While Republican leaders gathered in Speaker John Boehner’s Capitol office Wednesday morning for a photo op with reporters — hectoring Democrats and making the case that they’re on the right side of the payroll tax fight — an unusual scene played out on the House floor.
In an attempt to illustrate just who’s at fault for the payroll tax stalemate Minority Whip Steny Hoyer showed up to ask for a vote on the Senate’s compromise bill. Republicans could have simply objected and given Hoyer his talking point. Instead they gave him so much more.
Republicans just ignored Hoyer and refused to hear his unanimous consent request. The fill-in Speaker simply walked away.
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for unanimous consent that we bring up the bill to extend the tax cut to 160 million Americans, as you walk off the floor Mr. Speaker, you’re walking away, just as so many Republicans have walked away from middle-class tax payers, the unemployed, and very frankly as well from those who will be seeking medical assistance from their doctors — 48 million senior citizens.”
The Speaker Pro Temp, Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), was just following orders. But the optics for Republicans — who were, again, just down the hall for a media spray — were terrible.
Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.
This has been the scene many times over the last 30 years. Republicans create a mess and walk away from it. Of course, sometimes they have help from some Democrats on deregulation. However, this action is illustrative of the Republican Party's view of governance. Wreck the system and then walk away. Let's see there is Iran-Contra, Clinton's impeachment, Afghanistan, Iraq, drug prescription benefit, Bush tax cuts, etc. What next, GOP/tea party?
This petulant behavior clearly demonstrates the Republican Party's cynical partisanship. It's obvious Republicans don't care about America; they only care about being in charge.
What the heck are they doing standing for the *Pledge of Allegiance*? They aren't small children in a classroom. They are the CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. They represent the people of the nation -- that is, they virtually *are* the nation. Upon entering Congress they take an oath to support and defend the Constitution. They don't NEED to 'pledge allegiance' to a flag which was CREATED by Congress; and they don't need to 'pledge allegiance' to the "republic for which it stands" because they ARE that republic. They should be above such petty schoolroom exercises.
David Tell me why we now have "The Star Spangled Banner" sung at the beginning of every program put on by the Richmond Forum, or why it is now common practice to sing "God Bless America" during the seventh inning stretch of every baseball game. We are in an age of hyper-patriotic display.
When you take the pledge, you're not declaring loyalty to the government, you're declaring loyalty to the country. This should be obvious from the flow: "... to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation..."
They are no more the Republic than any of us are. Well, except our overseas contributors.
Also, they stand for the pledge because the flag code requires it (4 USC 4). The take the pledge because it is required by Rule XIV of the House rules.
sullivanst It's an absurdity. They've already taken an oath to the Constitution. Their loyalty should be taken for granted. They don't need theater to demonstrate it every day. If they are false to their oaths, then this performance won't make them any better.
Where does the repub/tparty allegiance to Norquist's Pledge fit in. Oh yeh, No. 1 on their list - to protect the wealthy corporatists, for therein lies my re-election and my financial future security. Insider trading info is a good thing.
sullivanstDavid Amazingly, in the country where I live, we don't pledge allegiance to anyone, or anything. It's pretty much assumed that you'll do the right thing at the right time, even if that means criticising the country and its rulers. It's part of being a citizen.
They introduced some sort of pledge for immigrants seeking citizenship but it's meaningless. Ironically the exam they've now made people take contains questions that the vast majority of natives couldn't answer. Allegiance is a bizarre concept and I'm automatically suspicious of anyone who puts their country, their government or a piece of cloth before their family, their friends, and their sense of right and wrong.
Er, it looked to me as if the Speaker-bot was closing the day's session and Hoyer decided to grandstand for the microphones. Looks like a setup by the Dems that this blog went for. Optics-al illusion?
Editer Um, I'm pretty sure that 10:00 AM is NOT the usual "closing time" for the days session, and that usually there is some amount of activity between opening a session with the Pledge of Allegiance and closing it with a gavel.
The Republicans are holding pro-forma sessions to keep Obama from issuing recess appointments (which is not something that really should be able to stop that, but that's beside the point). The "optics" here is that someone actually showed up to that 30-second session to do business, and the Republican Speaker Pro Temp walked out of the room rather than allow any business to be conducted.
Did the "Dems" expect to actually have a debate? Of course not, because they know how obstructionist and craven the Republican majority is. However, the American People *SHOULD* expect that any day that the US House of Representatives is going to claim they are "In Session" AT LEAST ONE order of business should be discussed and acted on. This may seem like "optics", but it's damned important "optics" from a general civics functional perspective.
Editer If 10:00 AM on a weekday morning is what you consider the usual time to close the day's session, then might I suggest you consider buying a new watch?
Probably better - and easier - for you to step away from the computer now.
JJRotheryEditer Editer never said is was the usual time. He just said the Speaker pro tem was closing the session. Which he was.
Editer's correct - Hoyer's speech was purely for the cameras. But Jet's also correct, and far more on point. A stunt it may have been, but it was a stunt that neatly revealed a truth: that the goobers are not interesting in doing the business of government, and that part of this disinterest is that they are not interested in passing a bipartisan extension to the payroll tax holiday.
Hoyer's speech was purely for the American people. . you know the one's who have to work for a living. The American's who are desperately trying to pay their rent, only to have the Republicans increase their taxes on January 1. A tax increase required on working people so that trust-funders and billionaires won't have to loose a couple pennies.
Editer yeah....C-SPAN much???? might want to start, as you would look somewhat less ignorant. keep on keepin' on with the faux tea.........I love fishing out of a barrel........with "sheople" shot.
Congress drew a paycheck fore the session. They officially held a session to conduct the business of operating, running and managing the government of the United States of America. This video shows exactly how much work they are doing to earn that paycheck. Editer
Editer Even a pro forma session kept running by the GOP to prevent the President from making recess appointments is considered an actual session, no matter how long it runs.
So if they're going to pull these kinds of stunts, they should expect to have one pulled back on them - like this.
The difference being of course that despite the stunt-like nature in which Hoyer brought this forward, at least he was trying to conduct business. Whereas the ongoing GOP pro forma stunt is designed to prevent same.
JJRotheryEditer Exactly, every act that the GOP house has taken in this congress has been to PREVENT the business of government from moving forward. Unless of course that business is to increase the size and cost of the police state. For some reason Republicans do believe that getting the government more intimately involved with our personal lives is important.
For some reason Republicans believe that it is the business of government to pepper spray, and arrest as many Americans as possible.
The only business that the Republican congress will let move is that which spends government money to promote religion, arrest American citizens for what they do in their own homes, or kill foreign citizens for. . . well we're not even really sure why other than they get paid enormous sums of money by military contractors.
GOP shouldn't have counted on the Friday news dump cycle to hide this for them. I can practically hear Rachel Maddow's staff furiously scribbling tonight's script from where I sit...
slbJJRothery I took that fact that it is not Friday to be JJ's point. Not knowing JJ, I can neither confirm nor deny that she has also consumed inebriating levels of alcohol - but I wouldn't blame after watching that video.
This has been the scene many times over the last 30 years. Republicans create a mess and walk away from it. Of course, sometimes they have help from some Democrats on deregulation. However, this action is illustrative of the Republican Party's view of governance. Wreck the system and then walk away. Let's see there is Iran-Contra, Clinton's impeachment, Afghanistan, Iraq, drug prescription benefit, Bush tax cuts, etc. What next, GOP/tea party?
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