We cats have nine lives, so we easily remember when Claude Pepper represented South Florida in Congress. Then, going on 30 years ago or so, Claude checked out, and the district went Republican. Today, we learned that Democrats have an opportunity to snatch it back.
That's because Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has decided to call it a day. She's issued the usual bland statements that impart no information. So we're left to speculate, which we now will freely do.
At first we thought Ros-Lehtinen's timing most odd. Why leave now? Everything is beautiful! Her party is in total control, and its new leader is Making America Great Again. He's draining the swamp, and just had the bestest, mostest incredible-est, first 100 days ever. What gives?
But, ohhhhh, right, then we remembered.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is very pro LGBT rights. She has a transgender child. And her grandparents on her mother's side were Sephardic Jews. Knowing those two things — and knowing that she represents heavily Jewish areas of Miami-Dade County — we wonder how she feels about the Republican Party's overt and shameless embrace of anti-Semitism and homophobia. (We were already curious about how the Havana-born Ros-Lehtinen deals with the GOP's hostility to Hispanics and immigrants.)
Perhaps Ileana is leaving Congress because she's decided she's had enough of her Trump-y party. But with the alt-right's ascendancy in the GOP, isn't this exactly the time for a tough, experienced legislator like her to stay — and fight to protect the tattered remains of Republican moderation?
Will anyone ask her these questions? We cats wait and watch.
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