Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman says state Republicans removed flags supporting the legalization of marijuana and LGBTQ rights from outside his office at the state capitol. Undeterred, the Democrat called out “the gay flag police” and hung them back up.
According to WGAL, the state Department of General Services said the flags were removed because of a provision passed by the Republican-controlled legislature barring the display of any flag other than the American flag at the capitol. But the 6-foot-9, bald-headed and tattooed lieutenant governor questioned both the timing and the use of state funds for their removal.
“To use state resources during a time of such upheaval to worry about two flags that I have hanging from my balcony seems odd,” Fetterman said.
Earlier this week Fetterman poked the state GOP by using the “How it started… How it’s going” meme in a photo tweet that included the Democrat posing with two thumbs up next to the rehung flags.
Fetterman said the move is ironic at a time when conservative complain about “cancel culture” and attacks on free speech.
“I was just making a statement. I never in a million years thought that they would actually write a law to ban them,” Fetterman said. “They can't understand how ridiculous this looks. They're all about free speech except when it's speech they don't like, apparently.”
The measure did not specifically mention Fetterman or his flags. And Republicans say it's merely an effort “to create some uniformity and decorum for what's outside the Capitol,” according to Jason Gottesman, spokesperson for State House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff.
And Fetterman is campaigning off of this. Received this e-mail this week from Fetterman’s campaign:
The Pennsylvania GOP sent the flag police to take my flags down from the state capitol building *again* this week. So my office sent me to fly them proudly once more.
How it started.
How it’s going.
It’s kind of funny how the Pennsylvania GOP is outraged over my weed + pride flags, but *conspicuously less* outraged over past + current members of their caucus storming the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
Annnnnd… it’s kind of flattering how they *literally* changed state law last year to stop me from flying my weed + pride flags.You had to do that, but ok. I’m just gonna keep putting them back up.✅
Let me be clear: I don’t put up with the Pennsylvania GOP’s political calculations — and if elected to the U.S. Senate, I won’t put up with the Senate GOP’s political calculations, either.
Also, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is launching a huge 2021 voter registration initiative. Received this e-mail this week from the Pennsylvania Democratic Party:
Georgia Democrats came upBIG, Samuel. First, they overcame decades of Republican vote suppression to deliver a win for Joe Biden. Then, they swept two runoff races to flip the US Senate and clear the way towards meaningful change!
That didn't come quickly or easily. It required ceaseless work from a multicultural volunteer movement and leaders like Stacey Abrams. And it took years of planning and investment in communities rural, urban, and suburban.
Georgia Democrats' work is what the future of democracy looks like, and in 2021, we'll follow the example of their success to build an unbeatable movement for Pennsylvania's future.
We'll expand the electorate byregistering thousands of new votersin often overlooked communities.
We'll empower Communities of Color, engaging and investing daily to ensure they are heard, valued, and powerful.
We'll center the pocketbook policies needed to deliver immediate relief to hardworking people.
And we'll keep dismantling the framework of GOP laws and lies meant to suppress the vote.
