Keep it civilIn our community, we have long and storied traditions of expressing ourselves politically, and respecting our differences of opinion. This weekend’s impending visit from Vice President JD Vance and his family should evoke the same responses, regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum.
Vance and his family will be in The Valley this weekend, staying at the Pitcher Inn and skiing at Sugarbush.
When The Valley Reporter shared information on social media about the vice presidential visit, it got explosive and ugly. That was disappointing and we had to shut down commenting. To be fair, there were voices calling for civility and respect and there was one comment that won the day.
(“I didn’t realize probationary employees qualified for vacation time so quickly,” wrote former longtime Valley resident Eileen Nooney on Facebook.)
Humor helps.
Do we as a community reject the platform of Vance and his party and this presidential administration? Yup. A lot of us certainly do. We vehemently reject its xenophobia, racism, misogynism, elitism, etc. Some of us don’t. That’s okay. We still have to live here together.
It is possible, as Pitcher Inn owner George Dorsey said, to eschew someone’s politics but still respect the office that he or she holds.
Vance is many things, but stupid is not one of them. He knows what he’s getting into by coming to Vermont, home of Bernie Sanders and predictably the first state to be called for the Democrats on every single election night.
Just because for this administration (and the unelected president), the cruelty is the point, there is no reason we need to sink to that level. Vance is here with his kids, folks.
We applaud the Warren Select Board’s response which was this:
The town of Warren is proud to share with the Vance family a community that embraces diversity and inclusion, supports the arts, champions local farms and businesses, prioritizes environmental sustainability, and offers world-class recreational opportunities.”
We can be civil during his visit. We can protest (or rally in support) in our own inimitable style featuring irreverence, signage, costumes, music, etc. But we won’t cross the line.
