I mean, just, well, WOW:
House Republicans, at the bidding of the Bush White House, are upset that House Democrats are voting on contempt citations for Harriet Miers and Josh Bolton today. So the House GOP members are disrupting proceedings in the House today, calling for “protest votes” and the like that eat up 15 minutes of the day at a time. Well, they just called one such protest vote in the middle of recently-deceased Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos’ memorial service, which they certainly knew was taking place. This is akin to forcing people to leave a wake on purpose. The House Republicans and the White House couldn’t wait for Lantos’ service to be finished before forcing everyone back to the House floor to vote for something silly. They intentionally disrupted a dead man’s memorial service for political gain.
What does it say that I am not even remotely surprised?
*** Update ***
This Politico piece claims the Democrats are to blame through incompetent scheduling. Democratic incompetence would not be very surprising, either.
Zifnab
Only that you’ve been paying attention.
mrmobi
John, he was a Democrat, after all. What’s the big deal? We must allow the brave Republican minority to prevent the Democrat Party from making the President obey the law, must we not?
gypsy howell
Republicans did this, you say? Shocking. Simply shocking.
zmulls
It’s only because those dern Democrats politicized the Wellstone Memorial and booed Republicans, dontcha know?
kuvasz
what does it say about the democratic leadership in the House that they can’t stop it?
and these republicans are the people who obama believes can be reasoned with?
gypsy howell
I’m going to further guess that there were no republicans attending Lantos’ service anyway. They were all sniggering in the halls.
gypsy howell
B-b-but kuzasz, we haz ruulz! And democrat kittehs must play strikkly by ruulz, even though republiKatz do not!
Daniel Munz
Jesus fucking christ. I’ve been as disappointed with the Dem congress as anyone, but these people are really just an entirely different species.
Xenos
He says they can be reasoned with, but since he is highly intelligent I hope he knows better.
Dennis - SGMM
Not to worry. Harry Reid is calling for a vote on a sense of the Senate resolution apologizing to the House Republicans for their Democratic counterparts having the temerity to even think about issuing subpoenas and for daring to memorialize a deceased colleague.
Daniel Munz
Xenos, no. Those are the people who he thinks can be beaten or marginalized if Democrats can capture the part the country that used to be GOP/independent but is now open to persuasion. The whole idea behind “Obamacans” is that there’s maybe a 30%-sized rump of the country that will be GOPers no matter what Bush does, but the rest are up for grabs, and he can grab them, and Hillary can’t.
He’s going after the John Cole/Linc Chafee vote! How’s that for a Microtrend, you fat, sweaty fucking pig? (I meant this guy, Xenos, not you.)
Tsulagi
Exactly.
But no worries. In the near future when a President Obama radiates his transcendy light (probably with music mysteriously heard in the background too), Republicans like these will get on their knees crying in repentance. Known truth.
TheFountainHead
How much more of this do you think it would take before the American people would welcome violence on the streets of DC?
Daniel Munz
I’m sorry, but that last comment didn’t really express how much deep, visceral, creamy loathing I have for Mark Penn.
Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!
Pardon the interruption. We now return to your regularly-scheduled comments thread.
Xenos
Agreed – Mark Penn is an appalling human being.
I used to have some tolerance for the jerks that the Clintons allowed into their inner circle. Not so much anymore.
Daniel Munz
Xenos, can we call these people “The Circle Jerks”?
Xenos
No need to insult a perfectly good punk rock band by association.
Gregory
zmulls beat me to the Wellstone reference.
Jay in Oregon
and mrmobi beat me to the point that Lantos was a Democrat and therefore, in the eyes of the House Republicans, not actually a human being or worthy of respect.
jenniebee
Just let me know when & I’ll bring the sammiches.
Teak111
How long before they suspend the election. All the peices are in place and Cheney is just waiting to pull the trigger. This is not over yet, Dear Citizens.
qwerty42
They play up to their hysterical base. To that base, Bush is like unto god. I believe Obama can reach beyond this, basically run a campaign they do not understand. I confess I was tempted to vote for Hillary – having her as prez would be such a (well-deserved) sharp poke in the eye: a rebuke to everything they have done. But I feel Obama can be a better president, if only because he will have a better opportunity to be one. Still, these people are both crazy and childish and there is no telling what they will do before this is over.
rawshark
The people who love the letter ‘R’ will either never hear about what the republican cogresscritters actually did or they will justify it in their minds. It won’t sway a single one of them. They don’t care about anything but winning elections so their one issue can be ignored by their candidate until its time to use it to win the next election.
