Obama Agrees to Three Presidential Debates, No Town-Halls
In a letter [reproduced below] to the Commission on Presidential Debates, Barack Obama’s campaign manager David Plouffe has agreed to three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate.
The McCain campaign has called on Obama to hold interactive town-hall style events around the country. Obama has not agreed to any such events.
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August 2, 2008
Mr. Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
Mr. Paul G. Kirk, Jr.
Commission on Presidential Debates
1200 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Suite 445
Washington, D.C. 20036
Dear Chairmen Kirk and Fahrenkopf:
I am writing on behalf of Senator Obama to accept the Commission on Presidential Debates’ framework for three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate to be held in September and October. Senator Obama has designated Congressman Rahm Emanuel as our representative to meet with the Commission and the McCain campaign to review the specifics of the Commission’s proposal, discuss any requested changes to that proposal, and resolve any issues left open by the Commission’s framework. We will make our representative available at the earliest convenience of the Commission and the McCain campaign.
Due to the late date of the two parties’ nominating conventions, and the relatively short period between the end of the conventions and the first proposed debate, it is likely that the four Commission debates will be the sole series of debates in the fall campaign. Consequently, we believe that finalizing the arrangements for these debates with promptness and certainty is in the interests of both campaigns and the American people.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Townhall meetings are not a controlled environment. Anything goes and who knows what questions would be asked. Obama knows that the “media” will feed him the questions prior to their “debates” in order to give him time to prepare. Obama doesn’t think well on his feet. He’s going to need to know the questions ahead of time so he can rehearse his answers.
He’s a coward. I hope the GOP runs an ad that says “Barack Obama is too afraid to participate in town halls with John McCain. How can we trust him to defend America?”
Obama backs away from McCain’s debate challenge Washington In May, when a McCain adviser proposed a series of pre-convention appearances at town hall meetings, Obama said, “I think that’s a great idea.” In summer stumping on the campaign trail, McCain has often noted that Obama had not followed through and joined him in any events. Obama’s reversal on town hall debates is part of a play-it-safe strategy he’s adopted since claiming the nomination and grabbing a lead in national polls. Advisers to the Illinois senator, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss strategy, say Obama is reluctant to take chances or give McCain a high-profile stage now that Obama’s the front-runner.
On Saturday, in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said the short period between the last political convention and the first proposed debate made it likely that the commission-sponsored debates would be the only ones.
McCain’s campaign disparaged Obama for backing off. “We understand it might be beneath a worldwide celebrity of Barack Obama’s magnitude to appear at town hall meetings alongside John McCain and directly answer questions from the American people, but we hope he’ll reconsider,” spokesman Brian Rogers said.
Wild Thing’s comment…….. “We understand it might be beneath a worldwide celebrity of Barack Obama’s magnitude to appear at town hall meetings alongside John McCain and directly answer questions from the American people, but we hope he’ll reconsider,” spokesman Brian Rogers said.”
Oh, that’s gonna leave a mark.
ROTFLMAO
I wondered what the McCain camp was going to say but this….but this is much better then I thought it would be.
They hit it out of the park!
Watch Hussein Obama when he speaks. His head swings from left to right to left to right and appears to be looking at the crowd.
However, he NEVER looks straight on down the middle.
That’s because there’s no TelePrompter there.
He has one on the left and one on the right – and his head swivels back and forth like someone at a tennis match.
It’s hysterical.
I’d like to see what would happen if he swung to look at one and it was BLANK.
He’d panic, loose his place, and we’d see a blithering idiot standing there uttering uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh
Jan. 2, 2008: A Fatah activist has his mustache shaved in solidarity with a fellow member, whom Fatah says Hamas shaved as a humiliating punishment.
Hamas, Fatah Feud Over Attacks on Facial Hair Fox News
The internecine fight between Hamas and Fatah has gotten ugly — at least for Palestinians who favor men with mustaches.
Hamas has resumed its policy of shaving the mustaches of rival Fatah members to humiliate them as a form of punishment, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Reports of such punishments surfaced in January, though Hamas denied it had resorted to close shaves in its struggle to assert dominance over Palestinian politics.
