Speaker's Office: Fox, Drudge, Reuters are Wrong

[Rose Siding]

Fox: Delay of Congress Called for BCS Game
...Democrats have already called a time-out so lawmakers can enjoy a very important event — the BCS championship football game between University of Florida and the Ohio State University.

Reuters: ...everyone got yesterday off for the college football championship game between Ohio State and the University of Florida.

Drudge (via Crooks and Liars, who still just have the football game angle)

I was so ticked about this that I called the Speaker's office -something none of the reporters did, obviously, because the guy who answered the phone was able to explain to me exactly why the House schedule was a day short this week. The reason no votes were scheduled was because all freshman congress members were at a mandated seminar on House procedures. Blunt would have known that when he was eagerly giving quotes to the press about how Democrats control scheduling. Pelosi's office said that she answered a question about this in yesterday's press conference. I haven't been able to find a transcript of that. I suggested an additional statement from Nancy correcting this hatchet job.

If you have questions about what dems are doing, go straight to the horse's mouth because the media isn't telling us what's really going on:

Office of the Speaker
[phone]

edit- Here's a video of a relevant piece of that presser (she doesn't get into the seminar, but it's obvious that the game had nothing to do with scheduling decisions)

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/01/pelosi_whats_th.html

snip>
REPORTER: …Madame Speaker, why did you postpone votes tonight so that members could go to the BCS Game, if you did? …

PELOSI: “What’s the BCS mean?…”

Her question came as a whispered aside to Tim Roemer, the former Democratic congressman, who served on the 9/11 Commission.

The BCS Game, of course, is the Bowl Championship Series Game which is to be played tonight in Scottsdale, Ariz, is being called the Super Bowl of college football. Tonight’s first ever BCS game pits the number one Ohio State Buckeyes against the second-place University of Florida Gators.

For the record, Pelosi indicated there were no scheduled votes tonight not because of football but because she wanted to give bills that will be debated and voted on starting tomorrow a “three-day layover” so lawmakers could read the billls.

[VelmaD]

1. now now now...

don't go confusing the issue with facts. ;)

[chelsea0011]

7. Colbert began his first show last night with his "new" word..factiness.

And unlike truthiness this word had a copywrite mark to it. Funny show last night.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. you know it and I know it

but what Faux and the other MSM and rwingers hope is that most folks won't take the time to find out what is really going on. Any more, I assume that republics are lying whenever they open their mouths, especially Roy Blunt.

[babylonsister]

3. Thank you for calling and setting the record straight!

:patriot:

[Cooley Hurd]

4. K&frigginR!

Thanks, RS!!!!

:kick:

[Fleshdancer]

5. Thank you for this thread

Now if the media would start reporting this...but I won't hold my breath.

[MADem]

6. At least half of those sources are White House shills, and the rest lazy copiers of the work of

others....

[progressoid]

8. Gosh, I'm shocked.

[havocmom]

9. You inspired me to change my sig line

[Lex]

10. Drudge nor the Corporate Media never let the facts get in the way . . .

of a good Dem-bashing story.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Looking at the stories, Hoyer seems responsible for the misinformation

So maybe Pelosi should send a couple of heavies round to explain it to him.

[Rose Siding]

13. Hoyer's remark was adapted in service of the "story"

but alone I doubt it would have generated it. I certainly don't think his comment was responsible for it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. So what was responsible for the "story"?

Fox seem to be fairly definite on it:

Though the schedule does not offer an explanation for the delay, Hoyer, D-Md., said on the House floor that he wanted to let lawmakers from the big states of Ohio and Florida off, presumably so they could attend the game or participate in game-related activities at home.

"There is a very important event happening Monday night, particularly for those who live
in Ohio and Florida. In the spirit of comity, and I know if Maryland were playing, I would want to be accommodated and I want to accommodate my friend, Mr. Boehner," Hoyer said in reference to new House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Hoyer seems to be taking 'credit' for the day off. I can't find any more context than that.

[originalpckelly]

20. I don't know who to trust. It could be our side bullshitting or the Republicans...

I really don't trust anyone. If it's on the House floor, it should be in record, and the preceding comments should be available to see.

[originalpckelly]

21. I've been thinking, what if Steny Hoyer is attempting a coup?

(Not in the serious sense, but in the less serious intra-party fighting sense.)

Make Nancy look bad, then she get booted out, he gets to move on up. Murtha becomes majority leader.

[Rose Siding]

22. Here's a little more context from the House record-

from the Library of Congress (searching a portion of Hoyer's quote)-

Mr. HOYER. I think the gentleman is correct and I am glad the gentleman said ``as early as Monday .'' It is my understanding those bills will be available to you this afternoon, and properly so. We want you to have the opportunity and the American public to have an opportunity to read and see those bills.

It is my understanding that all of those bills will be introduced by the close of business today so they will be available to be read over the weekend and before Monday , and certainly before we come back on Tuesday.

Mr. BLUNT. I thank my friend for the response. Seeing the legislation is obviously helpful. We are really regretful we don't have a chance to offer an alternative in the real-time. We will look at the legislation. We will see if we can find a suggestion that will help meet the goals that we agree with in a more effective way. That 24-hour notice from now on we would hope would be a pledge that the majority will be able to retain.

Then later, when the game enters the dialogue, it looks like mostly bloviation to me. Granted, not the wisest move with cameras -or republicans- around:

Mr. BLUNT....On the Tuesday schedule, I have had one Member come up to me during our discussion and wanted me to ask if there is any possibility that 3 to 4 votes could slip closer to 5 just because of a number of travel concerns that Members have, particularly west coast members.

