Via Ms. O’Hara, I see that pandemonium has broken loose in the House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi and the Dems tries to pack up, go on recess, and literally shut down the debate:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) [“Kim Jong Pelosi“, as Patterico says] and the Democrats adjourned the House and turned off the lights and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices.
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders opposed the motion to adjourn the House, arguing that Pelosi’s refusal to schedule a vote allowing offshore drilling is hurting the American economy. They have refused to leave the floor after the adjournment motion passed at 11:23 a.m. and are busy bashing Pelosi and her fellow Democrats for leaving town for the August recess.
What? Doing the people’s work on company time?
At one point, the lights went off in the House and the microphones were turned off in the chamber, meaning Republicans were talking in the dark. But as Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz..) was speaking, the lights went back on, and the microphones were turned on shortly afterward.
It sounds like a ton of fun:
Only about a half-dozen Republicans were on the floor when this began, but the crowd has grown to about 20 now, according to Patrick O’Connor.
The Party of the Media is upset that they’re being outflanked:
Democratic aides were furious at the GOP stunt, and reporters were kicked out of the Speaker’s Lobby, the space next to the House floor where they normally interview lawmakers.
“You’re not covering this, are you?” complaing one senior Democratic aide. Another called the Republicans “morons” for staying on the floor.
And it gets better:
Update – The Capitol Police are now trying to kick reporters out of the press gallery above the floor, meaning we can’t watch the Republicans anymore. But Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is now in the gallery talking to reporters, so the cops have held off for a minute. Clearly, Democrats don’t want Republicans getting any press for this episode. GOP leaders are trying to find other Republicans to rotate in for Blunt so reporters aren’t kicked out.
The First Amendment: It’s for Democrats only!
Update 2 – This message was sent out by Blunt’s office:
“Although, this Democrat Majority just Adjourned for the Democrat 5-Week Vacation, House Republicans are continuing to fight on the House Floor. Although the lights, mics and C-SPAN camera’s have been turned off, House Republicans are on the Floor speaking to the tax payers in the gallery who, not surprisingly, agree with Republican Energy proposals.
Pelosi’s feeling a bit…churlish?
Update 3 – Democrats just turned out the lights again. Republicans cheered.
And kudos to good ol’ American, Republican do-it-yourself knowhow:
Also, Republicans can thank Shadegg for turning on the microphones the first time. Apparently, the fiesty Arizona conservative started typing random codes into the chamber’s public address system and accidentally typed the correct code, allowing Republicans brief access to the microphone before it was turned off again.
“I love this,” Shadegg told reporters up in the press gallery afterward. “Congress can be so boring…This is a kick.”
The piece from Politico reads like a liveblog, and sounds like fun:
Update 4 – The scene on the floor is kind of crazy. Normally, members are not allowed to speak directly to the visitor galleries, or visitors are prohibited from cheering. But in this case, the members are walking up and down on the floor during their speeches, standing on cheers, the visitors are cheering loudly. Some members even brought in visitors, who are now sitting on the House floor in the seats normally filled by lawmakers, cheering and clapping. Very funny.
Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.), not normally known as an distinguished orator, just gave a rousing speech, accusing Democrats of stifling dissent. He referenced President John Quincy Adams, who returned as a House member after being defeated in his bid for re-election as president. Waving his arms and yelling, Manzullo brought the crowd (including a lot of staff shipped in by GOP leaders to fill up the place), and he left the floor to hugs from his colleagues. You don’t see that up here every day.
Wonder if this’ll make The Daily Show?
Update 6 – Rep Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) just pretended to be a Democrat. He stood on the other side of the chaber and listed all of the GOP bills that the Dems killed.
He then said “I am a Democrat and here is my energy plan” and he held up a picture of an old VW Bug with a sail attached to it. He paraded around he house floor with the sign while the crowd cheered.
Rumors that Janet Reno called Pelosi and told her to burn the Capitol down are unconfirmed.
This episode is so full of WIN.
WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN!
Cheap political theater.
Fun, though.
