Scott Bessent: A Nomination Based on Merit, Not DEI
"Judging people as people," what a novel idea
At his confirmation hearing for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent thanked “my spouse, John Freeman” and their two children, Cole and Caroline. His family sat behind him. America and the GOP have come a long way since the days when George W. Bush tried to ban same-sex marriage.
Bessent was not nominated because of his sexual orientation in order to check an identity group box. He was nominated regardless of his sexual orientation, which is how it should be. In his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, Bessent explained how his dream of attending the U.S. Naval Academy and, later, his effort to join the foreign service, were blocked because of his sexuality, and why merit should be the criteria that matters, judging people as people.
But Chuck Ross at the Washington Free Beacon reported, “President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, is about to make history as the nation's highest-ranking gay official. And yet America's top LGBT groups, which celebrated the historic nature of Pete Buttigieg's nomination as transportation secretary, a lower-ranking cabinet post, have remained tight-lipped about Bessent.”
Could the silence from progressive LGBTQ+ activist groups be because his appointment was based solely on merit and not mandated by DEI identity-group hierarchies?
Update: During her re-election campaign last fall, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, an out lesbian, claimed she was a Democrat who was willing to work with Republicans. On election night, she pledged to work with Trump and called for less political divisiveness.
Surprise, surprise — she just voted with the leftwing faction of her party against the confirmation of openly gay Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent. Even reliably left-liberal Sen. Tim Kaine voted for the highly qualified nominee, but Baldwin joined with Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and the like in casting her "nay" vote.
The only thing worse than a partisan progressive is one who pretends she isn't one.
[Update: Baldwin consistently voted the Democrat party line against every Republican-backed proposal.]
Addendum:
T. Becket Adams responded to a Washington Post op-ed:
