Jon Stewart calls Congress ‘our country’s last’ & ‘worst responders’ over Zadroga Act
About two-years-ago I started calling some of our KICs (Keyboard Incident Commanders) “Last Responders.” Today (Wednesday) Jon Stewart, on a return trip to Capitol Hill, came up with a much better use for that term. The former host of “The Daily Show” tells us the country’s “last responders” and “worst responders” are those in Congress who fail to support the men and women who responded on 9/11 and the days that followed. I may have been first, but Jon Stewart’s use is much better and for a much more important cause.
As I’ve urged before, stop supporting politicians who don’t support firefighters on such an crucial issue as the Zadroga Act. We saw some brave people in public safety rush in after another act of terror yesterday. It’s important not just to firefighters, EMS and police officers, but to everyone, that those who protect us know that they won’t be abandoned in the aftermath of such a tragedy.
Comedian Jon Stewart headed back to Capitol Hill Thursday to blast Congress’ “stupid and embarrassing” failure to renew the Zadroga Act.
“We have a bunch of first responders outside freezing their asses off,” he said. “Our country’s last responders, our country’s worst responders, are inside nice and comfy and cozy, and probably having soup.”
He pointed the finger at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who many Zadroga backers have also blamed for blocking the bill after it was left out of a massive highway bill they hoped to include it in.
Several ailing 9/11 first responders spent the morning seeking meetings with Sens. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who have not endorsed the bill.
“We just can’t figure out why we have to drag guys hundreds of time down to Washington who are suffering from cancer, to plead their case when our country should have taken care of them in the first place,” Stewart said in a brief meeting with Portman’s chief-of-staff.
“This is insanity,” he told reporters after the meeting. “They’re forgetting that there are real people involved with this.”
Sen @LindseyGrahamSC telling 9/11 bill advocates and Jon Stewart: “we’ll get there” pic.twitter.com/heu5di9Flk
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) December 3, 2015
Capitol Police ask Jon Stewart to leave the Senate subway stop in the Capitol earlier this afternoon pic.twitter.com/4cylJzU8sF — Bill Clark (@billclarkphotos) December 3, 2015