Fatah officials renewed their allegations Wednesday, according to the Jerusalem Post, which said Hamas, in turn, claimed followers’ beards had been sabotaged by Fatah officials.
Nafez al-Namnam, a top Fatah operative in the Gaza Strip, appears to be the latest target of Hamas clippers. Namnam, 51, had sported a rather large mustache for more than three decades, but after being rounded up by Hamas in the aftermath of a bombing, he emerged from prison with a clean-shaven face, The Jerusalem Post reported.
In response, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades issued a statement strongly condemning the use of shaving as punishment.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
LOL This is funny how they make such a big deal about fascial har. Hey wait, now we have a new form of torture…… but probably Pelosi will ban it like they all banned water boarding a particular favorite of mine. heh heh
Obama Aide Concedes ‘Dollar Bill’ Remark Referred to His Race abc news Sen. Barack Obama’s chief strategist conceded that the Democratic presidential candidate was referring to his race when he said Republicans were trying to scare voters by suggesting Obama “doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.”
The comment had triggered a charge Thursday from Sen. John McCain’s campaign manager that Obama had “played the race card… from the bottom of the deck.”
Obama’s camp initially denied the remark was a reference to Obama’s race.
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Wild Thing’s comment……….
Has anyone else noticed that Obama will NEVER take responsbility for his own words, or deeds?
It’s clear Obama is using his race to further his campaign. That he’s doing it at the expense of others is deplorable. The Clinton’s are masters of this techniques but it appears Obama can teach even them a trick or two.
The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media’s Favorite Candidate
A Personal Note from John O’Neill
Dear Friend,
As you may recall, I was privileged to play a role in helping prevent John Kerry from being elected president when my fellow Swift Boat Veterans and I released the book Unfit for Command. As liberal as Kerry was, America faces an even more liberal threat today: Barack Obama. Fortunately, investigative journalist and National Review Online political reporter David Freddoso has written the book every voter needs to read: The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media’s Favorite Candidate.
Uncovering stories the mainstream media has neglected, Freddoso reveals Obama for who he really is: the U.S. senator with the #1 most liberal voting record in the Senate. And a politician whose rhetoric of “change” does not match the reality of his corrupt, “Chicago-machine politics” background.
Moving past Obama’s inspiring speeches and say-anything-to-win campaign tactics, Freddoso outlines Obama’s extreme, far-left legislative record and his questionable associations with both criminals and radicals. From Obama’s repeated support for the Chicago patronage system, to his hard-line position of no restrictions on abortion, The Case Against Barack Obama offers the cold, hard facts about this man who would be our next president.
As American citizens, it is our right and duty to question the background, character, and proposals of any candidate who could be our next commander in chief. Democrats and the media are not holding Obama accountable, so conservatives must. I’m grateful to David Freddoso and my publisher, Regnery, for finally revealing the man behind the myth.
I urge you to read The Case Against Barack Obama. I also recommend that you buy copies for your friends and relatives who may consider voting for Obama. They deserve to know the truth, too.
Please click on one of the links below to order your copy today.
Sincerely,
John O’Neill
Wild Thing’s comment………
I am glad all these books are coming out now. I guess they wait till it gets closer to the elction to get these out in the stores.
Uncommon Valor, Uncommon Bond – The Tiger Force – From Viet Nam to Iraq
Current Tiger Force Soldier
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Above photo: Vietnam era Tiger Force Soldiers circa 1968. Top row, second from left, MoH recipient
SSG John Gertsch and Hank “Doc” Ortega.
A Tiger Force Soldier on a recent mission in Bayji, Iraq.
Story and Photos by Spc. Rick Rzepka
1st Brigade Combat Team
101st Airborne Division (AA) Uncommon Bond Tiger
This ain’t your father’s Army. Some say it’s a kinder, gentler Army, wary of political correctness and public perceptions. Some say that this has caused Soldiers to lose touch with their roots, to disconnect themselves from the past.
But for one Infantry platoon, at the heart of the fight in Iraq, some things never change and they are neither kind nor gentle.
Somewhere, in the dusty expanse of the Salah ad Din province in Iraq, the Tigers are lurking. They patiently wait for their prey in the city and in the desert. They are keenly aware, not only of their immediate surroundings, but of their heritage as well. They know they have some big boots to fill.
