by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
My congress critter, a young, unmarried, homespun attorney - and Republican - by the name of Jason Smith, represents Missouri's 8th congressional district, arguably one of the most rural and poorest districts in the United States. In fact, I recently read that Missouri's 8th is eleventh from the bottom in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for all of the congressional districts in the United States. It would be hard for anyone to take much pride in an economic showing that poor.
Our district, which has always suffered economically, had a serious setback last year as Trump's ill-advised trade war took hold. Soybean production is important in the 8th congressional district, but it was thrown into a cocked hat when the Chinese put tariffs on soybean imports in response to Trump tariffs on steel and other items. And some small businesses in the district that relied on imported steel were also impaled on the politics of the trade war.
It was as the trade war was kicking into high gear and seriously impacting farming and businesses in Missouri's 8th CD that Representative Jason Smith began distancing himself from the man who had once been his apparent hero - Donald John Trump. Using Smith's weekly email newsletter as a barometer, his self-distancing from Trump seemed to begin in earnest as the trade war heated up. Suddenly the young congressman began to shy away from the idea of associating himself with Trump at every turn. Instead of fawning over the reality television personality and blathering on about taking meetings with Ivanka, Smith began polishing his focus on the folks and issues back home.
Today's newsletter from Congressman Smith contained no mentions of his Republican leader or the colorful First Family. Cutting Trump lose will likely prove to be a good political strategy for Smith, especially when the indictments begin to fly.
When Robert Mueller finally cuts loose and begins presenting charges, Jason Smith will be posturing as one very independent congressman, free from the taint of crime and corruption that will be washing through the halls of power in Washington, DC - you betcha he will! At that point he will be a one-hundred percent Missouri farm boy, a Mister Smith who went to Washington to work for all of us.
Someday he may even man-up and hold an actual town hall so that he can hear first hand, and unfiltered, the comments and concerns of the people who sent him to Congress.
It would be a nice change of pace for Jason - and for the people he was elected to represent.
Citizen Journalist
My congress critter, a young, unmarried, homespun attorney - and Republican - by the name of Jason Smith, represents Missouri's 8th congressional district, arguably one of the most rural and poorest districts in the United States. In fact, I recently read that Missouri's 8th is eleventh from the bottom in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for all of the congressional districts in the United States. It would be hard for anyone to take much pride in an economic showing that poor.
Our district, which has always suffered economically, had a serious setback last year as Trump's ill-advised trade war took hold. Soybean production is important in the 8th congressional district, but it was thrown into a cocked hat when the Chinese put tariffs on soybean imports in response to Trump tariffs on steel and other items. And some small businesses in the district that relied on imported steel were also impaled on the politics of the trade war.
It was as the trade war was kicking into high gear and seriously impacting farming and businesses in Missouri's 8th CD that Representative Jason Smith began distancing himself from the man who had once been his apparent hero - Donald John Trump. Using Smith's weekly email newsletter as a barometer, his self-distancing from Trump seemed to begin in earnest as the trade war heated up. Suddenly the young congressman began to shy away from the idea of associating himself with Trump at every turn. Instead of fawning over the reality television personality and blathering on about taking meetings with Ivanka, Smith began polishing his focus on the folks and issues back home.
Today's newsletter from Congressman Smith contained no mentions of his Republican leader or the colorful First Family. Cutting Trump lose will likely prove to be a good political strategy for Smith, especially when the indictments begin to fly.
When Robert Mueller finally cuts loose and begins presenting charges, Jason Smith will be posturing as one very independent congressman, free from the taint of crime and corruption that will be washing through the halls of power in Washington, DC - you betcha he will! At that point he will be a one-hundred percent Missouri farm boy, a Mister Smith who went to Washington to work for all of us.
Someday he may even man-up and hold an actual town hall so that he can hear first hand, and unfiltered, the comments and concerns of the people who sent him to Congress.
It would be a nice change of pace for Jason - and for the people he was elected to represent.
No comments:
Post a Comment