Arizona is a beautiful place (if too dry and hot). Unfortunately, I am represented in DC by three Republicans: Senator John McCain, Senator Jeff Flake, and Congresswoman Martha McSally (who was enthusiastic in her support for destroying the health care of the US).
One of my modes of resistance is contacting these representatives. I exhort McCain to be a hero once again; I remind Flake that he promised to stand up to Trump; McSally is so dreadful I rarely write to her.
Still, it’s an exercise in frustration. This is an email I received yesterday from Flake.
Flake: Thank you for contacting me about the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as United States Attorney General. I appreciate receiving your comments on this matter.
Me: I don’t think I contacted him about this. I contacted Flake about Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think so. Besides, Sessions was confirmed several months ago. So far it’s late at best and irrelevant at worst.
Flake: As you may know, on November 18, 2016, President Trump nominated Senator Sessions to serve as the next Attorney General. On February 8, 2017, the United States Senate confirmed Senator Sessions’ nomination by a vote of 52 to 47. I voted in favor of his nomination.
Me: And you were lied to! About something as serious as contacts with the leaders of Russia, a group of people who sincerely want to destroy the US, to turn us into a bunch of serfs and enable kleptocracy.
Flake: Elections have consequences and I believe that elected presidents should be afforded a certain degree of deference when assembling their team – that’s why I routinely supported President Obama’s nominees, even those I did not agree with philosophically.
Me: This is complete bullshit. The Republicans refused to even talk to Merrick Garland. And many other nominees were held up by the Republicans.
Flake: Thank you again for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to do so again in the future. I also encourage you to visit my website, which may be found at flake.senate.gov.
Me: Writing to him (and the others) so far has proved useless, so I decided to post his email and my reaction to it here.
I know resistance by phone and by protesting in person is recommended, but given how much I travel, these options are not always possible.
Thanks for letting me rant, continue to resist, and let’s get these Rs out of office.