It is nice to see the GOP is still the party of victimhood:
Thirty-one-year-old Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is not a large man, standing perhaps 5 feet 3 inches tall in thick soles. But he packed a whole lot of chutzpah when he walked into the House TV gallery yesterday to demand that the new Democratic majority give the new Republican minority all the rights that Republicans had denied Democrats for years.
“The bill we offer today, the minority bill of rights, is crafted based on the exact text that then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi submitted in 2004 to then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert,” declared McHenry, with 10 Republican colleagues arrayed around him. “We’re submitting this minority bill of rights, which will ensure that all sides are protected, that fairness and openness is in fact granted by the new majority.”
Omitted from McHenry’s plea for fairness was the fact that the GOP had ignored Pelosi’s 2004 request — while routinely engaging in the procedural maneuvers that her plan would have corrected. Was the gentleman from North Carolina asking Democrats to do as he says, not as he did?
Even before officially relinquishing majority status today when the 110th Congress convenes, Republicans were protesting the Democrats’ heavy-handed leadership. But Republicans expecting Democrats to rule the House with an iron fist are likely to be pleasantly surprised: The incoming majority was having enough trouble keeping its own supporters in line.
But let’s cut these guys some slack, because let’s face it- we know that white Christian men and the GOP are the real victims in society. Everything is against them- the media is biased against the right, activist judges impose their will on a daily basis, gays want to ruin their marriages, liberals are trying to make sure their fetuses are aborted, schools want to indoctrinate their children, the government is taking their money, terrorists want to kill them- the list goes on and on. Hell-even math and STATISTICS are biased against the Republican party.
In all seriousness, this comment at Red State (of all places) about sums it up:
Once, just once, I would love to see the Republicans demonstrate the grace of consistency. Why is it that we have to raise crassness to the level of our highest principle?
They are being consistent. Crassness is the GOP’s highest principle. Or maybe that is political expedience.
BTW, for good clean fun, count the number of times the word socialist appears on the front page of Red State.
Zombie Santa Claus
Bernie Sanders is the greatest threat to freedom and democracy in American history.
Zombie Santa Claus
Harriet Myers is a traitor, too. She cut and ran out on this Administration.
dreggas
Zombie,
she’s leaving because the Miers/Bush sex tape came out today
(Note sorry for pimping this again but it’s funny as hell and with Bush’s Harem member leaving it’s kinda fitting)
Jake
Holy statistical anomaly Batman, the Spewitator has lost his mind!
I haven’t looked, but I would not be surprised to see Hugh Blewitt has applied his mathematical wizardry to the voting results and determined Republicans are still in the majority. He must be using the same math Rove used.
Anne
The Post piece is hilarious. The GOP’ers apparantly thought it was a brilliant plan to use Pelosi’s own proposal and that everyone would forget it was the GOP that trainwrecked that same proposal.
Are these people ignorant or just stupid (I know I know, they know no Irony)
Zombie Santa Claus
Christmas came early this year! I am a ripe jolly old undead elf!
Ho ho ho, bitches!
Myrtle Parker
Other things which are objectively biased against the Republican party: Logic, Rational Thought, Neurons, The simple act of thinking, Peace, Love, Kindness, Compassion (the non-name-only kind), Electricity which supplies the forementioned neurons??
Zombie Santa Claus
Well, their supporters probably would. As for the rest of the country, fuck ’em. They hate America anyway.
Myrtle Parker
BTW, Nancy Pelosi was just elected Speaker of the House live on CSPAN.
Woohoo! The Democrats are now in charge of the people’s house, baby!
Zombie Santa Claus
Don’t forget the laws of thermodynamics. Those are the enemy, too.
Myrtle Parker
Oh, oh, don’t forget that the American People themselves are biased against the Republican party…
Pooh
Cluster sampling, humor, reality…
Sirkowski
Anne
@Zombie Santa Clause:
Saw this great show of Dave Gorman where he (coincidentally) meets a creationist who actually misquotes the second law of thermodynamics so it supports his whacky theory. So, when they can’t bent it, they misstate it.
