The Eloquent Leadership of Andy Barr

We residents of Kentucky’s 6th congressional district should count ourselves lucky, for in these troubled times we are blessed to have, as our representative in the United States Congress, a powerful, reassuring voice to guide us in the person of Andy Barr. So as the country slides into tinpot despotism, let’s look back at recent examples of Mr. Barr’s leadership.

Much of the current phase of unrest can be traced to the slaying, by Louisville Metro police executing a “no-knock” search warrant, of Breonna Taylor, on March 13, 2020. While Louisville is not a city in his district, it’s quite close by, both geographically and culturally, and Barr, recognizing that residents in his own constituency would want guidance and answers, provided the following statement:

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Wise words. But as we know, things escalated quickly after the May 25 killing, by Minneapolis police, of George Floyd. As a bystander’s video went viral, Minneapolis and St. Paul erupted in protest on the 26th, to which the police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Just a day later, the protests had spread to several major cities, and the demand for justice had become a truly national issue. In addressing this, our honored representative in Washington uttered these words:

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By the 29th, the officer seen pinning Floyd’s neck to the pavement was arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter, sparking a national discussion of the policy of qualified immunity, and the degree to which it promotes the police’s use of excessive force by shielding them from prosecution. A fascinating conversation about the law and its ramifications, and Barr used his UK Juris Doctorate to contribute the following to it:

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We in Kentucky’s 6th are undoubtedly better for having received that wisdom. But things got still trickier when the sitting president began a new round of violent threats against the American people. On the 28th, he retweeted a video of a man proclaiming that the “only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.” Now, Barr is a Republican, but his district is quite mixed: Fayette County, the population center, is reliably, though moderately, left while the surrounding counties lean rightward. So does Barr condone this awful message, or repudiate it? Do the substantial number of registered Democrats in central Kentucky have something to fear? Thankfully Barr quickly stepped in to provide reassurance:

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Around this time, Lexington citizens decided it was time, like so many across the nation and world, to join the demonstrations. But unlike the protests in Louisville and elsewhere, there have been precious few incidents of violence or retaliation; in fact, one might argue that both the demonstrators and police have acted admirably, with restraint and respect. Voices are being heard, and no one is getting hurt. Thus it was good to hear Mr. Barr acknowledge and commend his constituents, as he did here:

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Unfortunately, Mr. Barr had more to contend with when, last night, the sitting president announced that he would deploy military force against United States citizens, against a backdrop of peaceful protesters in Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square being tear-gassed and struck with shields and batons. We later learned that this action was taken so the sitting president could pose for a photo op. A horrifying scene, to be sure, but as always, Mr. Barr had something to say to unite us:

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So we should count ourselves lucky that we have such a gifted, eloquent orator and statesman to represent our interests in Washington, and to grace us with his wisdom at those times when we need it most. If you’d like to contact Mr. Barr, to congratulate him on his fine leadership, his House contact form is here, his office phone in D.C. is 202-225-4706, and his Lexington phone is 859-219-1366.

Oh, and one last word from Mr. Barr:

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