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A usually mundane congressional proceeding drifted into testy turf when a prominent Republican colleague accused a Democratic colleague of drunkenness during official proceedings.
A late-night meeting of the House Rules Committee to conduct what's known as a "mark-up" — a prolonged session of technical fixes to a piece of legislation — contained unexpected fireworks on Wednesday evening. Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican who heads the House GOP's campaign efforts, accused Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern (D) of drinking on the job.
“I think we've gotten this that Mr. McGovern is not happy,” Sessions said to McGovern, borne of frustration at the repeated amendments offered by McGovern to the National Defense Authorization Act.
“I think this is also behavior, um, that I wonder if people have been out drinking tonight or whether they are mad or angry or incapable of controlling themselves. And I would question that tonight.”
McGovern took issue with the remarks, and hit back at Sessions.
“I would say to the gentleman that, you know, there are some issues worth fighting over, and for me ending this war is one of them,” McGovern said referring to the war in Afghanistan, “I'm sorry that the gentleman doesn't think that that — take that very seriously.” Sessions quickly responded, saying, “Simple asking a question, if the shoe fits.”
View video of the hearing here
The interaction came in the seventh hour of a hearing that ended just before midnight, eight and a half hours after it started. During that hearing, 241 amendments were submitted for the defense bill, 142 of which were approved to move on to a full vote in the House. Rules Committee Hearings typically showcase frustration from the minority side, as the majority has control over what amendments are subsequently voted on by the full House or Representatives.
According to McGovern’s office, the congressman had not been drinking and Sessions called to apologize the next morning. Sessions pushed back to reporters late Thursday, saying that he spoke to McGovern that morning, but failed to confirm that he apologized for the remarks.
“I don’t know what there is to apologize about,” Sessions told reporters, “I mean, I’m not trying to say, ‘No, I didn’t apologize to him,’ that was not the discussion.”
Sessions said he hasn’t seen the tape of the late night exchange, but when reminded by reporters that he had intimated that McGovern had been drinking, he denied it. “No I did not [suggest that he was drinking],” Sessions said, “I’m not trying to intimate anything, I’m trying to say Jim was having a tough night and I’m sorry he did.”
The exchange comes as House Democrats are speaking out against the Republican’s exclusion of an amendment McGovern had submitted during the hearing, which was rejected by the Republican majority on the Rules Committee. Both House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) spoke out on the House floor against the decision, with Hoyer saying the amendment’s exclusion was “unworthy of the Rules Committee.”
"I’m rarely surprised around here,” Pelosi said on the House floor, “ I was surprised that that discussion could not take place on this floor in the form of approving that amendment.”
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A normal person needs medical marijuana just to deal with the idiocy happening in this country. I always understood that we were ONE nation. Watching this kind of crap sickens me.
Piglosi not happy? Well that makes me happy.
241 amendments from the likes of Sheila Jackson Lee and Dennis Kucinich, really? I got done with making my really excellent heater mantles tonight and actually saw most of McGovern's liberal Democrat amendments. In every instance, he calls for a roll call vote after the voice vote clearly showed he was the lone vote in favor of the idiocy. In every instance, the vote was 8:1 opposed. This is called a major time waster and is the radical left's useless attempt to slow the process. If he wasn't drinking, I'm sure that Sessions and Drier and the other panelists had to have a stiff one (no, not Bill Clinton) by the end of this farce. Of course, better for the drive by idiots to just comment without actually viewing what went on. Throw them all out and start with a list of people who can actually name their two senators and congressman, but disqualifying all lawyers from serving. That ought to eliminate 95% of the electorate. Ignorant waste of money.
Suppose you are a congressman and an idiot, but I repeat myself - Mark Twain
If I had to work along side a bunch of Republicans I'd drink too, maybe even smoke a couple fatties.
Better tell Mancy Peloser that it is best to just pass the bill and then we can find out whats in it.....
Bet that idiot McGovern was drinking.......
I've got friends in low places
Maybe this is why so many moronic bills get through Congress.
