Democrat House Speaker Stephen Shurtleff lacked the spine to removed Rep. Tamara Le from the House Education Committee – in response to North Hampton Rep. Tamara Le’s Facebook post. That is what should have happened. He knows it. She knows it. We know it.
Bigoted, intolerant, attitude
The Representative made thoroughly inappropriate, intolerant offensive online comments. Worse the comments were specifically focused against private and religious schools. Her language was far more than the bad choice of words as she chooses to characterize them. Retaining her seat on the education committee is unfair to the committee. It makes it impossible for matters impacting private and religious schools to receive a fair hearing.
The article states that the Speaker opted for a temporary suspension. Rep. Le is to serve three months, with a re-evaluation to occur at the end of the period. The three-month suspension is meaningless because the committee will not be meeting in November and December at all. January is organizational time. There will be few meetings missed. It renders the sanction effectively moot.
She should return to the education committee permanently. The Speaker’s move means she’ll be back on the committee in time for major policy debates. How can education institutions expect a fair hearing from this individual? Does New Hampshire want this kind of behavior and attitude setting educational policy or making law in the area?
The Speaker should remove this member so constituents, citizens, and institutions know lawmakers, especially members of his leadership team, will be held to reasonable standards of public decorum. It is obvious from the Speaker’s action that he is not taking this kind of behavior seriously.
A hand spank when not in session is an inappropriate response
Rep. Tamara Le also serves as an Assistant Majority Floor Leader. That position should also be forfeit. This Speaker cannot control his leadership group. It is obvious Rep. Le was out of control.
She lacks self-discipline and he is unwilling to use appropriate measures to limit inappropriate behavior. This is especially troubling when present in members of leadership. The action and the Speaker’s response to it reflect his administrative ability and provides another example of Democrat leadership. The Speaker is unwilling to appropriately discipline his party member.