When I was still working there was a large plant in the lobby of my company. It never grew, never died. For a long time I assumed it was artificial. Eventually I confirmed otherwise. After passing through the lobby regularly I started asking co-workers what that plant was. The most common response was “What plant?”
So goes the congressional career of one Andy Harris, MD.
Harris has been in congress for 12 years. He has never accomplished anything while there. He has held no serious positions of leadership in his party. He only surfaces to take credit for legislative actions he voted AGAINST and, like a grumpy old man, yells at his neighbors for enjoying a puff of weed.
Recently we learned that Harris was at a crazy meeting of back-bench Republican congressmen, who met with Trump in December, 2020 to plot a scheme to keep Trump in the White House despite having lost the 2020 election. Many earlier reports on this meeting didn’t mention that Harris was there. Initial reports only included noted back-benchers such as Louie Gohmert, Jim Jordan, Paul Gossar and Marjorie Taylor Greene, among others. Harris didn’t even make the back-bench team. Until details emerged just recently, nobody even knew he was there.
Voters will decide in November whether or not to send a houseplant back to Congress. One thing we know for certain. Eventually Harris will no longer be in Congress. When he is gone, there will be no evidence that he was ever there.
Jim Bachman
Easton
James Wilson says
Please, get out and vote! And not for Harris.
Francine De Sanctis says
Wonderful letter and to the exact point. Harris is a waste of a vote for ANYTHING resembling Congressional leadership. Why is he there? Anyone who has tried (in vain) to solicit a response to countless messages left with his staff knows just how much he bears any responsibility to constituents. Why is he there?
As Jim so succinctly puts it, why send another houseplant to Washington?
Al DiCenso says
I could not agree more with Mr. Bachman. “Dr.” Andy Harris is worthless, useless, and above all a liar and a cheat, who broke his vow to “uphold and protect the Constitution”. The fact that he has chosen to be a Trump lapdog further disqualifies him from any serious consideration for re-election. He is a disgrace to his profession as well.
Sarah Ramsey says
Great letter! Pointed and even humorous.
Thanks
Graham Falln says
It is an appropriate metaphor but it would be interesting to know who was coming in under night to water this ugly plant in the hope of maintaining viability …probably the Kock Bothers
Graham Fallon
Keswick Virginia
Deirdre LaMotte says
Now Round Up may have a purpose, no?
He and his need to move to the Christian Nationalist
Hungary. Just think fascist: every one white, no gays,
women barefoot and pregnant and white males
who cannot compete in the real world, rule!
Richard Bearman says
Yes, I’ve always referred to him as Andy’s so useless. It’s remarkable: 12 years in Congress, sponsored one (1) bill to rename some US building – post office, I think. Oddly, he votes against his colleagues when they put up similar bills for their post offices.
It may be his saving grace to be so ineffective. Given his far right beliefs, imagine if he were competent!
Michael Pullen says
We’ll said. Dr. Harris has no vision for helping American workers and their families. He wants to turn America into Hungary, an authoritarian state where freedom of the press and an independent judiciary are suppressed. He is willing to overthrow the bedrock of our democracy, free, fair and honest elections to achieve his radical and dangerous agenda. Why does he hate the country that gave his parents refuge and their children opportunities? father emigrated from,
Deirdre LaMotte says
Today we learned “one of Hungarian president Viktor Orban’s longtime advisors resigned over what she called
his recent “pure Nazi” speech about “mixed-race nations”. “I don’t know how you didn’t notice that the speech you delivered is a purely Nazi diatribe worthy of Joseph Goebbels, she wrote”.
Yet Orban, a known favorite of Harris’ is scheduled to speak next month at CPAC in Dallas, TX. Every GOP
“leader” will be there taking notes. Unbelievable.
Heather Cox Richardson, Letter from an American 26 July, 2022
Bob Kopec says
Mr. Bachman has hit the nail on the head in describing the 12 years that Andy Harris has been in Congress. A big nothing.
Michael Davis says
Excellent letter with humor and truth. I’ve never thought of Andy Harris as an inert plant. I would only add that comparing him to a plant is an insult to plants everywhere.
JT Phelan says
Perhaps Houseplant Harris is the handgun totin’ son of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors.
Anne Stalfort says
Gives me hope to read so many Anti-Andy letters.
Damon Hostetter says
A Congressman should be expected to uphold the Oath of Office that he swore to – that is to “support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. . . “ This is the minimum we should expect of an elected official.
Andy Harris has violated this oath and should immediately resign or be removed from office.