Back in 1984, a movie called Footloose centered on the conflict between ultra-right-wing Christians and the youth of a small town. The right-wingers forbade and feared dancing and rock music. Something similar to that took place in Franklin County, Pennsylvania this week outside the home of Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for Governor.
Mastriano hasn’t taken an official stance on dancing, rock music, or the movie Footloose, but that didn’t stop dozens of mostly young people from letting him know how they feel about his stance on things like the environment and climate change, which Mastriano has called “fake science.”
Also on their minds were issues like LGBTQ rights, which Mastriano has spoken out against, from a religious point of view, on more than one occasion.
The purpose of the dance was to take Mastriano’s extreme political positions and “flip that with
joy and positivity,” Bre Macpherson-Rice, one of the organizers, told Penn-Live.
“I just feel really, deeply scared in a way that I haven’t before” she said of the candidate’s political views.
Endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Mastriano participated in and bussed in people to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and attempted coup of America’s democracy.
Most polls, including a recent Muhlenberg University-Morning Call of Allentown poll indicated Mastriano was trailing his Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, by a 54 percent to 40 percent margin.
At the end of Footloose, the young people were victorious and celebrated with more dancing and rock music. Next Tuesday, on election day, we will see if the young people in Franklin County will be dancing the night away or if this was their last dance.
Mastriano has also pledged that if he is elected Governor of Pennsylvania, he will claim and utilize the power of “decertifying” any election result he sees fit to.
Featured image via screen capture (not the actual protesters)
