Up North Progressive

Two weeks after the Trump-fueled domestic terrorist attack against the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, national attention is back on Michigan. This time, Grand Traverse County Commissioner Ron Clous responded to a constituent’s request by committing an act of terrorism during the Board of Commissioners’ meeting on January 20, 2021.

The request that motivated Clous to brandish an assault rifle during the Zoom commissioner meeting was for the Board of Commissioners to denounce the domestic terrorist group Proud Boys. When Ron answered Keli MacIntosh by threatening her with his semiautomatic on camera, Chair of the Board, Rob Hentschel, laughed.

It must feel good to know elected representatives are comfortable with domestic terrorism. So comfortable when it happens in your meeting you react by laughing at the person being terrorized.

Hundreds want Ron Clous and Rob Hentschel to resign. Keli MacIntosh filed a complaint with the Michigan State Police.

The scandal in Grand Traverse County peels back another onion layer of the problem existing in Michigan and the rest of the United States. The Republican Party is infested with far-right extremists who belong to organizations blatantly white supremacist and promote domestic terrorism.

Not all of these people are three percenters, militia groups, or proud boys. Some of them call themselves “constitutional” sheriffs, which means they’re members of the CSPOA or agree with what that extremist group promotes; defiance to state and federal laws they claim go against the second amendment. If your county sheriff is a Republican, they are very likely also a constitutional sheriff. This isn’t hyperbole. So far 31 police officers across the United States have been arrested and charged for their involvement in the attempted capitol coup in Washington DC.

Townships, counties and the local sheriff’s offices have been havens for right-wing extremists to gain legitimacy and promote their agenda. Thanks to the tea party movement they gained access to state and federal levels of government in 2010. Electing their favorite game show host in 2016  woke up enough Americans to realize the country was overrun with fascists.

The game show host is gone, but we’re still living with the aftermath. We now have a Supreme Court packed with far-right-friendly justices. The Senate gained Democratic Party seats, but the House lost seats, and the fresh crop of congresspeople in those seats believe Trump won a second term and possibly helped with the violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Progressives have plenty of work to do over the next two years. The 2022 election will look very different thanks to our new Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission eliminating the gerrymandering of our state. We also need to replace as many constitutional sheriffs as possible. Running for local public office so people like Ron Clous don’t represent us will take the efforts of every Michigander fed up with lies, threats, and acts of violence being the norm of politics.