You are a tool. It's a demand for regular order. STFU and sit down. The delaying action is stupidly pointless.
The rules have been agreed to. They have been voted on. If you can behave like adults, you really shouldn't be given the responsibility you have been.
2 comments:
Ah, Steve, this is the time for sock puppets and popsicle stick houses. You know, as we watch government, I think too often that the massive media coverage that is a 24 hours news cycle comes with a cost. First it ignites absurd behavior from governmental officials and then it allows people to watch the officials at work. The problem with this last development is that the average citizen is woefully ignorant regarding the mechanics of local, state, and federal government. They don't understand how a bill is passed and what committee work means (this last statement is not directed at you). The ignorance of the electorate means that they can be easily misdirected and manipulated.
Stewart, you're right. This way the republican's performing the act can go to their constituents and claim, "I did everything I could to halt it's passing." Even though this action has no chance of actually doing anything substantial (except delay the vote until late tonight and pissing off their colleges by interrupting a standard function, that is the entering into the record extended comments on why representatives are voting the way they are).
I'm not really arguing the parliamentary procedure they're using. After all, I've used that trick myself, but to force people to go onto the record with their justifications (our rules were less strict than those in the house). Whereas the chair in this case was more than lenient, explained the rule three times, and, IMHO, allowed it to go on too long before shutting him down. If I had been chair, I wouldn't have been so nice or accommodating and would have taken five minutes to upbraid the representative for conduct unbecoming and may have had the sgt. at arms turn the microphone off for a period of time.
Not being the chair, I would have done the very same thing to representatives staging the action during their time (only I'd do it in a manner that would run out their time, and derail their commentary - slightly different parliamentary procedures). But then I'm an SoB that lately has learned to carry a grudge.
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