I'll buy the "house" a round.........(maybe they'll get something done)
This is just petty. Is this Congress or WWE, with one wrestler pouring bottles of alcohol on another, decrying something about his father being a drunk...so he should just give in? It's good for entertainment, but such attempts at levity have no place in Congress. If it were up to me, someone would get a stern warning about possible censorship...in writing.
Are you really sure you want to go down that path...again?
so this is the new ReTHUGlican approach to cooperation and bipartisanship? Well, Senator McConnell's MAIN hope for accomplishment was to make Obama a one term President (his words, not mine), so I guess a corollary to that is to have his fellow ReTHUGlicans accuse the opposing party of being drunk. Oh, what statesmanship on the part of the Party of Slime. You people are nothing but Human Excrement.
This is what the Republicans do all the time. Its called the Carl Rove. Tell a lie like the Swift boat clowns / Obama was not born in the United Sates / Obama created all this debt not Years of GOP screw ups. Repeat over and over again and the dimwits in this country will believe it.
"On the Job"? Congress doesn't work, they have Lobbyist Lawyers write the Legislation & the Speeches given on the floor. Congress doesn't even read the Legislation they vote on! The "Do Nothing" Congress has to go & so do the PACs, Lobbyists, & Loaded Legislation! Corporate CEOs & Lobbyist Lawyers run America - Not the People!
Dave.......I'm impressed you used a big word there, now go back to your sisters bed you ignorant hillbilly.
sticks and stones
After much deliberation and a great deal of thought I would like to be the first to buy all the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate a nice tall glass of shut the hell up!
Politicians are the only people on the planet that can go to work (3 days a week) drunk, stoned, and God only knows what else they do, and the people that pay their salaries (tax payers) sling $hit at one another. When will you all realize politicians and talking heads like Ed Shultze, Sean Hannity, Limbaugh and the likes keep the masses bickering among themselves, they can do anything they want, and no-one pays attention. DIVIDE AND CONQUER!
The drunk can tend bar at Barney Frank's wedding to his male partner. Joe Biden is giving away the bride, er.. the groom, er.. whatever is appropriate.
phucken republican retard
There have been boozers on both sides of the aisle for decades, so what else is new? Instead of harping on who's a drunk and who isn't a drunk in congress, they should be doing the people's work and produce some legislation to get people back to work, the economy back on the right track, get our butts out of Afghanistan and making sure Iran never sees a nuclear weapon. When they start doing things like that then I'd be glad to buy the whole stinkin' lot of them a drink.
There can be no compromise without civility.
Extremists have fostered an antagonistic and uncivil environment, where compromise to them means that the other side comes to their view.
These people put the funk in dysfunctional, is it really any wonder that our political system is broken with this false dichotomy of (R) & (D). vote the uncivil bums out, and we might see progress. allow them to stay, and we are mired in dysfunction and corruption.
Well said. "Moderate" has become a label of derision when it once was a description one would be proud of.
Interesting that the last major overhaul of the Federal tax code was accomplished by the Republican Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and the Democrat chair of the House Ways & Means Committee working together in 1986. The good old days.
Yea, the good ole days. A massive tax increase in 1986 with a promise from the Democrat congress to cut spending $3 for every $1 tax increase. How'd that work out for you Charlie Brown? Oh, did Lucy Tip O'Neill pull the ole football out from under you as you were just about to kick it? D'oh! Really, get a clue. The media and left's definition of compromise and bi-partisanship is Repubics caving to the demands and empty promises of the Democrats. Only two things in the middle of the road, a yellow stripe and a dead skunk. Pick a position spineless. Or elect a Messiah that voted "present" 136 times, including on whether a baby accidentally born is a baby human being under the Constitution. Some things are just clear enough to vote "yea" or "nay". WTF.
"The media and left's definition of compromise and bi-partisanship is Repubics caving to the demands and empty promises of the Democrats. "
This is patently false, especially considering (R) candidates publicly stating that compromise should be (D) coming over to their viewpoint. You have some serious displacement issues, but that is to be expected when repeating verbatim tired right wing talking points.
In case you have forgotten, this country was founded on compromise and finding the middle ground on issues, not on partisan hacks screaming my way or the highway.
