Local party leaders differ on D.C. chaos

The respective leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties in Cape Girardeau County had similar visceral reactions to the chaos at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. D.C., that saw the deaths of four people Wednesday.

Matt Henson

U.S. House members and senators were quickly ushered out of their respective chambers when protesters broke into the Capitol, stopping for hours the scheduled Electoral College certification naming Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as president and vice president of the United States, respectively.

Andy Leighton

“Shock and horror was my immediate response, something I never imagined happening in America,” said Matt Henson, chairman of the county’s GOP Central Committee.

“Violent and disgusting,” said Andy Leighton, chairman of the Cape Girardeau County Democratic Central Committee.

Opposing views of Wednesday’s attack

People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.Andrew Harnik ~ Associated Press

The thoughts of the two party leaders diverge significantly when asked to drill down on events and responsibility.

“I am sick of Republican leaders toying with their followers’ emotions, pandering to the false notion that ‘feelings’ alone are paramount,” said Leighton, a Cape Girardeau Medicaid insurance biller who ran unsuccessfully for the 147th Missouri House seat won by Wayne Wallingford in November.

“Acting on one’s feelings without a basis in fact is just plain ignorant, which is the basis of the Devil’s work,” he added.

“Is political rhetoric figurative or literal?” asked Henson, pointing out President Donald Trump called out the National Guard on Wednesday, told protestors to return to their homes and agreed to an “orderly transition” once Biden’s victory was certified early Thursday morning in a joint session of Congress.

“(Trump) fought to the last possible moment and has now said he will go,” said Henson, a Cape Girardeau-based business consultant who previously spent a long career in banking.

Proposed action against Trump

Henson said he thinks calls Thursday for Trump’s removal from office before Biden’s Jan. 20 may have the effect of inciting “radical groups to behave in ways they shouldn’t,” adding the president will be gone from the White House in less than two weeks.

“(Trump’s removal) should happen today. He needs to go now. The man is dangerous, a loose cannon on the deck, which is pitching back and forth on the waves,” said Leighton, adding his belief it is “wholly appropriate” to trigger the U.S. Constitution’s 25th Amendment, providing for immediate cessation of presidential authority.

Henson and Leighton both became chairmen of their respective county parties in 2020.