He said speaking up during the address was the best way “get across to a person who uses his incivility, who uses his incivility against our civility.”
I thought the same thing. Then I thought about how powerful of a visual it would have been for each one of them, in turn, to cause a disruption and be escorted out. Let the cameras pan over a half filled chamber after 2 hours of meticulous protesting. That image would be in history books 100 years from now, assuming we all survive the next 4.
Trump is an old fart. He's not going to stand up there for 6 hours speaking. If, one-by-one, every Democrat made a scene and got walked out they would've been there until midnight and Trump having gotten through almost none of his speech.
However, there are some strange brew rules that come into play depending on the #of reps in attendance in the house. You dwindle the dem #s enough and you end up allowing the reps the ability to run amok with the kinds of legislation they’re salivating to pass.
I’m sure this was at top of mind for some of the folks in attendance.
Congressional rules are meaningless. They are not the constitution. If the Democrats are going to just sit idle because of "congressional rules" then they might as well start using the constitution as toilet paper
You dwindle the dem #s enough and you end up allowing the reps the ability to run amok with the kinds of legislation they’re salivating to pass.
That's why there's also quorum rules. There has to be a minimum of X% of the congresspeople present for anything to count and I'm 99.9% certain that all of the Dems leaving would bring the number present under that even if every single Republican was present.
I kept waiting for it! For a moment, I had a swell of hope that they were going to force the Sargeant at Arms to remove them one by one, or else block Al from being removed, something, anything with a little fucking Chutzpah, but nope. They all just sat down, shut up, and waved their stupid little signs. Good job guys, I can't wait to see your next fundraising text.
It reminded me, very randomly, of quote from a book about urban design and how architectural ideas are introduced and accepted by the public… or not.
From this the "principle of the second man" can be formulated: it is the second man who determines whether the creation of the first man will be carried forward or destroyed...
It was a golden chance and a room full of cowards let it slip.
The book is Design of Cities by Edmund Bacon for anyone interested.
How's that party whip taste? Sounds like you'd do well in an authoritarian one-party state as long as the party pretends to be in partial agreement with you.
Eh I'm fine with them not attending. Let him speak to a half empty chamber. Bonus points if they spend the time organizing or rallying elsewhere.
The dude relies on you following rules of decorum while he himself breaks every single rule. Why should Democrats play his game? It's extremely likely that it was mostly Republicans watching the thing anyway.
If the rest of her party didn't commit to it I don't think she should have. Seeing one empty seat doesn't have the same effect as walking or being escorted out. Al was the only one doing anything near what should be done on the daily.
No dumb fuck. You ever read a history book? Congress used to have literal fist fights.
Defending yourselves from being ejected from your literal work place, a place YOUR constituents elected you to be at, by someone who is by not a single ounce of the definition, your boss, is not violence. It is not "arming" yourself, IT IS LITERALLY DOING WHAT YOUR OATH OF OFFICE STATES, TO DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED FUCKING STATES