A Michigan Republican' Tells the Truth, Then Heartbreak


Even though most press coverage is devoted to national politics and personalities, governing of the nation is mostly done by politicians at the state and local lever. While a few national figures have served in these lower levels of government, most do not understand how difficult these political circumstances are and how much skill and patience it takes to hold these offices. 

When I was elected Mayor of Fargo, ND, I already knew holding a local elected position ruins a lot of people. I had seen and knew of people who would become so deeply stuck in intense disputes they would neglect their professional livelihood and sometimes their families. My concerns were eventually confirmed when, years later, two colleagues on the Board tried to cut my salary in half. They were told they could not do this and it was dropped. 

How difficult local/state politics can be was covered in a recent Atlantic article. A very conservative Michigan Republican in the State Legislature was put in charge of a study to determine is there was anything dishonest in the 2020 election that Biden won there. The study committee made up of Republicans and Democrats left no stone unturned and concluded Biden had indeed won and the vote count was honest. All the stories about phony ballots in Detroit and voting machines run from South America turned out not to be true. Many Republicans in Michigan chose to believe what they read on the internet written by the likes of Trump and Mr. Pillow instead of their friends and neighbors who studied the vote count. The reaction has been disturbing to the prominent Republican in charge of the study. He has come to see how outright lies can be believed by large numbers of people and outcomes of honest elections potentially overruled. 

Also bothering the Republican was the way the liars used their lies to raise money. While he would not say much about Trump during the interview, Trump called him out by name, he saw the way Trump is using false information to raise funds. Others in his own state are doing the same thing.

The Michigan legislator has lost many close friends and is struggling to keep his farm going while doing this public work. I hope he is able to persevere and those who hate him will learn they are 100% wrong. 

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