I read Tory Welch’s recent letter to The Park Record. Was it a serious submission on conservative policy, a polemic, an appeal to fact, a vomit of hate or an early draft of a standup routine involving arthritic hippies, chicken nuggets and turds?
Who could tell? Despite this uncertainty, the ensuring legacy of the letter will be the clear assertion that the Summit County Utah Republican Party thinks that a significant portion of the electorate are (using his words) pathetic, attention seeking, privileged, entitled turds wallowing in manufactured oppression. Don’t forget that.
Moving past baristas, snot noses, bologna sandwiches and cosplay to allow the adults to focus on the issues, we should all agree that public protests, including protests like the Tea Party rallies, are critical within the democratic system as they provide an outlet for the airing of different opinions, perspectives and viewpoints.
This is important. So important in fact that Welch made it a cornerstone of his election pitch last year, saying that he needed to be on the Summit County Council to provide “different opinions, different perspectives and viewpoints.”
Surely the important job of airing different viewpoints applies equally to Welch as it does to all other citizens. If not, why not?
Welch may not know it, but the objectives of the No King rallies were to protest executive overreach, defend the constitutional government, oppose overly centralized power, promote individual liberties and symbolically resist cults of personality.
These issues seem absolute center of plate for traditional Republicans. Which of them does Welch reject? The issues relate to the normal checks and balances to undemocratic forces and circumstances. Welch expressed these sentiments when he proposed himself as a check to one political party holding the majority of power (in Summit County).
He said he feared everyone was moving in one direction for the sake of unity without taking time to consider new perspectives or ideas. Aren’t those exactly the concerns upon which the No Kings rallies are based?
Let’s further consider just one objective of the No Kings rallies: defending the Constitution.
There’s no denying that Trump is keen to attack the Constitution at will. That’s worrying. Moreover in May Trump was asked whether “he need(ed) to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president.” His response was “I don’t know.” That’s utterly bizarre considering just a few months earlier, Trump said, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Surely Trump’s stance on the Constitution alone is enough to elicit a strong response. Of course and Welch certainly felt this way when he said, “For me, I didn’t vote for Donald Trump the first time because even though he was the Republican nominee, he never said the word ‘constitution’. You never heard him talk about upholding the Constitution or any of those foundational principles. That’s where the Republican Party, I feel, has kind of veered away.”
Once more, the exact sentiment shared at the No Kings rallies. Simply put, it is Welch’s personal principles that have turned on a dime, not the citizenry.
These are serious times that require serious thought. Instead of silly and, for the Summit County Utah Republican Party, utterly counterproductive ad hominen, the electorate seeks serious interaction.
America has just witnessed the passing of one of the most consequential pieces of legislation of our time. Why doesn’t Tory Welch use his time and significant skills to add value to the electorate of Summit County by holding a series of thoughtful lectures at the library during which he carefully unpacks the Big Beautiful Bill, its provisions, its political rationale, the expected objectively determined outcomes and why he believes these outcomes will create a better America?
This would be immensely valuable and is just clever retail politicking between elections.
Simply show you have serious political chops and get out ahead of the conversation. Consider the electorate to be intelligent and considered citizens and treat them as such. … Or you can just call them pathetic, attention seeking, privileged, entitled turds wallowing in manufactured oppression.
It’s your call.
Frans Bicker Caarten
Park City