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Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day: Todd Russ 2023 Update [1]
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Date: 2023-03-03
In both 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, as well as in 2020, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” published its profiles of Todd Russ, a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives who has been allowed to remain in office unopposed now for three full elections, and is perhaps most famous for getting furiously angry that the Supreme Court ruled on gay marriage in the Obergefell v. Hodges case, and as Russ put it, “stuck it down our throats” and then writing HB 1125, a bill to take marriage out of the hands of clerks and judges and make the only recognizable marriages in Oklahoma to be performed by churches, who could refuse. He defended his bill, claiming gays, “They don’t have a spiritual basis for a marriage and don’t want to have a clergy member or a priest or someone involved in the spiritual aspect, then they can file an affidavit of common-law marriage.” That would be an easy compromise perhaps if Oklahoma also didn’t recognize common law marriages. Or if in how the bill was worded, it wouldn’t ask for a preacher, minister, priest, rabbi or ecclesiastical dignitary to sign off on the marriage license, which limits the right to marry only to Christians and Jews. For all intents and purposes, Todd Russ was calling for a Christian theocracy, at least on the issue of marriage. Critics immediately noted how poorly that it was written, clearly a violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment of our Constitution, and about as unconstitutional as all get out.
Todd Russ then went back to the drawing board, and amended his own bill, reinstating the clause that allowed judges to officiate weddings… and other lawmakers pointed out that by doing so, Russ’ bill would require the government to simply file marriage certificates, and remove the state’s ability to prevent instances bigamy or polygamy. I mean, social conservatives like to make the “slippery slope” argument that gay marriage would lead to polygamy… but the idea that it would just potentially come to pass because Republicans are terrible at writing laws was never considered a factor in pushing people down that slope.
The rest of Todd Russ’ legislative record since he took office back in 2009 is as ridiculously conservative as you might expect, as he voted for the Oklahoma GOP's unnecessary prohibition on Sharia Law, their attempt to put a stop to the implementation of climate standards from the United Nations’ Agenda 21 Treaty’s climate change guidelines, their attempt to nullify the Affordable Care Act, their attempt to allow students in school to express their religious viewpoints in school, and their attempt to pass “trap laws” that place strict regulations on abortion clinics so strict that they are forced to close.
In April of 2016, he angered many by making racist statements that Native Americans and African Americans are "predisposed to alcoholism", but was still re-elected. He used his position as a legislator to try to find ways to punish any teacher or educator who attempted to walk out to protest insufficient wagers after the successful teachers’ strike in Oklahoma in 2018, even submitting a bill to threaten to withhold their wages and strip them of their credentials if they do so again (neither punishment sounds like it would hold up in court). Effectively, the times are shifting left, and Todd Russ is a Neanderthal shaking his club impotently at progress, truly a fine example of what the GOP is today.
Further indicating that Russ should never wield any power, during debate in the Oklahoma House of Representatives were discussing legislation to teach teenagers in sex education about “healthy relationships” including discussions about how consent works, and Russ responded to the bill by sarcastically asking, “IS THAT A SNOWFLAKE THING?” which, is a damning admission of how he understands consent himself.
Russ was term limited in 2022, and desperate to earn a government check doing something in Oklahoma, ran for State Treasurer. Since he should not be able to do to much damage in that role, this will likely be the last time weOpen link in new tab profile him. We hope, at least.
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/3/2155992/-Fanatical-Republican-Extremist-of-the-Day-2023-Update
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