It’s not surprising that Milwaukee County Sheriff DavidClarke is a huge supporter of Donald Trump. Both are clueless about running animportant democratic governmental organization, share rabid right-wing, bigotedviews, viciously trash their opponents, apparently to feel better about theirshortcomings, and feast on media attention, positive or negative.
What’s so sad about the Clarke-Trump love fest is that it’sone-sided (even Trump was smart enough not to pick Clarke for a Cabinetposition) and that it’s also very dangerous. Clarke, as you may remember,oversees a county jailin which four people died in recent months. He’s also called for “pitchforksand torches,” makes extra cash by helpingRussians arm themselves and is quick to throw out racistcomments about his fellow African Americans. Just last week, Clarkeused public resources to intimidateand harass an innocent passenger on his flight, after the passengerdared to ask if Clarke was indeed Clarke, by having his deputies stop the manas he left the plane and delay and question him for no reason. Clarke alsoharassed the man on his official county Facebook page. In typical Clarke style,just days later, he celebrated Trump’s victory at the “DeploraBall”—anaptly named gathering of brazen right-wingers who are reveling in their crudityand stupidity.
We’re so used to Clarke’s hate-mongering andattention-seeking antics that it’s easy to gloss over his inflammatorystatements, like when he said about working with Democrats last week: “The onlyreason I’ll be reaching across the aisle is to grab one of them by the throat.”Note, of course, that Clarke officially runs as a Democrat on the ballot.
Although we hate to give Clarke the attention he craves anddo our best to tune out his immature behavior, newly elected state Rep. DavidCrowley (D-Milwaukee) isn’t going to put up with Clarke’s nonsense. Crowley askedGov. Scott Walker to remove Clarke from office because of hisincompetence with four individuals, including a baby, dying while in hiscustody and his inflammatory verbal abuse. We applaud Crowley’s attempt tobring some sanity to the Milwaukee County sheriff’s office, but doubt he willbe successful unless his request is pushed by average Milwaukeeans who sayenough is enough and who speak up loudly and clearly against Clarke’s abusiveand incompetent behavior. Clarke, Walker and Trump all share the same bigoted,fact-free universe, where they are always right, always smart, always beloved.It’s going to take more than an angry yet well-reasoned letter to get Clarkeout of office and cut off access to his lifeblood—attention from the media—butit is a start. They also need to find a strong candidate to run againsthim in 2018. Clarke is very beatable.
To read The Worst Sheriff in America by Joel McNally click here.
