I searched for a live link, but this was the best I could find. Our Democratic representatives have stood up for us twice in a week, let’s make sure we do what we can to support them.
ETA: More on today’s sit-in here.
I have got to get some work done now, so consider this an open thread.
UPDATE: This has to be my favorite tweet so far, h/t rikyrah
So I'm meeting with @keithellison. His scheduler walks in and hands him this note. Meeting ends :) #NoBillNoBreak pic.twitter.com/JwnusZKZuo
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) June 22, 2016
CaseyL
GOP douchenozzles shut off the CSPAN camera. i think there are alternative outlets – Twitter comes immediately to mind.
Go, John Lewis!
SuperHrefna
Go John Lewis! A giant amongst congresscritters
amygdala
Republicans be hatin’. John Lewis be tweetin’.
#holdthefloor #goodtrouble
SuperHrefna
We should all write to our reps and ask them to join the sit in
Betty Cracker
What a good and brave man.
Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporate Shill
There’s my congressman with them, John Yarmuth (D-People’s Democratic Socialist Kenyan Sharia Republic of Louisville).
Shame he’s a neoliberal corporatist sellout shill for warmonger Hillary…
Damned at Random
Should have called for a shot-in. Lay down and moan or cry for help, or play dead. Dare the media to ignore THAT
piratedan
hate to say it, but we need more of this. Probably won’t even warrant a mention on the networks but at least our Dem reps are showing something! Even if the GOP essentially disenfranchise them by refusing to even listen. It’s high time that they do something to show that not all of the Congress is worthless.
LAO
Of course, Senator Chris Murphy has joined the sit-in. He almost makes me wish I was a CTer.
Villago Delenda Est
Ryan knows the optics on this are terrible for him and his party of fascist filth.
cleek
@piratedan:
if someone can get Trump to talk about it, the networks will have to cover it.
Emerald
Oh ha! We got John Lewis in fightin’ form! John Lewis knows how to fight. John Lewis knows how to organize. This will be just the beginning.
Ryan may keep the cameras off, but John Lewis is shutting the House down. It’s gonna be a major story, because John Lewis knows how to make it one!
Woo ha!
Roger Moore
@SuperHrefna:
Mine (Judy Chu) already is.
TaMara (HFG)
@CaseyL: Twitter, Periscope, FB live, Youtube to the resuce. It’s like fuckin’ China – don’t like it, so Republicans censor it, but you can’t censor social media.
piratedan
@cleek: maybe they can get Trump to state that those Congress people are lazy and they need to stop being dramatic and go and do their jobs.
cmorenc
@Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporate Shill:
Your Ralph Nader purity pony is on its way to your doorstep via UPS – it’s very handsome, but with the downside that it’s notoriously resistant to being trained not to shit all over the place.
Adam L Silverman
@Villago Delenda Est: And that’s why he had the GOP member chairing the House this AM gavel the House into recess. This was after he had the cameras cut off. My guess is he’ll have the Sergeant at Arms and the Custodian turn out the lights, cut all the mics and the wifi, and lock the doors into the chamber. This will either force those involved in the sit in to leave or be locked inside until the House GOP leadership decides to let them out. If he’s as smart as I think he is in trying to deny this fire any oxygen, he’ll also have the Capitol Police clear the gallery of both visitors and reporters and lock the gallery entrances.
SIA
My esteemed congressman. Almost makes up for the two loathsome GA senators.
Cacti
But millennials told me he was an establishment sellout.
Cat48
Andrea Mitchell covered it up until the GOP closed the House so the cameras were off. She keeps going back to it.
raven
@Cat48: Come on, whining about the “media” is what we do.
LAO
Alright, my congresswoman is there. (Carolyn Maloney, D-NY)
Poopyman
Now if only the Senate would follow suit, would Turtleman declare recess? Think of the possibilities.
I assumed this was a Cole post until I read this line. Then I knew it couldn’t be his.
amygdala
@Betty Cracker:
Truth.
Poopyman
@TaMara (HFG): I am an Old, and have never heard of Periscope.
piratedan
@Adam L Silverman: yup, the optics on turning out the lights on a group of sitting Congressional reps and a civil rights icon will sure play the media response to the appropriate uppity note
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara (HFG): They can turn off the wifi in the chamber and put a localized cell scrambler in place. That and turning off the power will do it.
Mnemosyne
@Adam L Silverman:
I’m pretty sure that the Speaker of the House essentially imprisoning Democrats — especially a civil rights hero like Lewis — would not have the great optics you’re thinking it would. Just sayin’.
The Other Bob
I once met John Lewis, but did not get a picture. I regret that. A giant among men.
Kenneth R Ashford
One rep is periscoping it on and off.
https://www.periscope.tv/ScottPetersSD/1lPKqzALPjmGb
MattF
Billboard of the day. Trump has normalized racism.
Poopyman
@Adam L Silverman: At which point I hope (*) that some enterprising journalist starts tallying the amount of taxpayers’ money Ryan is spending on preventing sitting Congresspersons’ voices from reaching the nation.
(* – I know, I know.)
Adam L Silverman
@Poopyman: He can’t just declare a recess. Recesses in the Senate are required to go through the same process as everything else. It is customary for all Senate business, including recessing, to be done through universal acclimation. Should there be one objection it will require the filing of a motion to recess, which then puts it into the normal rules of order they’ve created for themselves. It would have to clear a cloture vote (voting on whether to actually proceed to vote) and to do that it would need 60 votes, which the GOP caucus doesn’t have in the Senate. So they could, using the rules, tie him into nots. That’s why the filibuster last week was allowed to happen. The Senate rules make it impossible to stop it.
LAO
@Cacti: Not to beat a really dead horse, but that was the moment that I found myself no longer “bernie curious.”
TaMara (HFG)
@Adam L Silverman: Sure, but that doesn’t stop social media – meaning outside the chamber – assistants can continue to tweet, post and continue the narration. And here we are discussing it, Discussing how awful it is that they would censor someone as prominent as John Lewis.
But, really what separates what Ryan’s doing from what China has done to those with opposing views? That’s not going to play well…
Mnemosyne
I just called my congressman’s office (Brad Sherman CA-30) and they say that he is there.
SIA
MSNBC is covering it. But the reporter is Lil Luke Russert who makes me want to attack the TV with a brick.
aimai
I pretty much never have to call my congresscritters because I’m from MA and they always do the right thing but I couldn’t figure out if Capuano was part of this sit in–nothing on his twitter timeline–so I just called his office. The rep told me that Capuano and the entire Ma delegation was sitting in with John Lewis and you know what–I burst into tears. I don’t know. Even a cynic like me has had it with politics as usual. I’m so grateful for the courage and leadership of John Lewis, and so proud of my congressional delegation. I just can’t even express it. I had to get off the phone after I choked out my thanks to the congressman’s office.
Poopyman
@MattF:
That someone in 2016 could say this and believe it …..
.
Roger Moore
@Adam L Silverman:
There’s a problem with that approach, though: avoiding recess appointments. If they don’t want to let Obama make a bunch of recess appointments- including Merrick Garland- they have to keep the Senate from officially going into recess. As long as the Senate isn’t in recess, the House can’t go into recess for more than 3 days. So they’re going to have to keep holding pro forma sessions, which will give the Democrats a chance to act up again.
