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Republican state senator dismissed as 'anti-science' by own brother after hypocritical Facebook post
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/5/15/1945267/-Republican-state-senator-dismissed-as-anti-science-by-own-brother-after-hypocritical-Facebook-post
Republican state senator dismissed as ‘anti-science’ by own brother after hypocritical Facebook post
Walter Einenkel
Daily Kos Staff
Friday May 15, 2020 · 1:03 PM EDT
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On Tuesday, Republican state Sen. Scott Martin of Pennsylvania went to his Facebook page to post a tribute, for National Nurses Week, to Florence Nightingale. A part of his post highlighted his own family: “Today, two of my younger siblings, Erin and Ryan, have both continued that tradition as they have devoted themselves to helping others at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health as emergency room nurses, especially during the #COVID19 pandemic. I’m proud of both as they passionately serve others and let’s all take the time to thank all of our communities’ nurses for their dedication to their field.” Isn’t that nice? Well, one of those siblings of state Sen. Martin’s found it a bit disingenuous.
In a reply to the state senator’s post, Ryan Martin—Scott’s younger brother—wrote that while he appreciated the sentiment of the post he wanted to write as “a concerned citizen.” Scott’s brother explained that when the senator spoke on the floor of the state Senate on May 4 implying that his relationship to his sibling ER nurses gave him “valuable insight” into the current conditions of the pandemic in Lancaster County, that was false: “We have not discussed the Coronavirus.” From here things got super dicey for the official from Lancaster County and his ongoing campaign to reopen Pennsylvania.
Things got dicey enough that Martin’s Facebook post has been “filtered” since the posting, but the internet is forever and screenshots were preserved. Ryan Martin went on to slam his brother’s anti-science push to reopen the county, writing, “You’re a Pennsylvania State Senator, passionately pushing for legislation that removes community safety measures before we are adequately prepared. You spend your days rallying citizens against the Governor and his political supporters, and claiming on the Senate floor that our familial relationship has improved your understanding of this pandemic, when in fact it is only politically motivated theatrics while real people are dying. I think that your insinuation that we’ve discussed the coronavirus pandemic is a repugnant political move.”
Damn. Ryan went on to point out that “we haven’t spoken since December,” and to tell his state senator brother that if he truly wanted to “honor nurses during Nurses Week,” he would put the brakes on his “fiery rhetoric” and actually listen to medical professionals and scientific experts: “You might be able to hear them if you weren’t always grandstanding.”
State Sen. Martin has been critical of Gov. Tom Wolf’s cautious approach to reopening parts of the state during the ongoing pandemic. During an interview on Friday (where he didn’t wear a mask), state Martin told CBS Local 21 News that he didn’t understand the governor’s resistance to letting local counties reopen their own areas. Martin was one of 13 Lancaster Country Republican officials who signed and sent a letter to Gov. Wolf detailing how they planned on moving ahead to the next stage of reopening their county, in defiance of the governor’s orders.
Martin told Lancaster Online that his brother’s remarks were “unfounded,” and “In addition, out of respect for my parents, I prefer not to ‘engage in politics’ with my family. I will, as I have done throughout this pandemic, continue to work closely with our hospitals and health care workers to hear their concerns and address their issues.”
In the end, Ryan Martin’s last line says everything you need to know about his older brother and state senator. “You have a natural talent for motivating people and I am sad to see you wielding it so recklessly, especially when your own siblings will be asked to enter harm’s way with healthcare professionals in the hospitals if you’re wrong. Not you.”
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