There all the best of friends when the camera turns off.. They Belong to the same club, and the American People are not members. These low level story's are appealing to most of us, who have been given no real news on what is really going on while detracting from real issues, some of which are:
Massive violation of not following our Constitution, The Justice Department in Fast and Furious scandal, are illegally selling guns to the drug cartels on our boarders, while allowing the cartels to transport massive amounts of illegal drugs to flow through our country, and over 40 thousand dead in the past 36 months.. One main reason they don't protect the US Mexican boarders.
But use one of their drugs, then you become free labor in the new justice for profit prison system, our prison systems are are private profit center, traded on wall street. That is why we have 6 million in prison in USA, the most of any country ever in the world.
We have the president - in writing and in public admit he feels he has the right to start wars with out congress approval, he only needs the United nations Approval, that's treason.
He said he would not sign the NDAA bill that allows him to kill american citizens violating our rights to a grand jury, no call permanent detention, then it turns out he did sign it and actually drafted that part of the Constitution bill.
We have Leon Peneta, stating he takes his orders from the United nations, and Not Congress. But unless you know your constitutional rights to compare and watch C span and other forms of media , other then NBC, ABC, CNN etc, they black out the information to the public.
And none of these public servants even get fired, let alone tried or imprisoned. No because the laws are made for US the American People, not the 535 in Congress or Senate..
In Afghanistan, were there to protect the opium production, which was only 8 percent 11 years ago, to 90+ percent of the world opium, it is public record. We had Wells Fargo Bank caught laundry money for the drug cartels in 100's of billions, they got a million dollar fine and no on went to prison.
Did you know that are votes tallying done by US citizens have been given to a Spanish company who CEO is George Soros.. This guy takes over country's and pirates them and wanted for war crimes in other countries.. So why is our representatives allowing this to happen..? major treason and voter fraud issues. These are real issues, none that will be report on your local news tv. Why - because they own the stations.
John Corsight, from MF Global recently steals billions out of depositors accounts and he walks free. A lady in Florida, has a legal fire arms permit, she fires a warning shot in the air to fend off an assailant, they gave her 20 years in prison for defending her self.
Agenda 21 a United nations program is responsible for buying our public land, rezoning, taxes in our city's and County's nationwide. Family Farmers are being raided by feds for selling produce as they have done for generations, all there money taken, everything because Monsanto wants there land. It goes on and on and on.
Remember our president said no lobby are bankers in my administration, what does he do when he gets elected - Virtually every post in DC is from Goldman Sac and Jp Morgan, the same people who said there would be martial Law, if they were not paid the TARP money.
We need as a society to wake up and vote them out and start fresh.... But good luck, because they want to keep things as they are.. That is there only protection from the laws the pass on us, and for financial protection.. Sounds unbelievable.. I wish it was.. Knowledge is power.. And people should research for themselves.
Being old and having young kids is my motivator..I want them too have a chance in life, and unless we change these people the two crime family's.. Dem or rep party and vote in regular people to serve then go home, then it will never change.
very good!
We HAD a president who started wars without congressional approval. Today, we have a president who is trying to end those wars.
And how's that working out for you? And what the hell did you call Libya, Bruce? Or was that an organic free range war lite? And what about Bosnia, Kosovo, et al. Why do you so called anti-war leftists never recognize wars started by Dems and only come out of your yoga class at the Buddhist Temple to protest Republican war mongers. Really? Where was the media and Cindy Sheehan during Libya? Or Iraq post 2008. Or Afghanistan for the surge lite - tm? Or the drone wars over Pakistan. Or do you call it POCK-E-ston? I wonder if those guys in white dresses and sandals are any less dead in Waziristan and Yemen when Dear Leader Obama bravely pulls the trigger himself on the drone?