Adam L Silverman
@piratedan: @Mnemosyne: You have to understand that the current GOP leadership all came up under the Delay era. They don’t think about the optics on this like you or I would. They think it is their job/right to knuckle the Democrats. That’s part of the reason Speaker Boehner was such an outlier and had to tap dance with his caucus. He understood going to the Minority Leader to get stuff that had to pass to pass. The current group of leadership, who are also scared to death of the Freedom Caucus and getting primaried from their right by potential new members of the Freedom Caucus, all had different role models than Boehner. They will act based on how their were taught to act.
Mnemosyne
@Adam L Silverman:
Also, if I may gently snark on you a bit, I’m pretty sure that John Lewis has faced obstacles a little bigger than a lack of wi-fi.
Adam L Silverman
@Roger Moore: The Senate won’t go into recess.
Emerald
@Adam L Silverman: All those things are exactly what Lewis wants them to do. Turn off the lights (they have flashlights and smartphones); lock the chamber (lock these fightin’ Dems inside!! Great media); keep the People away from their House so they can’t see the fightin’ Dems!
John Lewis knows how to manipulate the media. He knows better than Trump. It may take a few days. Patience is a virtue.
Watch.
Miss Bianca
Whoa! I had no idea this was going on.
ETA Would they actually try to lock the doors on Lewis et. al.? Would there actually *be* any repercussions for Ryan et al. if they did so? I don’t think Paul Ryan considers that he has any duty to anyone except the most rabid of his base.
SiubhanDuinne
It’s the first story on NPR 1:00 p.m. headlines.
sherparick
@cmorenc: Make that a purity unicorn and will shit ice cream all over the place.
Roger Moore
@Adam L Silverman:
Then the House can’t either. That’s the point. They have to have at least pro forma sessions at least every 3 days, which gives the Democrats a chance to come back into the chamber and go through the whole rigamarole again.
piratedan
@Adam L Silverman: granted and the fact that they have a more or less complicit media in the bag for them helps, but I can see you breaking this down tactically for them I just don’t think that these guys (the GOP) have any understanding of the optics of the decision tree that you’re suggesting will be implemented. Say the Dems stay solid, are they going to deny them food? water? access to restrooms?
and THIS is the hill that the GOP wants to die on? denying a vote on something that 80% of the country wants, what, are they afraid to go on the record here? Why? They’ll simply lie and the media will gloss over it as usual won’t they?
imho, I think that this is a complete shitstorm for the GOP Congress and I wouldn’t be surprised if Nancy Smash isn’t encouraging this to hang all of those fuckers once and for all.
amk
@CaseyL:
wow, they can do that?
Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporate Shill
@cmorenc:
But I was told by millennial Bernie or Busters that super delegates like Lewis and Yarmuth aren’t real progressives…
sherparick
@Adam L Silverman: A very good point. The GOP base voter wants their congress critters eat Democrats alive like Ramsay Bolton’s dogs.
Adam L Silverman
@Mnemosyne: That wasn’t my point. If you turn off the ability to get signal out, wifi and cellular, you turn off the ability of any information from inside the chamber to get out. Is Ryan that smart? I don’t think so. He probably isn’t sharp enough to think: lets get a portable scrambler up here right now! But if I wanted to shut down the social media aspect, which is all that’s left with no official video, that’s what I’d do.
SiubhanDuinne
@The Other Bob:
I worked with him a couple of times. He is a wonderfully gracious man. Somewhere there is a photo.
(The first time I ever had occasion to call his office, he answered the phone himself.)
J.
@SIA: I feel your pain.
aimai
@Poopyman: That is interesting–if the Democratic Senators forced McConnell to also declare a recess would Obama then have the ability to make recess appointments to all the judgeships that are vacant?
Joy in FL
I just tweeted to Marco Rubio (my senator) that he should participate in the sit-in and vote against gun violence.
aimai
@[email protected]aimai: Perhaps, if you wish to forward this argument to our Senators, you could choose to do it under a nym other than Poopyman? Just a suggestion.
Mzinformation
Love the man. Knows how to light a candle and show who scurries into the shadows
boatboy_srq
My Congresscritter (Comstock, R-BeltwayBanditry) is out canvassing today. Figures.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: Both parties have done it to each other over the years.
aimai
Congressman John Lewis dances to Happy: “https://www.youtube.com/embed/4QchDC9FaiI
aimai
No? Ok, lets try this.
Poopyman
@aimai: Thanks, but I suspect they’ve already got their actions coordinated with the House, whatever they may be. :^)
Mnemosyne
@Adam L Silverman:
No, I realize you’re just saying what tactical decisions you would make in Paul Ryan’s shoes. But we’re not dealing with a bunch of teenage Occupy protesters here. I seriously doubt Ryan is going to be able to outmaneuver a veteran protester like Lewis.
Josie
I called my congressman, but he is currently in a committee meeting. The young lady promised to deliver my message as soon as possible. It is important for all congresspersons to receive calls on this from their constituents. I love John Lewis.
Adam L Silverman
@Roger Moore: Let’s try this again. They won’t go into a formal recess: as in Congress is in recess. What they did today was gavel the House business to a close early. If they have to they’ll do the same thing every day as long as this goes on. It won’t be the formal, official, we’re going on a real vacation recess. Those no longer exist because something, something Constitutional tyranny something, something.
ruemara
I’ve been posting updates and simplified procedure explanations on my feed. Very happy to see a civil rights leader in action. One that actually marched with King. And, yes, on this, I am fucking petty. Goddamned rightly petty.
@The Other Bob: I got to listen to him at Comic-Con last year. Many pictures, video, people weeping next to me…
hovercraft
@aimai:
Didn’t the supreme court sharply curtail the presidents ability to do so a couple years back? Adam can you clarify, please?
Adam L Silverman
@piratedan: I don’t disagree with you at all. What they could do versus what they might do versus what they should do are different things. My impression of these folks is they’re hypersensitive and over react without realizing how bad that looks to everyone outside their circle/bubble. So I laid out the tactics that would be chosen in an over reaction. The smartest thing they could do is leave the lights on, the doors open, and just ignore it after stating: we don’t agree with this, but we respect Congressman Lewis, his years of service, etc, so we are getting out of the way and will be in our offices for press availabilities and constituent services.
Adam L Silverman
@amk: The cameras in the House and Senate are controlled by the House Studios and the Senate Studios. Those are under control of each chamber’s leadership.
Miss Bianca
Just watched Lewis’s statement.
Action items for today: donate to Gail Schwartz’s campaign. She is running against corporate tool Scott Tipton in CO HD 3. Call said corporate tool’s office in support of action on gun legislation. It won’t do any damn good, but I’ll do it anyway.
@Adam L Silverman: Wow. I had no idea. So…this could go on and on? Every day Ryan could just decide not to deal and shut things down for the day?
? Martin
@MattF: Yep. This is the GOP winning – voter outreach.
Eric S.
My rep’s , Quigly, IL-5, twitter feed says he is in a committee meeting but hopes to make it to the sit in. He’s generally a good guy. I’ll take him at his word.
sherparick
@Poopyman: Someone should tell him “Leave It to Beaver” was a TV show. By the way, although the social metrics for older, less educated white people (particularly women) suck, the crime rate and other social metrics are the best since the 1950s. It is a real panic about how “special” being white is slowly disappearing.
