PLEASE BE DECENT HUMANS: An open letter to Senator Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Dear Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi,
We did it.
As I write this, I am watching Rev. Raphael Warnock, a black man whose mother picked cotton, and Jon Ossoff, a (super cute) Jewish movie dire-, excuse me, documentary filmmaker, congratulate each other on their enormous, historical, groundbreaking victories in Georgia today. (It sounds like an opening to a joke my Grandpa Abe, may his memory be a blessing, would have told….a black man and a Jew walk into a bar in Georgia. You know what, on second thought…).
But bigger than this is the fact that for the first time in ___ years, a President and the majority of both houses of Congress will be of the same party. And make no mistake, it’s the party of my choice. I am a Democrat. In less than a week, our new president, Joe Biden, will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America. And finally, this era of daily shock, embarrassment, anxiety, and disgust, will end.
We did it! Go Blue!
But equally important, Mitch McConnell will no longer be the Senate majority leader after [many] years. This means that legislation may actually get passed. Which means faster confirmations, less gridlock and fewer wasted dollars and hours on issues that have nothing to do with the American people or the job we elected you to do.
I listened to President Obama’s conversation with Terry Gross last week on which he had a bit of a rant (sorry, Barack, love ya, but it’s true) about how Mitch McConnell blocked his way at every turn, regardless of the issue. He made it sound personal. That whatever Obama tried to do, Mitch and the Republican Senate thwarted for the simple fact that they were from different parties. I ask you, when did governing become so goddamn personal (I know, I know, Hamilton and Burr and all that…)
Back to the present.
I am simultaneously watching an angry mob storm the capital, forcing an evacuation of the members of Congress and hindering the task of the day (which was the formality of certifying the Electoral College results) all the while peddling a ridiculous narrative that their lunatic leader had an election stolen from him.
What the serious f*ck.
I am sad and shocked and again, embarrassed, at the state of our country.
But what I want to say is this. We are ALL complicit in the deep, ugly division that has befallen our nation. We are all guilty of being so sure of our beliefs, so righteous, that we have become utterly unable to even stop at a red light behind a person toting a bumper sticker we disagree with without wanting to smash our car into them (no? just me?), much less listen to each other. This is a direct result of the elevation of bullying, lying, and intimidation by the so-called leader of the free world into an art form.
Chuck and Nancy, you can change this.
Make the radical decision to begin anew. Don’t start from where we left off. Let bygones be bygones. Turn the other cheek. Wipe the slate clean. Bury the hatchet (can you say that anymore? Probably not). Basically, just be decent humans.
You have the power to put the past behind you and forge a new way forward. Welcome your “colleagues across the aisle” as you love to say, to a new age, in which respectful, fact-based and empathetic dialogue is de rigueur. In which bullying of any kind is decried and intolerance condemned. In which we all put aside our cultish biases, even perhaps put aside our own agenda in service to a greater good. And that greater good is TOLERANCE, RESPECT, and EMPATHY.
Do not be vindictive. Do not seize this opportunity for “payback.” Set fire to the partisan division that you, ALL OF YOU, our elected leaders, have fueled over the past 15 or so years (it’s probably longer but that’s about as far back in politics as I can remember).
I am even willing to put aside my own personal beliefs in service to this ideal. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fierce advocate for the planet and champion against climate change. But I would sacrifice some of the huge sweeping measures I believe in my heart of hearts we desperately need if it would allow for more bipartisan legislation to be passed that would benefit more Americans. What I am trying to say is that what we need more than ever is PROGRESS.
So please, for the love of all of our gods/universe/divine spirit, show the country and the world what good leadership looks like. Hell, forget leadership, just behave as a decent human being would. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some ideas:
*Be a good listener
*Treat others as you would like to be treated
*Lift up others and empower those with less power than you
*Be humble
*Don’t lie
*Act like your children are watching you
*Be flexible and agile
*Take responsibility for your actions
My 5 and 7-year-olds are practicing this daily (without much success, but hey, we try!). You two hold the most powerful seats in the US Congress. This is not too much to ask.
So please, blow the whole thing up. Shock us all with your graciousness toward your Republican colleagues. This won’t be easy. But we can do hard things.
Blaze a new path and set an example of dignified leadership we can all look up to.
It’s now the only way forward.
Sincerely,
Sara Schatz Kott