Tiger Force, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), is the most highly decorated platoon sized element in the U.S. Army. Over the past 48 years, Tiger Force Soldiers have earned two Medals of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, numerous Silver Stars for valor and countless other commendations. Names like Hackworth, Gertsch, and Gardner are synonymous with the Tiger legacy, which began in the sweltering jungles of Vietnam. “Out guerilla the guerillas”
In 1965, as the Vietnam War picked up steam, Army brass recognized a need for more unconventional, guerilla style warfare. A young Lt. Colonel in the 101st Airborne Division named David Hackworth proposed that by utilizing small, highly trained units, Vietcong tactics could be effectively countered. The brass liked what they heard and the Tigers were born through highly experienced, hand selected volunteers from the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
Their mission: “To out guerilla the guerillas,” according to Hackworth, or as MoH recipient Staff Sgt. John G. Gertsch said, “how to really be there, but not be there.”
“During the Vietnam years, Tiger Force went through many changes in the full spectrum,” said Hank “Doc” Ortega, who served as a Tiger Force medic in 1968. During their time in Vietnam, Tiger Force Soldiers ran the gauntlet of small unit operations, from scouts, ready reaction and long range reconnaissance. “We were basically the eyes and ears of the battalion commander,” he said.
“Here is a platoon deep-rooted in history and tradition,” said Lt. Col. Peter Wilhelm, “Above the Rest” Battalion Commander. “A platoon that I reserve for the best of the best,” he said.
Tigers today, still serve at the behest of the battalion commander in the surly
terrain of the Salah ad Din province. To pigeon hole the Tigers, would be to say that they simply serve as the battalion’s sniper and recon asset, but like their predecessors in Vietnam they have found themselves covering down on a wide array of missions and have been instrumental in taking high-value targets, weapons caches and IEDs off of the streets, as well as conducting various
non-lethal operations.
“We do what is necessary in the area of operations to defeat Improvised Explosive Devices, secure high –value targets and support the division’s effort,” said Sgt. Josh Smith, Tiger Force sniper section team leader. “Today’s
battlefield requires so much more out of every element,” he said. “There’s no
arguing that what we are doing today is the graduate level of warfare. You’ve got to think outside the box or wind up in a box.”
Tiger Force Soldiers investigate a building suspected of being used to store black market fuel in Bayji, Iraq.
The Bond
For Smith and other Tiger Force Soldiers, preserving the Tiger’s legacy is an important part of the job. “We do everything with the past in mind,” said Smith. “The bond that the current members have with the past members is unbelievable,” he said.
During a 101st Airborne reunion event dubbed “Week of the Eagles”, in the summer of 2000, Ortega and other Tiger Force veterans returned to Fort Campbell, KY, to give young Soldiers a glimpse into their past and have been dropping in on the Tigers ever since.
“We gave these young men back their history,” said Ortega. “We brought names like James Gardner and John Gertsch to life because we knew these men and served with them,” he said. “They are not just names on a wall to us, and the young guys deserve to be connected to that history.” In garrison, it is not uncommon for an old Tiger to stop by the battalion to see how the platoon is coming along.
During these visits, tales are swapped and the vets get a chance to check out the newest tools of the trade. “Back in the day they were using M-14 rifles with big old Starlight scopes and they were really impressed with the new gear,” said Smith. “They get a kick out of it and we get a kick out of doing it because it’s just old meets new.”
In today’s rapidly evolving force, Soldiers often overlook the history of their units and have little or no link with the warriors who came before them.
“I would say it’s very rare,” said Smith. “I’m in touch with at least a dozen Vietnam-era, Tiger Force vets, and a few in between,” he said. “We are very much a big extended family.”
Veterans of Tiger Force send care packages and essential items to their deployed brethren in Iraq and have acted as a support system through the hard times.
“December was a bad month for us,” said Smith. On Dec. 4,
2007, Tiger Force lost its Platoon Leader, Capt. Adam Snyder
and two fellow Soldiers, Sgt. Eric Hernandez and Pvt. Dwayne
White to an IED attack. The loss was devastating to Tiger
Force Soldiers both young and old.
“When we lost men on Dec. 4th of 2007, it felt the same to us vets as when we lost those we served with exactly the same,” said Ortega. “These young guys are our brothers.”
