You Can't Shut Us Up!

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to shut Republicans up by using her "power" as Speaker to lock the doors of the House and turn out the lights. She also ordered the cameras turned off--cameras that are required to be on whenever the Hose is in session. All this with about 100 Republicans scheduled to speak at the end of the day, something that is routine. Republicans didn't take that lying down. They demanded the House be opened again, and the cameras to be "up and running" while they made their speeches, most of which demanded Pelosi and her liberal friends return to the House and have an "up or down vote" on opening domestic oil drilling so they'd be on the record and everybody would know where they stand (of course, they already do). But she and her cohorts didn't want that, so they fled homeward in their private planes. "This is the people's House," said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.). "This is not Pelosi's politiburo." Then they kicked reporters out, demanding, "You're not covering this, are you?" To which those reporters probably replied, "What, are you insane? Of COURSE we're covering it!" Democrats are calling this "A Republican tantrum," But to me it looks more like a "DEMOCRAT tantrum." Pelosi and her accomplices think they can shut the Republicans up, but she can't, as this has proved. Republican speakers accused Democrats of "trying to stifle dissent," and that's exactly what they're doing--aside from running from a vote on the "fuel crunch" issue, that is. (Politico/The Crypt)