I greatly appreciate U.S Rep. Jaimie Herrera Beutler’s work for our corner of the state. Rep. Herrera Beutler doesn’t always take the popular stance on issues, but I believe she takes the right stance.
For instance, on the most recent COVID-19 relief bill, she voted “no,” noting that it is very bloated with special interest payments, like to the city of San Francisco and to the state of California. The Los Angeles Times said their state is getting another $26 billion from Congress even though they have an already “robust” budget with higher-than-expected tax revenues.
Herrera Beutler has been active in seeking more COVID-19 vaccines for Clark County when it appears we were significantly shorted our dosages.
I could go on and on about the important work she does for her congressional district and all of Washington. But I am more concerned about how she has been maligned and denigrated lately.
Herrera Beutler has recently been a target of members of her own party. She said the toughest challenge is "when your own team does something you don't like, and you have to step out and oppose them." She also said her role may be helping Republicans "return to who we are." Herrera Beutler became one of 10 Republicans to vote “yes” for the second impeachment of Donald Trump knowing that she might lose support over it. After experiencing threats, Herrera Beutler was not intimidated by the idea of breaking with her party to support Donald J. Trump’s impeachment.
“My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision,” she said. “I am not choosing a side; I’m choosing truth. It’s the only way to defeat fear.”
After her recent vote against Trump, Herrera Beutler was censured by the Clark County Republican Party and sent a scathing letter from the Cowlitz County Republican Party telling her to quit. But a recent meeting of the Lewis County Republican Party didn’t end the same way. Instead, it ended in a prayer.
“It was essentially just for her wellbeing. Quite frankly, something that bothered me was that she had received threats. And that’s so unacceptable,” Lewis County Republican Chairman Brandon Svenson said. “Unfortunately, some people in our party acted like jackwagons … I’m embarrassed about it. I’m embarrassed that people in our party did that.”
I believe Herrera Beutler deserves support and recognition for speaking the truth in an environment rife with distorted facts. I totally agree with a northern neighbor, Patricia Geraghty of Seattle, who said, “By censuring her, the GOP is blatantly taking a stance against the honest representation of facts and demonstrating its willingness to be an active partner in the lies and deception infiltrating our society. I encourage her to stay strong and not be daunted by unjust criticism.”
