Dems: GOP won’t let us televise contraception hearing

[Tx4obama]

First, House Democrats couldn’t get a woman onto the all-male panel at a contraception hearing last week.

Now, they’ve invited her to testify at their own unofficial hearing — and they say the Republicans won’t let them televise it.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is organizing a Democratic Steering and Policy Committee event on Thursday to allow Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University law student who tried to testify at last week’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, a chance to talk about the issue.

Pelosi aides say the House recording studio has denied a request to broadcast the event, “apparently” at the behest of the Republican-controlled Committee on House Administration.

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Full article here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73132.html

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p.s. The GOP is really making history.
First of all, The House GOP was the first to ever decline a president's request (Obama's) to give a State of the Union Address on a specified date, and now for the first time ever The House GOP is refusing to allow the House cameras to cover a hearing.
Wonder what they'll do next.

[BlueCaliDem]

1. They've done this before - during Duhbya's reign of terror.

They denied Democrats a room to hold meetings, and finally relented by sending them down into the basement. The Democrats complained about it, but then when they got the House back, they were all cordial and generous to the Republicans!

I hope, this time, when they regain power in the House, they'll give as good as they got, because it really pissed me off when I saw Democrats becoming wet noodles and give the Republicans everything they wailed for without a fight.

[Tx4obama]

2. According to Pelosi (regarding the camera coverage) this is the first time

From the article in the OP

... Pelosi’s office said this event is the first in which the studio has not covered a hearing or told Democrats that it couldn’t because of other commitments. ...

[BlueCaliDem]

14. You're right. The denying Democrats camera coverage thing is new.

But treating Democrats shamefully, like nuisances is not new.

I hope the Democrats will act accordingly to them when they win the House back this November.

[MrSlayer]

10. Hope is the denial of reality.

We'll never treat them the same way they treat us. Because there really isn't an us and them. We should have steamrolled the Republicans when we had all three branches and things would have been pretty good right now. But it sure looked to me like they did everything they could to accommodate the Republicans and thwart actual (or should that be alleged?) Democratic policies. There are enough bought off scum in our own party to make any truly progressive legislation impossible. We're being scammed by an ostensible "two party" system that only works for the very rich. The corporate Dems play good cop to the Repubs bad cop but they both work for the same owners.

[BlueCaliDem]

15. That's a bit harsh, isn't it?

And cynical.

Hope is the denial of reality?? How about hope is the understanding that things can and will get better? If the people who fought for civil rights didn't have hope we still wouldn't have blacks and other minorities voting. Or in desegregated schools. Or the affirmative action law. If gays and lesbians didn't have hope to one day be equal citizens in our country, DADT would not have been repealed, gay marriage would not be on the path to becoming a nationwide right. I believe you get my drift.

As for the Democrats not having learned their lesson, I believe they have. They lost the House when we booted out the BlueDogs, and they nearly lost the Senate, which prompted Reid to finally get tough enough to proclaim that if the Republicans continue to obstruct President Obama's appointees, he'll advise the president to recess appoint them all in April.

Although there are still a few Dems who play good cop to the Repubs' bad cop, there are plenty more who fight for us despite their "owners".

[MrSlayer]

23. I would love to be wrong.

But I call em as I see em. All of the good people on the hill are Democrats except of course for Bernie Sanders who is the very best of the lot. But there just aren't enough of them to do what needs to be done. And that is because the ones who won't go along do it to protect their corporate sponsors. Every deal we make in Congress moves us further to the right without exception. When was the last time a compromise was made that moved us to the left?

Until proven otherwise I stand by my statements.

[bitchkitty]

28. + 50 million.

It took me a very long time to realize the truth.

[radhika]

3. Cell phone videos, hand-held cams...flood Youtube n/t

[BlueCaliDem]

16. This is the best course to take. It WILL get picked up

by shows on MSNBC from Martin Bashir to Lawrence O'Donnell, and on CurrentTV's three powerful political shows. Eventually, the mainstream media will pick it up, too.