Adam L Silverman
@aimai: They can’t force the Senate into recess. If the universal acclimation to go into recess, or even a suspension of the scheduled daily order and conclude business early, fails on the universal acclimation voice vote, it proceeds through the Senate’s regular rules of order. This means it has to go through a cloture vote and the Senate Democrats don’t have the 60 votes. If they did, there wouldn’t be an appointment backlog.
gex
@Adam L Silverman: Which makes turning them off and jamming cell services very different things. The latter of which might be illegal, wouldn’t you think? What power does the Speaker have to interrupt such services?
Adam L Silverman
@aimai: Tried to fix 62 for you and made it worse. Sorry…
hovercraft
@Adam L Silverman:
It amazes me how bad the GOP is at the optics of politics, they’ve been lulled into a false sense of security by their mid-term wins which have yielded them with the power they currently enjoy. But the next redistricting year is presidential election year and this behavior will not be forgotten by minorities. How do they expect to win. How many times have we heard that this is the last election where they will depend on the white base, and then they just double down. I don’t get it.
nonynony
@Adam L Silverman:
Actually the smart thing to do would be to hold the vote, count on your majority being large enough to vote it down, and move on.
That’s what you’d do if you thought your policies were popular and would be supported by the voters in your district. These are all people who tout their 100% rating with the NRA anytime they can – if they’re so sure that these policies are what people want, why won’t they stand behind them?
And I don’t even mean that rhetorically or sarcastically. They seem to sincerely believe that the best gun policy is the least restrictive one. So why not own that and be proud of it?
hedgehog mobile
Just called Representative DeGette’a office (Denver and my part of Jefferson County). Staffer said she’s at a prescheduled event but would be on her way to the House after. Keep working the phones, all!
Cacti
Another mass shooting today in Thurston County, Washington.
3 dead, 1 wounded.
The 193rd such incident in 174 days of 2016.
Miss Bianca
@aimai: You know what? John Lewis has some damn good dance moves. Just sayin’.
@hedgehog mobile: good for you! So…call Tipton or not? What do I say?
Mnemosyne
I just shared the story on Facebook. My Facebook friends are a pretty select group, but we’ll see if I have to block anyone after this.
ruemara
@Adam L Silverman: had to explain this to people blaming CSPAN. Even locally, if ordered by the body’s head to turn off broadcast, you have to. Our rule was to keep internal cams taping for the record. Does the House/Senate have that rule? I’m always curious on procedure, I spent much of time asking questions of every gov lawyer I could when I worked in gov.
Adam L Silverman
@hovercraft: Yes they did. They Conservative block of then 5 justices, swallowed the created out of whole cloth argument (by radical Libertarian law professors and scholars – the same crowd that came up with the legal theories attacking the ACA), that as long as a member of the Senate went into the chamber every few/three days or so and gaveled a pro forma session into existence and held the floor open for business for a few minutes, the Senate/Congress could not be in recess. Therefore President Obama’s recess appointments were unconstitutional and voided.
piratedan
@hovercraft: they may be bad at the optics but they don’t have to be good at it, cripes they’ve got Chuckles the Toad and Ms. Greenspan and Luke, son of Russert all running interference for them to pre-spin the spin.
Roger Moore
@Adam L Silverman:
Sure, but the point is that they can’t just kick the Democrats out and keep them locked out, or lock them in and keep them locked in. They have to keep holding regular sessions, which gives the Democrats a chance to keep the pressure on with more protests like this one.
Percysowner
@Poopyman: Fortunately CSpan has heard of Periscope and they are broadcasting the Periscope session.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: Yes. Everything I’ve laid out – over reaction or smart reaction – is just me gaming this out. I have no idea how long Congressman Lewis is planning on doing this for. If he decides that this needs to be dragged way out, as in days and days and days, I honestly have no idea how the GOP leadership will respond. I know that elements of the GOP caucus are likely furious right now and I’m sure we can all guess who those lovely and broad minded ladies and gentlemen are.
Given the behavior of the House GOP caucus and leadership, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did the most cowardly thing of trying to start a session and then immediately ending business for the day. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they are right now trying to figure out if they can find away to have all of the members of Congress involved in the sit in arrested for trespass.
Mnemosyne
@piratedan:
Because optimism motivates me, I’m going to say that one of the things Obama demonstrated is that the traditional media outlets aren’t nearly as powerful as they used to be. Local and social media are where a lot of people get their information these days. That’s why Karl Rove was so shocked that Obama won in 2012 — he was only following traditional media and didn’t realize how much campaigning was happening in Spanish-language media, local papers, etc.
The MSM can ignore this all they want, but people are still going to find out one way or another.
evap
@SIA: I second that! I just called his office and said that I am proud to be represented by him. I got a little choked up…
Arclite
I am heartened that between the filibuster and this sit in that the Dems are taking more action than they did after Sandy Hook. Do I think it will make a difference in the cold, black heart of bought and paid for Republicans? Nope.
I’ll say it again: the only way we’ll get any gun control legislation passed and signed is if there is a mass shooting in the capitol building itself in which many congress people die. And if such a horrible, horrible attack does happen the overwhelming likelihood will be that the perps are right-wing domestic terrorists targeting “liberals”, not ISIS/Al Queda. I’ll also throw in that the terrorist/terrorists will probably have to kill a few “good guys with guns” in order to put the lie to that ridiculous phrase.
Congress only passes laws when their self-interest is at stake, either monetarily (they’re paid through campaign “contributions”) or personally (it affects them directly).
I’ve been told this attitude is cynical. It’s not really, it’s simply based on the observation of how congress has operated for the past 20 years and backed up by studies like this one.
Adam L Silverman
@gex: The Speaker has broad powers over the House, its meeting chamber, the offices of members of Congress, committee meeting rooms, etc.
That said, my impression of Speaker Ryan is that he’s really a spoiled rich kid who figured out if he manages the optics well everyone will respond to him like he’s a mature, responsible adult. How he’ll act in a situation like this, when he wants everyone, all the time, to view him as the highest ranking, best, and only responsible, mature, and thoughtful Republican official in the US, I have no idea. I expect he’s in his office right now with his staff and the other GOP leaders and is very, very, very angry. Angry is dangerous, especially from someone who is not even half as smart as he thinks he is.
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman:
Oh, now, that…infuriating and insulting as that would be…I almost wish they would be trashy enough to try it. Because I don’t think anything less than that would cause the kind of blowback that so desperately needs to redound upon them.
Adam L Silverman
@hovercraft: As long as the House districts remain gerrymandered in their favor, and until something overwhelms that even if still in place, they will hold the House and be able to act however they want.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@aimai:
Thanks for stating that – my Congressman is Joe Kennedy so I’ll assume he’s there too. Katherine Clark is too. Like you, I can’t imagine living anywhere else at times like these.
Arclite
@CaseyL:
Jesus H. Christ, what a bunch of fucking assholes.
amk
@Adam L Silverman: So, the minority party has zero say on these things? You know, the democracy things?
