to be 30.” Auringer is 29.

The Play's the Thing

The semi-annual staging of the 1777 burning of Kingston played out in the Stockade Uptown for a few hours last weekend, about the same amount of time for the British to torch the town.

While I admire British reenactors with their bright red and white uniforms and muskets, the last two sessions have brought an element to the oft-told tale that brings it to life. The burning of Kingston play on the Senate House grounds featured a dozen or so actors dressed in period garb as they debated their options as a British fleet with some 1,200 soldiers anchored off Esopus.

These people were worried about their homes, their fortunes, even their lives if an enemy force were to invade what was then the state capital, a village of some 300 buildings.

This was all speculation, of course, but lively stuff in the hands of playwright Raleigh Green, one of my unindicted co-conspirators (columnists) at Kingston Wire. Green’s vivid imagination and keen sense of theater served him well in this instance.

The leaders of Kingston, including the pro-rebellion pastor of the Old Dutch Church, had no real idea of what the British would do with what amounted to a battalion of seasoned soldiers. Some thought they were heading upriver to join Burgoyne at Albany and help him get out of a sticky spot in Saratoga. But word by fast rider was received that very morning (the 17th of October) that Burgoyne had surrendered hours before.

Would General Vaughan turn around and head back to New York, or would he wreak revenge on the new state capital, what he termed in his official report, “a nest of rebels?” In that event, should they stand and fight, with maybe 150 poorly trained militia against a unit of the best regular army in Europe?

The decision was made to evacuate the populace to Hurley, along with as many of the official government papers that could be loaded into wagons. Thus, there was no evidence of any bloodshed in the burning of Kingston. But British and colonial re-enactors firing volleys at each other in front of the Old Dutch Cemetery does make for good theater.

What Green and his team produced was something much, much more – the human side of an historic event.

Notes:

Seating under a large tent was provided for about 100 attendees, with another 300 or so standing round the perimeter. Acoustics, for an outdoor event, were good and the actors spoke their lines with conviction and fervor.

A number of participants from the weekly “No Kings” rally in Midtown were in attendance with their “No Kings” head gear. They were not protesting King George, but another would-be modern monarch. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t Charles III.

Ditto for Kingston Mayor Steve Noble, who declared to loud cheers, “We will defend our city!” He meant from ICE, or maybe Republicans in general, m’thinks.

Matthew Noble, the 15-year-old son of the mayor and wife Julie, was misidentified as their nephew in an otherwise well-written Freeman report of festivities.

It seems that Matt, unlike most teenagers, enjoys going to these kinds of events with his parents. With that experience, young Matthew could be mayoral timber in 10 years or so, unless Noble, 44, wants to declare himself mayor for life.