December 24, 2021

By Thom Hartmann

Washington is overrun with reporters, pundits and political opinion writers (I lived there and was one of them for 7 years during Obama’s presidency).  Their job, particularly for the reporters, includes asking politicians questions on issues of importance. 

And they’ve been doing a great job following Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema around asking them why they’re sabotaging their own President’s agenda and, in the case of Sinema, why she would sabotage voting rights by refusing to consider filibuster carve-outs.

But here’s a important NEWS FLASH FOR THE DC MEDIA: Democrats aren’t the only politicians in Washington, DC!

And those two particular Democrats aren’t even running for reelection.

How about checking in with the politicians who must soon answer to their voters in primaries and the midterm election in November?

Why, for example, has no reporter stuck a microphone in Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s face and asked, “Why don’t you want Florida’s seniors to have dental care included in Medicare?”

Why has no reporter asked Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski what she has against young Alaskan families getting the child tax credit?

Why has no reporter asked Republican John Boozman what he hates about Arkansas’ working people who struggle daily for giant corporations having paid sick time or paid family leave?

Why haven’t they asked Republican Mike Crapo why he’s unwilling to let Medicare negotiate pharmaceutical prices for retired Idahoans?

Or check in with Indiana Republican Todd Young about why he doesn’t want to do anything about the extreme weather that’s flooding and tearing up his Midwest because of climate change?

Why is Republican Jerry Moran afraid to raise income taxes on Kansas’ billionaires who’re paying 3% or less every year while the rest of us are getting soaked?

How about asking Republican Rand Paul why he doesn’t want young, struggling Kentucky parents to have access to free pre-school for their 3- to 5-year-olds?

I’ll bet Louisianans are curious why their Republican Senator John Kennedy thinks it’s okay for voters to stand in line for 6 hours or more — and why he thinks states should feel free to purge voters from their rolls pretty much anytime and anywhere they want?

Could Republican John Hoeven perhaps explain what he has against capping childcare expenses for working-class North Dakotans at 7% of their total income?

Maybe Oklahoma Republican James Lankford could tell his state’s diabetic voters why he thinks it’s just fine for them to pay five hundred dollars for the same insulin they could buy in Canada for $35?

South Carolina’s Republican Tim Scott might be willing to explain why so many corporations that report billions in profits every year to their investors (while making huge contributions to him), pay no corporate income taxes whatsoever?

Why has no enterprising reporter cornered South Dakota Republican John Thune to inquire as to why he objects to lowering premiums and deductibles for his constituents’ health insurance but keeps taking money from their lobbies?

Perhaps Republican Mike Lee could explain why Utah’s seniors on Medicare shouldn’t get hearing aids? 

Maybe Republican Ron Johnson would care to explain his objection to Wisconsin seniors getting eyeglasses?

These are the main points addressed by President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation: Every single one of these Republicans can vote yes or no on it.  They’re not in jail or wearing handcuffs, for God’s sake. 

And these are just the senators who’re facing reelection this coming year.  Doesn’t that looming November date, at the very least, make their answers newsworthy? 

Maybe even dramatic??

And don’t forget the 215 Republicans in the House of Representatives who are all up for reelection in eleven months!  

Have you heard a single reporter ask any of them why they want to keep these benefits away from the American people?

Some of those answers could be real jaw-droppers! I can imagine a lot of mic-drop moments that will increase TV viewership and thus reporters’ employers’ advertising revenue!!

Some could even make their way into political advertising this fall, further fattening network revenues and raising the profiles of any intrepid reporter who dares ask a tough question of a Republican!

My colleagues in the DC and state-house press are dropping the ball big-time. 

It’s time to quit slacking off, just chasing the low-hanging fruit of two camera-addicted Democrats, when there’s an entire Congress full of Republicans who are involved in every single piece of legislation that’s stalled in the Senate or might return to the House for Conference Committee work.

Americans know all about the Manchin/Sinema drama.  Enough. 

We deserve to know where Republicans stand.

Particularly since any one or two of them, if they decided to take the moral and popular position because of a little media exposure, could swing everything in the direction overwhelmingly supported by American public opinion and their own voters.

DC Press Corps and Sunday show hosts: Do your damn job.

The website of origin for this commentary is HartmannReport.com.

Thom Hartmann is a talk-show host and the author of The Hidden History of the War on Voting and more than 30 other books in print. His most recent project is a science podcast called The Science Revolution.

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