Punchy
CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!! CLAP CLAP!! HOOWEE!! SUCK ON THAT, BITCHES!!
/Malkin, Hannity, and Limbaugh
cleek
TPM’s reporting that the GOP has marched out of the House and are now protesting on the Capitol steps.
fucking retards
Elvis Elvisberg
They intentionally disrupted a dead man’s memorial service for political gain.
Well, they disrupted a dead man’s memorial service as part of a stunt designed to express their pique at the rule of law and the separation of powers. It’s not clear there was any political gain to anyone.
"Fair and Balanced" Dave
A memorial service for the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress. However I don’t think we’ll be hearing any outrage from the “saintly” Joe Leiberman over this (if we do, he will spin it so it will somehow be the Democrats’ fault).
Punchy
God I wish I was in DC right now and could tell them what f’in punk bitches they are for acting like 8 year-olds.
Graeme
This just seems like more hypocrisy to me. I thought these guys were the traditionalists, and therefore respected tradition, life, etc?
All their defenders will, no doubt, just point fingers and tell me how the Donks are worse.
My biggest hope for Obama is that he can lead the damn fools Reid and Pelosi. They obviously cannot lead, so I can only hope they can be led.
If you haven’t already pestered your rep about FISA, go here and do it.
Xenos
Don’t look now, Congress is suddenly acting like a coequal branch of government. Don’t jinx them!
The Other Steve
Maybe not, but surely we don’t have to play the same game do we?
The Other Steve
This statement is terrible unfair.
8 year-olds typically act far more mature than this.
Caidence (fmr. Chris)
Sorry, this is O/T, but
Sami al-Hajj, captured cameraman for Al-Jazeera is on hunger strike, protesting his treatment in GITMO. Not a big issue, because the Declaration of Malta gives clean instructions on how to care and feed a stubborn hunger striker.
…unless we include force-feeding into the torture program and nail two birds with one stone.
Don’t mind me, all seething with endless shame. Just had to share my little piece of hell with you.
D0n Camillo
How dare the Democrats hold a memorial service on the day Republicans need to block contempt citations!
pharniel
ture, but how is the isreali bloc going to take such flagrent disprespect? alot of people who vote R could swing to D if they get enough ‘we’ll look out for isreal’ noise, esepcially from hillery.
this was just once again, shooting thier own base.
Punchy
WOW #2
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Mr Furious
Easy John, the had a good reason. The Republicans thought Lantos was only brain-dead, and they were calling a session to keep Democrats from unplugging him.
D-Chance.
Oh, so now fellow BJers are appalled???
Well, he wasn’t shown much respect around here, either (read comments)… so, please, take the faux outrage and shove it.
Evinfuilt
Disgusting, absolute and literally disgusting. The only Holocaust survivor in our Congress is treated with utter disrespect. Its very hard to not say something that will invoke Godwin’s Law.
Caidence (fmr. Chris)
Notice: The Republican base is Dear Leader.
Dear Leader will lead us to the land of Milk and Honey, where all women are White and Obedient, and men are attractive models of testosterone, visible and oozing the qualities I vicariously live through.
We will have weekly stoning of liberals, because its fun and reminds me of my superiority in God’s eyes.
We will have leadership camps, where you can torture real live terrorists! Terrorists will be found and detained by the state, without demanding the duty of my civil concern.
(and so on…)
4tehlulz
Yep. Reminiscent of Scooter Libby’s lawyers.
Davebo
Yes, because in the end what’s the difference between 3 anonymous commenters on the blog and the entire GOP congressional delegation?
Come to think of it, what’s the difference between commenters on Red State and the entire GOP congressional delegation?
4tehlulz
Congressmen have jobs.
Face
This explains the Dan Burton (R-3rd world country) outburst. Just couldn’t understand how a Rep from a state completely unattached to the pitcher or pro baseball at all (but very familair with drugs aspect) would go so unhinged on the guy. He was pounding on the anti-Clemens as a way to fellate Bush indirectly. Got it.
