in Government, Opinion, Politics, Society 836 Words

The Great Congressional Sit-In

Last week the Dems in the House did something special….they had an old fashion sit-in.  They took it upon themselves to protest the old fashion way….some techniques never grow old.

Democrats are calling their sit-in protest on the House floor a success, even though it hasn’t led to the votes on gun-control legislation they demanded. About two dozen lawmakers were still taking part Thursday morning, even after House Speaker Paul Ryan adjourned the chamber about 3am until after the July 4 holiday. It was unclear how long they’d stay, but the Hill says it has the potential to be a “days-long demonstration.” If nothing else, Democrats say the protest is raising awareness of the issue around the world, the AP reports. “We crossed one bridge,” says protest leader and civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. “We have other bridges to cross.” In other coverage:

  • Ryan made a move to end the standoff with what the New York Times calls the “remarkable step” of calling a vote on an appropriations bill around 3am without any debate. The bill, which includes $1.1 billion to fight Zika, passed 239 to 171.
  • Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts came up with the idea for the sit-in and recruited Lewis to lead it, reports the Washington Post. Lewis “gave us all the resolve and the grit and determination to see this through when we are back in July,” Clark says.
  • Republicans shut off House cameras after the sit-in began just before noon Wednesday, the Hill reports, but C-SPAN used Periscope and Facebook Live to keep broadcasting the protest. The protesting Democrats ignored GOP leaders’ reminders that lawmakers are banned from using electronic devices to broadcast House proceedings.
  • Ryan told CNN Wednesday night that the protest was a “publicity stunt” that would do nothing to make America safer. “This is not about a solution to a problem. This is about trying to get attention.”
  • Politico looks at how Democrats angered by the lack of action after the Orlando mass shooting planned and carried out the dramatic protest. “We said at the beginning of this week that we would use every tool in our toolbox,” says Rep. Steve Israel. “We said some of those tools involved hammers. Some of those tools involved screwdrivers. Some are blunt, some not. We’re going to keep using every single tool.”

This was all the rage for a couple of days and it ruled the news cycle……and then with this “success” under their belt the Dems ended the protest on Thursday of last week……

Democrats ended their gun-control sit-in at the House of Representatives on Thursday after more than 25 hours on the floor, the AP reports. According to Reuters, Democratic lawmakers, who had stayed overnight while chanting and singing, were trying to force a vote on legislation to expand background checks and stop people on terror watch lists from buying guns. They left hours after Republicans shut the House down for the Fourth of July holiday (a move that resulted in chants of “shame”). By the time the sit-in ended, not as many Democrats remained on the House floor as had started the protest, and the energy from Wednesday was missing, Politico reports.

Democrats rallied with supporters outside the House after ending the sit-in and declared victory despite failing to get Republicans to hold a vote on gun-control legislation. “Just because they cut and run in the dark of night, just because they have left doesn’t mean we are taking no for an answer,” the AP quotes Rep. Nancy Pelosi as saying. Rep. Steny Hoyer says the Democratic lawmakers will use the holiday to increase support for gun-control legislation in their districts. “We are going to win this struggle,” the AP quotes Rep. John Lewis as saying. Meanwhile, the Senate will vote Thursday on two competing pieces of gun-control legislation introduced by Republicans, Politico reports. Both focus on stopping people on terror watch lists from buying guns, and both votes are motions to table the opposing legislation.

They were getting the message across pretty well….then why end it after 25 hours?  Would it have been more dramatic to keep it up for awhile longer?

They ended it because their theatrics was about to be overshadowed by the “Brexit” vote…they figured they could not compete with the news of that vote.

But more because it was going to cut into their weekend…..you see Congress ends on a Thursday for travel home and reconvenes on Tuesday allowing Monday for travel also….

I sorry but I feel I need to agree with Ryan…this was only a stunt…..none of them wanted to continue into the weekend and cut into their time off…..amusing considering that they are a part-time body anyway……again…what did they accomplish?

I would have been more impressed if they had continued….now they just look silly to me.

I mean if wave after wave of gun violence involving deaths cannot bring a sane discussion what part of a sit-in would do it?

Seriously……

22 thoughts on “The Great Congressional Sit-In”

  2. Yes. Activism, by its very nature, requires sacrifice – a “lost weekend” would have been impressive (without the drinking, of course*).

    *For readers who may not know “The Lost Weekend” is a famous 1945 film about binge drinking.

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  3. I disagree. I think it’s rather amazing their brittle old bones and tiny bladders could take a sit-in for 25 hours! Good for them.

