These questions need answered, now
Campaign season is upon us. Always earnest, sometimes farcical, but now grim as all get-out, politics takes center stage, along with football, football, and, yes, more football.
In particular, and despite the best efforts of county Commissioners Scott Dunn and David Lohr (acting as members of the county Election Board), Republicans now have a candidate for the state House seat currently held by the departing and disgraced Matthew Dowling.
That would be Charity Grimm Krupa, an attorney from Smithfield. The Democrat in the race is Richard Ringer of Uniontown.
Dowling, who withdrew from the race following an accident in which he was charged with drunken driving, was one of the Republican state House members who signed off on the notion that Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president of the United States in November 2020.
He was, and is, a democracy-denier.
As Dowling’s would-be successor, it is urgent Grimm Krupa answer the following questions. Does she or doesn’t she believe Biden is the constitutionally elected president?
In other words, does she believe Biden defeated Donald Trump in November 2020? Can she, will she, say Biden won the presidency?
And if she can’t, what evidence does she have to back up a claim that he didn’t?
Because so many Republicans are democracy-deniers, the burden should be on Grimm Krupa to answer this question, perhaps the most important political question in the history of the United States.
The foundation of government by, for, and of the people is at stake in the answer.
But it’s not the only question that should be asked of Republican candidates in 2022. Given the twists and turns of the GOP in recent years, Republican candidates have a lot to answer for. Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post recently suggested a series of questions that should be asked of Republicans vying for the U.S. House and Senate.
They might just as usefully be asked of Republican candidates for state offices.
Questions such as:
“What, if any, actions did you take to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president? How did your actions square with our democracy?”
“Was it wrong to encourage a mob to march on the U.S. Capitol?”
“Should every qualified American citizen be able to cast a ballot? Is it better [for our democracy] if more people vote or less people vote?”
Rubin posed questions pertaining to a woman’s privacy rights, a topic that is front and center for state legislators in the post-Roe era.
“Should a teenage rape victim be allowed to obtain an abortion?”
“How about victims of incest? Should they be afforded the freedom to choose? What about a woman whose health or life is endangered by continuing a pregnancy? Should she be accorded the same right?”
“Should a woman be prevented from traveling to another state to get an abortion?”
“What should be the penalty for a woman who obtains an illegal abortion?”
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe has raised any number of serious concerns, all of which stem back to the now quaint finding of a right to privacy in the Constitution.
Because they have been so vocal in support of ditching Roe, Republicans should have to tell voters where they stand on contraception and gay and interracial marriage.
Thus, should the states be able to stop the U.S. Post Office or private firms from delivering contraceptive pills and devices to Americans’ homes?
There are more questions than answers at this point. Hopefully, the answers will be forthcoming.
The sooner the better.
As for Grimm Krupa, voters have a right to know where she stands on these matters. If you see her, ask.
Richard Robbins lives in Uniontown. He can be reached at dick.l.robbins@gmail.com.