The man pictured is Missouri Representative Ben Baker. He tweeted this photo during the “Chinese Spy Balloon” event. When I saw this tweet, my first thought was “cosplay compensation”, but I realized this photo is emblematic of the extremism and overly-masculine characteristics many GOP lawmakers, especially male lawmakers, feel they have to emanate…exude.
By looking at this photo, you may assume Baker is a former Marine, or even police officer—nope. He’s a lay preacher. And, his transformation over the last few years has been remarkable.
Representative Ben Baker, a Republican, represents Newton County (District 160) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ozark Bible Institute. Baker is also a minister, missionary, former professor, and former Dean of Students at Ozark Bible Institute in Neosho.
Pictured above is the Ben Baker who ran and won in 2018. He is virtually unrecognizable today—he has assumed a character much different than the mild-mannered missionary and preacher. He is now the embodiment of toxic, partisan politics and John Wayne syndrome. And, it’s harming the most vulnerable in Missouri.
Ben has progressively written legislation—with the help of bill mills like ALEC—that is more extreme by the year. He has used his religion to oppose abortion care. He has attacked trans kids with his bills. He wrote legislation to place Bible studies in public schools. He has been consistent in his attacks on teachers and schools and has decried “CRT” and “leftism” in Missouri schools (laughable if not dangerous rhetoric.)
But, with all of the extremism in every facet of the character Rep Baker has assumed, the most dangerous is obvious—his worship of guns. His own Bible would tell him this idolatry is sinful, but he, along with many other evangelicals I know personally, have given up the literal reading of their text to fall on their knees and praise the heavens for ARs and other similar rifles. John Wayne syndrome.
Here are some stats:
*Guns are the number one killer of children in Missouri.
*Missouri is ranked 8th in the US for gun violence.
*Missouri does not have a minimum age to open carry rifles in our state leaving it legal for children to open carry.
*Missouri ranks in the top five for men killing their intimate partner with a gun.
*Missouri lawmakers nullified federal gun laws leaving Missouri law enforcement in a lurch and potentially defunded after the MO GOP passed the “Second Amendment Preservation Act.”
Representative Ben Baker, along with his colleagues in the Missouri GOP, plans to do absolutely nothing about gun violence in our state and he even introduced a bill to allow hidden loaded guns in places of worship. I can’t imagine such blasphemy from a lay preacher, but there it is.
The transformation of Representative Ben Baker has been painful to watch, but maddening in his reasoning. Missouri has had a GOP supermajority for two decades—20 years. Without Democratic opposition, Republicans are running against Republicans and the only thing that can distinguish one from another is extremism. The more extreme, the more likely they are to be elected in a primary.
Incidentally, Ben Baker ran unopposed in 2022.
The only way Missourians start clawing our way back to some sort of sanity, and send the Ben Bakers in the legislature back home, is by competing in every district. By opposing every extremist. By making sure we have a Democratic nominee on every ballot.
We can’t win against the extremism of Ben Baker if we don’t compete.
~Jess
Masculinity?!? Not anywhere apparent, here. Muscles and small smooth brains do not say masculinity... rather, it emotes small d energy. Repressive, oppressive, and depressive.