House GOP to fill empty seats with staffers to ensure 'standing ovations' for Netanyahu speech

[kpete]

Hill staff say empty Democratic seats at Netanyahu's speech will be filled by Republican staffers to ensure good visuals, standing ovations
— @dylanotes

https://twitter.com/dylanotes/status/565512447071891456

via:

Hunter at Daily Kos reports:

If nothing else, we know that Republicans are insistent not just that the foreign leader will be heard from, but that he will get an approving response even if they have to put ringers in the seats to ensure that. They’re quite dedicated to the thought of going to war with Iran—Iraq and Afghanistan didn’t get it out of their system, and if anything only made it worse because Iraq and Afghanistan did not go according to neoconservative plans and now they’re bitter and pissed off about that—and if it means Benjamin Netanyahu gets to come to Congress and ask them for a declaration of war that their own president won’t yet give them, that’s what they’ll do.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/02/11/1363815/-House-GOP-to-fill-empty-seats-with-staffers-to-ensure-standing-ovations-for-Netanyahu-speech

SKIPPING

House (15)

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) — Wrote a Jan. 29 column in The Huffington Post explaining his decision, saying the Constitution “vests the responsibility for foreign affairs in the president.”

Rep. G.K. Butterfield (N.C.) — The head of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) focuses on Boehner undermining Obama in a statement; also emphasizes he's not urging a boycott.

Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.) — Clyburn is the highest-ranking Democratic leader to say he’ll skip the speech.

Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.) — Head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Ellison is a member of the CBC and the first Muslim in Congress.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) — Grijalva is a co-chairman of the CPC.

Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (Ill.) — A spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times Gutierrez has a "strong" record on Israel but called the speech "a stunt."

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.)

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas) — "The Congresswoman has no plans to attend the speech at this time," a spokeswoman said.

Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.) — A member of the CBC and former head of the CPC.

Rep. John Lewis (Ga.) — His office confirmed he’s not going but emphasizes he's not organizing a formal boycott

Rep. Betty McCollum (Minn.): "In my view Mr. Netanyahu’s speech before Congress is nothing more than a campaign event hosted by Speaker Boehner and paid for by the American people," McCollum said in a statement."

Rep. Jim McDermott (Wash.) — “I do not intend to attend the speech of Bibi,” he said in an email to a Seattle newspaper.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.) — Another CBC member skipping the speech.

Rep. Charles Rangel (N.Y.) — "I'm offended as an American," he said on MSNBC.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (Miss.)

Senate (3)

Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.) — Leahy called it a "tawdry and high-handed stunt," according to a Vermont newspaper.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — Sanders said it’s “wrong” that Obama wasn’t consulted about the speech.

Sen. Brian Schatz (Hawaii) — “The U.S.-Israel relationship is too important to be overshadowed by partisan politics," said Schatz in a statement. "I am disappointed in the Republican leadership’s invitation of Prime Minister Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress with the apparent purpose of undermining President Obama’s foreign policy prerogatives.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/232160-whip-list-dems-skipping-netanyahu-speech

[Cha]

1. Of course they are..

[Fred Sanders]

2. Maybe staffers from Fox? The GOP continues to embarrass themselves to all the world, let them.

[hrmjustin]

3. Democrats should show up until he starts talking and walk out.

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. oooooOOOOOooo... That's a good idea.

[LittleBlue]

4. Why would staffers be allowed to sit in seats

reserved for elected representatives? I'd tell security to seat staffers in their appropriate areas and out of my seat.

[Xipe Totec]

5. Maybe Democrats should send their own staffers to fill those seats.

And sit there and glare.

[Action_Patrol]

11. Only the Senate has assigned seats.

They have people lined up in a queue outside the House Chamber. If there are empty seats they just pull from who is waiting. Sometimes they use the high school Pages.

It's pretty common.

[randys1]

7. Since the purpose of this event is to disrespect Obama, I am sure they will do this.

They want it to look like a successful event for sure.


It is almost as if the day the President was elected, half of this country went completely insane and still are.

[Wellstone ruled]

8. Going to see this BiBi crap pop up in

every Rethug wanta be candidates web site and literature. Theme will be along the lines of Left Wing Obama failed International Diplomacy and failing to make Iran accountable to the free world,bet on it.

[annabanana]

9. This needs many kicks & recs.. It should bust out of the internets

and into the "real world" of, ahem, cable news

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Tacky.

[Panich52]

12. More proof Boehner's boner is about political theater, not substance