Richard Wolfe: Much hope for the Senate, House might be hopeless
“When a library is open, no matter its size or shape, Democracy is open, too.” — Bill Moyers
Jamestown Township excepted.
My wish for this Xmas day is good health and happiness to all. Good health is becoming a precarious thing again and we’ll get to that further along. Happiness, it is said, is where you find it …
To wit: Four weeks after the midterm elections, the Rev. Raphael Warnock won his runoff re-election by 2.7%, or just shy of 100,000 votes, routing a laughable opponent whose sole qualification for being in the race was an endorsement from the Disgraced and Discarded (and Most Certainly Felonious) Former President [DADAMCFFP].
The Democrats now enjoy a 51-seat majority in the Senate. Of significance, this will facilitate unhindered confirmation of federal judges nominated by President Biden. This bodes well for race and gender diversity and for movement away from ideological extremism.
[A New Year’s resolution to pack the Supreme Court to 13 judges ain’t in the cards. Though the current majority has abandoned dispassionate jurisprudence and stained the court’s legacy. A boy can dream though …]
The Democrats’ majorities in Senate committees will hasten initiatives to protect voting rights, codify women’s autonomy over their bodies, recognize marginalized communities as respected citizens, and more. The upper chamber, however, can only offer a moral compass to the lower chamber. Where, sadly, it will be tossed aside.
On the other side of the Rotunda, Kevin McCarthy and his herd of cats will accomplish nothing. Countless committee investigations will be convened, time better spent elsewhere will be wasted, and committee reports — if indeed any reports are ever generated — will not produce any useful information in pursuit of legislation.
Kev’s shiny new gavel will mash his thumb often and much (if it’s even Kev’s to hold). New Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will smile and take notes, prepping for 2024.
To wit No. 2: It’s been too long in coming but the worm has finally turned with respect to political and civic madness. Following November’s blue breakwater, the oft-threatened mobs in the streets wielding torches and pitchforks never materialized. Foot stamping and red-faced ranting from defeated candidates was virtually non-existent.
It seems most of the gas has gone out of the MAGA balloon. A question for the future of the Republican Party is, now, how many MAGA clowns will show up to the polls in 2024 when their red hats look even more ridiculous, and their affected indignation draws zero attention.
Shrieks of "stolen election" and "fake news" are utterances confined to a pathetic old man doddering around his compound in Florida, breaking bread with holocaust deniers and anti-Semites. The DADAMCFFP is still babbling about 2020. He is comically unaware that there is no Greek chorus behind him now, echoing his stale, trite calls to action.
For the DADAMCFFP, 2023 will most assuredly portend criminal indictments and civil forfeitures. The gifts that keep on giving.
As to health: There are new COVID-19 sub-variants afoot. Typhon and Cerberus and one called dubbed Gryphon because, like Delta and Omicron before it, the scientific community applies labels to groupings of what it perceives to be mutation similarities and shared lineages. (Not because that last one originated on the ice at Van Andel Arena.)
The cost and logistics of vaccine administration have proven and will continue to be daunting. In addition, absurd social resistance — another hallmark exclusive to the Republican Party — marches on, stronger than ever, insanely putting everyone at increased risk.
Even the vaccinated. And their children.
According to the CDC, as of Dec. 8, 2022, there were 99,241,649 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States (50,791,012 last year) and 1,080,472 deaths (803,593 last year).
Ask yourself, how there can be a 100% increase in confirmed cases (48,450,637 new cases) but only a 33% increase in COVID-related deaths (276,879 new deaths)?
Only an idiot or an antivaxxer — forgive the redundancy — refuses to accept the reason.
Safe, proven and free COVID vaccines and boosters.
Nevertheless, the most recent, bivalent booster has a measly uptake rate of 15% for ages 64 and younger. Hospitals are already overflowing (again) and the flu season just started.
Folks, no vaxx is no better than anti vaxx.
— Community Columnist Richard Wolfe is a resident of Park Township. Contact him at wolf86681346@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Richard Wolfe: Much hope for the Senate, House might be hopeless
