12 million people hang in the balance and somewhere between 30-40 million people are staring down the barrel of homelessness without rent eviction protections. The Senate met today to discuss another round of stimulus.
In the first several hours of the meeting, they got right down to business.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell led the charge in tackling the most important issues facing the nation: Dishing out platitudes to another Republican Senator.
Then, a moving speech by Senator Jim Inhofe (Rep-Okla.), a holdout in acknowledging the results of the election, who got the conversation on course.
“Some things are maybe not all that significant, what I am about to say is significant,” he said. “So I would to have like the attention of anyone who wants to know that in the midst of all the problems we’re facing now, some good things are happening. I want to mention something that is significant that I don’t think you’ve thought of…that is, that tomorrow is the 153rd day of the year. That’s very significant. That is Dec. 19th.”
Okay….where’s this going…
“Going all the way back to the December 19th of 1154. That’s when Henry the Second became king of England. We haven’t really thought about the fact that what the does mean to us today, but we will before long,” he continued. “In 1843, December 19th, Charles Dickens wrote The Christmas Carol.”
If it seems like this was going somewhere, we’re here to tell you – it didn’t. He rattled off a few other no-so-significant historical events from December 19th. Among them: The impeachment of Bill Clinton and the Senator’s own wedding anniversary.
Ummm…we need to have a talk about what significant means. Also, December 19th is not the 153rd day of the year. What calendar is this guy using?
The stimulus litmus test
That precious time could be wasted on this while millions of Americans face ruin speaks to where the wellbeing of American people falls on the Senate’s “list of significant things.”
Certainly not above the coronation ceremony of King Henry the Second of England (not even America ya’ll) from 866 years ago.
Americans watching the stream showed signs of losing hope.
“This is unbelievable! None of this has to do with a relief bill!” one woman lamented.
One black sheep
On the upside, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri seems to give a shit and advocated for relief.
“I am here on behalf of the millions of working people who are out of time, out of luck, and just about out of hope,” Hawley opened. “I’m here on behalf of the millions of working people who have born the worst of this pandemic.”
That makes one of them.
Unfortunately, one well-dressed, eloquent Republican can only do so much to fight the destitute, moral bankruptcy that has infected and eaten the brain of the rest of his party.
Speeches like Inhofe’s scream filibuster at best, complete and utter indifference at worst.
As one viewer put it: “Mitch McConnell is lying. He does not want to pass a second stimulus checks to help us all.”
The likelihood the stimulus will pass before the Senate’s 153rd recess of the year, which begins on history’s most significant day – December 19th – looks unlikely.