Adam L Silverman
@nonynony: I think that would work to. I’d do it a bit differently. I’d allow the sit in to run through about 4 PM, then announce that a vote on the proposal will proceed tomorrow after X number of hours of floor debate. In the meantime, they’ll be in their offices or committee assignments doing the People’s work. This would usurp, undermine, and change the narrative for the evening news as the DC political press corps wants to be able to write this up as a reasonable Republicans graciously acquiesce to shrill Democratic demands.
hedgehog mobile
@Miss Bianca: Yes. I would say you want to see a vote on common sense gun reform, that you are a constituent, and that you will remember how he votes on this. I doubt he’ll do anything,but as someone said in another thread, we’ve got to let them know we’re watching. (Eloquence limited by tiny keyboard).
Mnemosyne
@Adam L Silverman:
I suspect we’re going to see yet another demonstration of the Republican/conservative mindset that any random white guy (like Ryan) is naturally smarter than even a shrewd political operator like Lewis. And then we get to see their reaction as they once again get publicly pantsed.
Adam L Silverman
@ruemara: Let me check with the subject matter expert I keep on call for such matters. Back as soon as I hear something.
nonynony
@Arclite: I think this is actually incorrect – in such a scenario you’d get a push for more security in the chambers of the House and Senate, but not more restrictive gun laws. In fact you’d probably get a law passed that Senators and Representatives were allowed to carry weapons on the floor of the chambers themselves.
What will get sane gun laws passed is the same actions that get any other laws passed – multiple generations of activists committed to changing the minds of the public and getting politicians willing to do what the public wants elected. We’re half way there – the public is at least moderately behind more restrictive gun laws than what we currently have. Now the work of getting majorities in both chambers who are all committed to more restrictive gun laws and a sitting Democratic president needs to happen. I’m hopeful that it could happen in my lifetime, to be honest, but that’s the only way that any real change ever happens in this country, short of a Civil War that is.
piratedan
@Mnemosyne: agreed, just that we could actually reach more if the MSM and the supposedly liberal media wasn’t a willing accomplice for the GOP. I think it’s awesome that the Dems are doing what they can to show that it’s not EVERYONE in Congress that is willing to let the madness on guns continue without even having a discussion about it.
Mnemosyne
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
I would call anyway and voice your support. My congresscritter’s office staff sounded very pleased to have a supporter call, and I’m in the deepest, bluest part of So Cal.
amygdala
Looks like a number of Senators have gone over to the House to join the sit-in.
Adam L Silverman
@Roger Moore: They’re not actually in recess now. Committee work is ongoing. All they did was suspend today’s business within the chamber. So they cancelled and will have to reschedule a bunch of votes.
nonynony
@Adam L Silverman: That’s a workable strategy when your base isn’t full of nuts. Sadly for Ryan, I think that path is cut off to him because the base would see it as capitulating to the Democrats when they should be holding strong. And not just the base, but large chunks of his own majority would probably run to the nearest camera to denounce him as the second coming of Neville Chamberlain.
The only way to make it work would have been to bring the vote up in the first place without letting the Dems have a protest at all. Once the spotlight got put onto the Dems any move to give them a vote looks like capitulation and will anger the Tea Party.
raven
@Mnemosyne: Check and tell me how both sides can whine constantly abut the fucking media and one be wrong?
LAO
To quote Charles Pierce:
Link to John Lewis American Hero
Adam L Silverman
@ruemara: My friend (who is a specialist on Congress and how it functions) just replied with:
So like the magic 8 Ball says: “situation unclear, ask again later”.
Miss Bianca
@hedgehog mobile: Oh, that sounds like the perfect way to approach it. Thanks for the advice!
SiubhanDuinne
@SIA:
@evap:
Lucky both of you to live in the 5th! I’m in the very Republican 7th, and I’m pretty sure Rob Woodall won’t be joining the sit-in.
However, even though I’m not a constituent, I did call John Lewis’ district office just to thank him and voice my support.
Betty Cracker
@amygdala: Including Bill By-God Nelson! Good for him!
Betty Cracker
Trump is probably miffed that the sit-in stepped on his attempt to seize the news cycle by repeating debunked wingnut lies about HRC. Sad!
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@amygdala:
The junior senator from Massachusetts is one of them, although no one knows who Ed Markey is even if they fell on him.
Aleta
Happy birthday, John Cole!
hedgehog mobile
@Miss Bianca: Haldeman to help. Keep us posted! #enough
Mnemosyne
@SiubhanDuinne:
Call your rep and tell him that history has its eyes on him. ;-)
@raven:
Because the MSM is just that bad. They don’t have any satisfied customers right now.
hedgehog mobile
@hedgehog mobile: Should have been happy. Damn you autocorrect.
boatboy_srq
@hovercraft: I have one or two RWNJs in my FB circle. Their viewpoint on this is so far off Zeiss and Leica together can’t help them.
Origuy
Using a cell phone or wifi jammer is illegal. From the FCC:
Percysowner
My representative is taking part in this, so yay! I’ll call and tell her how proud I am to be in her district.
Arclite
I called my Congress woman in DC, Tulsi Gabbard, and her office actually picked up! The man on the line wasn’t sure if she was participating or not, and offered to check, but I didn’t want to tie up the line (plus I’m on my way out the door to work). I let him know that I think she should be sitting with John Lewis and that gun control was a huge issue that needed to be addressed with fervor and immediacy.
gwangung
@Origuy: So? These are Republicans…..
Miss Bianca
@hedgehog mobile: Yeah, I was wondering – “what does Haldeman have to do with anything?”
So, I just tried calling Tipton’s office, and *that’s* when my office mate, who’s been out all morning, decided to come back in! CHOKE!!
I mean, I’m fairly certain that he won’t care, but…I know I shouldn’t be doing this kind of stuff from the office, either.
Adam L Silverman
@amk: The Speaker controls the House Studio. The Senate Majority Leader controls the Senate Studio. The minority parties have only those powers that the rules for each chamber give them.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
Bernie and Tulsi Gabbard nowhere to be found, apparently. But John Lewis is the enemy of the dudebro revolution.
aimai
@Miss Bianca: I know–he really does! He’s very flexible for a guy his age.
Adam L Silverman
@nonynony: I think this is an accurate estimation. You’d see an immediate passage of carry, either open and/or concealed for members and their staffs. You’d also see an immediate push for expanded carry, shall issue, etc within the District of Columbia.
divF
Barbara Lee (CA-13) is my rep, and she’s there.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: My subject matter friend just replied, when I asked if it was possible, with:
So, again: “circumstances unclear, ask again later.”
piratedan
well ty twitterverse, apparently both Obama and Big Dawg Bill have weighed in with their support… imagine that will light up a few wires as well.
Arclite
@Roger Moore:
Maybe we can hope that they are that stupid?
hedgehog mobile
@Miss Bianca: I took my cell phone into a conference room and shut the door.
ruemara
@Adam L Silverman: Figures. But, good to know.
@Arclite: She is hanging with staff, playing what looks like softball, according to her Twitter feed. A veritable progressive lion, she is.
@Adam L Silverman: I think it is possible, but unprecedented at that level. We once had a situation of, um… compelling an exit.
Origuy
@gwangung: Yeah, but they have to find one first. Amazon Prime isn’t going to deliver one today and they can’t run out to Walmart. They’ll have to get it on the black market.
Gravenstone
@Adam L Silverman:
Since that particular item isn’t legal for John Q. Public to own or operate, how does Congress rate?
