As Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner put it –

“Republicans fail the future (and the present)”

And I’m sure the Republican Party will continue to do so until the current mentality of bloc voting against ANYTHING “democratic” is voted out of office.

Rather and Kirschner tell it well in their recent post in STEADY.

“The bill is called the Inflation Reduction Act, which most economists think is an accurate description. Inflation reduction is a worthy goal, but what is even more noteworthy — rising to the level of historic — is how the legislation intends to accomplish that feat. It is a compendium of long-desired action on the part of Democrats around health care costs, taxes, and climate change (representing the most ambitious climate measures ever enacted by Congress)”

And whether or not Republicans in Congress thought ANY of it was worthwhile – ALL REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED, VOTED AGAINST IT. (4 did not vote)

The IRA is about our future, about our childrens’ and grandchildrens’ future, about this planet. SO WHY WOULD ANY MEMBER OF CONGRESS JUST FOLLOW PARTISANSHIP AND VOTE NO FOR THE FUTURE?

I have tried to give you the most important quotes of Rather and Kirschner’s response to that question. Link to entire article.

PARTISANSHIP

“All Republicans who voted (four representatives did not) voted “nay.” All of them.

Perhaps we have become inured to this unblinking partisanship. Chalk it up to cynicism, to pure party politics, to the zero-sum game that seems to rule Washington, particularly from Republicans when Democrats are in the majority. Obstruct. Delay. Obfuscate. That is the playbook. But while extreme partisanship might explain the actions, it certainly does not excuse them.”

WE NEED A MULTI-PARTY CONGRESS OF CONSCIENCE

“This isn’t about four-year election cycles. It is about epochs measured in millennia”

“This is not a debate about policy. “How should we tackle this existential threat?” is a legitimate question on which fair minds can disagree. Should it be tax cuts for business or government regulation? Or both? A carbon tax or subsidies for new technologies? Is nuclear energy a viable option? Should we invest more in electric cars or public transportation? Let’s have a vigorous debate. Go at it. There is no monopoly on wisdom. And the country needs a strong two-party system, with a Congress of conscience on both sides of the aisle, to have such debates.

But debate whether we should do ANYTHING??? Really????

QUESTIONING WHY

“In this upside-down reality, questions emerge that demand answers and accountability:

How can a politician who doesn’t take climate change seriously be taken seriously? 

How can someone who fails to protect our nation from the increasing threat of natural disasters be considered a voice to heed on national security?

How can someone who denies this reality be considered a credible judge of the truth?

This bill was a major step forward on addressing climate change. It’s not nearly enough. But it is something. A lot. A BFD. So say the scientists. It’s a foundation upon which to build.

But it was also a test of the seriousness of the Republican Party on the most serious of issues. It is a test they failed. All of them in Congress.

That is not political spin. It’s the truth. Just ask Mother Earth. She’s screaming out for all to hear. Maybe at some point the politicians who refuse to listen to her pleas will be forced to answer why, and not be taken seriously until they can answer in accordance with reality. “