During the Senate hearing on the confirmation of Jeff Sessions to Attorney General of the United States of America, Elizabeth Warren was (in effect) told to shut up. Using Rule XIX (outline of rule on senate page: here), Mitch McConnell set into motion the silencing of Senator Elizabeth Warren who was reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King regarding Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III. When Warren was first chastised for reading the letter she said: “I am surprised that the words of Coretta Scott King are not suitable for debate in the United States Senate.” The Washington Post has a scan of the actual letter posted: here. BuzzFeed News first reported the existence of the letter earlier Tuesday, noting that it was never entered into the congressional record by then-Judiciary Committee Chair Strom Thurmond. In 1986, Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., wrote a letter to Sen. Strom Thurmond criticizing Jeff Sessions, who was then a nominee to be a federal judge.
The letter (actually read by Warren before a delayed response using the Rule XIX) is as follows:
Dear Senator Thurmond:
I write to express my sincere opposition to the confirmation of Jefferson B. Sessions as a federal district court judge for the Southern District of Alabama. My professional and personal roots in Alabama are deep and lasting. Anyone who has used the power of his office as United States Attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot by citizens should not be elevated to our courts. Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters. For this reprehensible conduct, he should not be rewarded with a federal judgeship.
I regret that a long-standing commitment prevents me from appearing in person to testify against this nominee. However, I have attached a copy of my statement opposing Mr. Sessions’ confirmation and I request that my statement as well as this be made a part of the hearing record.
I do sincerely urge you to oppose the confirmation of Mr. Sessions.
Sincerely,
Coretta Scott King
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) opposed the reading of Mrs King’s letter. Instead of writing about it, I will let you watch it here:
After a party-line vote of the senators present, Warren was told to sit down, ending her ability to speak on behalf of her constituents in Massachusetts. In defense of the action, McConnell gave every Womens March participant their new rally cry when saying: “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.” Again, here is a listen:
After being silenced, the letter was read, in its entirety, by Sen Bernie Sanders. An article from Washington Post about it can be read: here. To see Bernie’s defense of Warren and his demands for an apology, watch this video:
It is fascinating that if Mrs King’s letter was of great offense to the Committee (as read by Warren), then why was nothing said when the same letter was read by her male counterpart. It smacks of the stereotypical “keep the women in their place” mentality that one would think that the Republicans would want to steer clear of.
I am not a fan of Mitch McConnell (at all). McConnell is a dinosaur that weights down the ability to breathe fresh air into the “boys club” of the senate. He was elected in 1984. Thirty-three years later he is still there, going stronger than ever. I am an ardent supporter of a two term limit for ALL political positions. In politics (IMHO), longevity breeds corruption.
My issue – in the days since McConnell muttered the words “she persisted,” he has been blasted in the media for being the misogynistic villain I have always thought him to be. I said to myself, “Wow, he is finally being taken to task for his words and actions.” When a person shows you who they are, believe them the first time. The thing is, there was a vote to silence Elizabeth Warren. 49 Senators believed that it was ok to tell her to shut up and sit down. 49 Senators who were ok with a male counterpart reading the exact same letter. 49 Senators that should be called to task, not JUST McConnell. I plan on writing a few postcards this week just to voice my disdain. I will write one to Mitch, of course. If I am subjected to his blathering political ads every election in which he has a presence (due to proximity of my state to his), then I feel that it is only fair that he gets to hear from me when he is being an ass. The other postcards will go to the females that voted to silence another woman. Among the ranks, Shelley Moore Capito from my home state of West Virginia.
| Capito, Shelley Moore | R | F | WV |
| Collins, Susan | R | F | ME |
| Ernst, Joni | R | F | IA |
| Fischer, Deb | R | F | NE |
| Murkowski, Lisa | R | F | AK |
Eventually I am going to do a GoT shaming of Capito, if she ever finds herself pulled away from DC back to the state which she represents.