Tiger Force veterans were in attendance at each fallen Soldier’s funeral services and were there to provide support to loved ones. “They got in touch with the families, made trips for support and basically did everything they could to make them as comfortable as they could be in their time mourning,” said Smith. “You’re not going to see that level of dedication, 40 years later, in may other places,” he said.
For Ortega, supporting the Tigers isn’t a random act of kindness, it’s fulfilling the oath of honor and country.
“For my own part, my wife and I spent almost two months at Fort Sam Houston at the bedside of a Tiger who was wounded, assisting him and his family with his recovery,” said Ortega. “I would work in the aid-station if I
could.”
“Doc” Ortega’s selfless-service to his country and to the Tigers is the model upon which the latest generation looks up to.
“All I can hope for is that the new Tigers are as receptive to the older guys as we are,” said Smith. “They go so far above and beyond. So many people get out of the Army and leave it all behind,” said Smith. “They are who
we are.”
Ortega would like to see more of these uncommon bonds forged between warrior generations. “I think that more and more Vietnam-era veterans, especially of combat units, are making an effort to relocate their buddies and as a part of that effort, they are sometimes making contact with their younger counterparts at the reunions,” said Ortega.
“We need to make this sort of contact and support far less unusual.”
For Smith and the rest of the Tigers in Iraq, bridging the generation gap has bred a sense of respect and admiration to the Tiger name. “We’re just proud to know them, you know? “The best thing for us is for them to feel like
they’re still part of the team.”
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Great write up and thank you to all Tiger Force, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division !
Our military is soooo awesome! Thank you Veterans and our troops today.
Army Chief Warrant Officer Amber Smith pauses for a picture in a OH-58 Kiowa during her deployment to Iraq in 2006. Chief Smith is now deployed to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, where her sister, Air Force Capt. Kelly Smith, a C-130 pilot, was deployed as well. The two sisters from White Salmon, Wash., spent a few weeks together at Bagram before Capt. Smith redeployed back home.
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Army Chief Warrant Officer Lacey Smith smiles in the cockpit of a UH-60 Blackhawk. Her sisters, Army Chief Warrant Officer Amber Smith, an OH-58 Kiowa pilot, and Air Force Capt. Kelly Smith, a C-130 pilot, had overlapping deployments to Afghanistan. Chief Lacey Smith will overlap with Chief Amber Smith when her unit replaces her sister’s in Afghanistan this fall.
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Army Chief Warrant Officer Amber Smith (left) and Air Force Capt. Kelly Smith (right) celebrate at a graduation for their younger sister, Army Chief Warrant Officer Lacey Smith (center). All three Smith sisters are pilots in the armed forces.
Families ‘tied’ by War: Sisters Pilot Afghan Skies
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel M. Martinez
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan
They never planned on being pilots and Afghanistan was the last place they expected to see each other, but that’s just what happened for two sisters from White Salmon, Wash.
Air Force Capt. Kelly Smith and Army Chief Warrant Officer Amber Smith grew up in a family rich with aviation ties. Their grandfather flew in the Army Air Corps as a lieutenant colonel during World War II and a commercial pilot after that. Their grandmother and mother were flight attendants. Multiple others in the family became commercial pilots, including their father, uncle and a few cousins.
“Just growing up around it so much, I think we all loved airplanes,” Capt. Smith said. “We loved being around airplanes, going up in airplanes, hearing about them.”
However, both went off to college with no intention of going into aviation. Capt. Smith studied English and journalism at the University of Arizona and Chief Smith became a cheerleader at the University of Washington.
“I think each of us, at one point, started to rebel,” said Capt. Smith. “I know I did. I said I wasn’t going to be a pilot.”
That quickly changed. During her freshman year, Capt. Smith began to notice the A-10s and C-130s flying into Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
“It looked interesting and at that point I decided I didn’t want a desk job,” she said. “So, I started flying my dad’s little Cessna 150 when I was home the summer after my freshman year. After I soloed, I decided this is really fun.”
Capt. Smith transferred to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and became a flight instructor after graduating.
Chief Smith turned to aviation after two years of college.
