Let's check in with a crusty Republican acquaintance of mine up in Casper, and take the temperature of the conservative movement in Wyoming and America.
I've written about this cranky guy before. Couple years ago, a bill passed easily in the Wyoming Senate, then died in the desk drawer of the Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives. And this Casper guy said whenever that happens, that bill should automatically advance to the ballot in the next general election. Let the voters decide.
Interesting idea.
Never going to happen, though.
I think some politicians like it this way. The senators get to vote for a bill they might not really like, look good to some constituency, then blame the bill's demise on those ruffians “down the hall” in the House. Works both ways. Sometimes the Senate does the status-quo dirty work.
This year, my Casper acquaintance rapped my knuckles early in our discussion.
I praised the Wyoming Freedom Caucus bulldogs in the House for passing their top “Five and Dime” priority bills in a mere eight days. You remember those bills: Proof of citizenship to vote, invalidating driver's licenses of those here illegally, banning DEI in higher education, ending state participation in Environmental, Social and Governmental-focused investments, and a 50 percent cut in property taxes for two years.
Woo-Hoo!
But, then the bills went to the Senate, and everything slowed down.
(I must stop here and say that I was incorrect in reporting several months ago that the senators – the upper crust of lawmakers, who know which fork to use at formal dinners – wear togas when in session. They do not. And I regret being caught in this error.)
As a Freedom Caucus fan, I was critical of the Senate for slowing down the process on bills I liked.
But, the Casper guy, who prides himself on never jumping on bandwagons, got a pained look on his face, like he had spotted a foreign object in the punch bowl. And he reminded me that slowing the process of passing laws we all have to obey is a genuine Martha Stewart “good thing.” He was shocked and dismayed that I had forgotten such a fundamental precept.
He's said many times that we need to keep some nutty Democrats around to keep the Republicans from running wild. And with only eight Democrats in the Legislature, he's OK with Weak Sauce Republicans (Democrats in disguise) lending a hand to the nutty Democrats to keep the Freedom Caucus from getting carried away.
So he likes a certain degree of gridlock, but draws the line at killing bills by putting them in drawers.
And he's OK with the Five and Dime bills that ultimately passed, especially the property tax cut.
On the national front, we both understand something about Donald Trump that eludes our Democrat friends. We don't pay much attention to Trump's long-winded, blustery speeches, the ones that drive Democrats bat-guano crazy. But we sure like this guy's results, like controlling the border, low inflation, deporting those here illegally, blowing Iran's nuclear program to smithereens, peace talks, and much of the stuff in the Big, Beautiful Bill, especially making that 2017 tax cut permanent.
In the past, my Casper friend has said nice things about Secretary of State Chuck Grey – who is involved in a Hatfield/McCoy feud with the governor - because Grey walked up his driveway a few years back when he was running for the Legislature, listened to what the crusty Casper guy had to say, and may have even put some of it to use in office.
This Casper guy supports ending gun-free zones, citing the number of mass killings that have happened in gun-free zones, where perpetrators knew the victims were defenseless.
And he really likes Rep. Harriet Hageman, saying she's “awesome,” “determined,” and “relentless” in pursuing the conservative cause in Washington. Hageman's a hit in our house, too, after lighting a fire under the Forest Service to do some road maintenance up in the Snowy Range, and to finally haul off an abandoned camper that decayed by the side of the road for almost 10 years.
Go Harriet.
(Such high praise is almost unheard of from this prickly Casper guy.)
Dave Simpson can be reached at: DaveSimpson145@hotmail.com
