Caffeinated Politics

I need to write a much-needed column about the electoral rejection of Jeff Weigand in yesterday’s spring election. Paula Brandmeier beat the conservative bigot by 655 votes. Many pople had pined for his removal in the last election, so the removal of him from the county board was a tonic for the soul.

My ire over this cheap politician results from his stance when the county board overwhelmingly voted in 2023 to make Dane County a sanctuary for transgender and nonbinary people. The resolution passed with 25 supervisors voting to approve the measure, with only one voting in opposition.  That vote of opposition was from Weigand. The issue of trans people, especially teenagers, has been at times so fraught with bombast and rhetoric that it seems best to flip the channel or the next page in the paper. But here, in this county we call home, there was a broad group of people doing not only the right things in relation to trans issues but proving that we can marshal our government and people towards acting with empathy and resolve, and I say again, especially with trans teens.

The vast majority of the populace in this county has empathy and regard for the issue and the people involved. The conservative supervisor, however, had another perspective.  Weigand stated, “It’s just contrary to God’s design.  God designed man, and God designed women, and we should submit to that design authority, which is what He created.”  As I said, a cheap pol.

While I applaud people of faith, I am one myself, I also fully understand that we do not operate our nation by religious dictates.  Our pluralistic society demands diversity, and that must always prevail over narrow interests.  We need to have elected officials who seem to have attended at least one day of civics education in their school years.

I often call attention to the data about both gay and trans youth regarding the numbers that show their contemplation about suicide, and even more troubling, the numbers of actual suicides.  It, therefore, was deeply distressing to have Weigand, a cheap politician who had no other way to make a headline or to differentiate himself in Dane County, take on a high-profile issue that he had no way of impacting other than to weigh in with unproductive comments.  

He certainly did not have trans youth foremost in his thoughts when he cavalierly stated, “To those kids, I would encourage them to wait it out”.  It shows a complete lack of awareness or empathy about the needs those youth are experiencing. In other words, trans teenagers should put their lives on hold so as not to upset the bigots. Years ago, his type were the ones saying gay pople should just stay in the closet.

I understand that Weigand felt he needed to say and do certain things as a conservative to gain notice and press in this very liberal Blue county. And to carry water for the mouthbreathers in the GOP. But to what end?  He was not going to be elected to the statehouse or Congress in this area, and his ability to generate thoughtful discourse among a larger audience than pure partisans was not going to happen. After all, who wants to join a nut who gets his jollies with stunts that are aimed at hurting trans teens?

His voters came to see him as shallow and self-righteous. Thank you, Paula Brandmeier, for stopping the madness.