TRIUMPH IS EXPENSIVE: HONORING MY FRIEND RACHEL

She’s a tiny powerhouse, hair in ringlets, face of an angel, but
when she wants something to happen, woe unto those who stand in her
way.  Her name is Rachel, and  because of her, we’re all a lot safer
than we were yesterday.  Really.  Safer.

One of the things we discover as years pass is just how much
discipline, determination and talent it takes to win a big battle.
People who win show up on the front page, on the evening news, in
Talking Points Memo… all over the place.  It looks so great to be the
one taking the bow.  Most of the time, nobody knows what it took to get
there.  Can’t imagine, and probably, don’t care.  But I know.  And I
care.

Just weeks ago Congress, by huge margins in both houses, passed what the Wall Street Journal
called "The biggest overhaul of U.S. product-safety rules in a
generation."  It’s going to make a real difference in our lives and the
lives of our children – and theirs. And one of the people who made it
happen, quoted "above the fold" and interviewed all over the place
after the bill passed, who ate, slept and worked this bill 24 hours a
day for close to two years, is my friend Rachel Weintraub.  (Ms. Magazine did a story about her called "Rachel and Goliath".)

And while she was so determined to get the bill (remember, I said she
was determined?) she never took time off from being a remarkable
mother, wife and friend.  When we first began living an observant
Jewish life, it was Rachel
who took the time to teach me; who took phone calls at weird times when
I was in Giant and needed to know if something was kosher or what to do
on a holiday.  Who taught me
how to light Sabbath candles.  Who was always ready with a meal for a
family with a new baby or a sad loss.

Mother to two beautiful children, it was
Rachel who, with her husband Scott, created an amazing home with lovely rituals for her family that will
build strong, joyous memories, and then sat up until 2 in the morning
(literally) reviewing documents and amendments, who cooked Shabbat
dinners while on conference calls and birthday cakes while dealing with
a disparate and sometimes fractious coalition.

I guess she’s not a saint, but she’s a pretty amazing woman and
someone whom I admire deeply.  I’m not sure I can describe the energy
and concentration it took to get this bill to happen; how she went days on
4-5 hours of sleep a night because documents had to be dealt with and
she waited to do the work until after the kids were asleep, not to mention all the discouraged periods when
it looked like it wasn’t going to work.  But she never stopped.

So next time you notice that children’s toys and other products are now being tested independently and before they go on the market instead of after someone gets hurt, and that there are new toy safety standards, or that those nasty phthalates
are gone from sippy cups and water bottles, or that there’s more
enforcement going on because the budget is doubled, that’s why.

Think about the powerful interests that fought this comprehensive
bill, and the coalition members with particular interests who needed to
guarantee that their perspectives were represented in the final bill
and you’ll understand what a miracle it is that it happened.  And with
huge majorities in both houses.

So if you’re inclined, post a thank you here and I’ll see that she
gets it.  It’s not much to do – and she deserves thanks – from all of
us.