Just to be clear, these goobers were pulling these sorts of crappy-assed, time-wasting stunts on the taxpayer dime. Via Dana Milbank:
Nadler was forced to order a voice vote, then a roll-call vote. By the time Feith had spoken his first words, the hearing was nearly an hour old. King and his colleagues went on to declare dozens of objections, parliamentary inquires and points of order, raising concerns about a T-shirt worn by an audience member, a sign spotted in the crowd, and the need for bathroom and lunch breaks for witnesses. Three and a half hours later, Feith had become but an asterisk at what was supposed to be his hanging.
Republicans are chafing in their minority status in both chambers of Congress. Their presidential and congressional candidates lag in the polls, and their president posted a career-low 28 percent approval rating in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll. About the only weapon left in the Republican arsenal is the dilatory maneuver.
Yesterday’s opening statements were done, and Nadler turned to the witnesses. "I now want to welcome our — "
"Mr. Chairman!" King called out. "Mr. Chairman! Is there time for an opening statement?" King, having thus seized the floor, encouraged everybody "to roll our minds back to that terrible day of September 11th, 2001. . . . The day that all of us looked at that blazing inferno tumbling down in New York."
Nadler tried to return to business, but Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who had been whispering and giggling with King like a schoolboy, interrupted anew. "A point of parliamentary inquiry!" he said. He raised three questions, the last of which was a request to "summon" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
By the time Issa finished, King had reloaded. He gave another speech masquerading as a "clarification."
Jeebus. I do a lot of liveblogging and hearing watching, and I have to say that this is constant, classless behavior from these elected officials who appear to believe that taxpayer money is theirs to spend as they see fit, even by wasting it on frivolous crap and false displays of giving a crap about minutiae. Of course, they’ve learned this from the master — Dan Burton, king of the watermelon murder masquerading as political theater.
Sometimes, you just have to call out the idiocy. Here’s to Dana Milbank for doing so in print. (Oh, and the faux objection to the t-shirt? I hear that was Spencer’s…)
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Incredible isn’t it? So what’s the antidote to this snake bite?
Well, it sure is frikkin’ maddening. I really have to try to stay centered and stop clenching my teeth over these people…
All I can hope for is that “pride comes before a fall”…and I’m aiming that at that greaser wannabe punk, Issa and that moron, King.
Vote the bums out.
They are playing the Game.. We need to play it better…:)
I remember at one point there was a whole string of parliamentary inquiries none of which as Nadler noted actually involved a parliamentary inquiry. Several of these seemed to come just as Feith began waxing really incoherent. It was a shameful exercise, but nothing could mask how Feith came by his appelation of the “stupidest fucking guy on the planet.”
Froomkin wrote about Feith and the Repug’s malfeasance too…
Completely OT, but just a little lightness in a heavy day/s..
‘Parisians would make smog alerts pretty, wouldn’t they. In a far more artistic way than a freeway-side scrolling marquee, a giant helium-filled balloon changes color to tell passers-by the ambient air quality.’
http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1879/
I’m sorry, Christy, but I have to say: F*cker. Playing on the emotions of that horrible day…he should be ashamed.
That is a great idea! A “mood” baloooooon.
Huh. Invoking WTC collapse and those who died within it in order to play a childish game. Interesting.
Obviously we know Conglomerate Media will not let the electorate know this is how Repubes feel about 9/11, so it’ll be up to us to get the word out. Share this far and wide.
Repubes use the tragedy of 9/11 purely for political games.
Not to mention Rep. King specifically, who said “al-Qaeda will be dancing in the streets” if Obama is elected. Seems some strong action is required in his corner of Iowa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAjrGeMlBlk
Need to make a YouTube and show it to those Iowans King represents. I know our LooHoo is already putting together an Issa greatest hits…
I am doing what I can to see that Issa is replaced with Robert Hamilton. Kinda hard when someone has amassed wealth around $645 million, and we’re working with $20,000.
Makes me sick.
Do King and Issa have credible Dem challengers this time round? If so, these antics make for great campaign ads and smackdowns.
All that being said, our committee and subcommittee chairs need to do a better job of bulldozing this crap when it happens.
Especially considering the seriousness of the hearing –our use of torture and cruel and unusual treatment of people, many of whom were not captured in battle– those asshats were shocking, classless clowns is too kind, Christy.
I did miss Issa “whispering and giggling with King like a schoolboy” but isn’t that just like him. Jerks.
Agreed, but what can they do?
We have allowed the Republicans to “own” 9/11. Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!!
