Editor’s note: This commentary is by state Sen. Joe Benning, the Senate minority leader who represents the Caledonia-Orange District in the Vermont Senate.
[B]lissfully gliding across the open range of western Colorado on motorcycles with my wife and several good friends, we stopped for a break at a small town gas station. A television was on and a story appeared about President Donald Trump’s recent tweet about four certain congresswomen. It was the first I’d heard of it. As I pondered the president’s latest self-imposed public relations nightmare I knew it was only a matter of time before my phone was ringing. As Senate minority leader, the responsibility of responding to such things comes with the territory.
Initially I hoped he had simply goofed trying to say something. As a politician, I am fully aware that statements can easily be taken out of context. Some partisan reporters are too tempted to spin quotations in order to appeal to a certain media genre. As a lawyer trained to see and argue both sides of every dispute, I do my best to avoid becoming an expert based solely on a social media post or headline. So I checked the full tweet to make sure I had the actual text. And then the president doubled down on his remarks in a subsequent speech. It was impossible to dismiss these remarks as a mistake or words taken out of context. They were simply deplorable. Even more disturbing was the apparent joyful approval being demonstrated by some in his audience.
The four targeted congresswomen are by no means guiltless in the ridiculous rancor coming from Washington, but they are not in my party. As a Republican, my concern starts with how a neutral observer perceives the party I belong to. I wondered how the president’s words would affect those of us still determined to call ourselves Republicans. And make no mistake, I remain a Republican. I believe in the wisdom of following our federal and state constitutions. I believe in a fiscally responsible government. I don’t believe government is the answer to all problems. I stand by a famous Democratic American’s observation that citizens should “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” America and Vermont cannot afford to lose these ideals simply because the party’s highest elected official repeatedly ignites controversy with an unexplainable addiction to divisive tweets. Unfortunately, silence in the face of such remarks can fairly be interpreted as party agreement, noisily drowning out the public’s willingness to consider those ideals under the weight of repeated controversy.
Silence is not part of my DNA in the face of such deplorable remarks. No Republican will find success defending them. They appeal to a small but vocal minority who relish putting others down. Some of them will label me a “RINO” (Republican In Name Only) for taking a stand, but it is the party that suffers when its leaders engage in behaviors that would have earned members of my generation a whooping growing up. I cling to the belief that there are still those committed to Republican ideals that remember Lincoln’s belief in our better angels. For our party to survive and thrive, we Republicans must insist our leaders demonstrate civility and act with integrity, even when countered by those who don’t. That’s not cowardice; that’s strength that brings admiration. The vast majority of Americans, especially those from Vermont, yearn for that from all elected officials.
It is ironic that these words are being typed 50 years after America’s moon landing united us and the world as never before. Our country’s current polarization does nothing to promote America internally or abroad. Do we still have it in us to disagree with civility and integrity? I will strive for that goal as long as the citizens of my district honor me with the right to represent them.
