Pelosi statement regarding the "shameless display" on the House floor

[jefferson_dem]

:patriot: Thanks, Madame Leader. You've made us all proud. Now...we've got your back! :patriot:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 07, 2005
CONTACT:
Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider
202-226-7616

Pelosi: ‘What You Saw on the House Floor This Afternoon Was a Shameless Display of the Republican Culture of Corruption’
Washington, D.C.– House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer at a news conference this afternoon to condemn the Republican abuse of power that occurred on the floor of the House today. The Republican leadership held a five-minute vote on the energy bill open for 45 minutes to twist arms to get their Members to switch votes. Below are Pelosi’s remarks:

“What you saw on the House floor this afternoon was a shameless display of the Republican culture of corruption, as it exists in the House of Representatives. It demonstrated once again that the Republican majority will go to any length to satisfy the greed of the energy companies over meeting the needs of the American people.

“A vote that was supposed to take five minutes took more than nine times that long because the indicted Republican leader of the House of Representatives needed extra time to twist the arms necessary to pass a bill that is against the interests of the American people, against consumers, against taxpayers, and against the environment.

“The fact that the Republicans are handmaidens of the special interests is nothing new. The fact that they would shamelessly display their servitude should come as no surprise. But today’s extortion is an especially shameful display – a sad day for democracy. The people spoke and the vote was clearly against this bill.

“How long will the Republican caucus condone this behavior? Until the rank-and-file Members break with the culture of corruption, they are all complicit and they all enable. The American people must object.

“Our country’s democracy is based upon every American having his or her voice heard on the floor of Congress. Republicans have shut down debate here. Now they are shutting down the reasonable outcome of a vote.

“Democrats have proposed guidelines for how we think the House of Representatives should operate, a Minority Bill of Rights. Included in this document is the declaration that ‘No vote shall be held open in order to manipulate the outcome.’ When we take back the People’s House, we will heed that declaration.”

* * *

http://democraticleader.house.gov/press/releases.cfm?pressReleaseID=1217

[texpatriot2004]

1. Absolutely! Thank you Pelosi. A million thanks.n/t

[fooj]

2. Wow. Thank you, Nancy Pelosi!

“A vote that was supposed to take five minutes took more than nine times that long because the indicted Republican leader of the House of Representatives needed extra time to twist the arms necessary to pass a bill that is against the interests of the American people, against consumers, against taxpayers, and against the environment."

Well, that just about covers it.

Peace

[adarling]

3. Amazing woman

simply amazing, i feel like California...New York, and Chicago are like the last liberal strong holds. Wish i was from Cali so i could be proud and say these are my representatives....all i have is Tom Delay, Kay Bailey and John Cornyn...the triumvirate of evil

[newswolf56]

4. Once again, the velvet slipper of "compassionate conservatism" is shed...

to reveal the fascist jackboot beneath. The fact this is happening with such increasing frequency -- the aftermath of Katrina, Bennett's call for genocide against blacks, now this: capitalism is jeopardizing our liberty as never before, and Pelosi is one of the very few Democrats willing to stand up and say it.

[DaveColorado]

6. What was specifically so reprehensible about this particular bill?

[newswolf56]

7. I don't have time tonight to educate you in detail, but essentially...

more of the same thing we've seen since the Bush Coup of 2000: tax breaks for the oligarchy (tax cuts worth $8 billion in this case -- even as the Oil Barons' price-gouged obscene profits are at an all-time high), nothing whatsoever for the rest of us. A ripoff all the more savage in that this huge windfall for the fat-cat plutocrats doesn't include a single penny for the construction of mass transit: ultimately the only way out of the energy crisis. In other words, all this bill does is guarantee our continued enslavement to Big Oil. Google "bush energy bill" for the grim details.

Beyond that, this legislation is yet another example of the unity and uniformity of Bush policy: maximum concentration of wealth, methodical disempowerment of everyone who is not genuinely wealthy -- downsizing, outsourcing, reduction of wages, looting of pensions, destruction of the social safety net, skyrocketing prices: New Orleans last month, all of America tomorrow. By granting these tax cuts from an already maxed-out federal treasury, Bush literally steals from the needy -- and people will literally die as a result.

The outrage of this atrocity is multiplied a thousandfold by the brazenly unethical manner in which the Republicans ramrodded the legislation through the House. As I said above, it is another example of how the Republicans are ever more willing to show their true fascist identity.

[sandnsea]

9. Here

Many groups have been trying to get the word out on this bill for a while, posts drop like a rock in place of the search for Dem balls and spines. Maybe if more people paid attention ahead of time, the media would actually have to carry it and then the people would know what happened in Congress today and what it was all about.

Clean Air Act Implications

Sec. 106 - Significantly weakens the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program, allowing more than 20,000 industrial facilities to expand or upgrade in ways that increase pollution without installing modern pollution controls.
Sec. 109 - Delays existing smog cleanup deadlines in cities with some of the most persistent smog problems, prolonging unsafe levels of smog for many years.
Sec. 108 - Undermines the implementation of EPA's upcoming rules to clean up the nation's trucks, buses, farm equipment and other diesel engines.
Sec. 107 - Allows indefinite waiver of controls on fuel sulfur content and toxics, such as benzene, while preempting states from adopting or retaining more protective requirements during the waiver period.
Sec. 108 - Freezes the development of further clean fuels and specifically provides that no additional sulfur or toxics control requirements can be approved without an explicit "fuel supply availability" determination by EPA.

