By Diana Vance
Monroe
To the Editor:
I don’t know why I was surprised at a story in the April 2023 edition of the Atlantic magazine about Robin Vos, the Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly. He has had the job for ten years and I hope what I learned from that story in the Atlantic will rile enough people to demand he be kicked out or impeached. If he is not, his stain will go on every name of those in the Assembly, and that includes our representative Todd Novak.
What I learned was sickening and anger producing. Speaker Vos explained that it was only fair that Republicans retained nearly 2/3 of the Assembly despite getting only 46% of the vote. Vos explained that “it was only fair that Democratic ballot should count less.”
What was on his mind to cause him to think that Democratic ballots should count less? Well, here is his explanation, word for word: “As much as they complain about gerrymandering and all things that I think are made up issues for their failed agenda, I think we won fair and square.”
His next explanation was despicable, “In other words: The party that ‘should’ have won the most votes ‘should’ win, not the party that ‘actually’ got more votes, because ‘certain’ people’s votes — the kind of people who live in cities, you know who I mean — really shouldn’t count.”
I was shocked and disgusted at the same time. Is this what the Republican party stands for — the white elite? How can Republican representatives go back home with this description on their forehead? It is time for them to pick a different speaker. It was his idea to impeach Janet Protasiewicz. She won by 11%, yet Vos did not care.
Well, it’s time for you to care and begin to salvage democracy in Wisconsin. Voters began doing that when they voted for Janet Protasiewicz. Wisconsinites have to continue to push for fair and correct elections, as election deniers are trying to say the opposite. Vos must be impeached for thinking some Wisconsinites are not worthy to have a vote.
Your party began with a man called Abraham Lincoln. He is the finest president we ever had. In his words at Gettysburg, he was praising the dead because they tried to save the Union. Yes, so a government by the people, for the people and of the people would not perish from the earth.