“It came to a point where I had to declare my major and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Chief Smith explained. “Flying had always interested me so I went and got my private pilot’s license in a fixed wing.”
Their father had encouraged them to look into the military for flying opportunities. Capt. Smith jumped first, enlisting in the California Air National Guard shortly after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
“[Sept. 11] hit me pretty hard because I had been planning on going to the airlines and interviewing that December,” she said. “I’ll never forget looking up with all my friends and seeing all our flights cancelled. It was almost like seeing my career go up in smoke.”
After graduating from basic military training at Lackland AFB, Texas, Capt. Smith was selected for the pilot board, got her commission and became a
C-130 pilot for the 146th Airlift Wing in Channel Islands, Calif.
“I always liked the C-130s,” she said. “I happened to meet this girl whose father is one of the colonels in our unit. He introduced me to everyone in the unit and I got to see all the planes. I thought it was really cool – I decided that was what I wanted to do. I had discovered something that I was really excited in.”
In 2003, knowing that she wanted to fly, Chief Smith enlisted in the Army. She chose her airframe, the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, almost by chance.
“I think you should pick an aircraft based on the mission, but I didn’t really know much about any of the missions,” she said. “I actually liked flying the TS-57 [in Army flight school] and thought helicopters would be similar – little did I know. I ended up getting Kiowa, which was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I’m really glad I got it – it has an awesome mission.”
Fully qualified on the Kiowa, Chief Smith was stationed with the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky. In late 2007, her unit deployed to Forward Operating Base Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Not long after deploying, Chief Smith began to receive e-mails from her sister, Capt. Smith – whose unit would be deploying to Bagram Air Field. They would be in different services, different locations, assigned to different units, but they found a commonality in their mission in Afghanistan – aiding troops on the ground.
“We have two completely different missions, but we both take care of the ground troops,” said Capt. Smith. “The C-130s do a lot of airdrops and it’s fulfilling because you are getting the beans and bullets to the guys on the ground.”
Chief Smith agreed.
“I love [the Kiowa] mission because we work in direct support of the ground units,” Chief Smith explained. “It’s awesome to help them because they are the ones with boots on the ground.”
Although not at the same base, the two sisters got the opportunity to see each other in May when Chief Smith’s commander allowed her to fly to Bagram for a two-day visit.
“I loved the day that Amber came to visit,” Capt. Smith said. “She came and got me up in the morning, we walked to the PX [post exchange] and got coffee, pizza, and massages. When you’re back home, you can have girls’ day – it was kind of like that, but Bagram style.”
Capt. Smith also got the chance to see Chief Smith when she flew C-130s down to Jalalabad. Their favorite moment came out of one of these trips.
“We were taking off out of Jalalabad, Amber was on approach and we heard each other on the tower radio,” Capt. Smith recalled with enthusiasm. “That was the coolest thing.”
“I thought, how often in our lives is that ever going to happen – in combat,” Chief Smith said.
Fellow pilots soon heard about the sisters.
“Everybody I work with knew my sister was here so whenever they would hear a female voice on the radio they would tell me that they heard my sister on the radio,” Chief Smith said.
“Me too,” added Capt. Smith. “Whenever guys in our unit would fly down to Jalalabad and hear a woman on the radio they would tell me they heard my sister. I have to tell them that there are other female pilots out there – we aren’t the only ones.”
Good news came for the two when Chief Smith’s unit relocated to Bagram. Although Capt. Smith redeployed back to California in mid-July, the sisters spent a few weeks together.
“The past two weeks that I’ve been here we have probably seen each other more than we have in the past five years,” explained Chief Smith. “We are hardly ever together – it seems like somebody is always gone.”
Capt. Smith and Chief Smith have each deployed twice and both agree it is easier being deployed together. Chief Smith went to Iraq in 2005 and Capt. Smith to southwest Asia shortly after.
“Here, we are both pilots and have the same type of intel,” explained Capt. Smith. “It was harder for me being home when she was in Iraq because I didn’t know what was going on. I had never been deployed, and that’s scary. I can see why family and friends worry because they don’t hear about stuff.”
As the older sister, Capt. Smith, 31, added that she doesn’t worry about her little sister, 26-year-old Chief Smith too much.