Dave ends up hating his guts, but for totally different reasons.
Zombie Santa Claus
Why do the American People hate America?
Zombie Santa Claus
The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Anyway, can’t the Lord alter the laws of physics when it suits His aims? Perhaps entropy won’t harm America, since our nation is beloved by God. (This is also why I believe the Earth will survive when the Sun goes Nova. The Lord provides.)
AkaDad
You’re on a roll today John…
Anne
I should add that it’s a great comedy show that you should go and see. Because the Lord wants you to!
Jake
Post-partuition fetuses. Which is why the GOP stops caring after the little tykes have been touched by the air.
scarshapedstar
Nancy should have just smiled and told him to go fuck himself.
Zombie Santa Claus
I’ve actually never seen it. Where/when does it come on?
Steve
We need an open thread to discuss which industry to nationalize first.
dreggas
The republican minority should take heart in all honesty after all it’s the Democratic party that is well known for looking out for (in McHenry’s case) the “little guy” and is also well known for standing up for minority rights.
Ah what the hell chain it to the WATB’s and just let em sink. The funniest part was McHenry’s whine about “It wasn’t me I wasn’t in Congress!” Whiney.Ass.Titty.Baby.
The next two years will be fun to watch from a purely sadistic point of view and I do so look forward to more of this whining.
Zombie Santa Claus
Can we please start by re-nationalizing the military, and letting the mercenaries go fight for the Third World dictatorships and banana republics where they belong?
ThymeZone
Well, it was a good plan, if not brilliant. Simple theatrics to demonstrate to their faithful that the Dems aren’t any better than they are.
In that world, that’s a win.
SeesThroughIt
I only count six instances of “socialist” on the Red State front page. If they think that’s gonna be enough to keep the reds out of, erm, the red states (how does that work, anyway? Both commies and wingnuts are red?), then they need to reacquaint themselves with their cinematic bible: Red Dawn. Wolverines!
ThymeZone
Praise Jesus!
As always, I mean Jesus, my yard man. But the exuberant outburst is sincere.
Faux News
Did the Republicans at least win “The War on Chirstmas” this time around?
Paging Tony Snow…
Pooh
The Iraqi-Pants Gnome War:
1. Start war, hire “contractors”
2. PROFITS!
3. ????
which, though hugely cynical, is at least a more coherent strategy then the state one which is:
1. Surge troops with no real instructions.
2. ????
3. Victory, Pony, Whiskey, Sexy.
mrmobi
Amen, Mr. Zombie. Anyone else sick to death of the military “outsourcing” at triple the cost what they could be doing themselves?
You know, for an undead elf, you are a smart creature ZSC.
AkaDad
Yes. They won by buying a whole bunch of Christmas merchandise from Bill O’Reilly through the Fox News Network.
Zombie Santa Claus
Hell yeah, we whooped Canuckistan’s hide! I think the secularists are in their last throes on this one.
Oh, you flatter me. Don’t worry, I’ll remember it next Christmas.
RSA
Calling Democrats socialists and tying them to the hammer and sickle: good clean political commentary.
Calling Republicans fascists and tying them to the swastika: uncivil.
Zombie Santa Claus
I think Step 3 involves fleeing America and moving to Switzerland.
That Marc Rich guy is ahead of the program.
Zifnab
Myrtle Parker
SeesThroughIt
Actually, the wingnuts are working hard to make it this:
Calling Republicans fascists and tying them to the swastika:
uncivilhistorically inaccurate–everybody knows the Nazis were leftists!Zombie Santa Claus
They were National Socialists- just like the regular, Stalinist kind, but more virulently anti-Semitic. Also, their mustaches were less bushy, and tended to be trimmed in the snot-nose fashion.
Pol Pot was a Socialist, too. So was Saddam. Really, has there been any evil which hasn’t been conclusively linked to leftism?
Dave
I’m thoroughly enjoying CSPAN at the moment, listening to the rules debate.
Let me summarize David Dreier’s comments: WHAAAAA WHAA, we have to live under the rules of the 109th congress.
