Editor’s note: This commentary is by Chet Greenwood, who is chair of the Orleans County Republican Committee.
[L]ate last week, Kendall Lambert denounced the Republican Party and ultimately decided to run as an independent. In Lambert’s departing statement, she was very critical of the Republican Party, and in particular, four of our local representatives. She is obviously entitled to her own opinion, but she cannot ignore the facts and use the broad-brush approach denouncing all Republicans.
What triggered her spontaneous exit from the Republican Party was the recent Joint resolution (JRH2) voted on in the Vermont House. The resolution condemned the recently reversed federal policy of separating children from their families at the southern border, expressing a profound hope that the family separation policy will not be reinstated, and imploring the Department of Homeland Security to reunite the separated families immediately. This policy of separating families was passed by the U.S. Congress back in 1997 under President Clinton and has been continued through both Bush’s and Obama’s presidencies – where was the outrage then? Why isn’t the left, and Kendall, upset over the Vermont Department for Children and Families separated children from 927 families in 2016 for various reasons, including substance abuse, according to a December 2017 DCF report. In proportion, far more Vermont families are separated then those at the Texas border.
This resolution was nothing more than the left’s attempt to criticize and embarrass President Trump and his administration. President Trump has been very successful with the economy and world affairs, as in North Korea. This was written in haste and under a false premise. The Democrats needed to change the focus, so they chose this immigration issue. This was a no-win vote for any Republican, and by the way, only 17 Republicans voted against the bill, yet Kendall denounces all Republicans as supporting “racism, sexism, discrimination and inequality,” and ironically, this is approximately one-half of her potential voters in the NEK. Those voting “no” are voting to support our immigration laws. If families enter through designated ports of entry seeking asylum, they are not separated. If they decide to cross illegally, they are apprehended and separated until it can be determined if they are family and not someone into human trafficking. The border agents work to have them placed with a known relative within 12 hours, but they have up to 72 hours to find family members – exactly the same policy as during the Obama years. After 72 hours, the children are placed into the custody of HHS. I don’t believe anyone, including the 17 who voted no, are in support of family separation but they do favor a rule of law.
Part of the impetus to write this resolution was from reports in the mainstream media that parents were being deported without their children. This is part of the story — what they don’t mention is that the parents want to leave their children in the U.S. with relatives willing to take custody of the minors, therefore allowing the minor(s) to remain in the U.S.
What I find as disturbing, is that the Legislature refused to consult with one of their own who has 27 years as a U.S. immigration officer and supervisor who knows the law and knows who to contact along the Texas border. And also disturbing is that Lambert did not confer with that same representative who she was trying to replace on such a decisive issue. Republicans do support our military and immigration agencies while the left simply ignores them.
Kendall Lambert will still be on the Aug. 14 ballot as a Republican candidate for the Orleans-2 House seat, along with Woodman “Woody” Page and Mike Marcotte. You now have a clear choice to vote for Page and Marcotte. We wish Lambert well, but I do not think a political career is in her future if one cannot look at all the facts.