“Here, I get worried, but Chief Smith is a really, really good pilot – you can just tell she is,” said the proud older sister. “There is always that lingering fear – when things happen and I haven’t heard from her. But it’s not like I’m constantly worrying. I think I would be even more worried if I was stuck at home without a clue as to what was going on.”
Despite the fact there have been a few days the sisters have not been able to see each other or talk to each other because of work, they both agree having each other makes it easier.
“Just knowing that you have that other person who is here for you – not just a friend, but family is really nice,” Capt. Smith said.
It may be easier on them, but it’s not easier on their parents.
“I think they are handling this deployment better than the last one,” said Chief Smith. “Last time, none of us had deployed before, so it was like their first deployment too. They are doing better with it, but they’ll be excited when we are all home. They always say, ‘Be safe and we can’t wait to see you,’ but they are very supportive about it and very practical.”
Capt. Smith agreed.
“We are very, very fortunate because our mom realized from the get-go that it would be harder on us to know that they are worrying about us all the time,” she said. “So she does a good job of reeling my dad in when he would start whining about how worried he was. That would make it harder on Amber, for example, when she’s not only worried about whatever her job is but she’s worried about making sure mom and dad are ok.”
Capt. and Chief Smith aren’t the only ones their parents worry about. Younger sister Lacey, 25, is an Army Chief Warrant Officer and flies the UH-60 Black Hawk. Her unit, A Company, 101st Aviation, replaces Chief Amber Smith’s unit this winter.
Chief Amber Smith expects a few weeks of overlap with Chief Lacey Smith, just as she has with Capt. Smith. This will be Chief Lacey Smith’s first deployment.
“Amber and Kelly have given me great info about what all the different places are like,” Chief Lacey Smith said. “I am really looking forward to our upcoming deployment.”
Like her sisters, Chief Lacey Smith looks forward to supporting the troops on the ground – and the flying.
“I chose Black Hawks because of their mission diversity,” she said. “I’m not one for shooting things up, but love to have guys like Amber buzzing around us. Plus I love being able to meet and help soldiers.”
Wild Thing’s comment……..
A special thank you to Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel M. Martinez for this story. And another very specail thank you for your service to the Smith sisters.
Paging Mr Smith. Paging Mr. Smith. Paging Mr Smith. Paging Mr. Smith. Jimmy Stewart was a Republican, he would be smiling down from Heaven at the fight the Republicans put up agsinst the Dems about this.
House Dems turn out the lights but GOP keeps talking Politico Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House, turned off the lights and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices. Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders opposed the motion to adjourn the House, arguing that Pelosi’s refusal to schedule a vote allowing offshore drilling is hurting the American economy. They have refused to leave the floor after the adjournment motion passed at 11:23 a.m., and they are busy bashing Pelosi and her fellow Democrats for leaving town for the August recess.
At one point, the lights went off in the House and the microphones were turned off in the chamber, meaning Republicans were talking in the dark. But as Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz..) was speaking, the lights went back on and the microphones were turned on shortly afterward.
But C-SPAN, which has no control over the cameras in the chamber, has stopped broadcasting the House floor, meaning no one was witnessing this except the assembled Republicans, their aides, and one Democrat, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), who has now left.
Only about a half-dozen Republicans were on the floor when this began, but the crowd has grown to about 20, according to Patrick O’Connor. “This is the people’s House,” said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.). “This is not Pelosi’s politiburo.”
Democratic aides were furious at the GOP stunt, and reporters were kicked out of the Speaker’s Lobby, the space next to the House floor where they normally interview lawmakers.
“You’re not covering this, are you?” complained one senior Democratic aide. Another called the Republicans “morons” for staying on the floor.
Update: The Capitol Police are now trying to kick reporters out of the press gallery above the floor, meaning we can’t watch the Republicans anymore. But Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is now in the gallery talking to reporters, so the cops have held off for a minute. Clearly, Democrats don’t want Republicans getting any press for this episode. GOP leaders are trying to find other Republicans to rotate in for Blunt so reporters aren’t kicked out. Update 2: This message was sent out by Blunt’s office:
“Although this Democrat majority just adjourned for the Democrat 5-week vacation, House Republicans are continuing to fight on the House floor. Although the lights, mics and C-SPAN cameras have been turned off, House Republicans are on the floor speaking to the taxpayers in the gallery who, not surprisingly, agree with Republican energy proposals.