Dave
Ah, Lincoln Diza-Balart is speaking. He’s saying: WHAAA WHAAA I don’t like the 109th congress rules!
Myrtle Parker
Dave, yep. Titty babies is right. These guys can’t wait to start complaining. And what do they complain about?? “OH, you dastardly Dems, you are starting out by treating us like we treated you!!!” Fucking babies. Who can possibly respect these people.
Zifnab
For those keeping up with Virgil Goode’s Rightous Crusade, I got a kick out of this.
Dave
Yeah, this should make some great fodder for The Daly Show tonight.
Especially Tom Price on now talking about wanting openness and oversight. BWHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Myrtle Parker
This is what is happening…
The Democrats are opening the House with the very same rules that the 109th Republicans used to rule over the minority..
Wait, that isn’t quite right… the Democrats are also adding new rules and relaxing others that benefit the minority. So, the rules the 110th opens with are de facto better for the minority than the 109th.
So, what are the Republicans complaining about? The Democrats, they say, haven’t gone far enough in overhauling the 109th’s rules to open the house. They are whining because the 110th won’t open with the absolute bestest rules for the minority that ever existed.
The Republicans think the Democrats first order of business should be to grant the Republicans the absolute bestest minority rules ever granted by the majority. That’s what they deem is fair. Holy crap, these whiners have absolutely no. SHAME. NONE.
Pelosi bitches. Pelosi!!
AkaDad
I can’t believe the Dems have the audacity to keep the rules the Republicans put in place.
It’s so uncivil…
Myrtle Parker
AkaDad, note they are actually relaxing the rules for the minority. This rules packages is *better* for the minority than the 109th’s rules. That’s not enough for these Republicans. They want a complete overhaul _right off the bat_ that would grant them every minority right under the sun.
The Republicans truly think the first thing Democrats should do with their new majority is lavish favorable rules on the Republicans.
Fucking A that is some serious hubris.
Myrtle Parker
Now here comes Cantor. He thinks the very first order of business should be to REJECT the ethics package. He thinks the very first order of business should be to give the newly minority Republicans every right that they denied the Democrats in the 109th congress.
These twits should all be thrown out based on this alone. These whiney complainers can’t stop WHINING.
Here is Louise.
Myrtle Parker
HAHAHHAH
These poor victims. They are just sooooo DISSAPPOINTED!!
Fucking hypocrits. Take your medicine bitches :) And pound sand.
Tsulagi
They need to cry about those things. It’s what makes life worth living.
What, you’d want to deny them their warm security blankie they curl up in? The baby pacifier they get to suck on for comfort and faux nourishment? You’re mean.
Zifnab
Excellent live-blogging Myrtle.
Myrtle Parker
I totally encourage everyone to watch CSPAN. Watch as the 109th Repubs get down on their knees and beg and whine.
“Please mommy!” “PLEASE” “Awww, c’mon!!” “Mommy, please!” “It’s just so unfair.” “WaaaaaaaAAAAAAA” “WaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA…”
This is hilarious. Drier is now putting the hankerchief to his eyes and moaning about civility. Unfuckingbelievable.
Louise had the best response: “I feel your pain little children”
Myrtle Parker
David Drier and the Republicans are now invoking 9/11. I guess everything changed again in November. We are all to forget the horrible partisanship that was the 109th. We all need to move beyond this and as the first order of business, the Democrats must grant the Republicans all the things they were denied their 12 years in the minority. That, David Drier says, is what the American people voted for in November.
These guys can’t be mocked enough. There is not enough time.
Downpuppy
What gets me about this is that it’s all so unlike how real politicians behave. Any first term Massachusetts legislator – hell, any small town alderman – would have the sense to ask for rule changes quietly & politely in the background.
These clowns are members of the US Congress, and simply have no idea how to do their jobs.
Dave
Vote just ended, if I can see the count right (it’s grainy on my Real Player) some GOP congressperson actually voted FOR the rules package and one Dem against.
Wonder who they were.
