House Republicans, newly humble, are pushing for a Minority Bill of Rights.

[kpete]

House GOP: Don't Hurt Us -- Please
By Justin Rood - January 2, 2007, 11:48 AM
Republicans aren't yet an official minority in the House, but they're already beginning a campaign to portray themselves as victims of a heartless Democratic majority.

In a "Dear Colleague" letter circulated to fellow Republicans, three House GOPers are trying to push a "Minority Bill of Rights" -- based on a two-year-old proposal by then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). You can read the letter here.



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[onehandle]

1. Go whine in the basement.

Where you had us sitting for most of the last 12 years.

[radfringe]

13. there's whine in the basement?

how about some cheese and crackers to go with it?

[ThomCat]

2. I think the Dems should approve it

10 minutes before the next election in which they will become the minority party.

[valerief]

4. Right on. Perfect timing.

Their Contract on America has worked out so well that they should granted this, at the eleventh hour, of course, as you suggest.

[JetCityLiberal]

12. Great idea ThomCat

:thumbsup:

[babylonsister]

3. Just for comparison, here's Pelosi's Minority Bill of Rights from 04:

http://democraticleader.house.gov/press/releases.cfm?pressReleaseID=622

Here, the People Rule

A Minority Bill of Rights for the House of Representatives

June 23, 2004

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle: that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."

--Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801.

The Constitution begins with the simple but revolutionary phrase "We the people," which announced to the world that here, the people rule. To speak for the people, the Constitution gives the greatest responsibility to the House of Representatives: Members are to be elected every two years, and no Member may be appointed to office.

Today in the House of Representatives, however, the voices of nearly half of the people have been silenced, and the marketplace of ideas has been effectively closed. Too often, incivility and the heavy hand of the majority have substituted for thoughtful debate.

Respectful of both the wishes of the Founders, and the expectations of the American people, we offer the following principles for restoring democracy in the "People’s House," guaranteeing that the voices of the people are heard.

I. Bipartisan Administration of the House

There should be regular consultations among the elected leaders of both parties to discuss scheduling, administration and operations of the House.

- The House should have a predictable, professional, family-friendly schedule that allows the legislative process to proceed in a manner that ensures timely and deliberate dispensation of the work of the Congress.

- Similar, regular meetings between Chairs and Ranking Members of committees, and staffs should be held.

- The minority should control at least one-third of committee budgets and office space.

II. Regular Order for Legislation

The legislative process in the House should return to a more regular democratic order at every level.

- Bills should be developed following full hearings, open subcommittee and committee markups, with appropriate referrals to other committees. Members should have at least 24 hours to examine a bill prior to consideration at the subcommittee level.

- Bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full, and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the minority the right to offer its alternatives, including a substitute.

- Members should have at least 24 hours to examine bill and conference report text prior to floor consideration. Rules governing floor debate must be reported before 10 p.m. for a bill to be considered the following day.

- Floor votes should be completed within 15 minutes, with the customary 2-minute extension to accommodate Members’ ability to get to the House Chamber to cast their vote. No vote shall be held open in order to manipulate the outcome.

- House-Senate conference committees should hold regular meetings (at least weekly) of all conference committee Members. All duly-appointed conferees shall be informed of the schedule of conference committee activities in a timely manner, and given ample opportunity for input and debate as decisions are made toward final bill language.

- The Suspension Calendar should be restricted to non-controversial legislation, with minority-authored legislation scheduled in relation to the party ratio in the House.

[William769]

5. Dear (minority) Republicans.

Go fuck youerslf!

[DBoon]

6. Their goal was to entirely eliminate the Democratic Party

Remember, these are the folks who gave us the K-Street Project, where lobbying firms were REQUIRED to hire only Republicans

These were the folks that axed American engineering representative to a technical ITU standards committee if the engineers gave money to the "wrong" candidates.

I would give the Republicans minority rights like I would let a poisonous snake run loose in my house.

[Kber]

7. Dear Colleagues

Please don't screw us over as badly as we have screwed you (and the American people) these past 12 years.

[Dogmudgeon]

8. More cheapjack irony

They all want to be the next Lenny Bruce, but they're scarcely succeeding in even imitating Artie Lange.

Lange at least can write a well-constructed, if usually tasteless, joke.

--p!

[Joe Bacon]

9. Uh, we have the mandate now, fools!

We are the masters now. To the Nazi Republicans, I say, "PISS OFF"!

[Old and In the Way]

10. Pelosi should have a bill burning ceremony in front of the Capitol.

I'm in no mood to compromise with the people who wanted to turn our country into a One Party state.

[Rob H.]

11. Fuck 'em.

The right-wing freakazoids steamrollered over Democrats for years while they were in the majority and now they're whining, "Please don't do to us what we had no problems whatsoever doing to you"? Tough shit, ya buncha fuckin' crybabies. :grr:

[joeunderdog]

14. We promise to treat them with the respect, the dignity and the honest

bipartisanship that they showed us the last 6 years.

"You win. We accept your standards!!! Fair enough?"

[kevinbgoode]

15. So suddenly the Repukes don't like the tyranny of the majority

even though they operated on that very premise and broadcast tyranny as their understanding of the "winner take all" philosophy of getting 51% of the vote in 2004.

[High Plains]

16. Har-dee-har-har n/t

[radfringe]

17. circular logic shoes

Repubs were against it before they were for it

Dems were for it before they were against it

[LizW]

18. "Roughly 140 million Americans...represented by Republicans"

Don't count me in that number, Repugs. I may have a Republican Congressman (the execrable Spencer Bachus), but he doesn't "represent me" and never has. He's the number one rubber stamp for Bushco (http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/116782040154180.xml&coll=2">The Birmingham News) and he has voted for Bushco and AGAINST me 97% of the time - including Bushco's assault on my basic Constitutional protections as enumerated in the Bill of Rights.

It's just fine with me if Repuke Bachus sits down and shuts up for a while.

[Hubert Flottz]

19. Not to defeated GOP...

Push it up your snout!

[Vinca]

20. This bunch is amazing. Truly amazing.

Democrats have been relegated to the basement for more than a decade and now they expect them to deliver sweets and flowers. No, no, no, no, no and don't let the cellar door hit you on the way out.

[kentuck]

21. They got a lot of gall, don't they?

It is amazing!