Democrats Stage a Sit-In on The House Floor - An attempt to push through gun bills

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36598736
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/22/politics/john-lewis-sit-in-gun-violence/index.html
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...-to-force-gun-control-vote.html?intcmp=hplnws
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-democrats-huddle-end-game-chaotic-sit/story?id=40071134

Democrats that are angry that Congress hasn't voted/passed a bill on gun control violated House rules and occupied the house floor yesterday and staged a sit-in which is currently on-going. All attempts to restore order to the floor were drowned out by Democrats shouting and at one instance singing "We shall pass the bill" to the tune of "We shall overcome".

The CSPAN feed to the house floor was cut (CSPAN actually doesn't have control over the feed, but rather the Congressional staff) only for the House Democrats to start using periscope on their phones to stream the protest. Despite the shouting and chanting, Congress managed to pass two bills yesterday before Speaker Ryan tried to restore order again, failed and adjourned the Congress.

It should be noted that Republicans tried a stunt like this back in 2008 over an energy bill only for then speaker Pelosi to shut off CSPAN, the lights, and microphones in the House, which eventually caused the protesting representatives to give up and leave after a couple of hours.

So this isn't the first House sit-in, they happen (though rare). However it is the longest one to date.

 

[XYZpdq]

Why can't they just beat the shit out of each other like the cool legislatures?

 

[The Great Chandler]

Remember when doing sit-ins actually mattered?

 

[AnOminous]

I love the theater of this, but the reality of it is retarded.

I agree with half of the shit they're sitting in for, specifically closing the gun show loophole. There is no principled reason there should be some magic exemption for gun shows. Why do they get to break the law that applies to everyone else? Also, even if you are a gun nut, this exemption takes a lot of business away from completely legitimate gun shops who don't get business from people who avoid them just to avoid red tape.

But applying the no-fly list to buying a gun? That's completely fucking unacceptable. It's already completely unacceptable that we limit travel, a basic human right, based on the whims of unaccountable bureaucrats. It is, however, CONSTITUTIONALLY unacceptable to use some fairyland made-up list to deprive people of enumerated, basic Constitutional rights.

When your "solution" to a problem is to try to apply some bogus law that would be laughed out of court the moment it was challenged, you are not helping. And some bullshit theatrical "sit-in" to try to make your unconstitutional bullshit look better isn't helping. FOAD.

 

[TheProdigalStunna]

November 8 can't come soon enough.

 

[Darndirty]

Let's remember that while "not having people on watch lists not be able to buy guns" sounds like a no brainer but there is some precedence of the government putting people on watch lists that they don't like people with views they find reactionary ..fun fact senator ted Kennedy was put on a watch list and had to fight for years to get off it. The point is the American public does not trust the government to be a fair arbiter of anything. Americans in general just want the government to kill people in other countries and be left alone in ours.

 

[WW 635]

Let's remember that while "not having people on watch lists not be able to buy guns" sounds like a no brainer but there is some precedence of the government putting people on watch lists that they don't like people with views they find reactionary ..fun fact senator ted Kennedy was put on a watch list and had to fight for years to get off it. The point is the American public does not trust the government to be a fair arbiter of anything. Americans in general just want the government to kill people in other countries and be left alone in ours.

Americans in general just want to be left alone. Unless of course you're standing in line anywhere in America for 10+ minutes, then they want to tell you their entire life story.

 

[DeadwastePrime]

@Democrats, you have done nothing. You have achieved nothing.

 

[Strelok]

They just found a way to make the time honored tradition of filabustering even more pointless and irritating. Can't wait to see what the GOP comes up with next. That time Rand Paul ranted for 13 hours about the CIA appointee confirmation (or rather ranted about everything BUT while holding up the vote for it, while screaming that it would lead to dronestrikes on Americans on US soil) was a marvel I excitedly wait to see topped.

 

[AnOminous]

They just found a way to make the time honored tradition of filabustering even more pointless and irritating. Can't wait to see what the GOP comes up with next. That time Rand Paul ranted for 13 hours about the CIA appointee confirmation (or rather ranted about everything BUT while holding up the vote for it, while screaming that it would lead to dronestrikes on Americans on US soil) was a marvel I excitedly wait to see topped.

I at least have respect for someone who filibusters the old fashioned way instead of this current bullshit where people just say they're filibustering and the Senate stops, even though nobody gets up and says anything. That bullshit should be stopped.

 

[Without A Gout]

Maybe these people should be treated like anyone else going on strike: By not getting paid. It's only fair.

 

[Rou]

@Democrats, you have done nothing. You have achieved nothing.

The red side is hardly doing better.

 

[melty]

Maybe these people should be treated like anyone else going on strike: By not getting paid. It's only fair.

I think one of the times congress was shutdown, Warren buffet suggested none of them should get paid during that time.