Arthur Schaper: Dr. Seuss Votes for Climate Change?

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Friday, March 21, 2014

Arthur Christopher Schaper, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

The Democrats in the US Senate are doing their best to defend Obama, Obamacare, and the careless, reckless agenda of government expansion, balanced budgets and fiscal restraint be damned. In spite of the utter seriousness of the situation in Washington (gridlock, brinkmanship, and the occasional yelling and screaming from one side to the other), there is always room for levity in the most august of Institutions, the United States Senate.

And no better source than Dr. Seuss.

During a twenty-two hour talk-a-thon in 2013, US Senator Ted Cruz attempted to rally the Republicans, which some called dispersed, and others despairing, to vote against any budget resolutions without first defunding Obamacare. One of the hallmarks of his mini-filibuster, Ted Cruz read to his daughters “Green Eggs and Ham”, along with debating Democrats and affirming the ideas of Republicans who wanted to hold their colleagues to the same onerous standards of the Affordable Care Act (shop for plans on the same exchanges as their constituents, pay the same high prices, etc., maybe endure the same part-time hours, too)

During the 2014 CPAC convention on March 8, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin appealed to “Green Eggs and Ham”, yet with more biting criticism against the health care law plaguing Democratic chances for 2014:

I do not like this Uncle Sam. I do not like his health care scam. I do not like — oh, just you wait — I do not like these dirty crooks, or how they lie and cook the books. I do not like when Congress steals, I do not like their crony deals.

Too bad someone didn’t put it to music. I can just imagine it: a Sarah Palin Seussical, starring the 2016 GOP Presidential nominees (Rand, Chris, Ted, One Fish, Two Fish, Red State, Blue State. . .)

Then came the March 11, #Up4Climate Change all-nighter of the Desperate Democratic Majority in the US Senate, which fears that their power in the upper chamber will melt away faster than the polar ice caps of Greenland. While the levels of ice have reached unprecedented levels in recent years, the US Senate Dems are looking less likely of staying above water.

Since I brought up Dr. Seuss, let’s segue to the lawmaker who tried to imitate Ted Cruz: Massachusetts’ own Ed Markey. Instead of Green Eggs or Cats in Hats, the ice-cream truck-driver turned government worker (as if there is a difference in the Commonwealth) read a portion – just a portion – from The Lorax.

I would have preferred a plea for bipartisanship: how about a speech about the star-bellied sneeches. Not only that, but Markey didn’t even bother to read the whole thing. At least Cruz was not averse to stand and share for almost an entire day. And Markey’s excuse: “I want to give all the other US Senators who care about climate change a chance to speak.”

Really? As for those Dems who didn’t care, or rather who didn’t bother to show up: Mike Begich of Alaska, and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and the other red state Democrats who are facing tough prospects of keeping their seats this term. They represent states where the uber-rich have not taxed away everyone else, where vehicles still operate on gas (and oil), and where green technology is about making money, not making excuses for not drilling.

Who else showed up for the Climate Change All-nighter? Why, my own US Senator Barbara Boxer, the same lady who played out the “war on women” card one last time during the 2013 budget shut down, and most of her constituents wanted her to shut up. Yes, despite winning election after election, her approval ratings usually don’t pass 50%.

Massachusetts’ other US Senator Elizabeth Warren offered her own thoughts on green energy and corporate raiding which stops it. Well, “Green Eggs and Ham” certainly would have been a perfect read, but since Ted Cruz beat her to it, she could have read Yertle the Turtle, which relates the story of a stodgy turtle who steps onto other turtles, making them stack themselves, high enough to satisfy Yertle, until the rest of the turtles get tired of the bottom, and toss Yertle to the bottom of the pond. Reminds me of the Dems’ fate this November.

Green from reelection, Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse made his sixtieth speech on climate change, but his counterpart Jack Reed, who like Yertle the Turtle, may be coming down from his perch. Despite Public Policy Polling’s assertion that he is the least vulnerable US Senator in 2014, a conservative candidate aiming to take on the US Senator, in spite of the legal challenges from an obscure city ordinance. Reminds me of little Sam, who will go to any lengths to get the other creature to eat something. Maybe the conservative Raymond McKay will get Jack Reed to eat his words, including: “Obamacare is ‘Good News for All Americans’.”  (Read the rebuttals here)

This year, the Dems hear a “who” (will lose?) because they hatched an egg: Obamacare, neither green nor good, which even the Dems’ Climate Change all-nighter cannot undo.

 

Arthur Christopher Schaper is a teacher-turned-writer on topics both timeless and timely; political, cultural, and eternal. A life-long Southern California resident, Arthur currently lives in Torrance. Follow him on Twitter @ArthurCSchaper, reach him at [email protected], and read more atSchaper's Corner and As He Is, So Are We Ministries.

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