The decency ceiling
Perhaps more and more people in this country are ready to shift federal politics toward doing the necessary business of taking care of one another and this beautiful planet we call home.
Regular readers might have noticed that I had not yet commented on the circus in the House of Representatives: the multiple votes for Speaker, the extremist holdouts, the sacrifices of integrity and basic competence made in order to get votes for Speaker McCarthy.
For a time, it was hard to see how writing about any of that would change it. These weekly letters are intended to offer focus on what we do value, together: inclusion, compassion, truth, and decency.
Now we have lawmakers who are deeply implicated in the illegal and violent effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election given powerful positions on committees that make critical decisions about upholding Constitutional protections. We have a party that is willing to trigger a global financial crisis in order to impose its will on the people through cuts in federal spending. (Never mind the the vast majority of the debt being serviced by the United States was incurred under Republican presidents, with the tax cuts of 2017 being one of the most significant increases in debt. And never mind that supporting the IRS in controlling tax evasion is one of the first cuts Republicans want.) And we have a party willing to waste time and money on “investigations” led by their members who, again, are deeply implicated in the recent anti-Constitutional violence.
To be fair, the White House’s bungled early handling of the information about possibly classified documents in private locations is part of the problem: leaders who appear allergic to full transparency. I won’t go into all the reasons why the two situations and two presidents are different here - they are - but this one theme unfortunately binds them. The administration needs to do much, much better.
This past week, the federal government hit its “debt ceiling,” and I wonder if we have also seen the Republican party hit its decency ceiling (or floor). Support for extremists might be peeling away, bit by bit. Centering the party on the failed grifts of the former president might be proving inadequate to the moment. They can still do tremendous damage, and vigilance is called for.
But, just perhaps, more and more people in this country are ready to shift federal politics away from fear, violence, corruption, and white nationalism; toward doing the necessary business of taking care of one another and this beautiful planet we call home. This is the path we must stay on, and it is a frightening one for those who cling to old views of power and control.
In contrast, it is a marvelous path for those who know that true safety comes from holding one another dear; that true greatness comes from service; that true wealth comes from the love of family, friends, and all creatures of this earth.
Be safe and well, dear friends. Thank you for your company on this journey.