Another Overdue, Dishonest Response From Senator McConnell

Thank you for explaining that your party purposely destroyed our economy, for telling me how proud you are of becoming a wealthy man at the expense of the people you voted into frightening, painful situations, and for admitting that you agree with my suspicion that you just might possibly be a sociopath. I couldn’t be more relieved if Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Clarence Thomas requested prosecution for the crimes they have committed, or if John Boehner paled and shouted, “Psych! We didn’t expect you to believe that nonsense about transparency, debate, jobs, and the constitution.”

Doesn’t feel so good to have me put words in your mouth, does it? I know this because I felt rotten enough to scream every cuss word I know (even made up a few new ones) when I opened your letter dated January 24, 2011, (received February 8, 2011, referencing my November, 2010 phone call and letters) only to find that your first line totally misrepresented my message. I apologize to readers who might be disappointed in me for the dishonest first paragraph of this letter, but that apology does not extend to you. Only for you and your allies in the party of deception and obstruction will I take Anne Northup’s All’s fair in love and politics advice and feed you a dose of your own medicine.

As usual, you managed to insult me and misrepresent the truth on so many levels that I cannot express my disappointment or disgust with a blanket, one-line response so I will address each line.

Thank you for contacting me regarding prevention of a massive tax hike on all American taxpayers.  

            How could you possibly have gotten this from what I said in my ll/18/10 phone call phone call or my 11/22/10 letter in which I addressed your position on the tax bill in which I documented the following?   

"It's time Congress got its priorities straight," [Senator McConnell] said. "It's time Congress focused on job creation -- and that means preventing tax hikes. It's time to set aside the political votes and government spending that the administration and Democratic leaders have put above all other priorities for two years."

Tax hikes? Seriously? When the sale ends and prices return to normal, do you also call those price increases? Calling returning to the original tax rates a ‘hike’ is purposefully misleading, which is not polite, honest, or acceptable.

“We are experiencing what can only be described as a jobs crisis, a sustained period of chronic unemployment; and two years of policies that have vastly increased the size and scope of government and added trillions to the debt and have done little to alleviate this problem.”

Same with implying that the jobs crisis is a result of the last two years. If there is a shred of truth in that, it’s because you have obstructed. The full truth is that President Obama inherited this crisis and you have vowed to do everything in your power to prevent his success in correcting it.

Rhetorical question. No sane person could have thought that when I said, “Calling returning to the original tax rates a ‘hike’ is purposefully misleading, which is not polite, honest, or acceptable,” I was actually contacting you regarding the “prevention of a massive tax hike on all American taxpayers.” I will not patronize you by suggesting that you are not intellectually capable of comprehending my message, nor will I insult myself or the person who answered the phone in your office by second-guessing the clarity of my position. 

You choose to misrepresent my words and your dishonesty is not acceptable, Senator McConnell.

Hearing from Kentuckians such as you helps me represent our Commonwealth in the U.S. Senate.

            How, exactly? Please, explain exactly what you are asking me to believe about this process. 

• I call and write with my concerns. 
• You stand in public and deny hearing from people who don’t share your views. 
• Months later, after you have taken the country hostage, disregarded non-partisan proof that what you embraced as your opinion was incorrect, ignored the constituents who disagreed with your position, survived the media and fact-checking organizations that raked you over the coals, you force your will/destruction on the American people.
• Then, when it's already done, you send this condescending denial that you heard a word any dissenter said to you.

And you expect me to believe I have been helpful in this process? Seriously? I am not stupid, Senator McConnell. You know that by now so please stop implying that I am. 

Hearing from Kentuckians “such as me” means absolutely nothing to you, and does nothing for the common good of this country. You do not represent our “commonwealth” in the U.S. Senate. You represent your own wealth and the common interests of the top 2% and your corporate puppeteers.

There is no doubt that our country is in the midst of a deep and painful economic downturn.

            Wrong. There is plenty of doubt. Some people think the whole economic crisis is overstated. Honestly. I’ve heard that from fellow Kentuckians. You might want to hit the streets and talk to some real people because real people think all sorts of things and doubt most anything (especially the ones who watch FOX).

             

My doubt is on the last word of your dramatic sentence – downturn. And I think I know the deep pain you must feel. Despite your diligent effort at obstructing, President Obama still managed, in two short years, to turn us back in the right direction after eight years of George Bush and his rubber-stampers. Truth is, we are on the upturn, no thanks to you. (But, later in this letter you will try to claim his progress as your own.)

Families across Kentucky are tightening their belts and trying to live within their means. 

        This short sentence leaves so many questions unanswered.

• Which families?
• What percentage of the population of Kentucky do they represent?
• Are you implying that Kentuckians were living either above or below their means before?
• Are you counting Kentuckians who lost jobs and had no choice?
• Does this mean that the wealthiest (like you) are also trying suddenly to live within your means and spending your fortunes in Kentucky, on things made in Kentucky, and pouring all of that sales tax and job creation into our commonwealth? If so, please give details. Also, I’m selling handmade voodoo dolls and copies of my novel, Race for Terre Bluff, and I’m ready to take your orders.

But for two years, the Administration and its allies in Congress have argued that the solution to our nation’s economic problems was to hand over trillions in taxpayer dollars to Washington bureaucrats and then have them spend it for us.

            You do realize know that you are a Washington bureaucrat, don’t you? And that you are responsible for deficit spending on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, both of which started long before the Administration that you hope to hope to cast negatively with this comment was in office?  

 (I get a strange feeling that you are trying to make allies appear to be a negative word now and that just weird. Didn't it feel uncomfortable when I did it to you earlier?)

Americans are rightly frustrated and have called for Congress and the President to take a different approach.

            Of course, frustration is a justifiable emotion. I’ve tried to explain that to your authoritarian followers when they imply that I have no right to my frustration with their ignorance and willingness to accept your dishonesty. I would like to say let’s call it even, since both sides have called on Congress for change but I’m quite positive that more people on my side have called on Congress for change and that is nothing at all like what you are implying here. You might never admit this in public, Senator McConnell, or to me personally, but I know that you know your ideas are in the minority.You wouldn't have to rely on corporate sponsors for your deception otherwise.

As a U.S. Senator for Kentucky, I am proud of my role in the bipartisan agreement that protected Kentucky’s families and small business from a job-killing tax hike at the end of the year.

            I’m sure you must know this is the point at which I started making up new cuss words. I can only believe you have no conscience.

This legislation that I helped craft represents a clear shift in the debate over our nation’s path to economic recovery.

            Bushit!  - tax cuts do not result in economic growth or job creation

I cannot address the remainder of your letter without raising my blood pressure, and it would be redundant since fact-checking services have already shredded your rhetoric. But, I will address it with my fellow Kentuckians who, sadly, are a little behind the rest of the country in their willingness to ditch Mitch immediately. I intend to catch them up by showing how poorly you represent our commonwealth in the U.S. Senate because you your main concern is protecting your personal wealth. 98% of the people should resent your redistribution of their wealth into the pockets of the 2% who finance the lies you tell.

Fingers crossed that the last line won’t get my head stomped,

Sandy