Too little, too late: Republicans’ failure to address the Freedom Caucus

In mid March, not long after the completion of the legislative session, four prominent lawmakers circulated a self-congratulatory op-ed to the Wyoming press corps. 

In it, Speaker of the House Rep. Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale), former speaker and Chairman of the House Revenue Committee Rep. Steve Harshman (R-Casper), House Speaker pro Tempore Rep. Clark Stith (R-Rock Springs) and Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Rep. Bob Nicholas (R-Cheyenne) patted themselves on the back for a job well done in Cheyenne representing the best interests of the people of Wyoming and defending their values from “outside, Washington D.C. interests,” — a thinly veiled reference to the dangerous yet uncomfortably powerful Freedom Caucus. 

The authors closed the fawning review of their brilliant leadership with this paragraph:

“As kids growing up in Wyoming our parents would tell us to be humble and to watch out for people you run into who claim to be smarter or more moral. They taught us to work with others with the purpose of integrity and truth. The ones who in fact boasted the most about who and what they are were actually the most lacking in those traits. This time it is the ones who claim freedom, transparency, conservatism, patriotism and liberty who are actually the most lacking in those traits. These are operators of the Code of Washington, D.C. and not the Code of the West. Thank goodness we are much better than that in Wyoming.”

I am sorry, but your heroic defense of the Wyoming way is too little, too late. Just ask Martin Niemöller.

The problems of nationalized extremist rhetoric in Wyoming civic life didn’t suddenly pop up in 2023, it has been a slithering sickness creeping through the fabric of this state and this country for years. These self-congratulating legislators did not speak, act or advocate against this poison until it actually came back to bite them.

At first glance, their situation is not unlike that of Martin Niemöller, a prominent Lutheran pastor in mid-20th century Germany. In the beginning, Niemöller supported the Nazi’s right-wing conservatism. When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, however, Niemöller became an outspoken critic of Hitler’s interference in the Protestant Church. He spent the last eight years of Nazi rule, from 1937 to 1945, in Nazi prisons and concentration camps. He was no angel, and he only became outspoken when the Nazi regime began to interfere with his beliefs. 

However, what he didn’t do was say, “Look at what a good person I am for speaking out now. Look at what a good job I did protesting. Aren’t I heroic for surviving the Nazi concentration camps? It’s all their fault.” This is what he did say:

First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

—Martin Niemöller

Sommers, Harshman, Nicholas and Stith stayed silent for years as Wyoming civic life crumbled into useless finger-pointing rhetoric without true action. The rest of us, meanwhile, have been busy rejecting the us-vs.-them, with-us-or-against-us labels that the Freedom Caucus use to marginalize and dehumanize those that disagree with them. 

Strong, independent woman is my particular label —  a category of citizen that many in power openly describe as dangerous. This misogynistic attitude led to legislative attempts at subjugating my gender, criminalizing our healthcare and making us chattel to be tossed about for their political use.

Which of the four stood up when the “operators of the code of Washington D.C.” spread insidious, dangerous lies about our LGBTQ children and neighbors, and came for their rights? Why should we trust them today?

Ah, but now that the Freedom Caucus has affixed a label meant to shame those who challenge their agenda into submission — RINO! — they scream “patriotism, integrity and freedom”?

Perhaps, instead of fist-bumping and high-fiving themselves for taking a stand for democracy with the wolf snarling at their door, they should, in fact, look in the mirror and realize that we got here because they spoke and acted too late.

So, to these gentlemen, I would like to submit another ‘poem’.

First, they came for the poor, and I did not speak out — because I was not poor and had health insurance.

Then they came for the women, and I did not speak out — because it was not my body they were criminalizing.

Then they came for the LGBTQ, and I did not speak out — because I was a cisgender, hetero white male who did not fear being left to die on a fence.

Then they came for the voters, and I did not speak out — because I belonged to the majority party and would get elected anyway.

Then they came for us — how dare they! — but there was no one left to speak for us.

Please, do not expect me — independent, dangerous, intelligent, mother of an LGBTQ child, educator, advocate of those in need of mental health services and for those deserving of basic medical care — or anyone like me to congratulate you on a job well-done. Oh, yeah, and you can add angry to that list, too.