Congressman Jim Cooper’s “Zombie Congress”
Rep. Jim Cooper (democrat from Tennessee) is warning: “After November 6, we’ll have a zombie Congress”
Joshua Green (national correspondent for Bloomberg Businessweek and weekly political columnist for the Boston Globe) writes that Congressman Cooper is worried about postponing budget action into the lame duck session, and possibilities of a “Taxmaggedon” if “zombie Congress” does not act before January 1st (the consequences if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, the so-called “sequester” across the board cuts, as discussed in my ZombieLaw post: “Zombie Simpson-Bowles”
Rep. Cooper is quoted by Green as saying: “the 55 members who have already announced they’re retiring or seeking a different office” and “everybody who loses reelection” will “literally be the living dead, except they’ll be back in Washington and have voting cards.”
And speaking about what would happen if Congress does not act, Cooper explained: “Thoughtless, across-the-board cuts that would take a lawn mower to the budget and wouldn’t preserve investments in growth. It’d be government on autopilot. You might as well have robots in charge.”
Automated, robot government? Green adds, concluding: “Or zombies.” – but I bolded “lawn mower” as a shout out to The Lawnmower Man.
The article appears both in Bloomberg Businessweek as “The Zombie Apocalypse That May Ruin the Recovery” and in the Boston Globe as simply “Zombie Congress”
Recall also, this is the second Congressman to use the word zombie recently (that I know of). See ZombieLaw post about Congressman Jared Polis recently using the word zombie while speaking from the floor of the House about zombie earmarks.
Be sure to tweet to Congressman Cooper @repjimcooper and tell him you appreciate his use of the word zombie.
And While you are at it, tell Congressman Polis @jaredpolis to use the word again.
And of course be sure to follow this ZombieLaw blog @LawZombie as I try to keep up with the escalating usage of zombies in law and politics.
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