We can’t afford the usual faux bipartisan “negotiations” on climate change

Dear President Biden,

It turns out that when I’m full-on juggling too many things at work and still trying to cook reasonably good meals, take reasonably long walks, and sleep reasonably healthy stretches, optional letter writing takes a backseat. And so it has lately.

In lieu of a real letter, here is a haiku in honor of your Climate Summit:

We will have to kill
the filibuster to lose
52 in 9.

And here’s another take on the theme:

The filibuster
is not serving our planet
or our grandchildren.

In other words, if you want to come through on the pledge you made this week to decrease our greenhouse gas emissions by 52% by 2030, you have to get really real about the opposition and do what actually needs to be done to get it done. We cannot afford the luxury of months or years of faux bipartisan “negotiations” – we all know the cynical GOP climate deniers are never, in a million years that we don’t have, going to come around and work with us in good faith. We cannot afford to be played on this one.

May we all be safe from ourselves.
May we be willing to play hardball for our children’s children’s futures.
May we be strong and steadfast in our insistence that we deal with reality.
May we accept that failure invites catastrophe.

Sincerely,
Tracy Simpson