With the 2020 election in the rearview mirror, our sights are already set on 2022 as we work toward unseating one of the most dangerous politicians in Washington. Senator Mike Lee’s career was born and sustained on a wave of radicalism. First elected in 2010, the year of the Tea Party, then re-elected in 2016, the dawn of the Trump era, Mike Lee has disregarded the needs of his constituents and disrespected his title as a public servant. A part of my job is keeping tabs on politicians, and upon delving further into Lee’s various social media platforms, website, and voting records, it’s clear to see that Mike Lee, a man who prides himself on his moral and logical consistency, isn’t really that consistent after all.
With all due respect to the senator, he has proven himself incapable of doing the job he was elected to do, and re-electing him to a position of power would be irresponsible. Senator Lee appears to care more about Facebook finally tamping down on the proliferation of disinformation on their platform (a new development that he says is “censorship of conservatives”, which is a whole other issue) than he does about Utah families being able to put food on the table, pay their medical bills, or even keep a roof over their heads. In fact, now that I mention it, the only heads I’ve heard him express any interest in these past months are showerheads, and that in itself is a disgrace. Continuously failing to show up for his constituents in any meaningful way and instead picking silly, semantic fights is a waste of power. This is not a partisan issue, nor should it be; this is a matter of accountability, transparency, and good representation.
When it comes to Mike Lee, Utahns may eagerly hope for the best, but should prepare for the worst. He has tarnished his reputation through his lack of integrity and his failure to uphold our values of decency and compassion. I might remind you that Mike Lee is a man who helped orchestrate a 16-day government shutdown, which badly hurt the state, the people he serves, and his own party. This is a man who voted against providing humanitarian aid for the U.S.-Mexico border. A man who has voted against providing additional aid to people suffering as a consequence of natural disasters—whether it was the people in Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey, or the people of Puerto Rico who are still suffering years after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.
Mike Lee is a man who voted against providing assistance to people affected by COVID-19, while his own state experienced some of the highest COVID infection rates in the nation. He’s a man, who in the midst of a global pandemic, flagrantly ridiculed and spread disinformation about the Affordable Care Act, all whilst actively working to rip away his constituents’ health insurance. A man who has consistently voted against the rights of a woman to have a say over her own body. A man who has proposed and defended discriminatory legislation that harms the LGBTQ+ community. A man who, in the wake of social unrest, paid no respect to the multiple lives lost at the hands of racial injustice. A man who gleefully supports legislation to steal public lands for private hands. A man who single-handedly blocked legislation to establish Smithsonian museums for Latinos and women. And a man who accuses the Left of a power grab while rejecting democracy and embracing despotism.
Do not be fooled, Mike Lee is not your neighbor, nor is he a leader. He is not there to extend a hand when you need it most, he is a man who will let the people he represents struggle, all while doing so with a smile on his face and murmuring under his breath, “let them eat cake”.
We all deserve better than Mike Lee. Mistakes happen, and Mike Lee was a mistake. We have a chance to fix it in 2022 — we will vote him out, and begin to heal this great state by doing better and being better, for ourselves and our neighbors.
Learn more about why Mike Lee needs to go, visit our website, Humans Against Mike Lee.