US House

Democrat “Sit In” a Stage Play

June 23 2016 — This is a choreographed stage play. All the players have their roles and colored hats. Its a farce.

As this post is written, Paul Ryan, the embattled Speaker of the House, is calling the Senate police to clear the room of the Democrats who have staged a “sit in.” It is a “sit in” of nothing. In the past, these were meant to block something. it was a means of making life less convenient for all involved. In this case, they’re just sitting on the floor. Why bother calling the police?

Not Over Yet: Some Tough Votes Ahead on Fast Track

While we all cheered the failure (TAA) to pass Trade Adjustment Assistance in the hope that its defeat would stop Fast Track, the House quickly voted to pass Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) with 219 votes (218 is a majority but there were some abstentions). This situation means that the House and Senate have not passed identical versions of Fast Track (because the Senate version includes TAA) so Fast Track cannot go to the President’s desk yet to be signed into law.