“All Republicans who are in town are encouraged to come to the House floor.”
Update 3: Democrats just turned out the lights again. Republicans cheered. Update 4: Republican leaders just sent out a notice looking for a bullhorn, and leadership aides are trying to corral all the members who are still in town to come speak on the floor and sustain this one-sided debate.
Also, Republicans can thank Shadegg for turning on the microphones the first time. Apparently, the fiesty Arizona conservative started typing random codes into the chamber’s public address system and accidentally typed the correct code, allowing Republicans brief access to the microphone before it was turned off again.
“I love this,” Shadegg told reporters up in the press gallery afterward. “Congress can be so boring. … This is a kick.”
Update 5: The scene on the floor is kind of crazy. Normally, members are not allowed to speak directly to the visitor galleries, and visitors are prohibited from cheering. But in this case, the members are walking up and down on the floor during their speeches, standing on chairs. The visitors are cheering loudly. Some members even brought in visitors, who are now sitting on the House floor in the seats normally filled by lawmakers, cheering and clapping. Very funny.
Democrats faced a choice here: Should they leave the cameras on and let Republicans rip Pelosi & Co. on C-SPAN, or should they leave the cameras off and let the Republicans have their “tantrum,” as one Democratic aide characterized it, with the cameras off? So the cameras are off, but Republicans, and the crowd, are clearly enjoying the scene. Update 6: Republicans are literally hugging each other on the House floor. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.), not normally known as a distinguished orator, just gave a rousing speech, accusing Democrats of stifling dissent. He referenced President John Quincy Adams, who returned as a House member after being defeated in his presidential reelection bid. Waving his arms and yelling, Manzullo brought the crowd (including a lot of staffers shipped in by GOP leaders to fill up the place), and he left the floor to hugs from his colleagues. You don’t see that up here every day. Update 7: Rep Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) just pretended to be a Democrat. He stood on the other side of the chamber and listed all of the GOP bills that the Dems killed.
He then said, “I am a Democrat, and here is my energy plan” and he held up a picture of an old VW Bug with a sail attached to it. He paraded around the House floor with the sign while the crowd cheered.
Update 8: It’s over.
Right at the stroke of five Georgia Rep. Tom Price announced that House Republicans were ending their impromptu protest on the floor of the chamber, ending a five-plus hour rebellion with a round of “God Bless America.”
The assembled tourists, aides and members in the chamber gave Price and his compatriots a standing ovation. They left the chamber to shouts of “USA! USA! USA!”
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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Leave it to the Dems to turn the lights out in DC. I called C-Span and they said the House (Pelosi) will not send the feed to them. That if they did they would have put it right back on. “This is the people’s House,” said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.). “This is not Pelosi’s politiburo.”
I would love to give him a bigi hug. Here is his website: http://mccotter.house.gov/HoR/MI11/Home/ Boehner’s office, they said that the SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE is responsible for turning off the mics and the lights!!I
Boehner’s office: (202)225-4000
This needs to be played on every radio station in America this month. http://johnboehner.house.gov/UploadedFiles/07-30-08AdjournmentVoteJAB.mp3 Mike Pence
Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said he was “not leaving until we call this Congress back into session and vote for energy independence…..Mike was one of the organizers of the protest, said up to 40 of his fellow Republicans were prepared to keep the talk-in going. ”
“Gesturing toward the tourists still filling the visitor’s gallery above, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said: “Tell your friends the Republicans refuse to go quietly!” http://mikepence.house.gov/blog/ http://mikepence.house.gov/
Nancy Pelosi is holding this entire country HOSTAGE to her environmental marxism!! Nancy I’m trying to save the planet email …. http://www.speaker.gov/contact/
Pelosi phone #
202 225 0100 U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 3
Section 3. He [the President] shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee (RSC), and Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), former Chairman of RSC, today urged President Bush to call for a special session of Congress after the House adjourned without allowing a vote on comprehensive legislation to develop more American energy and help the millions of Americans currently feeling pain at the gas pump.
