On Monday, Glenn read a letter from “The Forgotten Man.” Glenn has talked a lot about the idea of a “forgotten man” lately. The forgotten man is the everyday American who has been forced out of the political process so that progressives could satisfy their goals. It’s the person who has money taken out of his or her paycheck each month to go towards programs and policies that keep the Harry Reids, Nancy Pelosis, and John McCains of the world in office. It’s the millions of Americans who just want to be decent to one another, to use common sense, and stay out of the games being played in Washington.
On radio this morning, Glenn read another email he received from “The Forgotten Man”:
Glenn,
The Republicans caved as I expected, but that's not news where I live. As the discussions were going on in Washington this week, I called my senator and I called my congressmen too. I left them a message with my phone number and my e-mail address. I asked them to stand tall, to get the spending in order, to make Obamacare equal for all Americans, not just special interests. The recording that I received said they would send me a response. I've called them before, got the same recording. I won't hear from them. After all, I'm The Forgotten Man.
The media today is blaming the TEA Party for all the ills in Washington. I laugh when I hear that, Glenn. Just give me 10 minutes with each of those so-called journalists, just 10 minutes. I'd ask them, "What is the TEA Party? How did the TEA Party get started? What do people who support the TEA Party principles actually believe in?" I can guarantee you, Glenn, they don't know the answers. But I would share it with them anyway. We believe in liberty. We believe in freedom. We believe in a much smaller representative government. We believe in the God-given right that has been given to each individual. And then I'd ask those journalists, "When you give your daughter her allowance on Saturday and she comes back to you the next Wednesday saying she spent it all, and more, what do you tell her?” If they reply, "Well, you're going to have to wait until next Saturday and you're going to have to work it out," I'd tell those journalists, "Welcome to the TEA Party." If I met somebody in Hollywood and I asked them, "Why do you use Toronto to depict New York City in their recent movie," and they told me, "Well, it's cheaper to do it there," I'd say, "My gosh, you sound like not only a capitalist but a new member of the TEA Party." I'd ask them if they believe that every man, woman, and child should be treated equally, regardless of their gender, race, or religion. They would all say, in their journalistic ivory towers, "Of course." And I would say, "Welcome to the TEA Party."
You see, where I live, Glenn, using common sense, sharing common values, and exhibiting common courtesy is not the exception. It's the norm. But I'm The Forgotten Man. And speaking of parties, maybe it is time for a third one. But not for the so-called journalists I see on TV because they already have enough parties. That's why I don't think they ask any that you had probing questions. In April I was watching the White House Correspondents Dinner on C-Span. Before it got started, they showed the journalists arriving. I thought I was watching the Academy Awards. Designer dresses, tuxedos, limousines. As each one entered, the flash bulbs would go off. Then they would stop, smile, turn slightly to the right. More flash bulbs, slightly shifting to the left, more pictures. I thought to myself, they're not journalists; they're the Kardashians. And it's the same thing when the Washington Post or the New York Times or Vanity Fair throws a party. They will sell their souls to be there. But they don't really have any souls to sell because they've already sold them before. If you work in the media in Washington or in New York or in Hollywood, I guess you have a decision to make: You can ask the tough questions that Americans actually would support you on, actually expect you to ask, or you can ask the "I want an invitation to the next party" question.
Glenn, I'm through with all of them, but I want you to know I'm also through with complaining. Misery loves company, but I'm kicking misery to the curb. The next time I write to ya, I'm going to focus on what's good, on what's possible, what's remarkable about America. I may be The Forgotten Man, but I haven't forgotten about America. You say this all the time, "We'll get through this." We will. Just wait and see. Much the sun is always brightest right after the storm.
- The Forgotten Man
“The Forgotten Man is in the 49 other states today that didn't get $2 billion job project for Mitch McConnell. That's who The Forgotten Man is. They took your money because, see, Mitch McConnell needs to be reelected. Now Mitch McConnell will say, ‘I had nothing to do with that,’” Glenn explained. “I know. I know. I know. Was it Dianne Feinstein? She's so great. You know how much she loves to build dams and dam up rivers. You know, they all love that in California.”
“And so what happened? Me in Texas, you wherever you are, people in Minnesota, people in Maine, because Mitch McConnell needs to be reelected, he worked it out with his Senate buddies, a bill that he wrote two years ago, had somebody else tuck it into the grand plan yesterday. And so yesterday, when they voted to reopen the government, you didn't get anything. You didn't get anything,” he continued. “You still have to abide by Obamacare. You still have to do all of the things that you have to do. The President doesn't have to. The Congress doesn't have to. Certain businesses don't have to. But you do. You do. But just so we can reelect Mitch McConnell, and he can keep his boot on the throat of America, he got a special deal. And they picked your pocket last night to do it. Took $2 billion. And not from you. I shouldn't say they picked your pocket. They picked your children's pocket. Because they’re gonna pay for it.”
Front page image courtesy of the AP