Dec 19, 2020 3 min read

Reschenthaler is unfit to lead

I heartily concur with the sentiments expressed in two excellent letters of Dec. 15, “O-R Partly to Blame Too,” by the Rev. Joseph Lewandowski, and “14th District Deserves Better Leadership” by Rory Hassler.

Both gentlemen express their well-founded disgust over our 14th Congressional District seat being held by the most unworthy reactionary Republican, Guy Reschenthaler. I particularly appreciate that the Reverend has used the heft of his position as a faith leader of the community to opine for what is right.

Rep. Reschenthaler appears to be a pleasant, congenial person, and unlike the president to whom he is joined at the hip, he smiles a great deal. That is where my admiration for him ends.

Early in his time in the House, Reschenthaler boasted of being one who works across the aisle. If that it true today, he is doing so with a clenched fist. Unlike President-elect Joe Biden, Reschenthaler menacingly echoes President Trump’s credo, that those with whom we have ideological disagreements are our enemies.

Reschenthaler’s unfitness to lead has never been more glaring than now, as he joins Trump in fighting what has been declared the legitimate result of the Nov. 3 election by governors, secretaries of state, members of Congress, and election officials from both major political parties. To continue to try to overturn the will of the voters after the fact has resulted in honorable public servants having to fear for their lives as they are threatened with violence and death. It could end today if Trump and Reschenthaler would stop their desperate bid to win at all costs.

Reschenthaler’s stunning and chilling credo is to believe in free elections and democracy, but only if a Republican wins. It is a slap in the face to our nation, our people, and the Founding Fathers, and I would expect better of someone who has served in government and in the military, the latter of which has contained millions who have placed their lives on the line to fight for the free and fair elections which Reschenthaler now seeks to destroy.

The District has had the opportunity to elect qualified, honorable individuals to lead it: Bill Marx in 2020 and Bibiana Boerio in 2018. The power of incumbency, though, is key, and the ability to raise huge sums of money is critical, something which newcomers to elections have great difficulty in achieving.

I live in a great community with many advantages. One of the disadvantages is that my U. S. House representative is an abject failure, a fraud who is unfit to lead in the United States of America.

Oren Spiegler Peters Township