Far-right Utah lawmaker gets triggered by high school drama; Sean Reyes forgets who his friends are
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Underclassed Man
Before spouting off, state Rep. Trevor Lee might have considered actually reading the entire Deseret News article. Instead, the first-term Republican from Layton decided to evoke a favorite GOP dog whistle on political correctness. It was all about saving the terms "King" and "Queen" in homecoming ceremonies. Yes, it was. "Politically correct intellectual vacuity and the cultural Marxist war on the language marches on. This cannot go on forever. A point at which the bough breaks and down comes the woke baby will eventually be reached, the only question being just how ugly it's going to get prior to that eventuality," he said. The truth is more about inclusion and awareness. "The ritual has been evolving for several decades out of a desire to get beyond the stereotypical selection of the most beautiful and popular students, and to recognize different types of achievement," the News reported. No doubt Lee has lifelong regrets for not being named Homecoming King.
C is for Cracking
Common Cause no longer has a presence in Utah, but they're still making an impression. The watchdog group just released national grades on redistricting, and the big surprise was that Utah earned a "C" instead of an "F." If you know anything about how the Legislature gerrymanders your vote away through packing and cracking, then you might wonder. The people of Utah passed an initiative to create an independent redistricting commission to draw up fair voting districts. The commission worked well and the public responded. Then the Legislature repealed the law and drew its own very rural and very Republican districts behind closed doors. It chopped up any glint of hope that urbanites and liberals might have a voice. So why is that a "C"? Maybe because good government groups are suing the Legislature, or maybe the state just got a good effort, participation award.
With Friends Like These
Utahns continue to curiously support an attorney general who, despite a decade of interactions with anti-human trafficking activist Tim Ballard, denies knowing anything about the troubling sexual assault allegations against the man. For weeks, Utah A.G. Sean Reyes tried awkwardly to avoid questions from KUTV 2News about Operation Underground Railroad (OUR)—until he couldn't. Then his answer was, gee, he just didn't know about any of the bad stuff. The Salt Lake Tribune has since detailed many "mission partners" who claim they've never heard from Reyes' Liberate All Value All nonprofit, even though they are named on its website. As Utahns know, Reyes spends much of his time joining Utah to national partisan causes alongside his GOP counterparts. Some Utah legislators—and perhaps the governor himself—appear to be growing tired of Reyes. But because they can't trust the Republican Party to police its own, lawmakers may try to change the law to appoint rather than elect the attorney general.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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