Cheap political theater
It’s friday.
Is there any other kind of political theater?
It’s great political theater, because it does point at something fundamental — This is the people’s house, Madame LaFarge Pelosi, not yours.
This is HUGE. Dems have shown how much they care about fuel prices. No one can make a credible claim that the Dems care about what you are paying for fuel, for heat, or for electricity.
Perhaps Ms Pelosi (aka San Fran Nan) has her private 757 warmed up at Andrews. She’s got some carbon to spew on here trip back home.
*deep breath*
*focusing*
*Channeling Penigma. . .*
No, Mitch, this does NOT sound like fun. In fact, this sounds like just the kind of grandstanding power-grabbing you constantly accuse Democrats of. This is not a First Amendment display, as you so smugly claim, in your smug little smugglish way; this is a gross overstepping of political aspousement, and you know it. That’s right, YOU KNOW IT. And you know it because I say you know it, and you and all your little smug commenters–your Smuggles–should really start to clue into the fact that when I say something, it’s unimpeachable fact. Because this is me commenting, I suppose I should probably misspell a bunch of words. . . hold on. . . you post an unfattering picher of Nancy Pellosee with a kapshun of “EPOCH FAIR” as if that kind of sophomoronic noncents is somehow indicational of how all Democratics look and smile. But it’s obvious to anyone paying half attention that you’re just a propagandist in the vain of Geobbles, while my writing, although my blog gets about four readers a day, as opposed to your hundreds, is nonetheless a shining beacon of truth and level-headed discourse. In conclusion, I can’t resist commenting here. I’m completely unable to stop myself. It’s a sort of disease, honestly. . . and. . .
*deep breath*
*coming to*
Oh, great, now I have a migraine, and I crapped my pants. . . again. Let that be a warning to all of you: channel Penigma at your own risk, and wear a diaper.
Yossarian, I know that whatisname would say that, but it may be (hell, it is) grandstanding, but it’s not power-grabbing.
And it’s great grandstanding.
The only way it would be better would be if some of the Republicans would start reading the Declaration of Independence when Pelosi sends in the armed guards to evict them.
I know it’s not power-grabbing. I was reaching for the “Penigma Hyperbole Trophy,” of which only a few men are qualified to yield.
“Penigma Hyperbole Trophy,”
When equipped -7 intelligence, -14 charisma.
When wielded, 1000% hot air effect.
Here’s an interestng flash graph I found with lots of features to play with:
http://graphs.gapminder.org/world/#$majorMode=chart$is;shi=t;ly=2003;lb=f;il=t;fs=11;al=30;stl=t;st=t;nsl=t;se=t$wst;tts=C$ts;sp=6;ti=2004$zpv;v=0$inc_x;mmid=XCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj1jiMAkmq1iMg;by=ind$inc_y;mmid=YCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj1gkNuUEXOGag;by=ind$inc_s;uniValue=8.21;iid=phAwcNAVuyj0XOoBL_n5tAQ;by=ind$inc_c;uniValue=255;gid=CATID0;by=grp$map_x;scale=log;dataMin=130;dataMax=44807$map_y;scale=lin;dataMin=0.008;dataMax=123$map_s;sma=49;smi=2.65$cd;bd=0$inds=
It matches country, region and year since start of theindustrial revolution with C)2 production and wealth.
Of course, in all those poor, 3rd world countries on the left lower portion of the graph — whose CO2 production Pelosi would like to see us emulate — Nancy’s social is doing just fine. It’s ony the common people who are doomed to lives of poverty and ignorance.
Unkike the vast majority of Democrats, I have a pretty good memory. I recall Minority Leader Pelosi complaining bitterly that the GOP was running the House like a “plantation”. I guess that acceptable if you have a “D” after your name.
Hypocrite.
Now if they’ll only report on this. Neither Fox nor CNN are at the moment.
Amazing that the GOP is trying to play the games the Dems have loved to do when they’re in the minority, but they seem to be doing it better. Or at least they’ve picked a vastly popular issue rather than the nutter issues the Dems did.