Pelosi-palooza

[ChumpDumper]

A Party, With Pelosi Front and Center

By ANNE E. KORNBLUT
Published: January 2, 2007

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 — During her first 100 hours as House speaker, Nancy Pelosi has vowed, she will sweep an aggressive legislative agenda through the newly Democratic-controlled House.

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California will be sworn in Thursday as the first female House speaker.

But first comes Pelosi-palooza.

In a three-day stretch of whirlwind events beginning on Wednesday, Mrs. Pelosi will celebrate her heritage (at the Italian Embassy), her faith (in a Roman Catholic Mass), her education (at Trinity College), her childhood (in Baltimore) and her current home (in a tribute by the singer Tony Bennett, of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” fame).

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/us/politics/02pelosi.html?ref=politics

Kind of odd, seeing as she hasn't done a damn thing yet, but neither have presidents with inauguration parties. Whatever.

[ChumpDumper]

Meanwhile, in semi-real news:

Democrats nix C-Span wide angle shots

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Incoming U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., turned down a request by legislative broadcaster C-Span to allow wide-angle shots of proceedings.

Since placing cameras in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in 1979, C-Span has only been allowed to show close shots of lawmakers who are speaking, or the presiding officer.

Brian Lamb, the head of C-Span told The Washington Post he requested more flexibility as a result of Pelosi's pledge after the Nov. 7 midterm election to create "the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history."

In a letter to Pelosi, Lamb said with fixed cameras "you can never get a reaction shot" during a debate and it "takes out of the experience any soul" or sense of the give-and-take. They often, however, would show House members speaking to a mostly empty House chamber

Lamb, who was turned down with a similar request to the Republicans in 1985, told the Post he was disappointed with Pelosi's response.

"I believe the dignity and decorum of the United States House of Representatives are best preserved by maintaining the current system of televised proceedings," Pelosi wrote.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20070103-090011-5045r

Well, Congress could've been more open. Whatever.

[ChumpDumper]

Getting real-er:

Democrats to start without GOP input
Quick passage of first bills is goal

By Lyndsey Layton and Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post
Updated: 10:23 p.m. CT Jan 1, 2007

As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking.

House Democrats intend to pass a raft of popular measures as part of their well-publicized plan for the first 100 hours. They include tightening ethics rules for lawmakers, raising the minimum wage, allowing more research on stem cells and cutting interest rates on student loans.

But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Democrats now say they will use House rules to prevent the opposition from offering alternative measures, assuring speedy passage of the bills and allowing their party to trumpet early victories.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16431173/

So much for bipartisanship. Whatever.

[Ocotillo]

When a lot of the congress critters are at the podium pontificating the room is empty. Maybe that is what C-SPAN hoped to show?

[DarkReign]

When a lot of the congress critters are at the podium pontificating the room is empty. Maybe that is what C-SPAN hoped to show?

Bingo. Those not in attendance far outweigh those in.

[DarkReign]

I never had any delusions about what Democrats would do with their newfound majority. Wonderful system we have....when do the subpoenas start?

Sheesh, the mighty have fallen.

[boutons_]

"has only been allowed to show close shots of lawmakers who are speaking"

WTF are they hiding? empty chairs? chairs occupied by sleepers?

[Bob Lanier]

Page orgies.

[PixelPusher]

They're afraid C-SPAN won't provide the proper context to the lone speaker in the empty chamber; all the other congress members are too busy paling around with lobbyists at a golf junket...er, I mean "tending to their constituents".

[exstatic]

I don't mind the whole "first 100 hours" thing. The GOP left such a fucking mess, still on a temporary budget, etc. How the fuck can you not pass a House budget when the President is from your party? ANY co-operation by the Dems is more than the GOP offered them over the last 12 years.