Oh no they didn't!

[magellan]

CNN is reporting that because of a college football game today that some Congressional members plan to attend/watch, votes have been delayed...possibly till next week. Tell me this is wrong.

[Nevernose]

1. Faux just reported the same thing.

n/t

[Dawgs]

2. Why is it wrong?

Don't you like football?

[magellan]

11. Whether I like football or not isn't the point

It's whether this is the proper way to start a new Congress while our troops are dying in Iraq, and after Pelosi made a big deal about 5-day weeks and 100-hour -- oh hell, I hope you were being sarcastic, but I didn't see the sarcasm tag.....

And btw, I despise football...unless it's played with a soccer ball. :)

[William769]

26. If it's a soccer ball it's not football.

I despise soccer!

[VWolf]

34. Well, technically ...

both soccer and football have equal claim to the word "football". The word originated in Eupore as a way to differentiate between sports played on foot and sports played on horseback. Sorry, can't provide a reference for ya.

[Waya]

3. It's wrong.......

.....I can imagine the look on my boss's face if I asked to take off because I wanna watch football.............

[Jackpine Radical]

7. My boss would approve, except that he thinks football is stupid.

But then, my boss approves everything I want to do.

Self-denial is not one of my virtues.

[oldtime dfl_er]

4. A Congress person's first duty is to get re elected

...not that that would be MY first duty if I was a Congress person! But if it's a major ball game (I don't follow college football so I have no idea what it is) they may feel obligated to their constituency. I don't like it but it's not like it's an ethics violation or anything.

[ShortnFiery]

An excellent reason for term limits. Serving in Congress is an honor NOT

a budding career opportunity. If so, these Representatives serve THEMSELVES first. That is just plain WRONG. :puke: Yes, IMO, there's a great deal wrong with this decision. :thumbsdown:

[Sydnie]

5. Why would they have to wait until next week?

Ok, delay a day, but a whole week? :wtf: No need for that!

So, part of the first 100 hours will be spent at the stadium or in front of the TV instead of doing their work? That is unacceptable!

[ShortnFiery]

6. Damn the Elite Mentality: Meet the New Boss, same as the Old Boss. n/t

[EST]

8. The house is actually re-convening late this afternoon, the senate

in late morning.
Members are excused until tomorrow, when real legislating starts again. This particular concession was granted because of the game, and the involvement in it, as well as the final chores that members had to attend to since they will be spending more time in DC.

CNN, et al, are doing their best to attempt to make the dems look bad, but one must remember that the previous practice was to attend the swearing in pageant and then adjourn until after the sotu speech.

[oldtime dfl_er]

9. oh lordie

not to change the subject but when is the sotu speech? I need to remember to take my cat in for a flea dip that evening.

[EST]

28. Typically, it has been delivered on the last tuesday in january

I have heard the date stipulated, but, after a search at google, whitehouse.gov, cspan, and a couple other sites, I don't have an answer.

I have heard that it is to be on the twenty third, but the schedule that presidents have been following for a number of years would call for the thirtieth.

I'll look around a bit more.

Either way, generally speaking, the congress does nothing in january and only starts to get serious in Feb.

The only thing the senate is planning today, other than, perhaps, a bit of housekeeping, is a resolution to honor the late pres. Ford.

[ShortnFiery]

10. Our Dems should be better than this. I'm embarrassed. Over a game.

:puke: Damn the American People, there's a game I have to view/attend. Is that what we pay our legislators to do? Pander. :grr:

[spanone]

12. They reported that John Boehner requested it. HE'S A RETHUG .

They should have held class anyway.

[ShortnFiery]

15. Is it any wonder that we call our Congress "Do Nothing"?

[zbdent]

37. If that's true, I would have told him

"You got a TV in your room?"

[EST]

29. Well, that's what politicians do, I suppose...

Pols are a different breed, and, apparently, showing up at massive functions is of primary importance.

And, it seems, pandering in every sense of the word, as recent scandals imply. Contrary to popular belief, not all political types are smarter than the rest of us, witness McConnell and whatzisname-the idiot who was in charge of environment and such last year.

(Dumber'n owl shit is the way most of them look to me)

[ShortnFiery]

30. LOL, so true! Another name - Duncan Hunter ... LOL :-) n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

27. According to the Majority Leader, the House will not be in session until Tuesday:

http://www.majorityleader.gov/docUploads/002Weekly010507.pdf

[EST]

32. Yeah, officially, at least.

They agreed on that on Friday, but then Steny Hoyer mumbled something about some of them would be meeting at four o'clock this afternoon. That's why I modified my post-to try to include that little exchange.

Mebbe he was talking about when they were gonna meet up at the football game.

[cboy4]

13. Why do so many in this thread hate Murika and love the

terrists? :sarcasm:

[trumad]

14. Doesn't the game start a 9pm?

So what's the big deal?

