We caught Republican Rep. Judy Biggert yesterday describing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in rather unflattering terms
for not allowing an up-and-down vote on offshore oil drilling. Turns
out, Biggert wasn't alone. The Center for American Progress' Wonk Room
has compiled a full list
of House Republicans who have tried to brand the California Democrat as
a dictator or tyrant since the chamber adjourned earlier this month. My personal
favorite? This strange historical analogy, courtesy of Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC):
“When the people of France were starving, they went to the queen and said, ‘The people have no bread.’ The queen’s answer was, ‘Let them eat cake.’ That is not the kind of answer we expect from the leader of the people’s house in the United States of America.”
The irony, of course, is that the House Republicans have committed more than their fair share of obstruction during the 110th Congress. The Republicans attempted to force the House to adjourn repeatedly before August 1. Republican senators have filibustered energy legislation well over 10 times. Conservatives have outright rejected the so-called "Gang of 10" compromise, too. Here's Grist's David Roberts:
Meanwhile, McCain has refused to support the compromise. House Republicans have refused to support the compromise. Rush Limbaugh and his band of dittoheads are going absolutely ballistic on the compromise, flooding the legislators responsible with angry phone calls and claiming that it's going to sink McCain's presidential campaign.
Republicans have also abused a parliamentary maneuver called the "motion to recommit," which gives the minority a final shot to amend a bill before it's voted on by the body -- effectively delaying, modifying, or killing the legislation. From CQ:
So far, Republicans have racked up 116 motions to recommit during the 110th Congress, more than double the previous record of 56 set by the 109th Congress. Of those motions, 24 were adopted, far more than the previous record of six during the 106th Congress.
While Biggert and her cohorts play the victim, it's important to remember that the Republican minority has wielded a remarkable amount of power since the Democrats won back Congress in 2006. Indeed, if Pelosi is a dictator, she's doing a sorry job of consolidating power.
