As of June 13, 2018 PBS reported that "Pimp Dennis Hof, the owner of half a dozen legal brothels in Nevada and star of the HBO adult reality series 'Cathouse,' won a Republican primary for the state Legislature on Tuesday [June 12], ousting a three-term lawmaker."
In the wake of the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, many Americans were fearful that his victory would set a new precedent in American politics; one in which reality television stars, and celebrities of all sorts, would begin campaigning for public office. Well, it seems as if that fear has now manifested itself into a new reality.
In fact, Hof cites President Trump as his inspiration to run for office in the first place. Speaking to the Associated Press, Hof mentions, "It's all because Donald Trump was the Christopher Columbus for me, he found the way and I jumped on it." Hof even enlisted the help of Roger Stone, one of Trump's campaign advisers and star of the Netflix documentary, "Get Me Roger Stone."
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that being a celebrity disqualifies someone from being able to hold a political office, given my affinity for President Ronald Reagan. However, he did have tremendous accolades that verified his effectiveness to take on the highest office in the land, the most obvious of which is his eight-year stint as governor of California.
But I do believe character matters in choosing who a constituency wants to represent them. And, call me old-fashioned, but being a self-proclaimed pimp isn't exactly the first thing I would think of when listing off the qualities my representatives should have. Especially for a party that promotes itself as being the arbiter of morality.
Although many Republicans in Nevada have come out against Hof's primary victory, including Governor Brian Sandoval and Senator Dean Heller, there are many Republicans lauding Hof's win (aside from the majority of Republican voters that cast their ballots for him). Nevada Republican Party Chairman, Michael McDonald, called Hof after securing the nomination to say, "Dennis, you told me you'd be the RINO [Republican In Name Only] hunter. You bagged the big one."
Yet, as the "Trump of Pahrump" cleans up the remnants of champagne toasts, mounts his RINO on the wall and readies himself to take on his Democrat counterpart, I can't help but sense an oncoming extinction event. No, not for RINOs, but for elephants. One elephant actually.
The beloved mascot of the Republican Party, that mighty pachyderm, is becoming increasingly aware that its time may soon come to an end. What was once a party grounded in upholding virtuous principles, ethics and integrity has now sold itself out to the highest bidders. Unfortunately, the highest bidders are brash, boorish and seedy millionaires whose dollars are tinged with profiting from the blatant objectification of women.
In America, everyone is free to choose their representatives. The will of the people supersedes all else, and the opinion of a random college student in North Carolina should have no authority on the outcome of an election in Nye County, Nevada. But, freedom doesn't come without consequences or ramifications and choosing to elect a grimy pimp to represent the Republican Party in Nye County, Nevada sends a message to the rest of the country.
We can't have it both ways. Either we're going to be the party that chooses to elect representatives with a strong moral code, or we're not. But, if we choose the latter, don't be surprised when the rest of the country scoffs at our attempts to make arguments on the basis of morality henceforth.
A chasm is forming in the Republican Party, one that seems irreparable at this moment, between those of us who are clinging to virtue and those of us that are throwing virtue to the wind. It's not yet clear what the result of this dichotomy will be, but it doesn't bode well for the party overall.
We knew mice induced fear in an elephant, but who knew rats induced death?