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

16. CNN up to it's same ol tricks.

Faux piles on too. rinse~rinse~repeat.

[ShortnFiery]

17. We are at fault this time. Dem Leaders need to get acquainted with the word "NO" n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

23. What 'tricks?' Is there anything inaccurate about this report?

:shrug:

[dogday]

18. House Schedule-Read Here

http://www.c-span.org/pdf/2007calendar.pdf

Today they are off, but they plan on voting all this week....

[Theduckno2]

19. Some of you aren't taking your knee-jerk medication!

Given Speaker Pelosi's Sunday interview and statements regarding Iraq, I would think that things might be a bit tumultuous in D.C today.

The Repulicans are probably looking for any excuse to buy time to formulate their response and the Dems, if Speaker Pelosi's comments garnered favorable polling, may wish to contemplate a more aggressive stance.

I hardly think this is decision is just about a football game.

:eyes:

[ProfessorGAC]

Tempest In A Teapot

First, the game is a long standing U.S. tradition. To pretend it isn't happening or to pretend it's not important to millions of people would not be productive, from P.R. perspective.

Secondly, the game is at night. So, they're still gathering. They're just delaying some votes for a day.

This is apropos of nothing.
The Professor

[TahitiNut]

24. The BCS has only existed since 1998, and its predecessor since 1992.

While the 'Bowl' games go back to the 1901 Michigan-California Tournament of Roses game (the 'Rose Bowl' didn't start until 1923), initiated to make the Tournament of Roses Parade more successful, the BCS is relatively new ... like the corporatized names, which first appeared in 1988.

In the larger scheme of things, I agree it's trivial. It's telling, however, that such events are an orgy for the affluent ... places to "see and be seen." Easily half of all wage-earners in this country couldn't possibly afford to take a day off work and pay to attend a bowl game. That folks aren't keenly aware of the ever widening gap between the have's and have-not's when 'celebrating' such events show how banal poverty has become, imho.

[ProfessorGAC]

35. National Champsionships Go Back To Before The 1930's

I'm not a college football fan. (The wishbone and veer years turned me off, pretty much permanently.) But, i think it silly to not consider the night of the "biggest" college football game of the year to not be an important night to millions of americans.

To deny it is to simply look for a way to turn off the part of the electorate our philosophy is just starting to win.

The Professor

[ProfessorGAC]

20. Dupe

Sorry about that.

[displacedtexan]

21. FYI: Repukes are moving out s-l-o-w-l-y... Boxes everywhere.

Of course, the media isn't covering this.

Duh.

I was in Rangel's office last Friday afternoon (dropping off a
foundation report), and the halls were stacked with moving boxes.

Staffers were busy unpacking and orienting newbies.

The football game isn't the only game being played.

Here's a good link for the 110th agenda{/a}.

[seabeyond]

22. big F*in deal. lets make a big to do out of this giving media the outrage

they are so hoping for with the dems, when this is so a non issue

[tyedyeto]

25. Why are people starting to believe what M$M tells them?

I've seen many comments on this thread that totally believe this BS 'story'. Why are they now believing what they are told?

:shrug:

[Freddie Stubbs]

33. Would you like to provide so contradictory evidence?

:shrug:

[Atman]

31. What's worse, they did this for JOHN BONER!

This guy deserves NOTHING. NADA. ZIP. BUPKIS.

I must admit, I'm pretty disgusted about this. It would be bad enough if it was a democrat, but to do this for that dickwad Boner, who did nothing during his tenure except hobble the democratic process, is just plain WRONG and bad business. Shame, Nancy. Bad start.

.

[EST]

36. Perhaps the majority was feeling a little guilty about using the house

rules to forcibly change the house rules. Personally, I am tickled to death that they took control in such an exemplary manner and I'm sure they'll give the puke side of the fence ample input in the future.

Nancy P garnered a boatload of positive stripes with her handling of the opening sessions and her appearance on FTN, this sunday, Pox and CNN not withstanding.

Unfortunately, (and I second your comments)ya' gotta work with what you have. Although I'm nervous as a betrayed cat and not well equipped to appreciate the slow speed, hurry up and wait pace of the way congress operates, I am heartened by the way they have begun.

Nancy Pelosi is dynamite.

[SheilaT]

38. Priorities.

It's all about priorities.

I live in a metro area with an NFL team. At a back to school night some years back when my older son was in 5th grade, Some parents explained to the teacher that their son might not always get his homework done over the weekend or on a Monday night because they had season tickets, and expected to attend every game.

And so kids grow up thinking that attending a game is more important than school, and so much more important than a silly job, even if you are an elected member of Congress.

And what's wrong with watching the game -- a night game as has already been pointed out -- and still getting in a full day's work?

If someone really wanted to invade this country they'd do it either on Thanksgiving Day, or on a Superbowl Sunday when the Redskins are playing. It would be hours before those supposedly in charge would even notice anything was amiss.