The difference between me and Mitch McConnell

[Pototan]

Mitch McConnell is married to an Asian woman. So am I. My wife is a Filipina immigrant. I am 71 years old; she is 68. We've been married over 20 years.

I also ran for office and won. I held a series of union positions, and I was eventually appointed as a full time Business Agent of a large Boston local.

I always represented my members, no matter whether or not they supported me or my appointing authority. I did this, not because I'm such a great person, but because that's a sound political position. And I loved my job, elected or appointed. Also, the federal government allows members to file an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) against a union official who does not live up to his responsibilities. But I always went the extra mile because of what I believed in. That doesn't mean I wanted to go out for a beer with anyone who insulted me. However, I understand politics.

Now, to the point. Outside of work, in social settings with non-members, I was different. As I said, my adorable wife is brown and an immigrant. In 2008, at a family Christmas party, my cousin's husband started talking racist shit. N-Word Obama. N-Word Duval Patrick (Mass. Gov.). I was sickened by his bullshit, so I went to another room. Then, he started on immigrants and the "great replacement theory" and said "we should send them all back". I took my wife home, and she told me that she would never go to another event with my family, and she didn't. No showers, baptisms, weddings, parties. Nothing. And I couldn't blame her. You see, a person can insult me, and I could get over it. Especially in my line of work (handling union grievances and contract negotiations). But insulting my wife is unforgivable. Especially a racist rant.

Well, back to the racist man married to my cousin. For some reason, he didn't know how I felt. Naturally, he became an ardent Trump supporter. MAGA hat. Bumper sticker. Facebook posts. The whole bit. A few years went by, and he called and asked for a favor. A friend of his had a son who wanted to get into the apprentice program at my union. I could sponsor one or two kids a year, as long as they passed the entrance exam. He reminded me that I had done it for another cousin, and I told him, "Ya, but he's not a racist. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't lift a finger to help you. If your car was broken down on the side of the road and you were by yourself, I'd keep driving. The only way I'd pull over is if you were with my cousin."

A couple of years after that, this same person, who is a financial manager, applied for a job as the financial manager at a non-profit in which I was a board member, by virtue of my union position. The irony is that the non-profit was an organization to help the poor, including immigrants (documented and undocumented). I spoke in private to the Executive Director and told him that the applicant was married to my cousin, and he should not be hired and related the firsthand bigoted incidents that I had witnessed. Needless to say, he never got that job.

In closing, I can't believe that Mitch McConnell can support, endorse and vote for anyone who insults his wife. It's incomprehensible to me. I will hold a lifetime grudge against anyone who insults my wife, especially if that insult is about her race.