Grouped By Vote Position
| YEAs —49 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Burr (R-NC) Capito (R-WV) Cassidy (R-LA) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Cotton (R-AR) Crapo (R-ID) Daines (R-MT) Enzi (R-WY) Ernst (R-IA) Fischer (R-NE) | Flake (R-AZ) Gardner (R-CO) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inhofe (R-OK) Johnson (R-WI) Kennedy (R-LA) Lankford (R-OK) Lee (R-UT) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS) Murkowski (R-AK) Paul (R-KY) | Perdue (R-GA) Portman (R-OH) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rounds (R-SD) Rubio (R-FL) Sasse (R-NE) Scott (R-SC) Shelby (R-AL) Sullivan (R-AK) Thune (R-SD) Tillis (R-NC) Toomey (R-PA) Wicker (R-MS) Young (R-IN) |
| NAYs —43 | ||
| Baldwin (D-WI) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Booker (D-NJ) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Casey (D-PA) Cortez Masto (D-NV) Donnelly (D-IN) Duckworth (D-IL) Durbin (D-IL) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Harris (D-CA) | Hassan (D-NH) Heinrich (D-NM) Heitkamp (D-ND) Hirono (D-HI) Kaine (D-VA) King (I-ME) Klobuchar (D-MN) Leahy (D-VT) Manchin (D-WV) Markey (D-MA) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Murphy (D-CT) Murray (D-WA) | Nelson (D-FL) Peters (D-MI) Reed (D-RI) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-NM) Van Hollen (D-MD) Warren (D-MA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| Not Voting – 8 | ||
| Carper (D-DE) Coons (D-DE) Cruz (R-TX) | Feinstein (D-CA) Isakson (R-GA) Sanders (I-VT) | Sessions (R-AL) Warner (D-VA) |
Grouped by Home State
| Alabama: | Sessions (R-AL), Not Voting | Shelby (R-AL), Yea |
| Alaska: | Murkowski (R-AK), Yea | Sullivan (R-AK), Yea |
| Arizona: | Flake (R-AZ), Yea | McCain (R-AZ), Yea |
| Arkansas: | Boozman (R-AR), Yea | Cotton (R-AR), Yea |
| California: | Feinstein (D-CA), Not Voting | Harris (D-CA), Nay |
| Colorado: | Bennet (D-CO), Nay | Gardner (R-CO), Yea |
| Connecticut: | Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay | Murphy (D-CT), Nay |
| Delaware: | Carper (D-DE), Not Voting | Coons (D-DE), Not Voting |
| Florida: | Nelson (D-FL), Nay | Rubio (R-FL), Yea |
| Georgia: | Isakson (R-GA), Not Voting | Perdue (R-GA), Yea |
| Hawaii: | Hirono (D-HI), Nay | Schatz (D-HI), Nay |
| Idaho: | Crapo (R-ID), Yea | Risch (R-ID), Yea |
| Illinois: | Duckworth (D-IL), Nay | Durbin (D-IL), Nay |
| Indiana: | Donnelly (D-IN), Nay | Young (R-IN), Yea |
| Iowa: | Ernst (R-IA), Yea | Grassley (R-IA), Yea |
| Kansas: | Moran (R-KS), Yea | Roberts (R-KS), Yea |
| Kentucky: | McConnell (R-KY), Yea | Paul (R-KY), Yea |
| Louisiana: | Cassidy (R-LA), Yea | Kennedy (R-LA), Yea |
| Maine: | Collins (R-ME), Yea | King (I-ME), Nay |
| Maryland: | Cardin (D-MD), Nay | Van Hollen (D-MD), Nay |
| Massachusetts: | Markey (D-MA), Nay | Warren (D-MA), Nay |
| Michigan: | Peters (D-MI), Nay | Stabenow (D-MI), Nay |
| Minnesota: | Franken (D-MN), Nay | Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay |
| Mississippi: | Cochran (R-MS), Yea | Wicker (R-MS), Yea |
| Missouri: | Blunt (R-MO), Yea | McCaskill (D-MO), Nay |
| Montana: | Daines (R-MT), Yea | Tester (D-MT), Nay |
| Nebraska: | Fischer (R-NE), Yea | Sasse (R-NE), Yea |
| Nevada: | Cortez Masto (D-NV), Nay | Heller (R-NV), Yea |
| New Hampshire: | Hassan (D-NH), Nay | Shaheen (D-NH), Nay |
| New Jersey: | Booker (D-NJ), Nay | Menendez (D-NJ), Nay |
| New Mexico: | Heinrich (D-NM), Nay | Udall (D-NM), Nay |
| New York: | Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay | Schumer (D-NY), Nay |
| North Carolina: | Burr (R-NC), Yea | Tillis (R-NC), Yea |
| North Dakota: | Heitkamp (D-ND), Nay | Hoeven (R-ND), Yea |
| Ohio: | Brown (D-OH), Nay | Portman (R-OH), Yea |
| Oklahoma: | Inhofe (R-OK), Yea | Lankford (R-OK), Yea |
| Oregon: | Merkley (D-OR), Nay | Wyden (D-OR), Nay |
| Pennsylvania: | Casey (D-PA), Nay | Toomey (R-PA), Yea |
| Rhode Island: | Reed (D-RI), Nay | Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay |
| South Carolina: | Graham (R-SC), Yea | Scott (R-SC), Yea |
| South Dakota: | Rounds (R-SD), Yea | Thune (R-SD), Yea |
| Tennessee: | Alexander (R-TN), Yea | Corker (R-TN), Yea |
| Texas: | Cornyn (R-TX), Yea | Cruz (R-TX), Not Voting |
| Utah: | Hatch (R-UT), Yea | Lee (R-UT), Yea |
| Vermont: | Leahy (D-VT), Nay | Sanders (I-VT), Not Voting |
| Virginia: | Kaine (D-VA), Nay | Warner (D-VA), Not Voting |
| Washington: | Cantwell (D-WA), Nay | Murray (D-WA), Nay |
| West Virginia: | Capito (R-WV), Yea | Manchin (D-WV), Nay |
| Wisconsin: | Baldwin (D-WI), Nay | Johnson (R-WI), Yea |
| Wyoming: | Barrasso (R-WY), Yea | Enzi (R-WY), Yea |
Other articles on the subject:
Slate: Mitch McConnell Inadvertently Coined the Latest Feminist Catchphrase: “She Persisted”
The Atlantic: ‘Nevertheless, She Persisted’ and the Age of the Weaponized Meme
The Atlantic: Thou Shalt Not Impugn a Fellow Senator
Thoughts and Ponderances 