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Yesterday, I took the afternoon to take the trip down to Capitol Hill and perform what seemed like a thankless task. My Senators are hopeless right wingers, Cornyn and Hutchison, and I have no hope that at this vital juncture they will suddenly convert into guardians of the public interest. However, I did my part.
Returning to the Russell Senate Office Building, where I worked with Sen. Ralph Yarborough in the 60′s, was a bit saddening. Doors were open to visitors when I was on the Hill, and now there was just the one door, with x-ray machines and security gates. At least I was able to enter without any extensive checks, and even found a hand sanitizer dispenser there for public use. Nice touch.
The halls are much the same as when I worked there, except that at the entrance to the main office, where there are elaborate displays of flags, paintings, and plaques that would never have been put up without derision back in the day. When I found Sen. Hutchison’s office, it was because I could see the Texas flag with its big, bold star from far away.
The young man at the reception desk seemed a bit startled when I told him who I was and where I was from, and that I was here to ask Senator Hutchison to vote for health care reform, specifically for the public option. Since he was floundering helplessly, I asked where I might sign the list of supporters for health care. That gave him an out to direct me to the guest book.
I was asked, "Oh, isn’t that near Denton," about my hometown. Well, not exactly, it’s just below Denison. Yes, there is a difference.*
Then the routine became, from the welcoming young man, his Gramma’s from Denison! Hardly likely from some one who doesn’t know that there’s a difference between Denton and Denison.
Finished signing the guest book, I asked again about getting on the list for health care supporters, and particularly public option. Guess what, fellow sufferers? They don’t get a lot of them, I was informed.
I simply pointed out that I knew lots of bloggers from the Great State who are vitally interested in health care, and who had been in touch.
Might a few/lot of you let the Senator’s office know that you expect to be counted?
[If you will register your support here in comments, I will happily print this out and walk it on over to the Senator's office, so that there will be some sign of life from those of us who believe in and expect government of the people, by the people and for the people.]
I got the same kind of reaction at Senator Cornyn’s office**, that of a deer in the headlights, which reminded me that I’m following the ugliness of the teabaggage demonstrations last week. I guess my polite expression of my support is not what the office workers were expecting after the crazies rattled through. Should you be so inclined, I highly recommend that you drop by and exhibit the nature of the opposition.
Contrast is a beautiful thing, most particularly when it’s a contrast with pictures of concentration camp victims and screeches of seeing the whites of their eyes.
Have a hanky handy.
*Denton, home of Texas Women’s College, is a far north suburb of Dallas. Denison, home of the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historical Park, is just south of Oklahoma and on the shores The Red River and of Lake Texoma.
**The sign in computer was malfunctioning, and there was no way to register your ‘area of interest’, so I was given a piece of paper to write my interest in health care, particularly public option, on instead.
9 Comments
Nice post, Ruth. I wrote Hutchinson, Cornyn and Michael Burgess expressing my support for healthcare reform with a strong public option. I told them I knew they were philosophically opposed,but told them I expected them to state the truth regarding death panels, etc.. Only Hutchison’s staff responded, giving all the Republican talking points and stating that she would keep me apprised. I knew it was an exercise in futility, but went through the motions.
P.S., UNT is also located in Denton, and those of us who live here like to think of it as a completely separate college town, rather than any part of Dallas. :)
That is another difference from Denison! Thanks.
I’ll call them again. I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I expected no less from these two. They have made it quite clear that it didn’t matter what their constituents thought, as is the practice in th eimperial House of Lords. I will send them both letters by registered mail with the admonition to “Count this!” and solicit all of those in my circle to do likewise.
Thanks for bringing their lack of concern, or even the pretense thereof, about the desires of their constituents to our attention, Ruth.
Maybe, just maybe, letting them know there are thinking, observing constituents out here will be some influence for public representation, anyway.
Proud to do it, prairie sunshine and bluecrow, too.
From the banks of the Red River of the North, thank you Ruth for doing this.
-applauds Ruth- Thank you!
It is unfortunate that the Senate has so many of these criminals among its members.
[If you will register your support here in comments, I will happily print this out and walk it on over to the Senator's office, so that there will be some sign of life from those of us who believe in and expect government of the people, by the people and for the people.]
I’ve already written both Cornyn and Hutchinson on this. At least Kay Bailey was kind enough to return a response. The response was “GFY” but hey, better than nothing.
Mayor Bill White can count on my support for her Senate seat.
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Ruth, how brave of you.
I admit, although I have called both senators often in the past, I have not recently called them on health care, as they have made abundantly clear that they will oppose every aspect of it.
You make the excellent point, which I sometimes forget, that if we don’t do it because we know it’s futile, they get to argue that they don’t hear from constituent supporters.
Okay, I’ll suck it up and make two calls tomorrow.
I just got a “report” to consitutents from, sigh, Lamar Smith, my rep. It’s a glossy list of RW talking points, with repeated claims of “defending” the Constituion. He even prints the oath of office Congresspeople take. I was so disgusted I tore it into little pieces. Wanted to respond, but couldn’t come up with anything coherent. And, again, futile.
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Thanks, it’s really true, if we give up, we give the corporate welfare reps the field. And I have Ralph Hall as a rep; he’s totally aware that he doesn’t need to practice contituent politics, the oil co’s will keep himn in office to service them.