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| Source:The Late Show With Stephen Colbert- Comedian Jon Stewart: making a guess appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert |
As I mentioned last week and somehow feel to mention this again: Congress only moves when it's in their political interests. When a member thinks he or she can get something for their district and state. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is the perfect example of that.
Former Conservative Republican Senator Tom Coburn, was nickname Dr. No, because for one, he was a doctor ( which seems to make sense, when I think about it ) and he was a master at unilaterally blocking legislation on his own in the Senate. The Majority Leader or just a regular member would try to bring a bill up on the Senate floor and Senator Coburn would simply block the bill by objecting to it.
Anyone who is familiar with the Congressional rule book, probably knows too much about Congress and reads too much, especially when they could be spending all of that quality time staring at their phone, ( ha, ha ) but they also know that any individual Senator can individually block any piece of legislation all by themself and that's as far as I want to go down this road.
But Leader Mitch McConnell is not Dr. No. Hell, he's not even a doctor at all, but he's a master at least when it comes to Congressional rules especially in the Senate and knows how to block legislation all by himself simply when he wants to. He was a master obstructionist in Congress when he was the Senate Minority Leader from 2007-15, routinely all by himself or with help from his Republican Caucus in blocking legislation sent over to the Senate by House Democrats. And if anything is even better at it now as the Majority Leader and doesn't have to wait for legislation to be called up before he blocks it, because he can block it all by himself before it even gets called up as Senate Leader.
Again, Mitch McConnell is not Dr. No, because he's not even a doctor, but to paraphrase Stephen Colbert he's the Moby Dick of Congress: the White Whale of all whales and if you want something passed in Congress, you need his approval, as well as the approval of Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, ( another master obstructionist ) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
This might not just sound rude or even cold, but perhaps inhuman, but when it comes to our politicians, especially our 535 members of Congress that make up our House of Representatives and Senate, unfortunately it fits: when it comes to lobbying and trying to get a bill passed in Congress like the 9/11 first responders bill and benefits for our military veterans, you shouldn't talk to them like they're human beings. Which was Jon Stewart's major mistake last week when he spoke to the House Judiciary Committee. Even though they're technically human beings.
But instead talk to them and treat them as they are which are politicians who are always looking for the easiest way to reelection, or get elected to the next political office on their career agenda. Show them why it's in their political interest to pass the bill that you want, as well as show that to their constituents and then they'll move to work with you. Otherwise you'll be like an American history professor trying to teach American history to a bunch of new-techie hipsters at a coffee house, who are too busy staring at their phone to want to learn anything about history.
Former Conservative Republican Senator Tom Coburn, was nickname Dr. No, because for one, he was a doctor ( which seems to make sense, when I think about it ) and he was a master at unilaterally blocking legislation on his own in the Senate. The Majority Leader or just a regular member would try to bring a bill up on the Senate floor and Senator Coburn would simply block the bill by objecting to it.
Anyone who is familiar with the Congressional rule book, probably knows too much about Congress and reads too much, especially when they could be spending all of that quality time staring at their phone, ( ha, ha ) but they also know that any individual Senator can individually block any piece of legislation all by themself and that's as far as I want to go down this road.
But Leader Mitch McConnell is not Dr. No. Hell, he's not even a doctor at all, but he's a master at least when it comes to Congressional rules especially in the Senate and knows how to block legislation all by himself simply when he wants to. He was a master obstructionist in Congress when he was the Senate Minority Leader from 2007-15, routinely all by himself or with help from his Republican Caucus in blocking legislation sent over to the Senate by House Democrats. And if anything is even better at it now as the Majority Leader and doesn't have to wait for legislation to be called up before he blocks it, because he can block it all by himself before it even gets called up as Senate Leader.
Again, Mitch McConnell is not Dr. No, because he's not even a doctor, but to paraphrase Stephen Colbert he's the Moby Dick of Congress: the White Whale of all whales and if you want something passed in Congress, you need his approval, as well as the approval of Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, ( another master obstructionist ) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
This might not just sound rude or even cold, but perhaps inhuman, but when it comes to our politicians, especially our 535 members of Congress that make up our House of Representatives and Senate, unfortunately it fits: when it comes to lobbying and trying to get a bill passed in Congress like the 9/11 first responders bill and benefits for our military veterans, you shouldn't talk to them like they're human beings. Which was Jon Stewart's major mistake last week when he spoke to the House Judiciary Committee. Even though they're technically human beings.
But instead talk to them and treat them as they are which are politicians who are always looking for the easiest way to reelection, or get elected to the next political office on their career agenda. Show them why it's in their political interest to pass the bill that you want, as well as show that to their constituents and then they'll move to work with you. Otherwise you'll be like an American history professor trying to teach American history to a bunch of new-techie hipsters at a coffee house, who are too busy staring at their phone to want to learn anything about history.
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