Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

My Point of View by Aaron Farris

Recently, we saw a group of Democrat activists (including one guy) following female Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona into a bathroom. They berated her, while videotaping the entire thing. Recently, we saw a number of Democrat activists on kayaks harassing Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia outside his boat house. We saw a tweet from Sen. Bernie Sanders complaining that 52 senators can fail a bill only 48 senators support. We also saw President Biden falsely claim, time and time again, that $3.5 trillion dollars actually equals $0, and say the intimidation tactics used against Sens. Manchin and Sinema were “part of the process.” If following any senator into the bathroom, filming them, and harassing them are part of the process, what have our politics come to?

Why are “progressives” treating these Democrat senators like this? Easy, because they’re not caving to the radical wing of their party, and they’ve lost any ounce of civility that remained in our politics.

In the Republican Party, we’ve obviously had differences in opinion among our own members in the U.S. Senate such as with Sen. Collins of Maine or Sen. Murkowski of Alaska. Did we follow them into bathrooms because of those differences or take our protests to their homes? Absolutely not! Obviously following anyone into the bathroom should be condemned by everyone on every side of the aisle (but clearly it’s not). As such, it is never, ever, ever, ever, ever OK to protest at a politician’s home under any circumstances regardless of the issue being protested. Neither of these things are ever OK.

In last week’s Democrat column, their writer said the $3.5 trillion package would fail because “it may be blocked by a few conservative Democrats worried about losing their seats to Republicans in the midterms.” First of all, neither of these senator’s seats are up until 2024, so they have no reason to fear the upcoming midterms. Second, it’s important to remember that not every senator’s constituency is the same. California and New York are not the same as Arizona and West Virginia. Stop demonizing senators for representing their constituents. The indecency and disregard for human dignity in our politics must stop.

A prime example was stated in last week’s Democrat column, where it was stated that our state senator, Gene Dornink, was a misogynist because he’s pro-life. I guess anytime we disagree with someone these days we can call them whatever ist or ism we want.

Look at the news. Look at these weekly columns. Look on social media. Republicans believe in telling you where we stand on the issues and why you should vote for us. If you see the Afghanistan withdrawal as a disaster that could have and should have been prevented, we’re with you. If you see the staggering rates of inflation and want the insatiable appetite for spending to stop, we’re with you. If you want to live in a society that values and respects what you contribute, rather than one where everyone is given the same outcome regardless of how hard they work, we’re with you. If you see the lawlessness and nonsense at our southern border and know that this administration is amplifying the problem, we’re with you.

When Republicans have differences in opinion, we debate them, come to a consensus and move on with our lives. While the other side is fixated on attacking us with ridiculous claims and accusations they were pushing months if not years ago, we are focused on moving forward and doing the work of Minnesotans and the American people.

Your Republican representatives, Congressman Jim Hagedorn, Sen. Gene Dornink, and Rep. Peggy Bennett have been fighting tirelessly for you since their first day in office. Whether the crisis of the day is the spending crisis, border crisis, Afghanistan crisis, inflation crisis, energy crisis, crime crisis, worker crisis, supply crisis or other, it has not deterred our elected Republicans from trying to keep our future on a path of prosperity.

If you identify as a Republican, an independent or a Democrat who feels your party has left you behind because you’re not “woke” enough, know that you have a home in the Republican Party. Don’t worry, we won’t cancel you.

Aaron Farris is the vice chairman of the Freeborn County Republican Party.