To the editor:

One Merriam-Webster definition of “rhetoric” is “skill in the effective use of speech.” Another is “insincere or grandiloquent (lofty, pompous or bombastic) language.”

Elise Stefanik is excellent at the first and guilty of the second. Evidence? She and her chief artillery launcher, Alex DeGrasse, have developed a series of rhetorical rules:

– If the price of gas or the rate of inflation goes up, send out a mass mailing, at taxpayer expense, blaming President Biden. But if they go down, don’t thank him. Forget that no individual, no matter how powerful, has any real influence on global energy prices.

– Advocate for a missile defense installation at Fort Drum even though the Department of Defense wants to spend those billions of dollars on more future-oriented technology. Do not admit jobs in the district are more important than the nation’s long-term security.

– Simultaneously, complain about “unnecessary” government spending.

– Criticize “woke,” but do not acknowledge that “woke” really means being awake and alert.

– Refuse to debate your opponent. Do not give a convincing reason.

– Bad-mouth “elite” American higher education, without defining “elite.” Do not say colleges teach critical thinking, which might lead to challenges to your rhetoric.

– Employ fear-mongering terms like “woke,” “invading criminals” (immigrants), “grooming” (gender affirmation) and “weaponize.”

– Encourage weaponization of Homeland Security.

– Shoot the messenger (blame the media) when things don’t go your way.

– Claim to “deliver results,” but be vague about details.

– Instantly call all Democrats “Far Left” even if they’re not, but never call any Republican Far Right, even if they are.

– In editorials setting out to honor the military and their families, make sure the most frequently occurring words are “proud” and “I.”

– Insist, without producing any proof, that the 2020 election was “rigged” or “stolen.”

– Boast of being bipartisan, even though your score has plummeted throughout your time in office.

– Go easy on Project 2025, a recipe for totalitarianism. Avoid the word “democracy.”

– Proclaim your allegiance to the 2nd Amendment, but only the second part since the first part contains the word “regulated.” Never mention any other Amendments.

– Promote bans on gender-affirming medical care. Ignore research that indicates the harm denial would cause.

– Accuse the government of “overreach,” but support proposals to ban controversial books from school libraries or to force at-risk women to give birth.

– While running for your sixth term, forget that at first you said you would serve no more than five.

– Rip opponents for not living in NY-21. Overlook the fact that you also have not.

– Call for “common sense solutions” to our nation’s challenges, but do not define “common sense.”

– Denounce Democrats as “politically corrupt.” Do not mention Donald Trump, George Santos, etc., etc.

– Call convicted Jan. 6 insurrectionists “hostages” even though they attempted a violent coup.

So let’s give Rep. Stefanik grudging credit. She has become highly adept at using language to suit her purposes. But let’s also ask why so many NY-21ers fall for it.

Neal Burdick

Shelburne, Vermont, and formerly of Canton, N.Y.