We should have and should push for endless 9/11 independent investigations and look at all of the facts….such as poining out first of all that 9/11 happened under a Republican President with a Republican Congress, inspite of warning by tons of people that an attack was imminent. We should not have let them get away with using 9/11 the way they have…to start the Iraq war…to control Congress….to take away are Constitutional rights.
Making 9/11 a taboo on the Dem side is just plain stupid.
The Republicans noses should be rubbed it it….forever!!!!!
Stop letting them own it!!! It happened on their watch!!!
Here’s Issa’s challenger.
He’s not as liberal as I would like, but hey, getting rid of Issa would be a blow to the Bush types. Hamilton is getting no monetary support from the important democrats or the netroots.
9/11 happened on the Republican’s watch.
The anthrax attacks happened on the Republican’s watch.
Lying us into war happened on the Republican’s watch.
Katrina happened on the Republican’s watch.
Stop letting them get away with this. Stop being afraid to cite the events of 9/11. Put the attacks in the proper historical context.
When I say “important” democrats, I mean the DCCC crowd.
OT-sorry
Hans von Spakovsky has landed at Heritage Foundation. Lou Dobbs is doing a report on scary illegals voting and possibly determining 2008 presidential winner by fraud. This, according to a von Spakovsky report put out by Heritage Foundation.
Why is that?
I rue selling of 9/11 and the exposure of the true colors of the ruling elite.
This country has been through more trying times and the adults came through then, now?
That’s all true!
Then again, it’s was on REPUBLICAN watch that 9/11 happened. That implies to me a different kind of ownership!
As in “responsibility”!
“”Mr. Chairman!” King called out. “Mr. Chairman! Is there time for an opening statement?” King, having thus seized the floor, encouraged everybody “to roll our minds back to that terrible day of September 11th, 2001. . . . The day that all of us looked at that blazing inferno tumbling down in New York.”
Nadler should have responded immediately, stating the fact that invoking 9/11 brings to mind that it happened under a Republican President and a Republican Congress, and that if wished to continue to invoke it, he should be prepared to acknowledge that fact….and make him STFU.
We need to get Dobbs’ fat ass out in the field to pick tomatoes for one day. Better yet, cleaning out Porta-Lets.
Bang the gavel, rule them out of order, have the Sargent at Arms remove them from the room, as Waxman threatened to do to Issa once. Just yell, and stop trying to be fair. It would also help if our side learned the rules, and backed the chairmen up. But mainly, our team needs to act like they are in control: bully, threaten, and glower at the silly GOPs when they act like, well, silly GOPs.
That is precisely my point.
wingnut welfare, hard at work so wingnuts don’t have to.
The Dems need to turn their shizzola back on them. All the time. Pull the rug out from under their smugness. Call it like it was and is.
Hey King….”No one could have anticipated”….BTW, what was the title of the PDB?
A**holes.
I’m thinking because as Phil Pauli (Issa’s home base spokesperson) told me, the district has been gerrymandered such that no democrat can win it. Imagine the nerve!
It’s a heavily military district, which in my mind should turn voters against Issa if we can afford to get the word out…
From reading his goals on his website, he sounds liberal enough. No mention of gay rights or women’s rights to choose, is that where you’re concerned?
Twin Towers Billboard Sponsor: ‘9/11 could have been prevented if we’d had a Republican president.’
Neighborhood canvasers.
Banging the gavel and ruling them out of order IS fair. Don’t Democrats know anything about how to run a meeting and keep control of it? For God’s sake, what do they think those gavels they have are for, anyway?
Exactly!!! Throw it back in their faces…
New billboard:
9/11 happened on Bush’s watch and the watch of a Republican Congress.
What was maddening today, was that the MSM made comments like…oooo…it was so tasteless, etc., but they won’t talk about the truth. The reality.
Throw it back at them tenfold.
It is outrageous.
Spit.
Sounds terrific. *sigh*
No. He’s a good democrat, don’t get me wrong. I guess I’m just very left…
But I still feel rational!
Yes. Hamilton came in at 34% in the primaries…We’re not without hope. It’s just the fundraising…we don’t have money for TV or radio at this point.
Okay. Very left is good,IMO.
During Clinton’s administration the Republicans ruled the airwaves and it’s possible that because of the corporate ownership of the media, the democratic party has been blocked from doing the same thing. Of course, it’s possible that they are just idiots that don’t know how to play the game.
Again a question to ask is how would Republicans in the majority react to such tactics if done by the Democrats?
“Great Minds….” and all that jazz, LS!
