Cohen’s cool hand
Paul Newman passed away in September. So why did it take Congress so long to pass a resolution honoring his life, as is customary when an American icon dies?
The short answer has to do with the vagaries of the congressional calendar. Last year, Newman’s home-district representative, Christopher Shays, R-Conn., submitted a resolution. But coming toward the end of the session with elections looming, the calendar only allowed for very specific business to reach the floor. Then Shays was defeated in November.
When Congress reconvened, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., who was one of the bill’s original co-sponsors, picked up the mantle. (His spokeswoman tells us that as a member of the Tennessee legislature in 1985, Cohen passed a resolution honoring Newman for his acting and his philanthropy, and received a “nice note” in return.)
Clearly, Cohen’s not Newman’s only fan on the Hill. On the House floor Tuesday, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, noted Newman’s “steely blue eyes,” while Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., referred to his “burgeoning marinara empire.”
Said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.: “The right wing tried to punish him in the marketplace, but the right wing could never win that argument because the American people knew Paul Newman and trusted him.”
And Cohen exhorted “everyone to visit Newman’s Own [products], look at Paul Newman, think about Paul Newman, and buy salad dressing, popcorn, spaghetti and let his legacy live on.”
