Boston Globe Editorial: Paul Ryan, what are you afraid of?

[DonViejo]

A CLUMSY ACT of censorship by House Republicans Wednesday says more about the party’s timidity than it could possibly have intended. The Republican leadership abruptly shut down the video feed from the House floor to prevent CSPAN viewers from seeing a protest by House Democrats, who were pressing for action on gun control.

The same House has endured debates on war, impeachment, taxes, and any number of other contentious issues — all with the cameras rolling. A call to action on guns, though, was apparently too much for the tender feelings of Speaker Paul Ryan, whose office shut down CSPAN’s access.

It was a telling move. Censorship is not something that politicians who are confident of the righteousness of their beliefs bother with. If anticontrol lawmakers genuinely believe their abject fealty to the gun lobby is in the public interest, they should have no problem with debating gun-control proponents in front of the cameras. Likewise, if the Democrats who support gun control were really so misguided, the Republicans would presumably want the American people to see them Wednesday as they argued for a bad cause.

Rather, turning off the camera is a desperation move for those who know they have no excuse and need to hide from the public. Pulling the plug on coverage of the gun protest was uncomfortably similar to the actions of a much earlier Congress, which forbade members from even discussing the issue of slavery out of deference to the powerful cotton lobby.

In those days, Massachusetts representative and former president John Quincy Adams led the fight against the so-called gag rule, which led to calls for his ouster from the House. He was admonished for breaking the rules of the House — just as a spokeswoman for Ryan justified the shut-off on Wednesday by saying, “the House cannot operate without members following the rules of the institution.”

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http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2016/06/22/paul-ryan-what-are-you-afraid/E5U98g15gZJ21ma03MfzMN/story.html

[Mass]

1. Of the NRA funding his opponent (not to speak of the GOA)

[Cha]

2. Mahalo, Don & The Boston Globe..

It was a telling move. Censorship is not something that politicians who are confident of the righteousness of their beliefs bother with. If anticontrol lawmakers genuinely believe their abject fealty to the gun lobby is in the public interest, they should have no problem with debating gun-control proponents in front of the cameras. Likewise, if the Democrats who support gun control were really so misguided, the Republicans would presumably want the American people to see them Wednesday as they argued for a bad cause. [/div

New York Daily News
✔ ?@NYDailyNews
A look at tomorrow's front page...
NRA'S LI'L LAPDOG: @SpeakerRyan rolls over again http://nydn.us/28Ow8nE
4:04 PM - 22 Jun 2016
299 299 Retweets 187 187 likes

https://theobamadiary.com/2016/06/22/nobillnobreak-chat-away/

[Scientific]

3. Republicans are afraid of democracy, honesty, and military service

...They are also afraid to do their jobs on behalf of the people of These United States.

[landolfi]

4. I think this is brilliant strategy

to undermine Ryan's so-called leadership by challenging his authority. He has cruised for a long time on an undeserved reputation in his party as a rising star, but has shown absolutely no actual leadership ever, in fact has proven little beyond that he is a liar and not particularly concerned about that unless it affects his political persona. He's the empty corporate suit that slaps the right people on the back and everyone thinks is the heir apparent to the CEO but based entirely on reputation and no experience, the guy quick to point the finger and absent when it's time to take responsibility for anything. The smarmy little weasel deserves all the disrespect he's getting. The Twitter comments Ryan got yesterday show how out of touch with the Web community he is--he underestimated the Internet's ability to discern the truth. Too bad for him, and about time.

[Raster]

5. The money quote:

"Censorship is not something that politicians who are confident of the righteousness of their beliefs bother with."

Thanks to the House Democrats for making it real!
Thanks to Representatives Clarke and Lewis for leading the way!
Thanks to the Senate Democrats for their continuing support!
Thanks to Twitter/Periscope for demonstrating that if the revolution is not televised, THERE IS ALWAYS STREAMING OVER THE INTERNET!

AND FINALLY, Thanks to Speaker Ryan for demonstrating yet again, the meaning of the words: putz, tool and fool!
GO Eddie Munster!

[red dog 1]

6. + 1

Also thanks to Sen. Elizabeth Warren for joining the House sit-in.

[Invidious15]

8. Edward Wolfgang Munster

[link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eddie_Munster.JPG|

[gratuitous]

9. Yep

Sometimes it's all right to make a purely symbolic move, or to take action that isn't going to "do anything." It can encourage and energize people to see their elected representatives at least try, and motivate folks to turn out to vote some of the Republican deadwood out of the House and the Senate.

[red dog 1]

7. Kick!