NYC Letter: Nuance, Part II

Day 239 of CHOPE

As stated in Cannon’s Precedents, on January 27, 1909, the House adopted a report in response to improper references in debate to the President. That report read in part as follows:

It is... the duty of the House to require its Members in speech or debate to preserve that proper restraint which will permit the House to conduct its business in an orderly manner and without unnecessarily and unduly exciting animosity among its Members or antagonism from those other branches of the Government with which the House is correlated.

... Speakers of the House have consistently reiterated, and the House has voted, to support the proposition that it is not in order in debate to engage in personalities toward the President. The Chair enforces this rule of decorum on his own initiative.

DECORUM IN THE HOUSE AND IN COMMITTEES,
a guide to debate in the House recently issued by
Louise Slaughter (D-NY, 28th),
Chair of the House Rules Committee,
back on the job following the Bush years

Last week Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC, 2nd) blurted out, "You lie!" as Mr. Obama finished telling a lie. This crossed a line. When the President of the United States tells a lie before Congress, decorum dictates members wait and see if the President concludes with, "Just kidding!" Mr. Wilson's blurting spoiled what could've been a fun moment for everyone.

Mr. Wilson apologized to the President. The President accepted the apology. But the Demo leadership* in the House demanded Mr. Wilson apologize on the floor of the House or face censure. Mr. Wilson declined. This week the Democrat majority made good its threat.

HOUSE REBUKES WILSON FOR SHOUTING ‘YOU LIE’

WASHINGTON September 15, 2009 (NYT) - Representative Joe Wilson was formally rebuked by the House on Tuesday for his outburst during President Obama’s health care address. The vote came after a Congressional clash over civility that showcased the deep partisan divisions in the House.

... Leading Democrats said the resolution put on the record that the House "disapproves of the behavior of the representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, during the joint session of Congress held on Sept. 9, 2009," and was needed to protect the integrity of the House and deter such acts in the future.

"This is about the rules of this House and reprehensible conduct," said Representative James E. Clyburn (D-SC, 6th) of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat in the House and a home-state colleague of Mr. Wilson who led the Democratic argument for the resolution.

Yes. Well. [Pause.] We are amused by this new-found punctiliousness for good manners, decorum, civility among Democrats. It is so [Pinky lift.] quaint. It just won't do to have members dishonoring the House with baseless accusations, rancor, and political denigrations, especially -- per House rules of decorum -- as regards the institution of the presidency and the person of the President.

Such indecorum invites censure. Nowadays.

PELOSI: CIA, BUSH MISLEAD [SIC] ME ON WATERBOARDING
WASHINGTON May 14, 2009 (NYPost)

What?

First of all, I'm just amazed that they can't figure out-- the Republicans are worried that we can't pay for insuring an additional ten million children. They sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal [sic] war in Iraq. Where are you gonna get that money? You gonna tell us lies, like you're telling us today? Is that how you're going to fund the war? You don't have the money to fund the war or children, but you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people, if we could get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement.

... I hope my California Republican colleagues will understand that if they don't vote to override this veto, they are destroying health care for many of our children in California.

... But, President Bush's statements about children's health shouldn't be taken any more seriously than his lies about the war in Iraq.

The truth is that Bush just likes to blow things up... in Iraq, in the United States, and in Congress.

I urge my colleagues to vote to override his veto. America's children need and deserve health care, despite the President's desire to deny it to them.

Pete Stark (D-CA, 13th),
within the sacrosanct precincts of the House
WASHINGTON October 18, 2007 (rawstory.com/C-SPAN)

What?

CHOPE.

Post-partisan nuance.

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* Ms. Pelosi once again demonstrates her adroit command of party discipline.