The text of their letter is below:
The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
The House of Representatives has not taken a vote since January 2007 that would expand domestic energy production. All the while, Americans are hurting. Every time they go to fill up their cars, trucks or tractors they feel the pain at the pump. High gas prices are harming the vitality of our families, the elderly, small businesses, and family farms. Each and every American is affected.
Today the Democrat controlled Congress adjourned for a five-week vacation without taking a vote on bipartisan measures that would lessen our dependence on foreign oil by allowing more domestic drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. In fact, they adjourned without even allowing time for debate on the subject of drilling.
On July 14, 2008, you took the strong action of lifting the executive order that had banned offshore drilling. In so doing, you said that allowing offshore oil drilling is “one of the most important steps we can take” to reduce the burden of high gas prices. Now, all it would take is an act of Congress for that drilling to begin.
Since Speaker Pelosi has decided not to keep the House in session to allow this vote to take place, we urge you to use the power vested in you by the Constitution to convene an immediate energy special session of Congress. Under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, you have the power ‘on extraordinary occasions’ to convene the Congress.
We believe that the energy emergency that has increased the pain felt by Americans when they purchase $4 per gallon gasoline is an extraordinary occasion. We urge you to immediately bring the Congress back into session to do its job and give the bipartisan, pro-drilling majority a vote.
Thank you for your consideration of our request.
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Republicans KNOW the country is FED UP with the attitude of Queen Pelosi and King Reid! This is going to point out IN REAL TIME just who in Congress cares and who doesn’t! GOD BLESS THESE BRAVE REPUBLICAN REPS!!! What is the cost of the Democrat “No Domestic Energy Policy?”
No domestic drilling.
No new refineries.
No new nuke plants.
No new dams for hydro-electric.
No coal.
No shale.
Deplete the SPR.
Let Iran get nukes.
Let Iraq fall to Iranian domination.
No Canadian tar sands oil.
All of that puts the U.S. in a position that war for oil or complete economic collapse will be our only choices. You can’t frustrate every source of domestic energy without consequences. Our enemies will blackmail us
to the extent that we are vulnerable to blackmail.
…..”Perhaps you and I have lived with this miracle too long to be properly appreciative. Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction, It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again. Knowing this, it is hard to explain those who even today would question the people’s capacity for self-rule. Will they answer this: if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? Using the temporary authority granted by the people, an increasing number lately have sought to control the means of production, as if this could be done without eventually controlling those who produce. Always this is explained as necessary to the people’s welfare. But, “The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principle upon which it was founded” [Montesquieu]. This is as true today as it was when it was written in 1748.” – Ronald Reagan, California and the Problem of Government Growth, January 5, 1967
Blackout: Pelosi turns off the lights as GOP demands action on drilling for oil. John Carter 31st district of Texas and John Culberson of the 7th District of Texas, members of the Republican minority have taken the floor and have continued to debate after the house has adjourned. The Democratic leadership including Pelosi turned off the lights today and cut off cameras and mikes, so they can’t vote on energy. Please CLICK to see the video it is well worth it. This is a great link, these didn’t give up.
From the senate floor, Mitch McConnell gets Ken Salazar to object to offshore drilling even if gas hits $10 a gallon.
Not Even At $10 A Gallon?
There was a rather extraordinary confrontation on the Senate floor Thursday involving offshore oil drilling that got very little press coverage.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) tried to get Democrats to vote on a measure that would open up such drilling if the price of gasoline reached a certain level.
Although the “bidding” eventually reached $10 a gallon, Colorado’s Ken Salazar continually objected.
In back-and-forth bickering on the Senate floor Thursday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell attempted to force Democrats to vote on a measure opening up coastal waters for drilling when gas reached $4.50, $5 or even $7.50 a gallon.
“If $5-gallon gasoline isn’t an emergency, I have to ask what is an emergency?” McConnell said.
“It’s a phantom solution,” countered Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo, noting that such drilling would not affect gas prices in the short term.
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Wild Thing’s comment…….
Shocking how the Democrats really hate our country and the citizens of this country. I keep hearing the liberals say that we won’t see a drop of oil for ten years if we start drilling. I’m sure glad that when Kennedy called for sending a man to the Moon in 10 years that no one had that attitude.
….Thank you Darth for sending this to me.
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