The Hypocrisy Is Obscuring The Cruelty
It has been more than five months since the United States Senate has passed legislation responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
On April 21, when the Senate last passed legislation, there were 834,948 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, which have resulted in 46,380 deaths. Today, there are more than 7 million confirmed cases, which have resulted in more than 200,000 deaths.
The number of Americans that have died from COVID-19 is the equivalent of the 9/11 attack, every day, for 66 straight days.
The pandemic, of course, has impacted everyone — not just those who have gotten sick. The country is in the middle of an economic crisis. There are millions of people without jobs, facing eviction, and unable to provide their children with enough food.
In response, Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans plan to do nothing. Instead, they will focus the next six weeks on confirming a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Much of the coverage has focused on the hypocrisy of this decision. And it is hypocritical. Many Republican Senators opposed consideration of Merrick Garland when he was nominated in 2016 because it was an election year. Several pledged, for the sake of consistency, to oppose the consideration of any Trump nominee in 2020. But nearly all are ready to go back on their word to create an enduring right-wing majority on the court.
But beyond the hypocrisy, the Senate's decision is heartless. Millions of Americans desperately need help. But the Senate is choosing to ignore the ongoing pandemic to pursue a narrow ideological agenda.
It has been more than five months since the United States Senate has passed legislation responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
On April 21, when the Senate last passed legislation, there were 834,948 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, which have resulted in 46,380 deaths. Today, there are more than 7 million confirmed cases, which have resulted in more than 200,000 deaths.
The number of Americans that have died from COVID-19 is the equivalent of the 9/11 attack, every day, for 66 straight days.
The pandemic, of course, has impacted everyone — not just those who have gotten sick. The country is in the middle of an economic crisis. There are millions of people without jobs, facing eviction, and unable to provide their children with enough food.
In response, Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans plan to do nothing. Instead, they will focus the next six weeks on confirming a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Much of the coverage has focused on the hypocrisy of this decision. And it is hypocritical. Many Republican Senators opposed consideration of Merrick Garland when he was nominated in 2016 because it was an election year. Several pledged, for the sake of consistency, to oppose the consideration of any Trump nominee in 2020. But nearly all are ready to go back on their word to create an enduring right-wing majority on the court.
But beyond the hypocrisy, the Senate's decision is heartless. Millions of Americans desperately need help. But the Senate is choosing to ignore the ongoing pandemic to pursue a narrow ideological agenda.
