Last year we wrote “Educator Sister Simone Campbell Blamed By The GOP for American Poverty,'” which was?about House Republicans attacking Sister Simone Campbell.
Have you ever had one of those experiences where the day’s events were just so exceedingly bizarre that you felt as though you had somehow been sucked into an episode of the Twilight Zone?? I have to believe that after Wednesday’s House Budget Committee hearing, Sister Simone Campbell probably felt as though she had just had one of those experiences.
If you are a person that has been somewhat out-of-touch with the political world for the last few years, you may not have heard of Sister Simone or the Nuns on the Bus tour that started last year. Sister Simone is a very well-known and well-educated woman in the political world who also happens to be a nun. She is an attorney, a religious leader, and has served as Executive Director of NETWORK since 2004. She is also a lobbyist and educator of public policy issues, and a well-respected speaker for issues of peace building, immigration reform, health care, and economic justice. She is often called upon to offer testimony from her experiences working with people in poverty.
Despite Sister Simone’s unusual life experience and credentials, Republicans on the committee did not question her testimony. Instead, they questioned her personal credentials and morals as a nun. As if that were not enough, they then proceeded to put the blame of poverty on Sister. Simone and the Catholic Church. Former VP candidate Paul Ryan (R-WI) serves as Chairman of the committee. At one point, toward the end of the hearing, he finally jumped in and defended Sister Simone and her credentials as if she were his best friend. If you know the history between those two, you know you are in the Twilight Zone when Paul Ryan comes out looking like the good guy.
In that article, we gave a brief mention to?Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), who used his time to fire back at Republicans on the Committee. He Stated:
?This hearing is surreal. It ought to be about jobs. We are not living in the real world. Nobody here has to make a decision about whether you feed your kids or not.?
I want to draw attention to his comments, however. They didn’t receive enough attention at the time, and we need to acknowledge him. Love this guy! He totally gets it. We’re too often critical of this demographic — wealthy old white guys — and don’t often enough acknowledge the great ones. Watch the video below.
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Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
