Republicans Rebel Against Adjournment; Pelosi Turns Out Lights

humanevents.com ^ | 08/01/2008 | John Gizzi

[kellynla]

As the House floor filled up this afternoon and Republican lawmakers emerged to air their complaints about Speaker Pelosi with reporters, one key player in the GOP uprising told me he had reached the White House and told a top aide to urge the President to call Congress back into session.

Rep. Mike Pence (R.Ind.), who joined with fellow conservative Republican Reps. John Shadegg (Ariz.) and Ted Poe (Tex.) to keep the House open this afternoon, said that the President was out of town. However, the Hoosier lawmaker quickly added that “I spoke with a key aide and made it clear he should urge the President to call Congress back and deal with the energy crisis.” Pence would not say who the aide was, but noted that the response to his admonition was “very positive.”

[kellynla]

Best quote of the day: "This is the people's House – this is not Pelosi's politburo" Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich.

[kellynla]

According to the House Republican Conference website, the following Republican lawmakers participated in the energy marathon:

Rep. Brian Bilbray, Calif.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis, Fla.
Rep. Rob Bishop, Utah
Rep. Roy Blunt, Mo.
Rep. John Boehner, Mich.
Rep. John Boozman, Ariz.
Rep. Kevin Brady, Texas
Rep. Paul Broun, Ga.
Rep. Henry Brown, S.C.
Rep. Michael Burgess, Texas
Rep. Tom Cole, Okla.
Rep. John Campbell, Calif.
Rep. Eric Cantor, Va.
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, W.V.
Rep. John Carter, Texas.
Rep. Mike Conaway, Texas
Rep. John Culberson, Texas
Rep. Charlie Dent, Penn.
Rep. Mary Fallin, Okla.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Neb.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, N.C.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, Texas
Rep. Wally Herger, Calif.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, Mich.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, Calif.
Rep. Steve King, Iowa
Rep. Dan Lungren, Calif.
Rep. Don Manzullo, Ill.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Calif.
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Mich.
Rep. Devin Nunes, Calif.
Rep. Mike Pence, Ind.
Rep. Chip Pickering, Miss.
Rep. Todd Platts, Penn
Rep. Ted Poe, Texas
Rep. Jon Porter, Nev.
Rep. Tom Price, Ga.
Rep. Adam Putnam, Fla.
Rep. Mike Rogers, Mich.
Rep. Bill Sali, Idaho
Rep. John Shadegg, Ariz.
Rep. John Shimkus, Ill.
Rep. Adrian Smith, Neb.
Rep. Michael Turner, Ohio
Rep. Tim Walberg, Mich
Rep. Greg Walden, Ore.
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, Ga.
Rep. Joe Wilson, S.C.

[ronnie raygun]

Hope this is a wake up call, get in there and fight for your country!

[SumProVita]

No one from Tennessee???

Grrrrr......

[aquila48]

Thanks.

[wastedyears]

Yes, it’s making the rounds.

It will be hard to stop this.

[wastedyears]

Sweet, I see Hunter was involved.

Good thing I voted for him.

Ping to pissant if he doesn’t know what happened today.

[ken21]

every once in a while the pubies wake up!

[upchuck]

Thanks for posting this and for the list in #2.

Just sent my Rep Joe Wilson (SC) a thank you email.

[TLI]

The first shot of the revolution was fired a few hours ago, as Republicans prepared to commence their five minute addresses that would decry the lack of any votes on meaningful energy legislation. From the Democratic side, a motion to adjourn for the day shot up. Then CSPAN, which covers House proceedings on television, was shut down. The microphones on the House floor were turned off.

Led by Rep. Tom Price (R.-GA), Republicans decided they weren’t going to take it -- they would stay and fight. As the camera lights were shutting down, Price, Shadegg, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence and other conservative “young Turks” began delivering their speeches on the floor without microphones. The sparsely-filled visitors galleries that overlook the floor began to fill up and the ranks of reporters in the Press Gallery began to swell from the two or three newsmen who were there for what they thought was a routine closing day.

By 2:00 PM, in what resembled newsreels of the packed House floor on the day war was declared in December of 1941, the House floor was almost full. More than 400 visitors were in the gallery and Shadegg, having figured out the code on the panel that controls the microphones, put the sound system in the House back on -- until a staffer (presumably from the speaker’s office) came and shut it off again.

“Word spread that the speaker -- who was never actually here on the floor -- was going to shut down the House press gallery,” a breathless Shadegg told me in a call from the floor, “But rules are clear that the gallery can’t be shut down if a Member is there. So a bunch of us have been taking turns -- we’re ‘human shields,’ keeping the press gallery going.” Along with Shadegg, the ‘human shields’ included House GOP Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.), and Texas Reps. Ted Poe and John Carter.

“You cannot repress free speech, Madame Speaker,” declared Shadegg, adding that the intense protest to keep the floor and press gallery alive were critical because “every day without oil production, the American people are hurt. It destroys the lives of the poorest Americans, those with the oldest cars, the worst mileage, and sometimes the longest commutes. That’s the point we are making.”

Whew! I bet Nutjob Nancy is just steaming right about now. I can just hear it... - How DARE those mere Press Gallery members actually demand free speech? Why, they act like it is their right or something!-

Hehehe! Come on George, call `em back!

[garyhope]

Maybe someone should turn out Pelosi’s lights.

[Steely Tom]

Can you imagine the headlines if the parties were reversed in today's little dust-up?

GOP PULLS PLUG ON FREE SPEECH!

House Leadership Tries To Turn Out The Light of Freedom

Maureen Dowd and the gals would have a fit. Mark Morford would wet his pants.

[autumnraine]

Call them back into session Mr. President!!!

[Army Air Corps]

THIS is representative government! Up the Republic, up the revolution.

[TheRobb7]

“No one from Tennessee???”

Yeah...where WAS Marsha Blackburn”

(TN-7th district)

I hope that list is just a partial one........

[dbacks]

Boozeman is from Arkansas, not Arizona.

[Eagle Eye]

Thanks for the list, I sent a thank you note to my Congressman.

[HereInTheHeartland]

Wow great McCain ad. It's obvious their folks got some great ideas from this website!

Note to McCain strategists. Grab the energy issue and run hard. It's a winner.
Do an ad showing a family in a minivan at a gas station filling up. The kids are asking mom and dad why they can't have a vacation this year. Then McCain comes on:

“Hello I'm John McCain. We need to have new energy sources in our nation. I will fight hard for safe, plentiful American produced energy. Tell the Democrats in Congress that you agree with me and please vote for me in November.”

Or something like the above....

[littlehouse36]

[Faith]

Thank you, Mike Turner. I knew Ohio could count on you.