idée fixe

Dear Senator Portman,

So, I wanted to thank you for responding to my last several e-mails with the e-mail that you sent to me on 03-May. One thing struck me as I read it, however, and that is that you seem to be stuck on a few ideas, and that those ideas are, quite honestly, factually wrong. Which I have pointed out to you in my last several communications to you.

Which brought to mind two quotes from great writers that I thought you might enjoy.

Here is the first :

“Facts are lonely things” ― Don DeLillo, Libra

And I thought to myself :

and nowhere are facts (and logic) more lonely than in our nation's capital, among our leaders, choosing to denude themselves of facts in some sort of tribal bonding process, chest-beating obstination, played out at our nation's expense. 

And, of course, perhaps since you have freed yourself of the burden to act and speak in accordance with factual information or logic, how important it must be to latch firmly, with death grip, onto any next idea proffered by leadership, and hold to that idea as though it is the last idea. Since facts are not the basis of next steps, what is the path ? Since logic is no longer the navigator in decision making, what is the path ? The path is to follow Senator McConnell and the flotsam that he has provided to navigate in this new nonsense world, is to hold fast to indefensible ideas like "next year will be less partisan than this year, so that is a better time to take a decision" and "I historically only buy milk every fourth Tuesday, and even though I unfortunately spilled a little on Thursday this week, I guess I just won't have any milk until the end of next month".

"There is the condition which the modern French psychologists have called the 'idée fixe', which may be trifling in character, and accompanied by complete sanity in every other way. A man might form such an idée fixe... and under its influence be capable of any fantastic outrage." - Arthur Conan Doyle, The return of Sherlock Holmes

Let's limit the damage of the fantastic outrage that has overtaken the Republican leadership in the US Senate .... please just re-read Article II, Sec 2 of the Constitution, and recall the oath to which you pledged in January of this year, and assess whether you can withstand the loneliness of taking a position which is supported by facts and logic .... and then please #doyourjob, or do the honorable thing : resign.

Sincerely,

P.S. : This, and several of my previous letters to you, can now be viewed on-line at www.do-your-job-rob.blogspot.com. Feel free to check it out, if you want to leave any comments there.