Seven Days’ legislative reporter Hannah Bassett is out with a short piece about Larry Hart’s resignation as state senator from the Orange district, not named in honor of Donald Trump’s skin tone. Surprise, surprise, Hart couldn’t take “the frustrations of Statehouse politics,” which generally sideline the concerns and ideas of the minority party.

Yeah, how about that, elections have consequences.

And then we get to paragraph five, which is just an absolute stunner.

Hart also said he grew frustrated by measures advanced by the Democratic majority. He said many of the policies he objected to appeared to be driven by Democratic members who were not born in Vermont. Hart said he anticipates that Republican legislators will introduce a bill in January that would bar anyone not born in the state from running for public office.

[record scratch]

WHAAAAAAAAAAAT???!?!??!!

Okay, I think that’s the most open expression of Vermont nativism I’ve ever heard. And Hart believes he’s not alone in thinking this — that in fact, some Republican lawmakers plan to introduce this garbage idea into the legislative queue in January.

To his credit, Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck said he hasn’t heard about such a bill and that it would have no chance of passing. Well, he gets partial credit; according to Bassett, Beck didn’t reject the idea itself. His objection (again, according to Bassett) is that it would “serve as a distraction” to his caucus’ priorities.

Oh, it’s not that the idea is arbitrary, hateful, and unconstitutional, merely that it’s inconvenient. I see.

If Hart’s former running buddies are serious about this nakedly nativist idea, they’d better be working on some artful language. Because a straight ban on “anyone not born in Vermont” from seeking office would include a fair number of Republicans. Take, for example, Gerald Malloy, the VTGOP’s candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022 and 2024. He was born in the socialist hellscape of Boston, didn’t move to Vermont until 2020, and at last check he still owned a costly home in the Baltimore area.

Can you say “carpetbagger,” kids? I know you can.

But that’s not all. 2024 Congressional candidate Mark Coester was born in Concord, Massachusetts. “Perennial candidate” (Wikipedia’s description) H. Brooke Paige, who is regularly featured on multiple lines of the VTGOP’s statewide ticket, was born in New Orleans. The Republicans’ pick for treasurer in 2024, Joshua Bechhoefer, who’s now one of the VTGOP’s two members of the Republican National Committee, has described himself as “a lifelong Addison County resident,” but according to Ballotpedia he was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. How dare he represent Vermont’s interests on the national stage?

Wait, I’ve got more. Current state senator (and Beck’s predecessor as Senate minority leader) Randy Brock was born in Philadelphia. House Minority Leader Patricia McCoy was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Former governor Jim Douglas was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Former governor Dick Snelling was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Before Phil Scott, the last native-born Republican governor of Vermont was Deane Davis, who left office way back in 1973.

Late add. State Sen. Russ Ingalls, candidate for VTGOP chair, was born in JAPAN. Get that dirty flatlander out of here!

You get the point. Larry Hart doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. And if there are other Republicans who would support a ban on Those Born Elsewhere, well, maybe they’re the ones who are unfit to hold elective office in this green and pleasant land.