CNN: Football game delays Democrats' "100 hours"

[DeepModem Mom]

Monday, January 08, 2007
Pigskin delays Democrats' '100 hours'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite the Democratic House leadership's pledge to work five days a week, the new leaders opted to take the first day of the first full week of the 110th Congress off so that lawmakers could attend a college football game.

Two Democratic leadership sources tell CNN that the House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, approached House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, and requested that Hoyer refrain from scheduling votes on Monday so that he and other lawmakers could attend the NCAA football championship game in Glendale, AZ. Boehner's home state team, Ohio State, is playing the University of Florida.

One Democratic leadership aide said "Boehner asked for no votes so we accommodated him."

Kevin Smith, spokesman for Minority Leader Boehner confirmed Rep. Boehner would be attending the NCAA championship game, "He will be in Arizona rooting on his home-state Buckeyes, and back to work on Tuesday." Smith confirms Boehner is paying his own way for travel and tickets.

But it is not just Republican lawmakers who will be in Glendale Monday night. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, D-Ohio, will also attend the game. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Florida, whose Gainesville district includes the University of Florida, will be in Arizona cheering on the Gators. Rep. Dave Hobson, R-Ohio, Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, and Rep Paul Gillmor, R- Ohio, are also traveling to Glendale to cheer on the Buckeyes....

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/01/pigskin-delays-democrats-100-hours.html

CNN/SI: HEAVY UNDERDOG FLORIDA ANNIHILATES OHIO STATE 41-44
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/specials/bowls/2006/01/08/ohiostate.florida.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

[Little Wing]

1. Get the f*ck back to work you lazy shits

[saigon68]

31. The game was feces swirling in the "Toilet Bowl"

[CanonRay]

34. Don't we ever learn?

The Repugs set us up again. I just wrote that stupid shit Steny Hoyer and told him what I thought of his day off.

[DemBones DemBones]

41. Great idea --EVERYBODY should write Steny Hoyer and

tell him what an incredibly dumb move that was. Will we ever get rid of the pink tutu Dems?

[BlueStateModerate]

2. Pitiful

This is shameful for both parties. Who in the real world gets to take a day off for a football game?

[DoYouEverWonder]

25. Half of Gainesville

is taking off today and the other half doesn't expect to be able to get anything done.

BTW: Did you see them Gators!

[Just-plain-Kathy]

3. This was a bad move,

it looks like we’re already breaking our own rules.

[Nutmegger]

4. They ran on a platform promising a return to a "five day work week"

then cave into that slug Boehner? WTF?

[Tesha]

30. Stupidity. Inability to think strategically. Desire to "get along".

Face it, we're suckers.

Tesha

[az chela]

5. Their first week and what a way to start out.What are they

repukes in drag???

[Monkeyman]

6. That was no game it was a wipe out

[pa28]

7. Not the start I was hoping for.

I was expecting Democrats to finally get tough and enforce discipline on themselves and the Republicans. I also assumed the "100 hours" started as soon as she took the gavel.

So much for this vision of a Democratic 1994 I had of our people storming the Capitol and restoring order. I was even hoping Pelosi would reprise Newt Gingrich's prime time speech overlooking the mall that all three networks granted. Did we even try to claim equal time?

[Dean Martin]

8. Can I get the day off?

[Golden Raisin]

9. Disgraceful. Disgusting.

We're in a Constitutional Crisis in this country with a madman in the Oval Office and a goddamn football game takes precedence? This is so depressing.

[depakid]

10. What do you want from Florida and Ohio?

Of course their representatives are going to whine. Look what goes on in their respective states.

I sure hope this doesn't portend more of the same for the rest of the year- though I'm not optimistic. The Democratic "leadership" has acted like abused spouses for the past 12 years. Does anyone really expect them to get assertive and stand up to their abusers?

If so, be prepared to be seriously disappointed. I hope I'm wrong- but the signs I've seen tell me to not to get my hopes up. Battered spouses don't just up and change overnight.

[nosmokes]

11. don't worry . they'll fund the war and bi-partisan themselves right into the

private corporate jets.

i hope i'm wrong, but it's not an auspicious start. first absolutely shuttting the door to impeachment possibilities, whether practical or not, is not a wise move. who knows what a thorouh investigation may reveal? and as for shutting down the house today, and then the lame excuses to try and explain it? shows exactly the hurdles the democratic party faces and why it's such an easy target. does any of the leadership think beforew they open their mouth in feront of a microphone? does pelosi think anyone else in this country gets a day off for a football game?

[coznfx]

12. It's not so bad

even working four days per week is one or two more than they've become used to. Also, I'm sure much work DID get done today, just no votes taken. Plus now they owe us a favor (bets on whether it gets returned in kind?); at least it's possibly some small leverage which may be used in the future.

Sludgy, gummed-up mechanisms usually take a little while to get up to full steam after cleaning. C'mon, give 'em a couple of weeks anyway!

[LeighAnn]

14. They're the ones that coined "First 100 hours"

Then they made speeches and took pictures and haven't done a damn thing since. Nothing sensible that you can rub in the face of a freeper, have they?

[EST]

16. Obviously, you missed the landmark rules and ethics work that

took place thursday afternoon and friday. Buried in the article above is the point that boner had to pay for his own tickets and transportation-a direct result of the new-since friday-house ethics rules.