Cacti
Senators Murphy, Blumenthal, Hirono, Markey, Booker, Nelson, and Franken have all joined the sit-in.
Where is the junior Senator from Vermont?
Adam L Silverman
@nonynony: I don’t disagree here too. Speaker Ryan is likely under a lot of pressure from a lot of different directions. And this is before Trumps starts weighing in on twitter that the GOP can’t even control the House…
Shell
I sometimes think this country doesn’t deserve John Lewis.
LAO
And now Chuck Schumer joins the protest. I’m shocked, I assumed the absence of cameras would limit his interest in joining, LOL.
The Thin Black Duke
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: What? You really think Bernie wants to get his rumbled suit dirty by sitting on the floor? Especially when there’s no cameras around?
Adam L Silverman
@Betty Cracker: I was going to put a post up with vid, but there was almost no real time coverage of his speech this AM. I find that interesting…
Botsplainer, Neoliberal Corporate Shill
@amygdala:
Is Saint Bernard of Vermont among them, Peace Be Unto Him?
Chyron HR
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
I assume Sanders’ expression of disdain for people who “shout about gun violence” is still operative, so any additional comments would be redundant.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@The Thin Black Duke:
That’s too Establishment, man.
amk
The kenyan and uncle joe should pop in just to perk things up.
TaMara (HFG)
@Adam L Silverman: LOL, I thought you were being snarky, when in fact you did have an expert on speed dial. Why, oh, why would I ever doubt you batman?
Adam L Silverman
@Origuy: Members of Congress cannot be held liable, criminally or civilly, for actions taken in their official capacities. Speaker Ryan’s official capacities give him broad control over the House, its chambers, its committee and meeting rooms, and its offices/office buildings. I doubt he’d do this, I doubt he’d even think to, but it would be awfully hard to prosecute him if he did. As my subject matter expert friend remarked to me a bit ago: we are in uncharted territory here for the House of Representatives.
Lyrebird
@LAO: That is awesome! I have called all congresscritters (unlikely to shift anyone’s position much, but Toomey was once willing to stand for a little more sanity than his pals do) and tossed a few coppers in J Street’s collection box for Patrick Murphy (hopefully new D-Fla/Sen).
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: show him/her the pretty kitties and when he or she is overcome with the power of cute, make the call!
Cacti
@Chyron HR:
Strangely, the life or death issue of gun violence is the one political topic where he finds it inappropriate to raise your voice.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
Coons, Cardin, Boxer and Markey representin’.
SiubhanDuinne
@amk:
I ?❤️?❤️? this idea!
Adam L Silverman
@Gravenstone: Congress is part of the US government, yes?
Cacti
Senators Boxer, Coons, Klobuchar, McCaskill, and Cardin have joined the sit-in.
Still no Bernie.
Adam L Silverman
@LAO: He’ll bring his own. I think he has one of those backpack mounted ones they use on the Bigfoot hunting shows. Has night vision and everything.
SiubhanDuinne
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
Heard Li’l Russ say that Al Franken and Chris Murphey are there.
(But it was Li’l Russ, so I’m not sure how reliable the report is.)
LAO
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: Apparently, Senator Boxer brought snacks!
hedgehog mobile
@Adam L Silverman: This!
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara (HFG): One of my closest friends from grad school is a specialist on Congress, its rules, its functions. Fortunately he was up on gmail chat, so I was able to ping him real quick.
TaMara (HFG)
@Adam L Silverman: gawd, I would feel so inadequate at any dinner party you hosted.
Miss Bianca
@hedgehog mobile: I should have tried that. I think rather than call again to elaborate – I just blurted out the part about being a constituent and wanting a vote on gun legislation to come up – I’m going to send an email. Partly because I’d like to go on at a bit more length, but also partly for the sick fascination inherent in what kind of smarmy, weaselly justification he’d give for not supporting gun legislation.
@Adam L Silverman: Wow, thanks for pursuing that point for me!
@Arclite: I think that would be the worst possible thing that could happen. Not only, as others have pointed out, because it would not lead to meaningful gun control legislation, but only cause Congresscritters to start packing heat themselves – but because it would likely be a bunch of liberal legislators who would be shot at. I mean, Congress has already seen one of their own get shot – Gabby Giffords – and what action did they take as a result? None.
Now, a shoot-out at the NRA annual meeting, on the other hand…
Arclite
@ruemara:
Do you know of a different Twitter account? Because she hasn’t posted today at all on this one.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@LAO:
I wish we could pitch in and have pizza delivered!
Brachiator
Gawker has some good coverage and additional photos.
Yes, it’s Gawker, but still….
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara (HFG): No you wouldn’t. In this case I happen to know the right person to ask. So I did.
louc
@hovercraft: That’s why they’re working hard to restrict voting rights and put up as many hurdles as possible for minorities and young people who want to vote.
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: thank you, Adam. He is already our resident cat whisperer. Unless you meant…never mind.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: Do go on?
Arclite
@Brachiator:
I know Gawker gets a lot of shit, but they had amazing coverage of the Orlando Pulse shooting. And their series on how poorly adjunct professors are paid and treated has been eye-opening.
LAO
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: If only we could, that would be awesome.
Arclite
Is there a running list of congress people who have joined the sit in?
Fair Economist
@Roger Moore:
What would be REALLY great would be sit-ins in both houses leading to Ryan and McConnell calling recesses.
Whereupon Obama recess-appointments Garland, and a bunch of other open appointments.
ruemara
@Arclite: can’t easily on the kindle while but go to @TulsiPress.
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: Uh…no?
Mnemosyne
@Arclite:
If we had a functioning media, you’d think they would have one. Sigh.
Adam L Silverman
@Miss Bianca: If you’re going to pitch the ball belt high over the fat part of the plate, someone is going to swing at it!
amygdala
@SiubhanDuinne: Franken tweeted that he’s there.
Roger Moore
@Adam L Silverman:
That would be challenging. Members of Congress are protected from arrest for most crimes while in attendance:
Mnemosyne
@Roger Moore:
I guess Breach of the Peace would cover it but, man, would the optics suck. We’ll see if Republicans are that stupid.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@LAO: Well good for her. We’d hate to have Congressional protesters tweetbegging for snacks like common bunkerbros.
#send snacks
Miss Bianca
@Adam L Silverman: see, that’s funny, because some of my other more obvious straight fat lobs you have actively disdained to take a swing at!
ETA On the grounds that they were *too* easy, I believe!
JordanRules
Left a message for my congressman hoping he will join them if he hasn’t already.
What a delicious turn if Lewis takes the media spotlight from that one racist dude for a bit.
Oh and the media sucks!!!!!
Miss Bianca
@amk: Wouldn’t that be awesome! And good for all the Senators who are showing up!
aimai
@Cacti: guarding his email list.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Miss Bianca:
would be epic. And devoid of any kind of fire discipline, or accuracy, or situational awareness. Just a guess.
LAO
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Hey there, I’m feeling a distinct lack of Bundy in my life right now. I better check PACER.
amk
@Roger Moore: Thanks. Adam was letting his imagination run a bit wild there.
amk
@Miss Bianca: Bring in the big guns as it were.
Trentrunner
My Rep Doris Matsui (D-Sac CA) is taking part, according to her Twitter.
