House Democrats Storm Out of Ways and Means Committee ("you little fruitcake")

Washington Post ^ | Friday, July 18, 2003

[nickcarraway]

By any standards, today represented a low point in the history of congressional comity. Democrats accused the GOP of running a police state; Republicans recounted how one Democratic member of the panel called a Republican colleague "you little fruitcake" in the midst of the standoff.

The blowup occurred as the panel began to mark up a wide-ranging pension bill sponsored by Reps. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.). The changes narrowed the original bill, but retained most of its key provisions.

[lentulusgracchus]

Personally, I think the whole discussion is crummy ( crumby)!

Crumb I help you?

[Rifleman]

No need for training. My tiny little sister could slap ol' Fortney stupid....if someone hadn't beat her to it.

Refraining from kicking this barking mad fool's arse just because he is in his 70s would be age discrimination.

[VetsRule]

I absolutely agree with you. I am disappointed that so many here appear to favor dirty, underhanded tricks and railroading. Maybe Thomas was technically within the rules (and I don't know whether he was or not) when he said the document submitted the previous night just before midnight was enough technical notice. But by that same token, the Democrats were within their rights to a full reading of it, even if that reading had to happen line-by-line in committee. We should ALL be in favor of our lawmakers actually READING the legislation they pass!

And the gavel trick is just absurd. You have to give people the chance to object, or else you are no better than a dictator. Thomas was completely out-of-line.

All Thomas had to do was give another day, and this whole mess would have been avoided, with the exact same result. Instead, his impatience and temper created an unnecessary incident that makes him and the Republican majority look bad among fair-minded people.

VR

PS: And of course, Stark is an idiot for his outburst, too. But that doesn't excuse Thomas.

[auggy]

""You know, you have a very rye sense of humor... He must have been bread to be that way." At least, he rises to the occasion even tho some of his remarks are stale.

"He isn't a heel about it either..."

He had butter not be. He would be toast,if he was.

[WOSG]

"Better to post stupid puns than to just loaf around."

Very punny.

You guys knead to get a life. :-)

[Foxfire4]

Next one to "pun post" is toast, so try not to get carrawayed with it. :o]

Sigh. I'm heartbroken, to think a pun thread has gotten toasted. At yeast it got this far...

[arasina]

Why, are you a masochistic humorist who likes PUNishment? Or are you, like me, plagued with apPUNdicitis?

[Redbob]

"Including these and other provisions, the bill would cost the government $10.3 billion over the next five years."

And note how the Dims' media outlet, the Post, spins any reduction in taxes into a government "cost."

As if keeping our own money is really taking away something that belongs to the government.

[Judith Anne]

They're all just feeling their oats.