Strong women like Mexico's new president and SLC's Mayor Mendenhall are standing up to the Trump-era boys' club.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Hit: Strength and Weakness
There's a meme going around that shows the women who are standing up to the all-powerful president of the United States. Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo didn't whimper away. And if you didn't know her before, meet the prime minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen. They know how to treat bullies who want to be in charge because they are—well—real men. In Utah, we are seeing Salt Lake's Mayor Erin Mendenhall calling out legislators as they try to muscle their way into the city. Apparently, legislators think cleaning up the homeless problem is just a matter of "man-power." "Legislation that requires cities to enter into this partnership and penalizes if we do not is not real collaboration," she told them. Well, you know the Olympics are coming and so are all those sports teams, so we have to make things look good. San Francisco tried before the NBA All-Star Game. But rounding up the homeless and cleaning up the streets is only window-dressing. Utah was supposed to be looking at the root causes. Alas, it wants to bring in a big street sweeper. Mendenhall will be standing in the way.
Miss: Bargaining Power
Speaking of simpering—Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. The man who saw God working by simply grazing Trump's ear thinks it's all good now, no matter how bad the outcome. When Cox signed a new law prohibiting unions from collective bargaining, he added his own "disagree better" stamp of approval. "Utah has long been known as a state that can work together to solve difficult issues," Cox said. This despite massive protests both in the Capitol and outside his office. It's the way of the Republican world, as lawmakers tell the masses not to worry, be happy. "I'm disappointed that in this case, the process did not ultimately deliver the compromise that at one point was on the table and that some stakeholders had accepted," the governor wrote. Ya think? Cox's lack of will sends the issue back to the voters to rush through a referendum that will invalidate the law. Against all odds, it has been done before. But of course, there'll be hell to pay later.
Miss: Judge and Jury
Another thing we've learned from the Dictator-in-Chief is that if you don't like a court ruling, change the court. Now the state's Republican-led Legislature wants to add more justices to the Utah Supreme Court because they're mad at it. The high court unanimously ruled against the Legislature's bold attempt to gain total control over gerrymandering. Never mind that it was a constitutional issue—the decision hurt lawmakers' feelings. There's always talk of adding extra seats to the courts after an unfavorable ruling. It happened when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade. But a true democracy shouldn't work that way. Legislators are also talking about changing the way Utah's judges are chosen. In other words, if you don't like the law, make it up.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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