Posted by Helen H July 18, 2007 in Asides
…why most Senate-floor speeches bore the crap out of me nowadays.
They sound just like the boring sermons of my youth. They might as well be discussing the meaning of ‘charity’ in First Corinthians up there. I mean, I know this is filibuster, so you can’t expect Robert-Byrd-level speechifying and rhetoric, but damn, John Thune, you’re putting me to sleep.
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A half-time show complete with dancing nymphomaniacs and fireworks would pep things up. *sigh* but I know that would throw most of the republican party into cardiac arrest.
oh darn.
I think that’s the idea–bore everyone in the chamber to sleep, and then call for a recess or whatever and sneak out.
We watched it off and on all night and until 7am- I think it’s pretty much posturing until the September report comes out. Then we’ll have another session like this, then another… and lose more soldiers in the meanwhile.
I hear you, Auguste. There’s no rhetorical style or even appreciation for it, just the desperate play to get one or two soundbites out there. It’s so perfunctory, and these “performers” aren’t even good enough actors to get real emotional punch into their words.
I love a good speech (or any spoken word that scoots the bum towards the edge of the chair) so at the end it’s like an ejector seat when I jump up and say YEAH!
This congressional drabness wouldn’t be an issue if they, I dunno, said only what they passionately meant or at the very least meant what they said so it didn’t always sound like they were picking up their drycleaning but forgot their ticket.
Since you’re a hater of America and Jesus, I’m pretty sure Senator Thune would love to have you put to sleep. And apparently it’s an inherent power of the Executive, blessed by the Founders, to murder anyone on a whim, so watch your back.
And though the art of Congressional speechifyin’ has certainly declined, filibusters have long had a tendency to be dull. Oh, wow, a phone book. Of course, if more of the participants had genuine passionate beliefs about Iraq policy, instead of partisan gamesmanship, perhaps there’d be a little more fire in the belly. But if the President suddenly announced a withdrawal plan tomorrow, Congressional Republicans would immediately flip to advocating withdrawal and blaming Democrats for ruining Iraq without missing a beat, since their only principles are their hatred of Democrats and an almost fanatical devotion to their God-Emperor. And nice red uniforms.
I crashed after Bob Menendez slapped down Susan Collins’ and HoJo’s droning. I got up and there was Jim Inhofe spouting gibberish about how wonderful the Contras were in Nicaraugua. With no hint of irony.
That’s the problem with fillibusters. You never quite know if they’re pulling your leg in their statements. I think some GOP members might even recite directly from the LaVey Satainic Bible just to see if someone’s paying attention.
Heh. And Auguste is referring to 1st Corinthians, Chapter 13. I’m not a great fan of Paul, he whom was the first Christian obsessed with Teh Sex, he hit all the right notes here.
It was great… I was having a hard time sleeping and I just put that on and it put me out in a few minutes. Of course, when I woke up to get ready for work it was still on. I didn’t miss anything!
Do you think maybe Paul Wellstone might have spiced it up a bit?
The problem is that for the most part the speakers were all reading prepared statements. They were all obviously terribly terribly concerned with preserving the decorum and comity and collegiality of the Senate chamber. I’m watching Harry Reid now, calmly and carefully chastising the Republicans for blocking the amendment. WTF? McConnell just spent 5 minutes totally torturing refs to Casablanca! Take him to the woodshed, you’ve seen Casablanca, surely! Expose his ignorance, hold him up to ridicule. Fight, dammit!
There is no spirit there anymore. No fire.
Didn’t any one see Landreaux (no idea how to spell that, she’s the blonde Dem from Louisiana?) Someone sent me a WMV maybe from Crooks and Liars. I thought she was awesome. Sorry just too busy at work to search for it but if you find it share it because it is worth seeing.
Susie Collins puts us to sleep, too… but it was interesting that of the 4 reps who broke rank and voted “for”, 2 of them were Susie and Olympia. I thought for sure Susie would hang with Bushie.
Landrieu (every time I see her name I think of the Star Trek episode “Return of the Archons”…Landru! Landru!) had one of her “good” moments, I agree. She can be a little uneven in my opinion. I was a little bit concerned when she started talking about how “this isn’t a Hollywood stunt” and then proceeded to put up signs and gesticulate madly. That didn’t quite jibe and spoiled her argument a little. But at least she showed some signs of passion, about the only such that were on offer last night that I saw. And her statement was dead-on. I only wish I could have seen Russ Feingold’s statement.
Ugh, Susan Collins is a snoozer speaker. Agreed. She’s already broken ranks with the President, with her own “course change” amendment out there.
I liked how a number of the GOP speakers (Collins included) held up little copies of the ISG report and said “why don’t we just adopt this?” Alexander especially was all over the map, when he wasn’t off in the weeds (”we should put together a commission of 5 Reps and 5 Dems to do a study on what should be done in Iraq, and have them bring back a report”…just like the one I’m holding here in my hand and waving around, which was done 6 months ago! Brilliant!). Nobody pointed out to these bozos that the President dismissed the ISG report practically the day it came out.
Well of COURSE Bush dismissed the report; he doesn’t need “intellegence” when making his decisions!
Or is that really over-stating the obvious?