Surely, if there is anyone with their finger on the pulse of American parents and the issue of paid family leave it is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wife to Prince Harry Charles Albert David Windsor, the Duke of Sussex, sixth in line for the British throne, right?
Somehow, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) believes this and has rushed to give Meghan Markle a central place in the Senate’s debate over the issue.
This week we learned that Gillibrand gave the phone numbers of select GOP senators, such as Susan Collins and Shelley Moore Capito, to the Duchess in order that she might lean on them to push for the progressive paid leave plan. What a strange phone call to get. What kind of bizarre elite bubble do you have to live in to think anyone would care what the Duchess has to say on this?
And how would Gillibrand feel if one of her colleagues gave out her private phone number to a random celebrity? “Senator, this is Ted Nugent and I want to talk to you . . .”
And it gets better. Gillibrand is now planning to host Markle at the Capitol so her influence campaign can continue. I’m sure they’ll all swoon.
Presumably, this royal endorsement for the Democrat demand is meant to seem above the fray, an important, well-respected woman on the international stage simply telling the truth. But Markle is neither particularly important or respected on either side of the Atlantic. Her hectoring doesn’t bring the proposal any credibility, it just brings cringe.
This is more of the elitist, top-down approach to government that voters have been rejecting across the country. Just as parents want a say along with “experts” about what goes on at their kids’ school, they want a serious discussion of paid leave, the pros and the cons. What they neither need nor want is some literal princess swooping in on her private jet to lecture them about political priorities.
Democrats like Gillibrand appear almost willfully out of touch with the American people. “Dutchess Day” on Capitol Hill is a perfect example of this. They seem to believe that celebrity endorsements, videos with TikTok stars and conservative bashing on awards shows nobody watches is a replacement for treating us like adults. It’s not. And if they continue with this failed and condescending political playbook then this week’s shocking GOP win in Virginia will be merely a harbinger of a huge red wave a year from now.