Cat48
Bernie says, “It appears I will not be the Democratic Nominee.” In a cspan intv, picked up by USAToday. He said he is still,negotiating with Clinton daily. Well, it’s a start.
Robin Gittelman
@Roger Moore: So is mine (Grace Meng)
chopper
@sherparick:
i wish we could go back to the old days of Alf, where every hard-working white family had a cat-eating alien hidden in their basement. ah, the halcyon days of old..
Trentrunner
Tammy Duckworth is participating, on the floor, out of her wheelchair.
Please, God, let there be photos and video of THAT.
SIA
@J.: thanks. It is painful. Especially that ass Purdue!
rikyrah
There’s a tweet out there from a reporter who was talking to Rep. Keith Ellison, when an aide came in and delivered him a message:
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AH AH
That’s gotta be a surreal moment…
SIA
@aimai: I love that so much.
JudyinSD
Congresswoman Susan Davis representing for California’s 53rd Congressional District. Yes, well done, she is a true liberal.
Trentrunner
Elizabeth Warren just tweeted that she’s walking to the House floor to participate.
Dems in array!
rikyrah
@Brachiator:
I saw Al Franken in the sit-in.
SIA
@evap: There is something about him. ..I always tear up a little just hearing his voice. He moves me.
rikyrah
The tweets, and periscope…this is just the positive of social media when they handle stuff like this.
Mnemosyne
@rikyrah:
Mother knows best! ?
SIA
@SiubhanDuinne: Good idea.I’ll call too.
Iowa Old Lady
I love John Lewis. And even more, I admire him.
Miss Bianca
@Cat48:
“it…*appears*…?”
Wow, that’s some masterpiece of understatement, there!
@rikyrah:
that’s the most awesome thing I’ve read all day!
hedgehog mobile
DeGette just tweeted she’s at the sit in. Yes!
SiubhanDuinne
@amygdala:
Oh, I know. I just felt like taking a snark in Li’l Luke’s general direction.
amygdala
Doesn’t this post need a Proud to be a Democrat tag?!
Poopyman
@Adam L Silverman:
Well, I dunno. Per Roger Moore:
And it apparently is a felony, or at least it is in Chicago.
So at least there’s precedent.
Adam L Silverman
@Roger Moore: And that’s why I checked with an expert on these matters and his response was: “I don’t know, we are in uncharted territory”.
SiubhanDuinne
@rikyrah:
I ♥️ Rep. Ellison’s mom so hard.
Adam L Silverman
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): She has a long history of being the den mother, so to speak, of the Senate Democratic Caucus. She also, from what I understand, is usually the first to take new, female Democratic Senators under her wing and serve as an unofficial mentor.
Omnes Omnibus
My rep. (Mark Pocan) is there. His staffer sounded pleased to get encouraging words. I also made a point of noting that I was a gun owner who supported gun regulations. Tammy Baldwin is not there right now – committee meeting. I asked her staffer to pass on support for her joining if her schedule permitted.
Taiko
@Kenneth R Ashford: Thank you!
Adam L Silverman
@amk: No, I wasn’t. Neither you nor Roger Moore were actually reading what I was writing. Or that I had checked with an actual expert on these matters and reported back his response, which was he was unsure as this is uncharted territory for the House.
SiubhanDuinne
@Trentrunner:
I wish I had thought of that.
rikyrah
@Poopyman:
Why are you shocked?
Non-White folks like myself have been telling you this all along about the Trump supporters.
Yeah…that safe decade…the 1960’s….
Back in the good old days of..
Bull Connor…
Dogs and water hoses….
Medgar, JFK, Malcolm, MLK and RFK getting assassinated…..
Bloody Sunday…
Yesterday was the anniversary of the disappearance of Chaney, Schwerner , and Goodman
Yeah….good times….peaceful times….
PHUCK.OUTTA.HERE.
And NOBODY is going back to that you racist muthaphucka
MomSense
Watching our Representatives fight today makes me so proud to be a Democrat.
Roger Moore
@Adam L Silverman:
There’s always the point that even if it’s illegal, that doesn’t necessarily stop somebody from doing it for the temporary advantage and dealing with the fallout later. I can easily imagine Ryan saying, in effect, “Sure it’s unconstitutional to arrest them for trespassing. What are you gonna do about it?” It’s not as if holding sit-ins on the House floor is a normal part of Congressional business.
amygdala
list of reps (58 at last update) participating in the sit-in
Lafcolleen
Called Rep Quigley (IL 5) to thank him. also called Sen. Durbin’s office to thank him for his earlier votes. Sounds like Durbin has joined the sit-in.
gogol's wife
@amygdala:
My rep Rosa De Lauro, and Sen. Murphy, are there.
TaMara (HFG)
@rikyrah: Here’s a link to that.
ETA: And I just embedded it up at top of post.
Kathleen
@MattF: Repubs and mainslime media did that long ago.
Elie
@Cat48:
Oy — Yes, Bernie, it “appears” that you will not be the nominee. sigh —
So when is that congratulations to Hillary coming? More importantly, when are we gonna see you go after Trump, who is still trying to recruit your followers?
Man, what an asshole!
pat
Just read the article on MSM.com and the comments are universally disgusting.
What is wrong with these people?
Omnes Omnibus
@amygdala: Weird. Either that list is incomplete or my Rep’s staffer fibbed to me.
Cacti
@Elie:
From the sound of Bernie’s comments, he seems to think he gets to pick the VP candidate.
No, Bernie, We’re not going to pretend that you won even though you lost.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Elie:
He is such a small man. He can’t shine John Lewis’s shoes, and to think his idiot army of entitled douchebros heaped such vitriol on him. Sanders and his tantruming supporters can’t disappear fast enough. There’s too much work to do, and he simply is too narcissistic to see beyond his own nose. What’s been stopping him from taking on Trump?
Tim C.
@Adam L Silverman: which is a rational act if you are in a gerrymandered district.
Cat48
@Elie:
It just makes me sad. Maybe he needs a few more weeks?
Hillary just gave a barn burner of a speech in Raliegh NC on the Economy. Much better than Trump’s earlier. :).
MomSense
Holy crap a 16 year old is calling in to c-span right now and he is crushing it. He is saying that he doesn’t want to grow up in a world like this. He thinks the Republicans are disgusting!
MomSense
Now an independent woman from Limerick, Maine is calling to express her support for the Democrats.
Imagine “no fly no buy” with a Maine accent.
Percysowner
Well, now the Republicans are enforcing a rule that says you can’t broadcast from the floor of the House, so no more Periscope or pictures of the sit-in. They are trying everything, except holding a vote, to make this go away. I don’t think it’s going to work. No matter what way the media leans, this is too big a story to NOT cover.
Cat48
@MomSense:
The 16 year old is correct!
amygdala
@Omnes Omnibus: Incomplete, I’d guess. House Democrats Twitter feed doesn’t have a list, unfortunately, but the pictures are cool. Periscope has evidently opened up a channel, too, and Ryan is getting roasted on #NoBillNoBreak for turning off the cameras.
raven
@Percysowner: It’s the goddamn lead story on every news site, jesus.
D58826
Bush 41’s national security adviser Brent Sccowcroft just endorsed Hillary.
