facebook.com/leahvukmir/
Last week began with a guffaw heard ‘round the world at the United Nations. In an inadvertent stand-up bit, our dear leader made himself (and the nation as a whole) an international laughing stock. Then came the U.S. Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh who is accused of sexual assault. They may not have achieved the same level of hilarity as the U.N. Comedy Hour, but they did manage the emotional arc of high-performance art.
The alleged victim, Christine Blasey Ford, appeared credible and demure. Then, with all the petulant ire of a venomous opera queen insisting Maria Callas sang a better ombre legere than Dame Joan Sutherland, Sen. Lindsey Graham, in a hissing fit of pique, denounced her sexual assault accusations. For his part (speaking of divas), Kavanaugh dutifully ranted, cried, screamed and apparently perjured himself in an opera buffa-worthy performance of too much protesting— admitting only that he did, indeed, like beer. His unstable belligerent rage, unambiguous animus towards Democrats and just pure dry drunken behavior would disqualify him as a Walmart greeter let alone a Supreme Court judge for life.
What it all reveals is something that should have been painfully obvious long ago, since the first gloating over pussy-grabbing or making fun of a reporter with disabilities: Republicans remain unapologetic for their strident wealthy-white-male amorality. And, speaking of amorality, amid all this mayhem, a local gay Republican just held a fundraiser for Leah Vukmir—the virulent homo-hating conservative, ALEC board member and candidate vying for Tammy Baldwin’s senate seat.
There’s an irony for you. The Republican candidate is opposed to LGBTQ rights. The host is gay. But the conservative candidate would play a key role in the push to end the Affordable Care Act. Rescinding it would end protections of those with pre-existing conditions. In other words, among others, many with HIV/AIDS would be uninsurable. Vukmir would also vote for more corporate tax breaks. The host, the gay guy, a CEO of a computer software corporation serving private healthcare companies, stands to gain. Strange bedfellows, perhaps, but wealth is as addictive as political power.
Fortunately, Wisconsinites aren’t laughing. Our regime’s approval rating has slipped from +6 in January 2017 to -12 in May 2018, a precipitous fall of -18. It’s not surprising. Apart from the daily barrage of nationally embarrassing tweets and tirades, trade sanctions have hit Wisconsin farmers and, in the row with Harley-Davidson, our state pride has been bruised.
People are tired of mass shootings, the unbridled corruption of the Republican “power and profits” first mantra, concentration camps for children, the loss of our national respect and kowtowing to enemies.
Locally, there’s the sorry state of infrastructure, education and environment. So, at least for the moment, Sen. Tammy Baldwin—our out advocate for LGBTQ rights—is leading by 11 points according to recent polls. But that can easily change.
With just weeks to go before we vote, it really is time to wake up. We need to actively protect our hard-fought rights starting right now! This time, the LGBTQ vote is essential, and our leaders had better get on the ramparts and lead.
