Finally! A Response From Senator McConnell

I guess Senator McConnell has backed off his promise to “do nothing” now that he interprets the midterm as a mandate for his party. Finally, a response. And it doesn’t look like the typical form letter responses I used to receive.

However, although I am thrilled to see the final line where he encourages me to keep writing, the feelings I have about the rest of the letter fall way short of being pleased, or successfully patronized. I’ll break down my thoughts and feelings below the letter.


Thank you for contacting me with your concerns. You’re welcome but I consider it my civic responsibility to contact you with my concerns. I also, as I mentioned in one of my letters, consider it a matter of life and death. Literally.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective with me. It has been my pleasure to do so. It has also been my pleasure to share the facts with you, and I feel just a whole lot disappointed that you fail to mention that in your response. How am I to believe that you will amend your public statements and/or your opinions and votes based on the corrected information if you don’t tell me? My perspective is important to me, as I see it is to you, but the facts matter much more.

I believe there is always some common ground even between those who might disagree on some particular issues. I suppose this is true. I honestly feel a bit disappointed in myself for not being able to identify even one issue on which we might share common ground because I am positive there must be one. You have my assurance that I will review your stances – as soon as you publish them in detail enough for me to do so – and identify the common areas.

I want what is best for my constituents, and I work hard [each?] and every day to improve lives of Kentuckians. Okay, maybe we do agree on the right to die. I, too, advocate for the right to die since I live with a number of painful diagnoses for which there are no cures and have considered the possibility that there will come a time when I will decide that I would rather die than continue living in this body. However, I believe this is a decision that only I should be allowed to make, and do not appreciate that you have decided that “what is best for me” is allowing you to serve on my death panel. Nor do I think it is my best interest for you to decide that homeless and hungry is better than the way I am living now. Granted, I live small, but I happen to be happy this way. The $2,000 deductible and cut in social security that you support would complicate my life enough to make health and happiness extremely hard to maintain and I do not think that is in my best interest.

I don’t think it is in the best interest of my children, grandchildren, and fellow Kentuckians to be without jobs, without safety nets, without oversight, or without representation in the Senate. Which brings me to the past year, when you have done nothing but say no and vow to undermine the President we elected. That was not in our best interest and does not, by any standards I would embrace, indicate “working hard” to improve our lives.

While we might disagree on the means, I hope at least our aims are common – better lives for the people of Kentucky. I hate to sound trite but I suppose this depends on your definition of better. From what I’ve seen and heard from you, we don’t share a common definition. To me, better means an improvement, not going backwards as you and your party suggest.

It is a distinct honor for me to represent my fellow citizens in the United States Senate, and I try hard to maximize the opportunity to help the Commonwealth at every turn. Commonwealth is an interesting word from someone who thinks the wealth should belong to 2% of the people. So is maximize, from someone who vowed to do nothing but obstruct, and carried through on that promise.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Again, it has been my pleasure, as well as my responsibility. I tend to maximize my disability by using my mind and heart and what little energy I have left to uphold my civic responsibilities from this chair. However, I am preparing my resume to apply for one of the jobs you will create with your bloated share of the “commonwealth” should you manage to extend the Bush Tax Cuts for the top 2% in lieu of keeping me alive. I have experience with utilization of government healthcare, and I am a great reader, so I think you could use me in your office. The doctors will be upset with me but I don’t intend to go down without fighting for my life.

Please keep me informed of those issues that are important to you. You betcha!

Senator McConnell, I have written numerous letters, carefully documenting specifics. This is much better than the typical form-letter response but I am still disappointed that you did not provide a single answer to any of my questions, or one tiny specific regarding what you and your party plan to do – nothing about your plan for jobs, what we give up since you’ve changed your mind about earmarks, your plan for healthcare, what jobs you have created and will create with your tax breaks, why you blew off the President and think we should not be embarrassed, why you have made so many dishonest statements in public . . .

Sincerely,

Sandy