The Fine Folks of the Freedom Caucus

[OrediggerPoke]

Election season is coming up, and I thought it might be helpful if we all got to know the fine folks of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus a little better. After all, it's nice to know what our elected officials do in their spare time when they're not collecting campaign checks on the House floor immediately before voting on legislation supported by the person handing out those very checks.

1) First up is Rep. Bill Allemand.

After spending months proclaiming his innocence and disparaging the local law enforcement officers who arrested him for DUI, Rep. Allemand recently pleaded guilty to that very DUI. The case stemmed from allegations that he was driving while intoxicated and drinking beer behind the wheel because it supposedly helped with his "anxiety."

As part of the sentencing filings, the prosecutor also referenced his prior Kansas court records involving a domestic battery case that was apaprently resolved through diversion and apparent past convictions for domestic battery and harrassment. Despite these apparent convictions, when asked about those matters, Rep. Allemand reportedly told WyoFile, "It never happened" and "I know nothing about that." Which raises an interesting question: was Rep. Allemand also medicating his anxiety with alcohol during those earlier court proceedings?

Rep. Allemand’s DUI case surfaces previous domestic battery, trespass charges - WyoFile

The GOP representative, who is running for reelection, faced misdemeanor domestic violence and harassment charges when he lived in Kansas in the 2000s.

wyofile.com

Wyoming State Rep Says He Was Unlawfully Interrogated In Drunk Driving Arrest

Rep. Bill Allemand is asking the court to throw out his drunk driving case, arguing he was unlawfully handcuffed and questioned without Miranda rights.…

cowboystatedaily.com

2) Next up is current House Rep. Daniel Singh, who is now seeking a promotion to the Wyoming Senate. Rep. Singh has had one of the more remarkable political conversions in recent memory. On a recorded podcast shortly before joining the Freedom Caucus, he described himself as a progressive, pro-abortion atheist who favored legalizing hard drugs. A short time later, after apparently finding both the Freedom Caucus and Jesus, those same positions had transformed into outspoken support for pro-life policies and the broader Freedom Caucus platform—positions he now describes as timeless truths. Was Mr. Singh saved by Jesus or perhaps simply masquerading for money and votes?

GOP Rep Says He's Changed Since He Identified As Progressive, Pro-Choice, Atheist

Rep. Daniel Singh, an incumbent Republican from Cheyenne who was once a member of the Freedom Caucus, says he's changed since identifying as a pro-choice,…

cowboystatedaily.com

3) Next up is House Rep. Gary Brown.

Rep. Brown recently relocated to Wyoming from Colorado, but it appears he became quite familiar with Colorado before making the move. According to court records summarized by WyoFile, Brown was previously charged with multiple felonies, including intimidation, attempted first-degree arson, and burglary. The case apparently ultimately resulted in his pleading guilty to a single felony intimidation charge, for which he was sentenced to 4.5 years of an unpaid 24/7 internship as an inmate with the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Wyoming Rep. Gary Brown served Colorado prison time for felony intimidation, records show - WyoFile

The lawmaker had his right to vote and hold public office legally restored before running for the Legislature.

wyofile.com

Would love to hear more about 'Wyoming's best and brightest.'

 

[LanderPoke]

Bunch of troglodytes

 

[Bear Claw]

With worldwide information available right at our fingertips, one has to wonder if voters ever research candidates before voting for them? Unless you know a candidate personally, educate yourself before casting a ballot. Otherwise, you may be voting for a pedo.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

With worldwide information available right at our fingertips, one has to wonder if voters ever research candidates before voting for them? Unless you know a candidate personally, educate yourself before casting a ballot. Otherwise, you may be voting for a pedo.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few pedos that fly under the radar and internet information isn’t going to reveal all of them.

But I agree with your sentiment. The lack of voters actually looking into and doing basic research of all these newcomer freedom caucus candidates that moved to Wyoming from all of the country in recent years has contributed greatly to the current predicament.

 

[TheRealUW]

With worldwide information available right at our fingertips, one has to wonder if voters ever research candidates before voting for them? Unless you know a candidate personally, educate yourself before casting a ballot. Otherwise, you may be voting for a pedo.

The short answer is "no". That's a large part of why these self titled political blocks are gaining in popularity. Voters can simply find a block that they align with ideologically and vote blindly for candidates that label themselves as belonging to that block.

I don't necessarily blame voters though. Most people are very strapped for time, and researching political candidates is likely not something high on the list of priorities with the little free time people do have. In my opinion, we need to rework the message to potential voters. Right now, the message is essentially just "go vote". Voting blindly for an (R), (D), or (I) next to some random name that we know nothing about is not something we should be encouraging. Also, I find a lot of people don't know that they can leave part of the ballot blank if they don't feel informed enough to be voting on that particular office or proposition.