And according to an interview with Bernie, he is in no hurry to endorse her. But he does want her to adopt his platform. (sigh)
MomSense
@D58826:
Nice.
Chyron HR
@Cat48:
Well, you know, that could still change once his followers start literally farting at Democrats in Philadelphia instead of metaphorically doing it in the comments section here.
Major Major Major Major
I’ve always wanted to see the mace used. (This is not something I hope will happen but it popped into my head.)
Cat48
@D58826:
Big get for HillzI. Scowcroft is one the remaining Realist n FP.
Mnemosyne
@rikyrah:
Strictly IMO, but it’s still a good thing for white liberals (like me) to publicly express our shock and dismay at the stupid white voters among us. Social pressure, and all that. But you don’t need to act surprised.
Librarian
Bernie might as well have said “the primary has developed not necessarily to my advantage.”
Betty Cracker
@amygdala: The linked list includes David Jolly (R-FL). I find that hard to believe! Must be an error. Unless he’s switching sides because he’s pissed off that Repeat Rubio reneged on his promise not to run for his senate seat again…
Mnemosyne
@D58826:
Sadly, the BernieOrBusters will only see that as more confirmation that there’s no difference between Clinton and Trump. Because they’re willfully stupid that way.
guachi
I think I’d just about die if President Obama decided to walk from the White House to Capitol Hill and join the sit-in.
Cat48
@Chyron HR:
Too much farting in one place. Hope,it does not happen for everyone’s sake.
Mike J
@guachi:
He’s not allowed on the floor unless invited by House leadership.
Mike J
@Mike J: And the problem is the House, not the president. The House needs to solve it. The president isn’t a king.
amygdala
@Betty Cracker: Looks like he may be one of the few Republicans in the House Chamber right now. I guess he’s been trying to come up with a compromise no fly, no buy bill.
Major Major Major Major
@Mike J: All the more reason. He should ask, publicly.
Poopyman
@Major Major Major Major: The iron one and not the chemical, I take it?
Poopyman
@Mnemosyne: Surprised? No, just SMDH.
D58826
Oh the humanity and get me to my fainting couch. Little Marco is explaining that the Senate might not be what he wants it to be but he just has to buck up and make the supreme sacrifice and run for reelection to a job that pays 173k for about 6 months worth of work. What a man. What a patriot. what a putz
guachi
@Mike J: @Mike J:
All the more reason to go. Consider it civil disobedience. It’ll look great when Obama gets arrested on national television.
Aleta
A working live video link to the House floor https://www.facebook.com/BetoORourkeTX16/videos/vb.460776160654909/1187449984654186/?type=2&theater
The balcony is filling up with supporters.
Major Major Major Major
@Poopyman: Yeah. There’s a formal procedure for using it disciplinarily, though it’s ‘never happened’.
JPL
@guachi: That would be great and that would be breaking news on every channel around the world. The repubs would be so proud (kidding).
Poopyman
In other breaking news, and this is cut and pasted from CNN, so their words, not mine:
cckids
I called my Rep’s office (Dina Titus, NV-1), and she is there too! I told the person on the phone I was proud she was there & that she had the support of myself & my (all voting) 3 other family members. She was pleasantly surprised & happy to hear from someone.
Also, I heard someone yesterday talking about changing the framing from “gun control”, to “gun responsibility”. Sounds like a winner to me.
Aleta
Posted a live video link to the House floor, but it’s in moderation. It’s on the Facebook page of Beto O’Rourke.
ruemara
Hey! Tulsi made it to the floor! Good for her.
Roger Moore
@guachi:
They’d finally have their justification for impeachment!
KithKanan
Just called my Congresswoman’s office (Lois Capps, CA-24) to voice my support since I see from her twitter that she’s joining in the sit-in.
I need to do that more often, I think the last time I called her office was in support of the ACA to tell her to please vote to Pass The Damn Bill.
Glidwrith
My guy Scott Peters (D-San Diego) is out there too!
D58826
NBC is reporting that sen. Warren has joined in also
Major Major Major Major
Diana Degette, my old rep, is there. Yay!
Mnemosyne
BTW, if you know your rep is there, I highly recommend that you call their DC office to thank them. It helps them to know that their actions are appreciated by their constituents.
Barb2
I emailed my Congressional rep (Derek Kilner -D) about an hour ago, and asked if he was a Dem or a Republican, because the Dems are sitting on the floor.
5 minutes ago he tweeted a photo of himself with lots of Dems in background sitting on the floor.
That was fun – thanks for the idea. I just sent an email thanking him.
Major Major Major Major
@Barb2: Call. Emails go into the trash.
Mnemosyne
@Major Major Major Major:
Call or fax.
Some reps are good about email — I was sad to leave Adam Schiff’s district because he paid attention to emails. I haven’t been in Sherman’s district long enough to know if he does the same.
Mike J
@guachi:
If he were doing it to protest the fact that non-MOCs aren’t allowed on the floor it would be civil disobedience. That’s not what he would be doing.
tarragon
Louise Slaughter ( NY 25 ) says she’s standing on the floor in support. She’s in her mid 80s so I don’t begrudge her not sitting.
Major Major Major Major
@Mike J: Go up to the door and ask to be let in. Good optics. Besides, I doubt people know the president has to be invited.
Mike J
My Rep:
D58826
per NBC – Bernie is expected on the house floor soon. so good for him
Cat48
Lil Luke said that the GOP will not give into the Dems bc they don’t want them doing sit ins all the time to get their way. The GOP will wait them out.
MomSense
NO BILL!
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@D58826: Good for him, but it’s not gonna erase the rest of his asshole moves – either on this issue or in this campaign. Glad he’s going. But it doesn’t buy him a pass for the rest.
Mnemosyne
@Cat48:
Heh. How many of John Lewis’s previous opponents thought the same thing?
Aleta
Harm to people and communities doesn’t move the GOP to act. So perhaps an ad campaign is needed, of individuals saying they don’t feel safe taking their children to the movies, have reduced their trips to shopping malls, worry about eating in mall restaurants. Point out damage to businesses, which will only increase. At least the GOP pays attention to that.
Cacti
I’m waiting for some clueless GOPer to say that Martin Luther King would never have approved of sit-ins.
Poopyman
Though your Rep is eighty seven
And they’re sitting on the floor
Won’t you please come to the Chamber
Just to sing?
In a land that’s known as freedom
How can Republicans act so poor?
Won’t you please come to the Chamber
For the help that we can bring?
Poopyman
@MomSense: Clinton?
Keith G
I don’t know if this has been mentioned here with all the HoR excitement, but this is being featured in the L A Times:
.
Major Major Major Major
#DemsNeverSat is trending on Twitter. It’s about all the times the Democrats didn’t do a sit-in. Mostly far-left stuff, some from the Bernie issue cluster, a few about treatment of minorities in Muslim countries.
Cacti
@Major Major Major Major:
From the hashtag revolutionary generation.
Nelle
I called Congressman Lewis’ office in DC to express gratitude. The phone was picked up right away. Flood it with calls of support. (202) 225-3801
Omnes Omnibus
@Major Major Major Major: This is why we can’t have nice things.
Bex
@Mike J: @Mike J: Even so, I’m sure he’d love to be in the room where it happens…
Fair Economist
This is a really good move. I’m impressed. I wonder if the Republicans are willing to let this go on until the Republican Convention?
