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Jeff Peters: Republicans call shots

After reading Gary Kalow’s response, “Rob is right but wrong,” to Rob Douglas’ letter to the editor in Steamboat Today Aug. 25, I must agree that he is right. However, he is also wrong. 

Mr. Kalow is right to say that Donald Trump’s candidacy for president might not be in the best interest of Republicans or the country. He is also right when he says Mr. Trump should not be excluded by the Republican Party. 

However, Mr. Kalow is wrong when he says that liberal Democrats tell those they disagree with to “shut up and sit down.” Actually, it is Republicans who have a tendency to tell people to “shut up and sit down.”



Presidential contender governor Chris Christie not only tells people who disagree with him to “shut up and sit down,” he also bullies people who disagree with him. Fox commentator Bill O’Reilly, definitely not a liberal Democrat, tells people who disagree with him to “shut up” while calling them “pinheads.”

Just a couple of days ago, Republican Donald Trump booted Univision news anchor reporter Jorge Ramos out of a press conference for daring to ask Trump a question about immigration. For those who might not be aware, Ramos anchors “Noticiero Univision,” Univision’s #1-ranked newscast. Trump told Ramos to “go back to Univision” and had the man escorted out of the press conference. Ramos was also confronted by one of Trump’s Republican acolytes telling Ramos to “get out of my country.” Funny thing is, Ramos is a U.S citizen.



And, let us not forget Republican vice president Dick Cheney who famously told Vermont Senator Pat Leahy “F* yourself” during a heated exchange on the senate floor in June 2004. 

Then there was the time Republican representative Darryl Issa shut off the microphone of a Democratic colleague who disagreed with him. Or how about the time the Republican Wisconsin Senate President Mike Ellis shouted, “It’s non-debatable. Call the roll. You’re out of order.” to silence his pro-choice colleagues who tried to debate a Republican-sponsored bill requiring women to undergo a vaginal ultrasound before they can receive an abortion.

Perhaps, Mr. Kalow didn’t have time to list the Democrats of whom he spoke, which is unfortunate, because making a statement such as he did without backing it up might lead readers to think he was just regurgitating Republican incorrect talking points. 

As to the Democrats, I would suggest their problem is they are too passive. It seems whether Democrats control both houses of Congress and/or the presidency, the Republicans always seem to call the shots.

Jeff Peters

Steamboat Springs


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