Why can’t Elizabeth Warren and Ted Cruz debate… for America?
Being against “government” is generally a pretty easy gig. You just blame it for everything you don’t like.
The last week has become a spectacle of Republicans having to admit over and over again that government does good, necessary things that aren’t being funded because the House won’t even vote on the Senate’s continuing resolution. The GOP thinks that passing bills that fund slivers of government is cornering the White House in. But it’s actually just a reminder of why being anti-government means you get the blame when you shut down the government.
It’s also presents a perfect opportunity to defend what we actually do together as government, if you have the right spokesperson. Thankfully, Democrats do in Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Check out this speech she gave from the floor of the Senate on Friday:
You can do your best to make it look like government doesn’t work when you stop it from working. You can do your best to make government look paralyzed when you paralyze it. You can do your best to make government look incompetent through your incompetence, and ineffective through your ineffectiveness. But sooner or later the government will reopen. Because this is a democracy, and this democracy has already rejected your views. We have already chosen to do these things together. Because we all know that we are stronger when we come together.
When this government reopens, when our markets are safe again, when our scientists can return to their research, when our small businesses can borrow, when our veterans can be respected for their service, when our flu shots resume and our Head Start programs get back to teaching our kids, we will have rejected your views once again.
We are not a country of anarchists. We are not a country of pessimists and ideologues whose motto is ‘I’ve got mine, the rest of you are on your own.’ We are not a country that tolerates dangerous drugs, unsafe meat, dirty air or toxic mortgages. We are not that nation. We have never been that nation. And we will never be that nation.
Today a political minority in the House that condemns government and begged for the shutdown has had its day. But like all the reckless and extremist factions that have come before it, their day will pass and our democracy will return to the important work that we have already chosen to do together.
If you enjoyed that, you’ll love the speech she gave on Monday night when the GOP shut down the government because they wanted bosses to be able to decide if their female employees deserve birth control.
