Meet Matthew Stralka, Thetford resident and chiropractor whose shingle hangs across the river in Hanover. He’s also the Republican candidate for House in the Windsor-Orange-2 district, currently represented by Democrat Jim Masland.

Almost forgot: Stralka is a Covid denialist of a particularly fulminant strain. And he thinks Gov. Phil Scott is a TRAITOR.

Funny that they’re now on the same ticket, but that’s what the Vermont Republican Party has been reduced to in the Year of Our Lord 2022.

The Republicans failed to recruit a candidate in the district. Stralka ran a last-minute write-in campaign, as did quote a few Republican nominees, and managed to snag the nomination. He appears to have done nothing whatsoever in terms of actual campaigning since. No campaign website or Facebook page, He hasn’t filed a campaign finance report since August 1 when he reported receipts of $682.50, all from himself, and zero expenditures. No filing on September 1 or October 1 or October 15.

Now, that’s a commitment to stealth.

He’s a blank slate with one exception. Stralka has a Twitter account. Not much of one; he has zero followers. He’s never Tweeted on his own. He has, however, occasionally replied to other people’s tweets, and done so in a remarkably incendiary manner.

The most frequent target of his ire is Governor Nice Guy. Let’s get to it!

On January 8, 2021, Scott tweeted something bland about his inaugural. Stralka’s response? “Is part of your oath to ACCEPT BRIBES from the CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY for LOCK DOWNS and MASK MANDATES?”

Maybe try decaf?

Two days earlier, Scott Tweeted about “concerning trends” in Covid-19 which turned out to be the great Omicron explosion of 2021. Stralka’s take: d“How much were you paid off to do lockdown and mask mandates? You have 5 year old children being interrogated at school about their family’s activities. You are pathetic, sick and on the take, for sure.”

On December 29, 2020, Scott wrote about the need to prioritize preventing loss of life. Seems inoffensive enough, but Stralka was sent into a frenzy.

“YOU’RE LYING GOV. SCOTT. We know you have probably been bribed to carry all of this crap out. How much were you paid off for? The DATA does not support your DICTATORIAL ways… “

IN early December, he took a break from castigating our governor to take aim at U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Wise words from a man who presumably has “ran business.”

In late November, Stralka was triggered by a Scott tweet about “Vermont Lights the Way,” his inane attempt to boost morale during the holiday season. Stralka:

Data not Dictators. Truth not Tyrants. You are criminally harassing our families. You are also withholding known information that saves those at risk. You are a traitor, not a leader.

Two more. Stralka took another break from calling his fellow Repuvblican a traitor to aim his fire at Rachel Maddow. Well, technically at her blog, the purview of Vermonter Steve Benen. On November 18, 2020, Benen quoted Maddow on Republicans’ baseless claims about election fraud. The good doctor didn’t like that, not one little bit.

Are you telling the public about “DOMINION”, Rachel? How dishonest of you to withhold that information. What a tantrum your loyal sheeple will throw when they are stunned to find out Biden did not win.

That would be the Dominion that’s currently suing the pants off conservative media outlets that spread lies about its work.

Last one. On November 17, Scott tweeted that our nation was under attack by the virus and patriots needed to stand together. Stralka’s reply:

YOU ARE NOT A PATRIOT!!! YOU ARE A FRAUD!!! Your math is MISLEADING and your science is BOGUS.! You are protecting NO ONE! This is about destroying VT’s economy to bring about the “Great Reset”. You are a minion to Klaus Schwaub. Patriots will resist you and your tyranny!

Klaus Schwab (not Schwaub) is head of the World Economic Forum, which is part of the right-wing hysteria about the One World Government Coming For Your Freedoms. The Great Reset was a paper issued by the Forum about how to restart the world economy after the pandemic. People like Stralka believe those global elites deliberately unleashed Covid on us sheeple in order to trigger a takeover of economic and political power by said elites.

To the best of my knowledge, Scott hasn’t had his picture taken with Stralka as he has with other extremists like Jarrod Sammis and Rob North. But still, the fraudulent corrupt pathetic lying DICTATOR is on the same ticket as Stralka. The Thanksgiving dinner, as they say, is going to be a tad uncomfortable.