The President Picks on Cotton

I wonder if I will be accused of a racist slur due to the title of this post?

Daylight saving time is back in the news. For whatever reason, the president and Congress (with at least one exception) favor making daylight saving time permanent. However, Pat argued, quite convincingly, that it is standard time that should be permanent. It has something to do with circadian rhythms. (See my July 19 post.) But the House voted for it 318–117, which means a bunch of democrats actually voted for something the president favors! Mark your calendars, assuming we can still agree on what time it is.

In my home state of Georgia, the only representative who voted against it was Atlanta’s Rep. Nikema Williams, who said, “I’m never afraid to stand alone if it means standing up for the people I serve.” She voiced concerns about the safety of school-age children, since the change would mean darker mornings during their commutes, and she emphasized the importance of representing those who may not have a voice, like children. If you’ve ever seen school children standing in the dark waiting for a school bus at 7 a.m., it is already a pretty grim scene without subtracting the sunlight. Children, who can’t vote but can absolutely refuse to get out of bed.

Good for her.

The bill would have sailed through the Senate were it not for Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, normally one of the president’s reliable allies. The president did not take it well. He blasted Cotton in a long post on “Truth” Social and, for good measure, shared the senator’s cell phone number with the entire internet. Isn’t that called “doxxing”? It certainly isn’t called “diplomacy.”

Almost immediately, the president was sharply criticized by Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, who said Trump could go from zero to a-hole in about three seconds. Kennedy also said of the president, “He exists loudly. He can be tempestuous. I don’t think he should have given out Tom’s cell phone number. I don’t think that’s going to help convince Tom.”

Did Kennedy (who is not up for re-election) actually call the president an “a-hole”? Apparently freedom from campaigning is a wonderful thing and allows even a politician to tell the truth once in a while (although Kennedy is known for his candor).

Recall that Cotton said, “If permanent daylight saving time becomes the law of the land, it will again make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans.” Little did he know his own winter was about to get a lot more dismal, thanks to the president who posted: