February 9, 2010 Open Letter to Mitch McConnell

Dear Senator McConnell:

If you’ll let me know when you are in town, I’ll bring my grandchildren by to read that “2700” page bill to you. Seriously, even the baby could get through it in less time than you’ve spent whining about how impossible it is for you and others in your party to read it. You should be ashamed – for pretending it’s too long to read, for purposely misleading people with that number, and for feeding into the rumors that all Kentuckians are illiterate. (Wanna talk about the two-feet of paper the Democrats received a few years ago, in the middle of the night, with not enough time to read, yet all they asked were for a few days to get through it? I’ll dig up the exact bill if you want to pretend you don’t remember.)

Let’s just pretend it really is 2700 single-spaced pages, with half inch margins, in a 10 point font. I’ll pretend with you (for a minute). Even then, any reasonably intelligent person who had been present (and maybe somewhat alert) for debates and discussions all the years that you’ve supposedly been there would be able to read those 2700 pages over the NINE MONTHS you’ve had to read it.

If you don’t want to read the bill, stop this nonsense and just admit it. We deserve that from you. If you admit the truth and ask nicely, I’m sure Congressman Yarmuth will gladly brief you, and walk you through any parts you don’t understand. Not only has he managed to read it, he has explained it in terms that the people I know understand.

On a personal note, you do NOT speak for the American People, or the public, or even for Kentuckians. You speak for some people. Words mean something and your use of the instead of some is misleading. Why do you do this? (That one is rhetorical.)

Please explain exactly who you were talking about when you said the public is overwhelmingly against the health care bill. What public? The occupants of your office? Home? The public you had lunch with on Tuesday or passed in the hall this morning? Who is “overwhelmingly” against this bill? And what do you mean by “overwhelmingly”? Are you implying a percentage? Or that the few people you know who are against the bill are really, really dead-set against it?

You are not speaking for the many people who have written and called to tell you they support the bill. When will you speak – honestly – for us?


Me

p.s. Can you tell I'm losing my patience? You still haven't responded to my last letter and already you've embarrassed me again.