Chris Johnson
Punchy, is that The Onion? Because it reads like The Onion, and it would just piss me off way too much to have to live in a world where such talk is not sick-ass dark humor.
Paul L.
I guess the Republicans take memorial services as serious as the Democrats took the Wellstone memorial service.
Amazing brass ones at americablog.
They applaud when the Democrats pull a procedural stunt.
Republicans pull a procedural stunt and they complain about how it is soooooooooooooooooo unfair.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
OxyCon
As I said on another thread, fear not, for when Barack Hussein Obama is President, he’s going to give a great speech, and magically the Repubs aren’t going to act like giant a-holes anymore, so sayeth the savior Obama.
LiberalTarian
Huh. For “astute” politicians I am surprised they didn’t figure how interrupting Lantos’ memorial was going to play to Israel. Congressional Jewish Holocaust survivor funerals are a vanishingly rare species.
Oh wait …
chopper
yeah, one BJer and two anonymous drive-bys. woo.
Sirkowski
Republicans were trying to save Lantos from Democrats trying to bury him alive, like they did to Terri Schiavo.
Sojourner
Paul L:
Do you believe that some people should be able to ignore a Congressional subpoena?
Xenos
The problem is not that the stunt is unfair, but that it is pathetic, mean-spirited, un-American, pissy, selfish and pointless. Which is to say it is entirely in character for the modern GOP.
Gus
How does this tie into the Duke lacrosse team rape case again?
J. Michael Neal
Uh, there isn’t any way to prevent the Republicans from making an idiotic motion. If the House is in session, the rules say they can make motions. That motion has to be voted down, and only then can the business under discussion be continued.
jcricket
I can hear Lantos now: “I survived the Holocaust and all I got was these lousy Republicans ruining my memorial service? Oy gevalt!”
aschupanitz
Fuck you, you fucking fuck.
rawshark
Pual what do you think of the issue behind the procedural stunt by the republicans today?
tBone
Surprise, surprise – Paul L believes a load of horseshit propagated by the wingnut media machine.
Paul, do us all a favor and find something to do besides commenting here. Maybe you could go whack off over the Duke Lacrosse case for the umpteenth time.
The Populist
Say what you want about the spineless Dems, but this walkout is classless and proves these idiots on the right are hypocrites. How much time and money did we waste hunting Clinton for his various crimes? So basically to the right, as long as the person isn’t one of their own it’s okay to investigate and harass others. If it’s one of them, it’s heresy.
I am so sick of this hypocrisy. If I EVER hear another righty cry about fairness I will keep reminding them to STFU. They have the chance to rise above party and do the right thing and they fail everytime.
F-them all to h-e-double hockey sticks.
The Populist
I love how righties pull out the “Hussein” comment when referring to Barack Obama. Is that supposed to imply he’s un-American or an islamist or something?
Man, should I be scared his middle name is Hussein when in fact he’s a devoted Christian, his wife doesn’t run around with a full body sack covering her up and he has taken his oaths on a bible? So what is the big deal that his middle name is Hussein? He was raised by his white mom with his father being nowhere around? Hmmmm…
Jake
Close your eyes and imagine the 200 db squeals if a single Democratic Congressman scratched his nose during a memorial service for a Republican …
Ha ha! Your ears R bleeding!
I wonder if the Chest Beating Sabre Rattling Rethugs ever felt a little uncomfortable around Lantos.
Maybe the presence of a guy who escaped from and fought the fucking Nazis when he was god damned kid made their bluster about defeating evil, protecting America and fighting The War Against Terra (all from the comfort of their offices) ring a little hollow in their ears.
Nah. That exceeds their capacity for introspection by a factor of 911.
Yeah! Lantos should have died during the winter recess!
WTF?
TenguPhule
Indeed it is, Paul L.
Your position on the No-Fly list is already reserved, as is your cell in Guantanamo Bay where you’ll be left to die in legal limbo and after your death your name shall forever bear the mark of ‘probable terrorist’ in history.
Though I hear the CIA and Military have approved targeted killings too….
TenguPhule
The Congressmen are always the fat naked guy with a rubber dildo sticking out of his ass on the top.