Mr. HOYER. We could try. But let me say in all fairness, our original intent was to meet and have votes at 6:30 on Monday . There is a very important event happening Monday night , particularly for those who live in Ohio and Florida.

In the spirit of comity, and I know if Maryland were playing, I would want to be accommodated and I want to accommodate my friend, Mr. Boehner. So we have done that; but it has put us in a position where we thought we would have come back Monday . That is not the case. We will have votes as late as possible, but we cannot guarantee. That leaves us a shorter period of time to do the work we have scheduled. So I cannot guarantee, but we are going to try to keep it for your Members' sake, for our Members' sake, and we understand the west coast travel issue, as late as we can in the day, but cannot guarantee later than 3:30 or 4 o'clock.

"So what was responsible for the 'story'?" I frequently find myself at odds with Hoyer's politics, but in this instance there's a whole sting of people I'd point at before him -Matt Drudge, Fox, the Reuters reporter, ALL the reporters who didn't check the story out before they ran it, ALL the reporters who still aren't correcting it, any republican who advanced the story. Like that.

[originalpckelly]

24. WOW! Thanks, yep, it's a hit job for sure...

I wasn't certain, but now it looks pretty bad for Blunt. They're responsible, because they went out to a damn football game, and then they turned it around to make us look like the bad guys.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. To me, that looks like Hoyer brought up the football game

and if you can't trust the Democratic Majority Leader's word in the House of Representatives about the Congressional schedule, what can you trust? Seriously, are you saying everything said in Congress has to be double-checked - even when it's the Democrats saying it? Blunt didn't even ask him why they had cancelled votes on Monday - Hoyer just volunteered it, while explaining why he wanted to get votes going as early as possible on Tuesday.

[Rose Siding]

32. Yep, that's what I'm saying. Seriously. Everything should be double checked

when it's delivered through the prism of a media that caters to the republican agenda.

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. But you're also saying the media can't just take a Democrat's word

even when they've said something in Congress. He said it, they reported it - and then we've criticised them for reporting what the House Majority Leader said.

[StrictlyRockers]

12. Freaking yellow journalism pisses me off.

Why can't they get a simple story straight? How does such obvious bullcrap get broadcast to the masses?

REUTERS??!!!

Come on! Who believes this crap? This is so obviously bullshit! Come on!

"What does BCS mean?"

:angry:

SR

[rodeodance]

37. i do not think they were working to get it right.

[originalpckelly]

14. They need to inform people of this. They should call every news organization..

at the national level which reported that they had specifically taken the day off to let Boehner and the Boehnerettes go see the BCS game. They need to demand an immediate appology, because this is a very blatant distortion, now that I've seen the facts.

[devilgrrl]

15. How about all the jerks here that bought the story hook, line and sinker?

Then started thread after thread?

From Drudge!!!!

:mad:

[originalpckelly]

17. Well, I did start one of those threads, I'm a jerk...

but I'll explain why. It should have registered: "Why would Democrats allow mostly Republicans to go to a game, violating one of their pledges?"

No one's that generous. Imagine how she could've used that against them if it were true?

I guess I believed it because I heard Steny Hoyer, GOD DAMN IT! Those fuckers can't fucking tell any truth!

[StrictlyRockers]

19. You're kidding!

Right?

[devilgrrl]

28. yes.

eom

[Rose Siding]

18. Tell them

Office of the Speaker
[phone]
or e-mail
http://speaker.house.gov/contact/

That's what I said, too.

[Larry Ogg]

23. K&R

[trashcanistanista]

25. I watched the conversation between Hoyer

and Blunt and I remember hearing when Hoyer spelled out the voting schedule from Tuesday thru Friday to Blunt (who was whining) that something was mentioned about not voting on Monday because the newly elected had orientation and wouldn't be available. It was mentioned on the House floor. It was prior to mentioning the football game as I recall, but I'm not sure. I jotted down the schedule on my calendar and left Monday blank.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

26. i know he's in the Senate, but John Mccain (R-AZ) did the

freakin' coin toss at the game.

[ieoeja]

27. "first ever"

What's this "first ever" game? They've been doing this for several years now with the different bowls taking turns as the championship game.

[druidity33]

39. seed 1 vs. seed 2...

I think they are planning on making it an annual event. Bowl games are usually the leaders of conferences. It's possible that the two "best" teams have played each other in bowl games before... but it's never been billed as the "Superbowl" of College ball.

i think....

[ieoeja]

41. No. They've been playing the BCS for several years now.

Every year for about a decade now one of the bowl games has hosted the #1 and #2 seed instead of their usual conference champions. For decades the Rose Bowl had the PAC-10 champion versus the BIG-TEN champion. A few years ago they hosted the BCS with the #1 and #2 seeds instead.

[dogday]

30. Now how much of this truth will get out?

That is the question... Will they actively put Nancy's statements out there, and take back what they said? I freaking doubt it very much.... We knew we would be fighting the MSM...

[MasonJar]

31. A lot of folks will think that it is a good decision...no big deal.

[Miss Chybil]

34. FYI the game was played in Glendale, AZ

Small nit, but means a lot to us "west-siders."

[IndyOp]

35. They are going to read the bills? Damn.

My favorite part of Fahrenheit 911 is when John Conyers explains to Michael Moore, "Son, we don't read the bills."

;-)

[rman]

40. Not after Conyers told Moore to "sit down".

Which was very considerate of Conyers.
Definitely one of my favorite parts in any political docu.

[porphyrian]

36. Again the corporate media proves its irrelevance. - n/t

[opihimoimoi]

38. The Dems can field BS Answers to denigr8ing questions as the best of them...