"After you do one really, really big, really, really hard thing that makes everybody mad, I don't think anybody's excited about doing another really, really big thing that's really, really hard that makes everybody mad. Climate fits that category."-Claire McCaskill, D-MO.
Uh, what?
So, let me get this straight. Because Senators don't want to do anything hard, we have to suffer? Because they're on the verge of passing a health care bill that will make the system marginally better, they're entitled to a victory lap? Don't get me wrong, I hope the bill passes. And it will help plenty of Americans. But the fine men and women of the Senate have not exactly shined during the process.
Guess what Claire-you were elected to do hard things. We have big challenges facing us-economic calamity, massive unemployment, climate change, crumbling infrastructure, an education system that continues to fall behind the rest of the Western world. But all that can wait. Because the U.S. Congress has solved about 40% of the nation's health care problems. And I'm being optimistic. There's still a decent chance they could screw it up and pass nothing.
Funny, I didn't hear any complaints about "doing something hard" when that something was invading the wrong country or giving tax cuts to their corporate benefactors. But try to create clean energy jobs or try to create rules that make sure the banks don't ever screw us over again, and that's just too much. Their feeble little minds can't handle such stress. Is it any wonder why President Obama was so bored in that body, so eager to move on to a job that allowed him to actually work?
I need solutions senator. Millions of us need solutions. We need affordable health care. We need jobs that can come from a progressive energy policy. We need what little savings we have protected from the vultures that populate Wall Street. What we don't need is to re-ignite the abortion debate or conduct a whitch hunt for supposed muslim spies in the halls of Congress.
Senator, please, make people mad. Make people think you are destroying their way of life. If you do, you're actually enacting real change. Change, real change, scares the shit out of people. You need to scare the shit out of us. Change how we live, change how we view government. This moment, this unique moment in our history, calls for drastic, monumental change. I know that's hard. But Senator, you're just going to have to suck it up and take a risk. If you don't, you won't be a Senator much longer.
I know many here have criticized the President, said that he hasn't gone far enough. But at least he's not afraid to take on a challenge. He took on health care. He wants to take on clean energy and financial reform. He's willing to stake his presidency on it. We need a few Senators who are willing to stake their careers on it as well.
Update: Thanks for the good response. Let me say this: I get that people in the Senate don't agree on everything. I live in GA, I have 2 republican senators. I know they don't give a damn about health care or climate change. I can accept that.
But this quote reinforces all the worst opinions we have about congress-that they don't care about governing, only about re-election. We elect these people to solve problems, not to get re-elected. This isn't basic legislation that will do a little bit of good. Our lives are on the line here. We need health care, or some of us will die. We need to reverse climate change, or all of us will die. And none of us want to hear that you might not do it because it's hard. I remember a few months ago, a lot of us were proud of Sen McCaskill when she went off on AIG for their bonuses. I just wish she'd show that same passion again.