Chaos! Outrage! Politics as usual

By Libby Spencer

The Politico shows its alleged non-partisan political stripes today in their colorful description of the hijinks in the House last night.

In a massive flare-up of partisan tensions (video link courtesy Breitbart.tv), Republicans walked out on a House vote late Thursday night to protest what they believed to be Democratic maneuvers to reverse an unfavorable outcome for them.
The flap represents a complete breakdown in parliamentary procedure and an unprecedented low for the sometimes bitterly divided chamber.

Unprecendented low? How soon the Politico forgets. For a publication that bills itself as the ultimate professional Beltway insiders, it seems rather odd they would have omitted a little historical reference that sprang immediately in all the amateurs' minds. James Joyner, who couldn't be called liberal by any stretch of the imagination recalls a similar incident.

The Republicans would certainly be in a better position to take the moral high ground on this one had they not done essentially the same thing when they had the majority. It happened two years ago on the Central America Free Trade Area bill:

The 217 to 215 vote came just after midnight, in a dramatic finish that highlighted the intensity brought by both sides to the battle. When the usual 15-minute voting period expired at 11:17 p.m., the no votes outnumbered the yes votes by 180 to 175, with dozens of members undeclared. House Republican leaders kept the voting open for another 47 minutes, furiously rounding up holdouts in their own party until they had secured just enough to ensure approval.

Not that this stopped GOP Rep. Cantor from shrieking the sky is falling...

An outrage. Is this a democracy or a dictatorship?

Where was he while the president is accumlating dictatorial powers under the mythical executive privilege? This was all just parliamentary grandstanding, on both parties' parts and frankly I don't get why the GOP didn't just go for this, if they really had the votes to pass it.

Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) eventually offered a motion to reconsider, according to floor staff on either side, ostensibly giving members a chance to recast their votes. But the maneuver sparked a chorus of angry protests from the Republicans, yelling “shame” on Democrats, while they returned fire with angry volleys of their own.

Shame on all of them for wasting the taxpayer's dime on these sort of theatrics. We have bigger problems than worrying about how to punish illegal immigrants with under the table measures. I continue to think if we simply abolished amendments, our laws would be more comprehensible, our legislators would be more accountable for their votes and would also get a lot more done.

(Cross-posted at The Impolitic.)