Utah Republicans are finding boogeymen in Venezuela, in their own ranks and on school basketball courts
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Red Scare
In the Utah Legislature, liberal democracy is fair game. Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, chairs the Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee and got a big laugh with his statement after testimony on SJR5, a resolution condemning communism and socialism: "Here in the Legislature, we learn the alphabet a little differently—ERA, CRT, ESG, DEI." The resolution, sponsored by Alpine Republican Sen. Mike Kennedy, was in response to a Venezuelan constituent who really, really doesn't like Venezuela's socialism and thinks the United States is on the brink. He was perplexed at the 100 Congress members who recently voted against a resolution condemning communism. The sole voice for freedom of thought was Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, who proclaimed: "I'm free and happy living in America for a reason." And she didn't appreciate Weiler's joke, either. Republicans are nothing if not retro, whether it's MAGAism or McCarthyism. The resolution passed the committee 3-1.
Cooler Heads
And yet, there are staunch defenders of Weiler, whose cynicism sometimes clouds his voting record. Not that a man with such a sharp tongue needs defending, but Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, came to Weiler's aid after an attack from Republican gadfly Goud Maragani. Maragani—who was recently removed from the Log Cabin Republicans—asked the GOP State Central Committee to look into Weiler's votes apparently in support of trans kids. He also wanted to know why Weiler donated to a woman's breast removal because she suffered from gender dysphoria and depression. "Have you ever wondered why you are unelectable?" McKell posted on X-Twitter. "Your investigation request directed at [Weiler] is nuts! Thank you to those at the GOP meeting today who shut this nonsense down. Utah GOP needs to focus on winning." That's quite a turn for a party otherwise focused on a lot of nonsense.
Loudmouths Empowered
Parents Empowered is an almost perfect name—except for all those other parents. Last week, an angry dad challenged his daughter's school because he was pretty sure one of the basketball players was transgender. Oops! The girls' parents had all uploaded required birth certificates to "show" what they were born with. The Salt Lake Tribune has been tracking these incidents, none of which were supported. But it goes hand-in-hand with lawmakers responding to the din from a few loud parents. A recent bill making its way through the Legislature would allow three of the state's 41 school districts to ban certain books statewide. It's all the worry about "criminal porn" and teachers "grooming" students—and they don't mean for a dance. And because this is Utah, it's worry without data. Yes, there used to be talk of local control, but the Republican narrative has morphed to loud-parents-control.
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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