The GOP Is Now Officially Guilty of Petulance
I think it was noted here somewhere the other day that on Tuesday, Senate Republicans used a little-known rule to prevent hearings from proceeding past 2:00 PM. In fact, our own beloved Sen. Carper was forced to halt a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on transparency due to Republicans’ refusal to give unanimous consent to waiving the rule. (It goes without saying that they lack the self-awareness to realize they pivoted from crowing about government transparency, to stopping a hearing about transparency.)
Well, yesterday they were at it again at an even higher level of childishness. Within the same Senate rule that prohibits hearings from proceeding past 2:00 PM is another provision that prevents committees from meeting more than two hours after the Senate convenes. Again, this is a rule that is routinely waived every day without a second thought. Not now, though. Since the minority party refused to give consent to waive the rule, and the Senate convened for the day at 9:00 AM, all Senate committees were forced to end their meetings at 11:00. Among the committee hearings that were forced to end prematurely or be canceled were:
- A Senate Homeland Security subcommittee session on “Contracts for Afghan National Police Training”
- A Senate Armed Services Committee hearing regarding Korea, for which several high-ranking military commanders had traveled to DC from as far away as Japan.
- A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing dealing with judicial nominations, and
- A Veteran’s Affairs Committee hearing regarding helping homeless veterans.
Just close your eyes for a minute and imagine the outrage from the right if Democrats so much as showed up late for hearings about dealing with rogue nations or helping homeless vets. Liz Cheney and Marc Thiessen would have strokes trying to unleash their outrage. The word is that Republicans will continue to play these games all week.
I think there are two important lessons we can learn from these episodes (although we really should know this already): 1) the Republican Party has no interest in actual governing the country, and behaves like a bunch of children who were told they can’t have the candy from the checkout lane, and 2) it’s a disgrace that the United States Senate is so structured that a group such as 1) can bring it to a halt. If nothing else, I hope this add fire to the “Reform the Senate” movement. And also the “Don’t let the GOP back in charge” movement as well. What are the chances that the national media sufficiently calls out the GOP for their unbelievably childish and unprofessional behavior?
Tags: Republican Crazy, U.S. Senate
God,how I wish at this moment there were an equivalent on the LEFT to Rush Limbaugh on the radio and Glenn Beck on the TV.
This can also fuel a campaign: Republicans are lazy, they don’t work past 2 PM.
Is there anything in the rules preventing Democrats from convening the hearings at midnight?
Let’s hope we get some video of them hanging out with teabaggers, or fundraising, or golfing or something after 2pm.
“God,how I wish at this moment there were an equivalent on the LEFT to Rush Limbaugh on the radio and Glenn Beck on the TV.”
Really? Someone who lies and makes fear-based emotional appeals designed to derail rational argument? The lack of such a creature is a big reason I prefer liberals to conservatives.
Democrats just didn’t show up to hearings during floor events. Isn’t there something that was suppose to be happening on the floor of the Senate after 2pm? Reconciliation. I forget is HCD (Health Care Deform) the most historic and important event in America or should committee hearings be scheduled over top of it? I guess the Republicans want to be involved with both not choose between them. Maybe Democrats should try practicing something called competent scheduling. Next year, we shall have a competent governing party.
So, David, are you saying this is the first time the Senate has had hearings and votes on the same day? I’m pretty sure they do that all the time, and are perfectly capable of doing two things at once — unlike you with thinking and typing.
“Next year, we shall have a competent governing party.”
Grow up, asshole. If you want to predict the futurue, I suggest a trip to Harrington Raceway.
With all the mean-spirited name calling and bashing going on around here of late you would think that HCR was defeated or something. Damn! Why is everyone around here so angry? Serious question.
Ah, Nosy, if there were but one reason. To give you the most serious answer I can, I think it’s mostly the result of childish frustration at not getting what you want, and the inability to be a graceful loser. There are those on the left who can’t accept that they’re not going to get everything they want, and to use the President’s favorite phrase, you can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
On the other hand, there are those on the right who STILL can’t accept the fact that they are no longer in power, and that losing an election or a legislative fight is not the same as tyrany. Democrats won legal, valid elections and passed a bill you didn’t like. That’s it. Get over it and grow up.
Oh, and then there are some people who are just mean.
And then the one group I forgot, which includes many people at this site, are those in the middle of the first two groups who are just getting fed up with all the misinformation, inflammatory rhetoric, outright lies, and general immaturity that is increasingly surrounding much of today’s politics.
As Frank Zappa would say “thier having a petulant frenzy, thier petulant.. and thier having a frenzy!”. Thier also setting new stanadards for sour grapes, sore loser and childish old men and women.The two o:clock cut off is the closest they could get to taking thier ball and going home.
I even wonder if anyone in the GOP caucus floated the idea of walking off the floor, a la the Soviets against the Flyers in ’76.
Well, Carper is a quasi-republican anyway. So I can’t get worked up about this one.
So following the rules now constitutes petulance? Amazing!
“So following the rules now constitutes petulance?”
Grow up, little boy.
“Why is everyone around here so angry?”
Because I hate children masquerading as adults.
I’m a teacher – my rules – my contract – says my day ends at 3:05. This would mean that I didn’t:
plan
grade papers
make parent contacts
help out with extra curricular activities
go to trainings and seminars to improve what I do as a professional.
In short, I would suck at my job. But I don’t – I do it even though I technically don’t have to – because I’m a responsible grown up and it is what we do. Never in modern political history has a political party acted so much like a bunch of childish prats.
M. McKain, it’s funny, but that analogy actually did occur to me (much of my family is/was involved in education). There have been times when teachers have done this, but only as a next-to-last resort during contentious contract negotiations. And that’s the difference here, the negotiations are over. They lost. These little games serve no purpose other that letting Republicans vent by throwing a spiteful hissy-fit.
It is called a “work rules slowdown.” When unions do it, Republicans intensify their calls to break the union.
Republicans of America UNITE.
@delacrat: If GOP is pulling its stunts at a hearing chaired by Tom Carper, whose civility and respect for process are undeniable, the petulance is especially severe.
“Republicans of America UNITE.”
Good luck with that one. How are you going to bring back responsible, if sometimes reprehensible, business types with a bunch of ignoramuses who prove the adage that a little learning — emphasis on “little” — is a dangerous thing?
Republicans of America UNITE — You have nothing to lose except more elections.
I also just realized that if you read the title of this post quickly, it seems the GOP is Guilty of Flatulence. (Or maybe it’s just me. The reading, not the flatulence. OK, a little of both.) This also would have been an acceptable title.