    But this is what Congress has sunk to. Not only do you have to hold a sit-in to get a vote on something, your sit-in gets censored…even though any video was irrelevant anyway! “Look, an old geezer taking a nap on the floor!”

    So, 25 hours of this, but Ryan couldn’t cough up a couple hours for a vote he knew he’d win hands down??? Fucking genius! Fucking genius! No wonder people can believe a show with such a premise.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/in-tvs-braindead-bugs-eat-the-brains-of-dc-politicians-its-a-metaphor/2016/06/08/83133b42-2a75-11e6-ae4a-3cdd5fe74204_story.html

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      1. Well, Ryan lost this “theatre throw-down” that he could have won in a landslide…Maybe he’s a closet Democrat.

        But have you seen that “Braindead” show? I’ve seen the first 2 episodes. Not sure where they’re going with it, but a brilliant idea for a satire and excellent timing to boot. It’s at least as believable as anything going on in Washington.

      3. The CBS show is a strange hybrid of comedy & commentary, using a non-horrifying “horror” format. It’s an Invasion of the Body Snatchers style story-line meant to target the mentality driving Congressional gridlock. The partisan point-scoring “theatrical” battles that ultimately achieve nothing are prominently featured. Your “political theatre” comment made me think of the show, as it captures the process fairly nicely.

        As would be expected from such a difficult blending of genres, it has it’s high’s & lows. For example, the brain-eating bugs are a silly cliche you see coming a KM away. However, the fact nobody can tell the difference after a politico’s brain has been eaten is a great commentary. In fact, the politico winds up doing a “better job”, as having a functioning brain gets in the way of stopping anything from happening in the WW1 trenches that is today’s Washington.

        I’m sure most people won’t like it. But if you accept it’s just a cheesy summer-show attempting to inspire ironic smirks in an election year, then you’ll be okay. It’s like a “Drive-in Movie”, only for TV. (I loves me some Drive-in cheese!)

      7. Well, you stepped into it now….

        Yes, Drive-In theatres showed movies! And classic pieces of art at that! Let my ex-girlfriend, Trish d’Lish, introduce a couple. For a couple of years, she & I used to spend every Saturday night together at the Drive-In Classics theatre. So, strap on your seat-belts cause here comes some Steamy Windshields. (Warning: Phrasing ahead!)

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrQctlIH8SA

        Ah…Trishy. I really, really, miss her!

        Anyway, old movies are actually getting harder to find on the UselessTube, not easier. So, I can’t find the actual movie anymore. Instead, here’s the trailer for one she introduced…the Roger Ebert masterpiece…

      8. I personally like bad scifi movies from the 50’s and 60’s……I live for these “B” movies….nothing better on film….

      9. Well then, you would have absolutely LOVED Canuckistan’s dearly departed Drive In Classics Channel!!! From 2001-09, this cheesy channel dominated my TV viewing. In fact, it’s the ONLY thing about the new millennium that I actually liked. So of course, it had to be killed off as an insignificant offshoot of a giant corporate takeover. 🙁

        During its run, they featured (not just cheesy hosts) but every cheesy B,C,D,E and even F movie from the start of “Talkies” on. Ever genre under the sun….Creature Features, alien invasions, westerns, Hot Rod films, Beach Blanket movies, Kung-Phooey and my favourites….Bikers, Hippie Revolution, Blaxploitation & the Steamy Windshields….and all completely uncensored!

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUhwkqJd8Fw

        While they rarely promoted the Black & White films, they showed a LOT of them during the daytime hours…your Plan 9’s, your Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster (6 bionic thumbs up!), your giant spiders and “Before They Were Stars” stuff like this 1959 horror starring the late, great, James Best (aka Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane). He was actually not bad in this otherwise laughable piece of shit. Before he died, he got together with friends & fellow Dukes stars and made a sequel.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhG8vLz9PUA

        Unfortunately, with the demise of Drive-In Classics (& horror based Scream), the demise of movie rental places, and UselessTube making it harder to find full length movies, even shitty Drive-In movies….this stuff is getting hard to come by.

      10. I have a collection of old DVDs with most of the bad ones….love it once a month with popcorn.

  4. I’m still laughing my ass off but it did generate some publicity and “That’s what Politics is All About”. I sort of admired them; two days is really a long time but some still on the floor (in all meanings of the phrase” would have been more admirable and less laughable. The could have ordered hot dogs and called themselves “fireworks” for the 4th. ~~dru~~
    https://saywhatumean2say.com/2016/06/22/filibustering-on-their-butts/

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    1. I was all theatrics….accomplished nothing but a few news cycles…the gun conversation will still not happen….chuq

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