Taxpayers and Governmental Oversight Implications

Sec. 402 - Weakens the enforcement provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act by limiting penalties for price gouging to $11,000 per day.
Sec. 104 - Provides an open-ended taxpayer subsidy to cover all the costs an oil company may incur due to a delay in the initial operation of a new or upgraded oil refinery, including delays due to compliance with state or federal laws or regulations.

Public Lands Implications

Sec. 101 - Requires the President to designate sites on Federal lands, including closed military bases, that are appropriate for the siting of refineries.
Sec. 110 - Undoes a 28-year-old law that limits tanker traffic in the sensitive waters of Puget Sound removing all practical limits on the giant tankers, 600 of which already ply the Sound each year.

MORE:
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=1405

[mike_c]

5. damned fine statement....

I've been disappointed with Pelosi in the past, and probably will be again, but this was just the right statement to make, IMO. BTW, the C-Span video of the event on the House floor is amazing.

[gristy]

8. OMG, I got out of bed, booted my computer and logged onto DU

after I saw this on C-span at 10:30 tonight. This is one POWERFUL woman. Her clear statements today, without notes, regarding what went on in the House today, about the "culture of corruption" lead by the republicans, was a beautiful thing to see. I mean, she was just so lucid. Not a pause, not a single "um", not a single reversion to banality. This was a speech which forshadows what she will do to these scumbags in the next few years. This is a woman who I would support as a candidate for President of the United States.

Will she run?

Can she win?

[PeterPan]

13. She could run but is there any reason to believe our votes for her

would be counted?

[skooooo]

10. They showed this for a bit on CNN this morning

I think it's getting national attention, and should!!

[Jim Lane]

11. A question about holding House votes open

When the Democrats were in the majority, didn't they do this sometimes? I thought it was considered a fairly routine parliamentary maneuver -- for example, if more time is needed for some supporters to make it to the House floor. What's not routine is using the extra time to make corrupt deals to secure individual votes.

[alittlelark]

12. That was a wonderful thing to read 1st thing in the morning!

She is the right woman for the job! I could find very few minced words.

[Ferret Annica]

14. Bush is a scumbag

who gutted the environment of Texas and will do the same nationally unless pro-actively stopped.

People need to care this scumbag allows Umqua (Stumpqua) bank to enrich themselves with gifts of valuable and rare old growth timber sales.

Weyerhauser is cutting fast and furiously, and there is a bloodthirstiness to extract any and all value from land in the wake of the passing of Measure 37 (Oregon)that would compensate land owners for dreamed of value they actually are damn well not owed.

I am livid. Pissed. They are arresting tree sitters in response to local Billybobs shooting firearms and arrows at people in tree-sits.

If non-violent civil disobedience is not permitted to elevate the discourse in the general community about the wrongs they are doing, they invite the growth of nothing more to lose organizations like the Earth Liberation Front (ELF).

These neo-cons should be careful. Their excesses will be their undoing. Their antics in the House cannot be allowed to stand without a nasty fight.

If they probe to see if there is a stomach to fight, they should be obliged with one for their trouble.

[msongs]

15. "shame" chant lead the radio news program, yeah DEMS

it was great as theater on the news, the dems chanting shame in the background while the newsreader told about the vote and the criticisms of the bill in favor of oil companies.

dems should do this kind of thing OFTEN and I applaud them for it.

msongs
www.msongs.com/clark2008.htm

edit for typos

[Neil Lisst]

17. Way to go DEMS!

I was very proud of our House Dems for standing and shouting at the pub leadership. They showed some spirit yesterday.


-----
my progressive political cartoon
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst

[Mr_Spock]

16. Get those corrupt Republicans the attention they deserve

Good work Nancy...

[ellenfl]

18. i saw her give her statement last night on c-span. she

looked like she was going to cry, she was so angry. all-in-all, very well done.

ellen fl

[oxbow]

19. Now if theyd walked out of the House in protest afterwards...

that would have made it front-page news.

I'm still proud of them, but this was a missed opportunity to take more than a metaphorical stand. They coulD have forced things to a head real quick. The fascist wing of the GOP is on the ropes. ITS TIME TO HIT EM WHILE THEY'RE DOWN DEMOCRATS!

[BR_Parkway]

20. I've seen mentions of them walking out en masse, but I wonder what the Pug

could do if the Dems did walk out? With their brazen approach to facism and one party rule, could they simply pass some parlimentary rule allowing themselves to vote on whatever. I keep wondering why they haven't walked out in protest and I'm wondering if they stay so that things can't be bushwhacked further.

[radfringe]

21. suggestion

should march into the house on monday wearing black arm bands

better yet - wear clothespins on their noses because the stench of corruption is nauseating

[John_H]

22. And, as per usual, the whores are largely ignoring it.

[spuddonna]

23. Someone posted a great piece on DU about the parliamentary changes...

...that the Republicans pulled for this specific vote. It was an amazing summary of the rules changes that they pulled so they could force this vote through. I hope if anyone else sees it that they'll cross post it here! Thanks! :)

ETA: I found it! Here's the link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5001513&mesg_id=5003620

Thanks so much, Marie26, for the great info! :)