This may well be the eve of one of the most historic moments in history. Yes! I believe that we are finally going to get some health care reform. I think we may have enough votes to pull it off. Like the Medicare and Social Security acts before this, President Obama may be making history if the present bill passes. And what a day it’s been.
Angry protesters from the Tea Party group were at the doors of Congress, many of whom hurled racial slurs at black members of the House. In fact their behavior has been shocking and reminds me of the nastiest days of the 1960’s, when black activists were marching just to get off the back of the bus, and crowds of white people confronted them with such incredible disdain. Many of the black people who were fighting for their equal rights were led by current Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) who was today, a victim of the grotesque behavior displayed by the Tea Party crowd. This kind of behavior is deplorable, but sadly, I have learned to expect it. The fact that many of them were shouting the N-word over and over is just so sad and appalling. Yet, they are a stark example of the fact that the people screaming the loudest about not wanting this bill to pass, are in fact motivated by racism and prejudice, not intellect!
So, will our members of Congress be intimidated by the mob, or will they vote their conscience? I have faith that they will vote their conscience, particularly now that Harry Reid (Senate majority leader, D-Nev.) brought a pledge from more than 50 of his Democratic colleagues to promptly pass the bill after the house votes on Sunday. This allayed the fears of many in the House that the Senate could not be counted on. So, it looks like a go and I certainly hope so. As I said before, it’s not a perfect bill, but it’s a start. To drop it and start over would be the kiss of death for health reform in the foreseeable future. So, if it passes, all of you who made phone calls and wrote letters should be proud to know you conveyed your wishes in a dignified and responsible way. No, we didn’t get much press and we didn’t call attention to our demands by shouting nasty phrases at our representatives and accusing our president of being a Socialist, a Muslim, and even doubting his birth certificate.
Until their actions today, I thought the Tea Party was just another group of uninformed voters who were looking for simple answers to complicated questions, but I think they showed their true colors today by their racial remarks and disrespect. As scary as it sounds, it’s more obvious than ever that most of this group are still uncomfortable and hostile to the notion of a black president. How sad. I thought we had come so far, only to have an unruly mob, full of hatred, bring us to the brink of disaster. They keep saying that the people don’t want this health care reform bill. These are not the people I know. In a Feb. 22 issue of Time magazine, Joe Klein wrote an article on Sarah Palin in which he gave the best description of the Tea Party world that I’ve ever heard... “In a certain part of America, the land of simple truths, nothing Barack Obama does makes sense. They don’t understand why he would bail out big banks when they’re the ones that caused all the troubles in the first place. And why spend more money when you’re already running a deficit? That’s not what Americans do. They sit around the kitchen table and tighten their belts. And, what’s all this about global warming? This winter, the White House was up to its Truman balcony in snow. And, why not just whack the Iranians before they get the bomb?” This was the essence of Palin’s Nashville speech and Fox interview. And, this is the essence of the Tea Party movement. This is frightening to me and should be to you. This is simplistic thinking at its simplest level. Unfortunately, these people can and do invent truths that are not based on fact. So, I sincerely hope that we, as a nation, are smart enough and care enough to search beyond the simple truth and find the real truth.
At least, we have tried. I know I have made countless phone calls, written letters to the media and tried to inform you to the best of my knowledge. I think our efforts will pay off, and I think we will get a bill! So, hang in there... and pray.
Angry protesters from the Tea Party group were at the doors of Congress, many of whom hurled racial slurs at black members of the House. In fact their behavior has been shocking and reminds me of the nastiest days of the 1960’s, when black activists were marching just to get off the back of the bus, and crowds of white people confronted them with such incredible disdain. Many of the black people who were fighting for their equal rights were led by current Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) who was today, a victim of the grotesque behavior displayed by the Tea Party crowd. This kind of behavior is deplorable, but sadly, I have learned to expect it. The fact that many of them were shouting the N-word over and over is just so sad and appalling. Yet, they are a stark example of the fact that the people screaming the loudest about not wanting this bill to pass, are in fact motivated by racism and prejudice, not intellect!
So, will our members of Congress be intimidated by the mob, or will they vote their conscience? I have faith that they will vote their conscience, particularly now that Harry Reid (Senate majority leader, D-Nev.) brought a pledge from more than 50 of his Democratic colleagues to promptly pass the bill after the house votes on Sunday. This allayed the fears of many in the House that the Senate could not be counted on. So, it looks like a go and I certainly hope so. As I said before, it’s not a perfect bill, but it’s a start. To drop it and start over would be the kiss of death for health reform in the foreseeable future. So, if it passes, all of you who made phone calls and wrote letters should be proud to know you conveyed your wishes in a dignified and responsible way. No, we didn’t get much press and we didn’t call attention to our demands by shouting nasty phrases at our representatives and accusing our president of being a Socialist, a Muslim, and even doubting his birth certificate.
Until their actions today, I thought the Tea Party was just another group of uninformed voters who were looking for simple answers to complicated questions, but I think they showed their true colors today by their racial remarks and disrespect. As scary as it sounds, it’s more obvious than ever that most of this group are still uncomfortable and hostile to the notion of a black president. How sad. I thought we had come so far, only to have an unruly mob, full of hatred, bring us to the brink of disaster. They keep saying that the people don’t want this health care reform bill. These are not the people I know. In a Feb. 22 issue of Time magazine, Joe Klein wrote an article on Sarah Palin in which he gave the best description of the Tea Party world that I’ve ever heard... “In a certain part of America, the land of simple truths, nothing Barack Obama does makes sense. They don’t understand why he would bail out big banks when they’re the ones that caused all the troubles in the first place. And why spend more money when you’re already running a deficit? That’s not what Americans do. They sit around the kitchen table and tighten their belts. And, what’s all this about global warming? This winter, the White House was up to its Truman balcony in snow. And, why not just whack the Iranians before they get the bomb?” This was the essence of Palin’s Nashville speech and Fox interview. And, this is the essence of the Tea Party movement. This is frightening to me and should be to you. This is simplistic thinking at its simplest level. Unfortunately, these people can and do invent truths that are not based on fact. So, I sincerely hope that we, as a nation, are smart enough and care enough to search beyond the simple truth and find the real truth.
At least, we have tried. I know I have made countless phone calls, written letters to the media and tried to inform you to the best of my knowledge. I think our efforts will pay off, and I think we will get a bill! So, hang in there... and pray.
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