David Clarke has served as sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin since 2002–roughly 5,300 days. In that time, he’s probably embarrassed the good people of Milwaukee at least 5,300 times. But he may have really outdone himself on Thursday night. He told a gathering of his fellow wingnuts that he has no interest in working with Democrats–unless he wants to strangle them.
Although Clarke runs as a Democrat–virtually the only way anyone can win countywide in sapphire-blue Milwaukee County–he openly admits that he isn’t really a Democrat. And yet, despite years of unhinged comments like his support for the Bundy gang and his call to add an AR-15 to the Great Seal, the Democrats haven’t been able to bring him down.
However, any defensible reason for Clarke to remain in office should have ended when he took the stage at the DeploraBall, a gathering of Trump supporters held at the National Press Building in Washington. Watch a clip here, posted by Clarke himself on Twitter.
While I was inside at DeploraBall, DC police were outside doing a hell of a job keeping creep a-hole agitators away. https://t.co/xL5AzkZnh5
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) January 20, 2017
Clarke is an open and unashamed Donald Trump supporter, and his name has been bandied about for a post in the Trump administration. The fact that a guy who openly applauds bottom-feeders like the Bundy gang is even potentially being considered for a job in the White House is downright chilling.
When Clarke took the stage, he was ranting about the protests raging outside the Press Club Building. Many of them threw eggs at him and other attendees. He told the crowd that even in the face of this, they should not lose sight of the fact that “this week is about you.”
But then Clarke revealed that, at bottom, he has the same mentality as those throwing eggs at him. He told the audience what he thought about calls to come together.
“You may know me, you may not. I’m one of those bare-knuckle fighters. When I hear people say that we need to reach across the aisle and work with people, with the Democrats, you know what I say? The only reason I’ll be reaching across the aisle is to grab one of them by the throat! And remind them that the American people, you, have spoken, and you said you wanted Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States.”
It’s very telling that Clarke revels so much in sounding unhinged that he not only posted this to his Twitter feed, but that it’s STILL there as of Saturday night. The audience’s reaction is equally telling. Clarke’s ugly statements were greeted with loud cheers, fist-pumps, and chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!” I thought that even they had some standards.
Believe it or not, this wasn’t the first time this week that Clarke has revealed himself to be a full-on brownshirt with a badge. You may recall that when a CNN commentator called out Trump for meeting with black celebrities rather than black leaders, Clarke took to Twitter to call him a “jigaboo”–a rant that, like Thursday night’s bilge, is still viewable on Twitter as of Saturday.
And on Tuesday, Clarke was on a flight to Milwaukee when another Milwaukee resident, Dan Black, shook his head in disgust upon recognizing him. Clarke actually had some of his deputies greet the man at the airport with a detachment of deputies and search dogs when the plane arrived in Milwaukee. When Black complained about this gross abuse of power, Clarke publicly vowed on Facebook to personally knock Black out if there was a repeat of the encounter. Black is preparing to file a lawsuit.
But Clarke really outdid himself with his remarks at the DeploraBall. When a sheriff publicly says that he has no desire to work with those who may disagree with him, it’s time for that sheriff to go. It would be the case if a sheriff who was a real Democrat said he had no desire to work with Republicans, and it’s no different here. Clarke has effectively disqualified himself with these remarks, and if he doesn’t resign, it’s time to use all legal means that are available under Wisconsin law to get him out–and preferably before he’s up for reelection in 2018.
(featured image courtesy Clarke’s Twitter)