Myrtle Parker
Downpuppy, if the Republican leadership didn’t manufacture SOMETHING to complain about on the first day of this new congress, the media and the wingnuts would be incensed. It doesn’t really matter *what* it is… they just have to have SOMETHING to complain about. It is like a pacifier.
Downpuppy
Getting rules changed is something they need & could get if they just didn’t choose to be assholes about it.
There are plenty of other ways to feed the base.
Dave
Ah, they left the voting open. I take that back. it’s party lines now.
I still wonder who on each side saw the end of their respective leader’s stick.
Zifnab
After 14 years of taking it in the face, I can’t possibly imagine a Dem would have trouble toeing this line unless he was a freshman.
Pooh
*cough*Lieberman*cough*
(I know, Senate, and he’s an ID…right…)
TenguPhule
I feel warm and fuzzy today.
Those Republican tears taste so sweet.
Jonathan
Minor nit, the Sun won’t go nova, it will expand into a red giant, the atmosphere of which will engulf the Earth and probably Mars as well.
The end result is the same, Earth goes poof. I’m just a science geek and like to see things correctly stated.
Bob In Pacifica
I would give the Repubs their old rules, and tell them, “Write down how wrong these rules are, why they are wrong, and why you put them in place, and we’ll get back to you.”
The rules should be changed. I’d just want to make sure that the Repubs in Congress understand that the reason why the rules should change isn’t just because they lost and are in the minority now.
Anne
“Yes! Yes! Oh let me taste your tears, Scott! Oh, the tears of unfathomable sadness! My-yummy! My-yummy, you guys!”
Cartman says it all
Zombie Santa Claus
Rubbish. God won’t allow it to happen. The Earth will survive the demise of the Sun- assuming even that happens, for if it does God will provide us with a second Sun with which to light our world and keep track of the Sabbath and so forth.
Praise the Lord.
dreggas
and I wish I was at home so I could have witnessed this *sigh* stupid work…
Tsulagi
Plus, even if He has a sick sense of humor (some evidence of that) and just wants to see what we’d look like extra crispy, when He stops giggling He’ll snap His fingers for a do over. In 6,000 years we’d be right back where we are now, only asbestos based rather than carbon. Upgrade.
John Redworth
After the 100 hours gimmick, the Dems should agree to vote on the minority bill of rights…
Bruce Moomaw
I’m enthusiastically in favor of passing that “Congressional minority rights” bill that the GOP is now solemnly supporting after spitting in the Dems’ face when they first advocated it — provided, that is, that it is passed in the form of another Constitutional amendment, something the GOP can’t cheerfully retract again the moment they get back into power. The Dems should simply announce that — UNTIL the GOP helps them pass and ratify such an amendment — the GOP will continue to be treated exactly the way they treated the Dems.
Zifnab
I’m honestly surprised the Republicans didn’t try to squirl something like that through at the end of the ’06 legislative session. The rules-change equivalent of “oh, btw, no backies”
John S.
Yeah, passing legisaltion that is long overdue and heavily supported by the overwhelming majority of the American public that the Republicans couldn’t manage to accomplish in 100 months is some gimmick!
numbskull
Best comment all day.
TenguPhule
After you explain why Republicans should have rights they denied Democrats for 6 years, they’ll think about it.
RSA
Can you see Hastert at the blackboard, writing this out 100 times?
John Redworth
I didn’t know that my thoughts on the subject could cause such a change…
temple stark
>>my yard man
that’s a shriveling unattractive phrase.
Sherard
Hey John, just a quick one here. Please do provide some evidence that you supported Pelosi in her bid to enact this “Minority Protection Act” in 2004. Otherwise you are nothing more than a hypocritical opportunist. Either you support these congressional rules that protect the minority, or you don’t.
I mean, damn, how principled of you to oppose it now since it would benefit those evil GOPers, and by extension the Evil Bush.
I find it absolutely hysterical how you were critical of the same kind of things when the GOP was doing it and advocating for change, but when the party in control changes, well, so does your tune. Now the procedures that were so vile when done by the GOP are deserved when done by the Democrats.
You deserve the flipper nickname more than John Kerry.