Show me last week, Dec 4.
Show me xenophobia!
You’ve most likely seen recent posts on X, formerly (and forever in our hearts) Twitter, from Rep. Chris Dinkins from the 144th district. I won’t link them here, but you can easily find them if you take a few seconds. She’s not a very important person, so her controversial posts and the subsequent media coverage are likely to be at the top of Google when you search.
To sum up, Rep. Dinkins wrote a letter that urged Gov. Parson to take executive action to prevent specifically Gazan refugees from coming to Missouri. It’s a xenophobic statement that was written by someone who is trying to sound smarter than they are. I’m not here to prosecute her statement, as I feel like roadkill should be left in the ditch, but I did want to note that Gov. Mike Parson — a simple-minded man who stumbled spurs-first into the state’s top job — had a decent response when asked about it.
Max Markwell (or something like that) from KSDK, who I understand is a kind of gossip columnist, asked Gov. Parson about Rep. Dinkins statements, and Parson didn’t take Dinkins or Maxwell’s bait. Instead, he called Maxwell a no0b (“Anybody that’s been around for a little bit knows…”) and said (twice!) “There’s a big difference between the Palestinian people and the people of Hamas.”
This is a completely reasonable response to the statement, which is notable. Don’t get me wrong, Parson is an incompetent buffoon with just enough charisma to stumble into the governor’s office, and he’s also known to double down on the stupidity of those around him. But he seemed to be unwilling to entertain Dinkin’s desperate plea for attention, and that makes me wonder whether there is a shift within the Republican party to taking an more nuanced view on the conflict. Equally as possible is that Parson had a rare moment of clarity, or he just doesn’t personally like Rep. Dinkins and saw an opportunity to embarrass her.
Either way, it’s a trend I’d like to see continue. It’s sometimes easy to forget that the political conversation in Missouri has been dictated by right-wing 1950s cosplayers for more than a decade now, and it’s a breathe of fresh air to hear someone in power push back against the bullshit. I refuse to get my hopes up that it will happen again.
Other Stuff
St. Louis City forgot to collect a tax on Marijuana, and they’re gonna start on January 1. While we all call our old dealers to see if they’re still around, the board of alderman is doing their duty to their constituents and fighting over whose fault it is.
Eric Schmitt, the second human in the Missouri-AG-to-senator centipede, has endorsed Andrew Bailey, the third human in the Missouri-AG-to-senator centipede, in the Republican primary for Missouri AG. As I’m sure you’ve realized by now, Josh Hawley is the first human in that centipede. I don’t have more of a joke here, other than to say all three of them can eat shit.
Happy Monday.