Mike J
@Major Major Major Major: Obviously Democrats should never attempt to ever make anything better because they didn’t fix everything in the past. I expect this sort of weapons grade stupid from Republicans. Hard to tell the difference between the purity ponies and the Republicans, especially since half of them are probably just ratfuckers anyway.
Keith G
For some historical context, this has been done before, but that cause was not nearly as righteous.
From The Atlantic.
MomSense
@Poopyman:
Was hoping someone would chime in with
NO BREAK!
Elie
@Nelle:
Just did same and they picked up right away and were very grateful for the encouragement and praise.
rikyrah
Speaker Paul Ryan Goes “Post-Truth” on a Health Care Plan
by Nancy LeTourneau
June 22, 2016 4:31 PM
To the extent that Republicans have become “post policy,” Speaker Paul Ryan seems to be leading the charge to return them to being “post truth.” In other words, he is attempting to revive the old system of pretending to present policy proposals that help Americans, but really just benefit the 1%ers. Nowhere is that more obvious than with his unveiling today of a GOP plan to replace Obamacare.
There is nothing new in this plan. It contains all of the old standbys Republicans have been talking about for a while now: refundable tax credits, health savings accounts, high risk pools, block-granting Medicaid, a voucher program to replace Medicare, etc. Oh, and as Kevin Drum notes, while we’re at it, lets raise the eligibility age for Medicare to 67. But there are two pretty big things that were not included in this “plan”:
1. No budget information on costs
2. No projections on what it would mean for the 20 million people who have gained insurance under Obamacare.
When those kinds of questions come up, here is the response:
Asked about the plan’s effect on coverage, a Republican leadership aide said Monday, “You’re getting to the dynamic effect of the plan and we can’t answer that until the committees start to legislate.”
Major Major Major Major
Here‘s the Wikipedia article if you want to add people who you know are in there. I just added DeGette.
Omnes Omnibus
@Elie: I did too. Very perky and happy sounding staffer.
Mnemosyne
@Keith G:
Someone else linked to that above. Hopefully the BernieOrBusters won’t be able to use that to convince naive people that “Republicrats” is an actual thing.
germy
@Omnes Omnibus: I called to express my support. A very nice young lady answered. I asked her if they’d gotten a lot of calls. She said “Yes!” I asked her “Mostly positive, I hope?” She said the majority of calls were positive, supporting the sit-in.
germy
@Mnemosyne:
they will…
JanieM
@Major Major Major Major:
I’ve never edited a Wikipedia article and don’t plan to start today, but Chellie Pingree from Maine’s 1st Congressional District is there.
smith
I was confident that my Rep, Bobby Rush, would be there, and apparently he is, and has delivered a powerful speech on his very personal experience with gun violence.
Keith G
@Mnemosyne: I doubt that that would be a thing that moves any number of folks worth counting. Thus, it is likely wasted effort to wonder what the BoB’ers are up to.
As for our side, I doubt anything will come of this, save a great chance to scoop up some donations and get a number more folks involved in in the campaign. Seed for the future.
Elie
Just called my Rep — Susan Delbene — who is on the House Floor with Congressman Lewis and the others… So proud today!
PST
I called to ask about my representative, Danny Davis. I was pretty sure he would be on the floor, and his aide said that he was. Calling was a good idea. It wouldn’t have occurred to me if I hadn’t seen this thread.
Major Major Major Major
@JanieM: Added!
Elie
Someone let me know when the rumored to attend Bernie Sanders actually makes it to the floor or whether that is another thing he is promising without actually doing.
Major Major Major Major
@Elie: He tweeted a pic of him on the floor.
gwangung
@Major Major Major Major: And now he’s apparently gone.
D58826
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): agreed
Major Major Major Major
@gwangung: Of course.
Mnemosyne
@Keith G:
I’ll make a bet with you — I’ll bet that within a week, at least one writer at Salon will reference that endorsement as a reason not to vote for Hillary. If you win, I’ll add another $25 to my donation to the LGBT center in Orlando that’s been doing a lot of victim assistance. Deal?
Elie
@gwangung:
Not surprised, sadly. A fake and an opportunist drafting on the work of others but providing little of substance beyond promoting himself. He really is like Gollum, forever chasing the “precious” in his lust for attention and power…
The Lodger
@hedgehog mobile:
El Caganer
@Major Major Major Major: They can’t do it now because they didn’t do it before? That’s really fucking stupid.
Adam L Silverman
@Roger Moore: That was my point of gaming out potential tactics. And I don’t see Speaker Ryan pushing for it. I could see him being pushed into it. I don’t get the impression he’s got much steel in his spine.
nutella
So apparently Bernie just popped in for a photo opp. As a well-known opponent of gun control he may not be comfortable with the other people there.
Major Major Major Major
@El Caganer: ⓟⓤⓡⓘⓣⓨ ? ?ȯ?? ⓸ ⽣ ????
Adam L Silverman
@Cat48: Lt. Gen. (ret) Scowcroft is a class act.
D58826
well bernie showed up. waved. got his picture taken. then left.
1,000 Flouncing Lurkers (was fidelioscabinet)
And according to his Twitter feed, Jim Cooper, whose district is the Nashville area, is present for this. I know it’s hard for a representative from Tennessee to do this; people here love their guns. Steve Cohen of Memphis is there as well.
Denali
I called Louise Slaughter’s office, so I am glad to hear that she is supporting the sit in.
JordanRules
Woohooo, so happy that so many of us reached out to our reps!
Keith G
@Mnemosyne: I am not sure what to make of that proposition. I think said behavior is unlikely, though I am not sure what difference it makes.
Hashtags on twitter are meaningless unless there is a rational and organized “ground game” that helps work toward an understandable goal. #BringBackOurGirls didn’t.
The last time I checked #DemsNeverSat had been used on 9027 Tweets. 9027 is just shy of the population of Hondo, TX or to put it another way, 0.45% of the population of Houston, TX.
It is signifying nothing. (credit to Will S.)
Miss Bianca
@Major Major Major Major: Oh, sigh…
“sure you’re doing the right thing NOW. But what about all those OTHER times?!” is *not* a winning argument…
Miss Bianca
@Nelle: I just tried to call and the mailbox was full! Hope it was all messages of support!
PatrickG
Just called my representative (Barbara Lee speaks for me!) to thank her for participating in the sit-in. Was surprised that I actually kind of choked up expressing my support.
Staffer on the other end advised calling the Speaker’s office as well, which I’ll do when I get less damn emotional.
Tom
@hedgehog mobile: Unfortunately I think my rep is Mike Coffman (R), who ran on taking away my health insurance.
On the other hand, the web page at House.gov where you can look up your rep by zip code is totally overloaded. I suspect the pro-gun support is not nearly as deep as they keep telling us.
LAC
@Keith G: but can we get some money to the #SHITONEVERYTHINGFROMOURCOUCH fund because those loads need help. Am I right, Keith ?
Berto
Why are these Congresspeople wasting their time?
Taking a stand on your beliefs without the votes is just :”living in a fantasyland, and wishing for a unicorn”. At least, that’s what the smart and pragmatic Democrats keep telling me.
hope
I just called my rep, suggesting he go to the house floor. And while there, recind his motion about the $20 bill. Steve King’s rep did not reply