Senator Portman:
I had never voted for a Republican before 2016, but with the escalating partisanship in Washington and in all facets of political conversation in the public sphere, it seems increasingly important to support someone who has a steady approach to governance and who can work across the aisle to find common ground for the good of the United States. Your record is one of bipartisan cooperation, showing up to work, following through on legislation, and taking seriously the job that Ohio has elected you to do. I was glad to support your bid for re-election this past November.
Thank you for your continued efforts against human trafficking; it is horrifying what we have seen here in Cincinnati and what is happening to the people whose bodies are being bought and sold. I live in an area where I see this often, and any help the Senate can give to our City Council’s efforts is both needed and appreciated I’m sure.
Thank you also for speaking out against Russian aggression in Ukraine; it’s very important right now to contain Moscow’s ambitions with words today, and if necessary, with actions tomorrow. Also thanks for speaking out against the executive order to restrict travel into the US, and in support of the judges who struck that order down. It gives me some confidence that the checks and balances in our system of government are working as intended. My great grandparents fled to the US from Ukraine during the Russian Civil War so both of these issues are important to me, particularly when taken in concert.
Today I’m a professional civil engineer in Ohio, and a product of immigrants. Also the product of primary and secondary education in public schools and a post-secondary education in a public university here in Ohio. So this is why I’m concerned that a Senator so sensible can support Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. She has demonstrated a serious lack of understanding on matters of educational metrics and of the role of government in education. With no experience, influence purchased at the trough of pay-to-play politics, and with extreme views very much outside the mainstream, this is a gamble against the futures of America’s youth that we cannot afford to take. I urge you to please join the brave Republican senators from Maine and Alaska in opposing DeVos’s confirmation.
And please continue to work on bringing Congress together. It is a high mountain to climb, and the loudest voices on both sides of the aisle are often the least reasonable. America is headed down a very dark path if our leaders lose their moral compass and put campaigning over country, and spite over sensibility.
Thank you,
-JM