:)
The corporations support whoever gives them the biggest chance of profit. The Republicans are more willing to let people suffer in exchange for profit than the Democrats….in general. But, in the last couple of years…the Dem leadership are just very similar to the Pukes. Very little difference, other than rhetoric….all grease, but no machinery. Weanies, cocktails, and $$.
We’re operating the same way. We managed to scrape enough money together to do a mass mailing to all Dems requesting an absentee ballot for the primary next month. Relying on our website and people power. Doing lots of little events. Local Dems, for the most part, won’t give to candidates not on the DCCC’s list of favourites. F***ing DLC.
They need to go to gavel school with Barney Franks. The Rethugs were trying this crap when he was the ‘chair for the day’ of the whole thing – not just a committee. He would let them get about two words out when he figured it wasn’t really a parliamentary question and bang you’re done. He yelled at them and made them shut up.
He should hold a class in how to do that!
We do get time on the local community radio station. Get lots of plugs on the Sunday morning talk shows. *g* “The station on the far left…of your radio dial.”
The stoopid. It burns….
right up there with Feith’s alleging that removing clothing is not the same as nekkid.
That’s great!
impeachment
It’s almost that they are afraid to lose now that they are in power. They look weaker now than then when they were the minority party.
Here’s a story that needs follow-up….regarding Murdoch:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..578/552664
And that is what is so incredibly stupid…they will lose their jobs, but they don’t seem to care or think that it can happen….It can, and it will.
I don’t think there’s any almost about it. They’re scared to death that by doing what’s right they’ll lose in Nov. I’ve seen 16yo Viet Cong with more balls than these people.
Just a taste of what this is about:
“Over $300 million dollars in missing assets, blatant Sarbanes Oxley Act violations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, and the devaluing of a company’s stock from $40 to only 1 CENT!! ; all of this can now be put on Metromedia International Group’s resume` (whose LARGEST shareholder was Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.). There were MASSIVE losses for investors in Metromedia International Group, many of whom were small time, private investors who used their retirement money for this stock (Enron comes to mind…except this company had assets worth OVER 6 TIMES THE ASSETS OF ENRON’S).”
Almost?
Ian’s up
I’m hoping Murdoch shows up on the Lichtenstein List
Hundreds of Super Rich Under Investigation
I know he isn’t American but we aren’t the only country with tax laws.
I’d like to see some justice pry our media out of his evil hands.
I wonder how many of Murdoch’s properties are losing money. I’m betting The Weekly Neocon is gone shortly after the election.
Actually, I believe Rupert is a naturalized citizen.
Yep, Aussie Rupert is a naturalized US citizen…prolly until he becomes Chinese….
Wonder if Mrs. Cindy’s on the list?
Our country will have a real fighting chance if we can get rid of Murdoch.
and wow [yes, yes, I know I’m epu-ed, but I’m on topic…sorta], NBC — duelling power stories. ABC with the Super Rich, NBC showin’ McCain patronizing the black woman’s question about Head Start with overtalk and sayin’ Scrutiny…Oversight…Evaluation…
Hey, if it’s good enough for Head Start, it’s good enough for Teh Village…
The techncal name for these on Wall Street, I believe, is rubes.
Barney Frank knows how to run a meeting.
Here he shows how it’s done.
The problem with the Democrats in congress is that they think they are dealing with honest Americans who support the constitution. When presented with this kind of infuriating partisan gamesmanship, they are never prepared. They should be able to quickly say, “This hearing is in order and we will now hear the witness’s opening statement. Instead, every wingnut Rethug is allowed to create a distraction, talk about their every whim, and otherwise waste time. I am a big believer is not wasting time. There is a big difference between giving everyone their time for questions and allowing the minority to hold this country hostage to their own fear of prosecution. They should all be in jail, and in a better world, they would be.
Let’s hope there are a lot fewer of them next year.
Let’s also hope that we get a Speaker and a Majority Leader who can actually do the jobs they’re supposed to be doing.
Let’s also hope the Ds in Congress finally figure out that the majority of the people in this country are not Republicans.
You’d sorta think that by the time someone becomes a committee chair in Congress they’d know the basics of rules of order and how to enforce them firmly and fairly. It’s stuff like this that makes a mockery of all the work everyone did to get the GOP out of the majority.
The Democrats always want to play nice thinking that they are in fact dealing with “honorable colleagues.” They are neither. Bullies and traitors to the Constitution and the American “people” yes. How does one treat traitors and bullies? With a stern hand, scorn, derision, exposure and sarcasm. Eventually the vermin will crawl back into the holes from which they emerged.
Interesting what the Republicans can do, despite being the “minority” party.