It is a beautiful morning in western Maryland, and I sit by my window listening to the birds chirping and watching the kids waiting for the school bus. This is part of what America is all about… a day that has a bright future to it.
But underneath everything, there is a lot to worry about. The veto of the SCHIP program has shown a level of government disconcern that is frightening. Yesterday I responded to Howard Dean’s organizational e-mail and signed the petition calling for an override of the veto. My signatured letter went to Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, my Democratic Senators, and Roscoe Bartlet, my Republican Congressman, urging them to vote for the override. This was a bill after all with more than 70% of Congressional support. I know that the Senate can override, but the House is a sticky matter.
Roscoe Bartlett voted against the SCHIP and is not likely to vote for an override. In his radio address yesterday he bragged that, in targeting him as one who didn’t vote for it, Harry Reid had shown that Bartlett’s vote was the only “correct” one.
I have not lived in a Republican controlled region in a long time and I don’t think Bartlett will either respond to my letter, or will change his vote.
If the override doesn’t go through in 2 weeks, the only thing left to do is to keep bringing back the legislation attached to other bills. Sooner or later the Republicans will see how this is working against them. Perhaps Bartlett will, too.