Update: at 12.20pm -- My God, i have to say -- watching a debate like this, you can get inspired again about our govt. i'd just forgotten a bit that we have such eloquent and caring lawmakers up there. not the Repubs (oh no) -- their legalese, and lies, and repetitive talking points just nauseate anyone, i do feel (including their own people, no?!), but man, so many of the Dems speak from the heart, show that they are up there for all the right reasons (specifically, i just watched Connolly of VA). sometimes, we can just be reminded that we do have a decently functional govt, we did elect Barack Obama as Pres last year -- and his words of caring about each other in the society, taking care of each other, his being a role model though serving the homeless at shelters -- are being echoed, and taken to heart. yes, it is good to be reminded, sometimes.
I started writing the below to friends, and decided to diary it -- i won't be able to do this all day, hope others will take it up:
(11am EST, Sat)
I mailed a bunch of friends a call to action earlier this morning for today, as being likely the day HR 3962 will be voted on, and i've been watching on and off on CSpan the last couple of hours -- and right now there is an amazing series of women who are coming forward to support the bill -- then two lame-o Repubs (Tom Price R-GA, and then Pete Sessions R-TX) try to suppress it, and there is a little bit of confusion over the rules of the debate, talking over each other, while the excellent and senior John Dingell D-MI chairs the session. the Repubs basically want to make sure they get the full amount of time to make their objections over many hours. this is going on for several minutes, back and forth.
(Folks in Culver City, CA: your C-woman, L. Roybal-Allard just spoke up!)
Not sure where this is going, i wish i had time to sit and watch this all
day, it's just human drama on a national stage -- hell, they should make a
TV show about this stuff!!
These Repubs just seem like jerks, while Dingell specifically says he
wants to protect the right for both sides to speak. Jeez Louise, this seems as chaotic as fricking High School when we used to do US Govt!
This kind of stuff makes me detest the Repubs even more (do the Dems ever do this kind of thing, too??). bunch of old white guys trying through stupid technical parliamentary rules (as they do so often in social justice struggles, in my experience) to shut down women who are making
inspiring and strong statements.
Arrrggh!
Yes, My Rep, Kilroy is up -- being spoken over, and she speaks up, angry
at the freaking Repug trying to speak over her!!! And this is an amazing woman i spoke to in person for 15 min last year!
Wow -- this is intense, it's going on and on -- if i were Dingell, i'd
call the House Marshals to come down and tase the crap out of those
Repugs. (just kidding -- but some part of me feels that).
Now the Repubs are trying to get some women to object, instead of just men.
Ok -- this is continuing on and on, like a freaking circus though -- not at all civilized debate. like some third world country. if this is how the debate goes normally, it does make me very worried about how the govt
functions.
Ok, this has been going on and on for 25 min -- will it continue like this all day..???!