Dan Patrick’s dark secret

Let me first distinguish between Dan Patrick, the witty sportscaster, and Dan Patrick, the Lieutenant Governor of Texas.  The first Dan delighted ESPN viewers for 18 years before moving on to other markets.  The second Dan just made headlines by suggesting that maybe old folks would be okay with dying if it meant a stronger, less-populated America.

Earlier this week, Dan 2 told Tucker Carlson that he would be all in with risking his life to reopen the U.S. economy, and he thought many grandparents agreed with him.  I would like to go on record as one who disagrees.

Growing old and drifting out of the mainstream is challenging enough.  Dan 2, who turns 70 on April 4th, should know this by now.  Wars, economic cataclysms and political debacles aside, we septuagenarians have endured the viruses HIV, SARS, MERS, Hanta-, Ebola and seasonal flu, plus Disco Fever.  Staying at home is not a sacrifice for us, it’s what we’ve been working toward all our lives.

Dan 2 is a ruby red Republican.  He created the Tea Party caucus in the Texas legislature.  He is for charter schools, creationism, Confederate monuments and gun rights, although, oddly, he supports background checks for gun sales between two strangers.  Go figure.

He is against video games, illegal immigration, legal pot and gay rights.  After the Pulse gay nightclub massacre (49 dead, 53 injured), he tweeted Galatians 6:7: “Do  not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.”

While exhaustively researching this post (thanks, Wikipedia), I may have unearthed the real reason Dan 2 is willing to battle Covid-19.  In May of 2012, he had a feud with another Republican.  Patrick accused his fellow state senator of spreading lies about Patrick’s marriage.  His colleague denied doing so, but added “Put bluntly, I believe you are a snake oil salesman, a narcissist that would say anything to draw attention to himself.”

That colleague’s name: John Carona.  Coincidence?  Yes.