Jacky Rosen Just Lost a Voter

My Democratic congresswoman’s response to the Muslim ban is rather tepid:

I support rigorous vetting for anyone entering the United States, to ensure that they pose no danger to our nation or the American people. However, this action by the President has led to the detention of green card holders and those who have already passed through the vetting process. This action appears to have been taken in a haphazard way, that has created confusion, and necessitated swift action from the courts to rectify problems with the order.

Two of my constituents, who have been green card holders for the last five years, and are in the process of applying for their citizenship, were detained for roughly eight hours in Chicago. Both are in wheelchairs, and one is legally blind. We can develop a better policy than this, one that is in line with our values, and that is serious about truly protecting the American people.”

It reads like “Nice idea, but badly executed, and it inconvenienced two potential voters in my district.” Looking at her background and short congressional history so far, it’s not clear to me that Muslim rights are high on her priority list, so, first I wondered if I voted for her (I really couldn’t remember), and then I wondered why I voted for her (the other guy appeared to be worse, which is pretty much most of my voting decision-making and still better than not voting, or, say, voting for Jill Stein as a protest).

This, by the way, is why I didn’t appreciate the Hillary campaign site in Nevada exhorting everyone to vote for the full Democratic slate (there was also a “Millennials for Hillary” group listed — this tribalism is getting ridiculous, but that’s another story). Slavish partisanship is one reason why we’re in this mess. Use your brain and vote for the best-qualified candidate.

Unfortunately, although I think I voted for the best option in my Congressional district, and she won, I don’t have high hopes for her. I was thinking about moving to adjacent Las Vegas this summer, anyway, where the representatives have made stronger statements.