How's that hope and change working out for ya? Let see, deficit cut in half - nope. Out of Iraq in 16 months - nope, out on Bush's timeline. Fight the "right war" in Afghanistan and win it - nope. Close down Gitmo - nope. End torture, er, I mean ehanced interrogation methods - nope, nope and nope. Try KSM and other Eric Holder past clients in New York City. New York City? - Nope. Pass Porkulous Stimulous II and unemployment won't go over 8% - missed it by that much, double nope you dope. Balance the budget - you gotta be kidding me, buzzzzz. Start a "green energy" revolution and get us off oil/gas by providing $8.6B per year in guvment grants/loans - so far 20 companies and $8.5B in bankruptcies after only 2.5 yrs - survey says, X X X buzzzzz! Shut down drilling in the Gulf to U.S. companies despite recommendations from U.S. Minerals Mgt Agency and lose 120,000 jobs overseas but approve $1.8B loan guarantee to Socialist Brazil gov owned Petrobras to drill where, in the Gulf of course! Cuz George Soros says so! Deny approval for Keystone XL Pipeline in Jan 2012 even though Hillary Clinton's (and your) State Dept. approve Keystone XL pipeline EIS route AS PROPOSED on 8/26/11. But blame it on Repubics playing politics in Jan. Yes, politics played, but wrong party/guy! Besides, eveybody knows that shipping oil on Warren Buffet's BNSF rail and by truck is safer spillwise and will have lower CO emissions than a U.S. pipeline. And don't worry, if the Canucks build the pipeline to their west coast, I'm sure the Chinese EPA and refineries will abide by our strict enviro laws. Ooops, we'll build that sucker anyway after Nov. 6 and all the dopey greenies will go "hey man, that wasn't cool."
But I'll give you "I'll bankrupt the coal industry (why did 41% of WV Dem primary voters vote for a felon in a TX prison instead of Obama? Coal, duh) and your utility rates will necessarily skyrocket" - ding, ding, ding. "We should pay higher gas prices just like they do in Europe" - double ding, you win the Cupie doll! Gays in the military, I'm against gay marriage, I'm for the defense of marriage act, I will no longer enforce the defense of marriage act, I have evolved in 24 hrs on the gay marriage issue - whoa momma, stay up! Ding! And free birth control for 30 yr old law students one block away from Planned Parenthood and F.U. 1st Amendment and religious freedom - whoop, whoop, whoop, arrrrr, ding, ding, ding! Nice. How about some jobs for women instead of birth control?
Yep, those are quite some accomplishments. Makes you feel real good, doesn't it?
phucken republican retards
I guess Ted Kennedy had an on the job training program for all Mass. politicians.
phucken republican retard
Now that's intelligence. Must be a writer for MSN...
Hey, who let Ed from PMSNBC in here? Repeating now....
I read all the nasty comments from both-sides of the party lines. What I didn't read, was addressing the real issue(s). Funny how rhetoric is tossed around to distract the really issues and pinpointing faults of one, when look down at the pointing and there is three fingers point back at the person pointing. People haven't really woke up to the bailout and how the banks where saved to do it again: foreclose on VFW's for lack of payment when they return from War, refinance homes at lower payments but longer terms, look at families and loans, homes that aren't worth the refinancing and watch the congress take away tax deductions for home loan interest and once again, hit a direct blow to the middle class. It's not bad enough: big business, government and lobbyists sent the business's oversea and along with that went capital earnings and a taxing paying industry. What genesis in government did that? Answer, both parties. Oh yes, lets not forget the rich right-wing Republicans (gold spoon fed) that created the so called, "Tea Party." There is so much corruption in our society, its hard to tell the good guys from the bad now.
Sheezus he said he acted like he was drunk. He didn't insist on a blood test or breathalyzer or something. He didn't accuse him of being drunk. The media blew it up for a headline. If you don't realize that you are stupid.
Who uses the word "Imbibing"? F'n weird man...
Oh, that would be Mentally Screwed Network... Can't you people just say drinking??? The words of play from the left just keep adding up, pathetic as usual...
I think after that amount of time of deliberation they were all what I call punch drunk and tempers will flare. I am actually proud of them. One of the few times you hear of them working hard. I applaud both sides.
This sounds like a case of i am going to snitch on you if i can't have my way which is something children do all of the time. Hell with all of the lunacy that the republcans have caused they would drive me to drank to. What will these clowns come up with next Mitch Mcconnell having sex with Kim K for two seconds.