Even though we’re probably stuck with Donald Trump until January 2029, he’s telling supporters to “pretend” he’s on the ballot this year.
But no one has to pretend in this midterm election because the GOP’s congressional majority has shrugged off or endorsed nearly all of his regime’s destructive actions.
That’s especially true of our own GOP Congressman Dan Meuser, who’s spent his nearly eight years in Washington avoiding constituents who try to hold him accountable while working hard at what he considers his real job as the regime’s head cheerleader and rubber-stamper. (He even said after the 2024 election that Congress should function like a supportive board for the newly reelected “CEO”/”decider in chief.”)
On Monday, we learned that Meuser declined public TV station WVIA’s invitation to face off against Democratic challenger Rachel Wallace. Apparently, the only debate where he’ll appear is the one organized by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, which has him as a member and his district coordinator, Evelyn Datte, on its board.
Chamber President and debate moderator Bob Carl recently responded to my concern, which others have also voiced, that this would be a Meuser-friendly event. Besides describing in detail how it came together and how it will be run, he maintained that both candidates have been and will keep being treated fairly and impartially.
Although Carl said he’ll determine what he’ll ask Wallace and Meuser on Oct. 20, he promised to read questions we can send him at rcarl@schuylkillchamber.com.
I think this debate will be worthwhile, and I was fortunate enough to get a seat at it. Those who didn’t can still watch a livestream or TV broadcast, the Chamber says.
Meuser says one debate is enough, but I think we need at least one more.
He deserves to be interrogated for all the havoc he’s allowed the Trump regime to wreak. And Wallace deserves a chance to tell voters what she would have done if she’d been in Congress and what she’d do if elected.
I’d also insist on follow-up questions and real-time fact-checking.
Some might call this a persecution or witch hunt. Hardly. It would be a performance evaluation, not a criminal trial.
I’ve come up with a list of issues that we can’t afford to ignore. I doubt Meuser wants to address them since his go-to responses are bashing Democrats and pleading ignorance. In fact, he’d probably never agree to my terms for a debate; he said he’d only participate in one that benefits him.
Still, it’s still worth mentioning, if only in this column, what this GOP Congress has enabled.
Obvious topics
→ The cost of living is on everyone’s mind, and understandably so. From a pinch to a knockout punch, we’ve all felt its effects, largely because of Trump’s aimless war and nonsensical tariffs.
→ Even artificial intelligence developers are warning about the dangers of their technology, from the jobs it will replace to the bots that already proved how criminally adept they are. But Congress is doing nothing, mostly because Trump claims he’s the only necessary guardrail for this industry (where he and his family have invested heavily.)
→ Besides the evisceration of the job market, the prospect of the hyperscale data centers needed to create AI is casting a giant cloud on our county and those near us. Our rural residents want to live in quiet, natural surroundings, not be overwhelmed by power-hungry, water-guzzling behemoths.
→ Thanks to Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which Meuser voted for, health insurance premiums are unaffordable for many Pennsylvanians, and even more will suffer next year.
I’m sure the Chamber will bring up at least some of these problems, but it’s also crucial to address the root of them.
Underlying issues
Under the christofascist dictatorship that Trump and his Project 2025ers want our country to become, it wouldn’t matter what anyone thinks of the economy or anything else that affects their lives.
To achieve absolute power, this regime needs a population that’s powerless and uninformed.
So Meuser should have to answer questions like these:
→ Why did he vote against bills like the For the People Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would have empowered voters?
→ What does he think of the gerrymandering war Trump started this year to try to retain a House majority?
→ Does he support the regime’s attempts to take control of the November election?
→ Where does he stand on campaign finance reform?
→ Why was our district the only one where two warehouses were almost converted to immigrant concentration camps? Why didn’t he reach out to residents or at least attend one of three town halls about ICE’s plan?
→ Does he condone ICE’s killing and brutal treatment of American citizens and immigrants, many of whom are working people with no criminal record?
→ Why did he vote against abortion rights and access to contraception?
→ Does he support Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s testosterone tests for service members and firings of women and nonwhite officers?
→ Does he believe in the First Amendment? What does he think of how Trump has insulted reporters and barred media outlets that don’t praise him?
→ Does he think the Justice Department represents the American people or Donald Trump?
Finally, I’d repeat what I asked Meuser at his only in-person town hall: Will he keep promoting this regime no matter what it does?
He didn’t answer that question.
Image: Canva
Canary note: Opinions expressed in any Op-Ed column appearing on this site are the views of the writer and are not necessarily the opinions of Coal Region Canary.
Want to be a columnist with Coal Region Canary? Contact us at newscanary@gmail.com.
Subscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...