In the bucolic town of West Bend, Wisconsin lives a boisterous State Senator named Glenn Grothman. He thinks that Kwanzaa is evil. More accurately, he thinks that since the man who founded the holiday is a bit controversial, Kwanzaa should also be suspect. But there’s one thing you should know: the tumult that this State Senator is creating around Kwanzaa is all part of an act. You see, he welcomes controversy. Sometimes he joins in, and sometimes he creates it all on his own.

His latest act started when he said that Kwanzaa was holiday that no black people actually cared about. This is not the first time that he has appointed himself ringmaster of the circus. He’s made outrageous statements about women’s pay, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and even made sure he was in the thick of the fight over collective bargaining. Even though he may seem like another run of the mill right wing Republican, he’s actually a run of the mill independent Wisconsinite who just happens to get attention for his outrageous right wing remarks. He leans Libertarian on some issues, but will also seem very much like a Democrat on others. He thinks that farmers should be able to sell their raw milk; definitely a Libertarian issue. He told a reporter for the left-leaning Isthmus that he worked with Democrats on payday loan outfits.





Glenn Grothman is certainly passionate about his work. Even if he’s on the losing side, he’s not willing to let anything go without a good show. Well, more accurately, the more he’s on the losing side, the tighter he holds on. The issue of Kwanzaa is no different. He felt no shame in defending his statement on CNN’s AC360. He was invited to discuss his Kwanzaa statements with Roland Martin, a feisty African American left leaning commentator. The result of the interaction can be seen in the video.

Love him or hate him, this State Senator likes to create a show where ever he goes, and is willing to take on anyone who’s willing to join in. I think he goes home at the end of some days and thinks to himself, “That was fun. I need to take my ringmaster outfit to the cleaners. It’s gotten quite muddy today.”