Well, it’s nothing we can feel good about. The United States Senate has been bought; we are governed by merciless, mercenary, utterly amoral men and women. They voted their pocket, they caved to pressure, they listened to lies.
They have blood on their hands.
Maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe, after all, it’s better to know whom you’re up against, who your enemies are. And maybe it’s good to get angry, to start screaming “SHAME ON YOU” as two people did.
And as you can see in the clip below, Patricia Maisch seems like an improbable person to have been escorted out of the Senate, yesterday. In fact, even at age 56 I’m still instinctively intimidated by these ladies of a certain age who so many years ago told me to sit up straight and respect your elders and don’t put your elbows on the table.
The question, of course, is not whether they should be ashamed—of course they should—but whether they have any capacity for it. The next question is what to do about them.
Here are the 54 people who yesterday said, “fuck you,” to 90% of the American people.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho,Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.*, Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Sen. David Vitter, R-La., Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
*Reid voted no as a procedural move so that he would retain the ability under Senate rules to bring up the measure again should supporters believe they've mustered enough votes to secure passage.
Source: U.S. Senate
And here are the email addresses of those 54 people:
http: //www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email, http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=contact, http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=contact, http://www.baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue, http://www.begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator, http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form?p=contact-roy, http://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me, http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm, http://www.chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email, http://www.coats.senate.gov/contact/, http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactsenatorcoburn?p=ContactForm, http://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me, http://www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe, http://www.cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm, http://www.crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm, http://www.cruz.senate.gov/contact.cfm, http://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=e-mail-senator-enzi, http://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me, http://www.flake.senate.gov/contact.cfm, http://lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.LandingPage, http://www.grassley.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm, http://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=Email-Orrin, http://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/contact.cfm, http://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form, http://www.hoeven.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-the-senator, http://www.inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm, http://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me, http://www.johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=ContactSenatorJohanns, http://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact, http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact, http://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact, http://moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-jerry, http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact, http://www.paul.senate.gov/?p=contact, http://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=contact-form, http://www.pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe, http://www.reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm, http://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email, http://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat, http://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact, http://www.scott.senate.gov/contact.cfm, http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ConstituentServices.ContactMe, http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emailsenatorshelby, http://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact, http://www.vitter.senate.gov/contact, http://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.EMailSenatorWicker
Unfortunately, these are contact forms, so it’s not possible to do a copy / paste and mass emailing. So I’m going to spend half an hour, copying and pasting the message below to all 54 senators.
I’m pissed.
I have never before written to a congressperson, but today I cannot remain silent. As well, I have always been proud to be an American; today, because of your actions, I am not.
You have failed to pass a simple measure that would have saved lives. By doing so, you have put lives jeopardy, because you feared the financial power of the gun lobby groups.
I'm glad one American had the courage to shout "Shame on you!" You have ignored the 90% of the American people who supported this measure, you have jeopardized American lives, and you have lost all of our respect.
Marc Newhouse