[Skittles]

24. do the taxpayers get compensated for their free day off/

disgusting

[DeepModem Mom]

13. ******SORRY: GAME SCORE MISTAKE; SHOULD READ 41-14*****

[EST]

15. The constant harping on this is starting to be offensive.

And it's uninformed harping, at that. One of the ethical and bipartisan promises made by the new majority, both to each other and to us, was that there would be enough time to study all bills and understand them, so that votes would actually mean something.

I was hoping and arguing for at least 72 hours from each bill's submission until the vote. On friday, there were five pieces of legislation, quite complex ones at that, given to each representative, to be voted on tomorrow. Any congress critter has, no doubt, a staff to work through those bills and create a precis for the actual member to absorb, but, given the new demand for them to actually understand what they're enacting, an extra day is not out of line.

Please get it straight-there was no time lost by allowing the members an extra day, moreover, the imposition of "homework" is perfectly acceptable if it engenders a more thoughtful and intelligent result.

It's time to quit bitching about their not being physically in Washington and make the effort to understand what's actually going on.

[Meldread]

17. That's all well and good, except, um, they aren't...

It's one thing to say, "Hey we're calling a break so everyone can read over this proposed legislation and everyone can have a firm understanding of what's being passed." If they had said that, no one would have had a problem. If they were actually doing that, everyone would be supporting them.

There is just one problem...

They aren't.

They have disrupted Congress for a Football game. They are not even denying it. Regardless of everything else, this is just horrible politics on the Democrats part. They must be insane - they make a big ta-do about their first 100 hours and over the fact that they were going to work "real hard". Then the first opportunity to take a break - they take it. They jump at it. It makes them look horrible, you cannot - no one can - deny it.

[lynne]

26. I worked on Monday sick as a damn dog because I couldn't afford not to -

- while they jetted off to watch a lousy football game at OUR expense. It is dumb moves like this that destroys credibility.

[CanonRay]

35. Oh horseshit!

They are getting creamed in the media. It doesn't matter if they work 5 day weeks for the next two years, people are already going "more of the same". They blew it, right off the bat. It doesn't matter if they are reading bills at halftime at the game. The public perception is "more of the same".

[Zuiderelle]

37. Oh horseshit!

Doesn't matter what they do, they will get creamed in the media. Best thing they can do is move on and do their jobs. I for one am glad that no votes happened when there hadn't been ample time to review things.

This whole thing is just horseshit. We need to stop criticizing the people we put in power and support and encourage them instead. We were lucky enough to get someone farther left of center than most in congress to be the speaker. We should just shut the fuck up and let them do their jobs.

[Psephos]

18. Time to cue up that old "Who" album.... n/t

[Trajan]

19. Much ado about nothing .....

I think the word is 'Hypervigilance' ...

[Vidar]

20. Plus cela change, plus cela meme chose.

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

[Luminous Animal]

21. And the Republicans are all laughing up their sleeve.

Purely PR no matter which way the Democrats moved. Deny them and they look like football hating "San Franciscans". Accomodate them and the Republican PR arm of the media gets to lead off with this:

"Despite the Democratic House leadership's pledge to work five days a week, the new leaders opted to take the first day of the first full week of the 110th Congress off so that lawmakers could attend a college football game."


And make the Democrats look week and foolish.

[humbled_opinion]

28. The 49ers are actually a much loved San Francisco team. n/t

[magellan]

22. I thought we elected adults to the majority in Congress?

You know, people who were going to get serious about doing "work for the people"? At the best of times, requesting Congressional votes be delayed to attend a football game is only slightly less shallow and petty than granting the request. We are NOT in the best of times.

I can't imagine how I'd feel about this if I had a son or daughter in Iraq. They don't have the luxury of taking time off whenever they like for frivolous entertainment.

[truthisfreedom]

23. That's totally irritating.

Business as usual, eh, Speaker Pelosi? I'm disappointed.

[against all enemies]

27. HA HA - Have a nice trip Boehner?

[October]

29. Check that score

I think it was 44-14, no?

[DeepModem Mom]

36. Yes, I mis-typed, and corrected in post 13 -- alas, too late to edit. nt

[shanti]

32. one dem and the rest pubs

attending this game...so who's complaining??

[melissinha]

39. cause the Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones went too

Seems Boehner and Tubbs Jones were disappointed, huh?

[Nye Bevan]

33. Come on Nancy

How about you tell the repukes they can have a day off for a football game once the troops are home and the minimum wage has been raised?

[nolabels]

38. As Denny Green would say " They are exactly who we thought they were"

Perhaps we should let there be a few points spotted during the first quarter of this game..............
............... but by the end of this congressional season we better see some results :rant:


btw, me and the mouse in my pocket don't always see eye to eye on all them great expectations :shrug:

[DemBones DemBones]

40. OK, what did Pelosi mean when she said

"Look at BCS" or something to that effect. MSNBC has been running a blurb on the crawler that says something like "Did the House delay a vote to go to a football game? Speaker Nany Pelosi (D-CA) said "Look at BCS."


Also on the crawler -- "26% of Americans support * policy in Iraq." That's the lowest yet, apparently. :peace: