Just Obey the Good Laws

 Just Obey the Good Laws

The GOP law and order crowd does not get it. They are supposed to follow the law, not ignore the ones they do not like or might make them look foolish. 

Most recently, the former President of the United States was completely surrounded by advisors and lawyers telling him the requirements for his duties and obligations in that office. On January 6th, after the former president incited the crowd of supporters to storm the Capitol to stop the certification of the 2020 election he lost, he stopped using his official phones for over 7 hours while that insurrection took place. The official White House phone logs for January 6th turned up the seven plus hour gap. We learned from the investigation by the House Select Committee that the former president received and made many calls during that seven-hour period including to or from the House Minority Leader, GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy. John Bolton, one of his advisors, tells us that the former president spoke often of using “burner phones,” the same kind drug dealers and other criminals use to hide their calls. This is not like the short gap in former President Nixon’s recorded phone call during the Watergate scandal. It is much more serious and shows a complete disregard for what the law requires of a sitting president. 

Closer to home, GOP Wisconsin Assembly Leader, Robin Vos, was just held in contempt of court by a Dane County judge for failing to turn over documents relating to former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gabelman’s “investigation” into the 2020 election which, by law, Vos was supposed to maintain and produce under our open records laws. In related proceedings, Vos claims that he has “lost” or “deleted” other records and emails he is required to maintain and produce on demand. Vos too is surrounded by advisors and lawyers who presumably have told him what his legal obligations are under our open records laws. This is not merely an administrative oversight. It is clearly an attempt to avoid disclosing information that will make him and Gableman’s efforts look bad, if not outright illegal. 

Locally, a county board supervisor who is also the mayor of a city in the county carrying a concealed firearm and dropping it in meetings where it is illegal to have a concealed weapon, all while his concealed carry permit had expired. His excuse is that he thought he was exempt from the requirements as a public official. What about basic “keep you weapon safe” rules learned in concealed carry permit classes or hunter safety courses?

We expect much more from our elected officials. Those charged with passing and enforcing the duly passed laws have a duty not only to make sure they know what those laws are as applied to them and their offices, but to follow them to the letter. Anything less sets a terrible example to others and emboldens disregard for those laws they do not like or do not want to follow. 

Our republic is one of laws which all are required to follow. Being elected to office does not give anyone carte blanche to pick and choose which of those laws they will follow and which they can ignore. 

I remember vividly a political candidate in Madison in the 1970s who was running for District Attorney on a platform of “just obey the good laws.” He meant it as a joke as he protested draconian laws enacted as part of the marijuana prohibition and most of us took it that way. Unfortunately, that message has continued tacitly to the present day in the GOP.

Public service in an elected office should carry a more serious approach to following the law. Once elected, officials should work to change those laws they feel are unjust or just plain wrong and not just ignore their commands. If those efforts at change are unsuccessful, then the official needs to obey, not ignore.