[shcrane71]

19. Agreed... then let RT pick up the coverage... Show the world what it's like for women in the US.

If shameful behavior isn't shamed, then bullies keep doing it.

[SunSeeker]

4. Gee, Pelosi should record it on her iPhone and post it on Youtube.

You know, like the people did in those other countries (Iran, Egypt, Libya) where right wing reactionaries controlled the media.

[Skittles]

5. let 'em keep digging

misogyny is king (hey is that a pun?) in repukeland

[Firebrand Gary]

6. I agree, take video on iPhone and post it to youtube.

Is this how the GOP treats women? They are reduced to telling their stories to a cell phone? Despicable!

[msongs]

7. doh! Nancy you can always have it in on the steps of congress and broadcast it yerself nt

[Javaman]

13. That was exactly my thought.

hold it on the steps of the capital. nt

[silverweb]

8. Be inventive!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Be loudly inventive. Flood every alternate video venue with your openly and/or secretly recorded proceedings, and make sure everyone in the world knows why you're doing so.

Someone already mentioned YouTube. And do you really think Al Gore would hesitate to broadcast your proceedings on Current TV? Every liberal host in the world would love to play your video on their show and/or website.

You'll get more air time this way than you'd ever get on CSPAN or the corporate news shows.

Remember: Banned books and movies always sell best.

Come on, Dems, be inventive! You can do it!

[Frank Cannon]

11. That's like asking the Washington Generals to be more inventive...

against the Harlem Globetrotters.

Come on, guys! Try a few fast breaks, some layups. You can do it!

[mikeytherat]

21. Krusty, are you telling me you bet all of you money against The Globetrotters?

"I thought The Generals were due. Oh, c'mon! Take the ball! Take it! He's just spinning it on his finger! And that can't be legal, they had a freakin' ladder!"

mikey_the_rat

[mwooldri]

12. +1

Especially Current TV. Hate to say this about them but they need news on their channel to be a cable news channel. But then news isn't cheap, the likes of CNN, MSNBC, FNC are subsidized by their parent companies. Other foreign news networks you hear of (BBC, CBC, Al Jazeera, etc) are bankrolled by the government in one form or another.

Bottom line: if the FLOPpers are going to resort to such tactics, then invite other media in.

[primavera]

17. It sounds like a great opportunity to me

Host the committee meeting at Brookings or a university or wherever, explain that Repukes won't allow congressional business to be conducted in the House anymore, and, instead of being aired on CSPAN that few ever take the trouble to watch, it'll be covered by every network. But, alas, that would require Dems to have guts.

[saras]

9. Why should anyone have to be inventive? Any Senator or Representative has the money to hire a pro

A couple of Dems could chip in and hire a whole professional video team, and the republicans couldn't do a damned thing about it.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

18. proof positive that they have lost their minds.

two decades ago, shutting down House resources would have had an impact, and would cause a slight ripple, if anything, in the general public.

With the intertubes, a move like this becomes the news. And it is all bad for them.

[Tx4obama]

25. Two decades ago if a Congressman had shouted 'You lie' at the SOTU he would've been run out of town

I am afraid the American people are becoming desensitized to offensive events that in the past wouldn't even have happened.

[jwirr]

20. I am assuming that they will not let us use C-Span. There have got to be other ways. KO, Rachel,

Larry O, Big Ed? Surely they do not have enough power to deny access to the room it is held in.

[Tx4obama]

24. The House cameras/video IS what is shown on C-Span n/t

[jwirr]

29. Yes, but which ever party is the majority controls what it covers. That is what I was referring to.

[Gringostan]

22. The GOP

The GOP - goosestepping us backwards one century at a time.

[Incitatus]

26. OK, I have to admit some ignorance here on the workings of Congress, but the Senate is controlled by

the Dems, why can't they have their own televised hearings?

[Tx4obama]

27. Well ...

the Senate could if they wanted to, BUT

it was in The House that the GOP had the other hearing last week regarding 'contraception', and that is where Ms. Fluke was omitted from testifying at the hearing.
So, it is House member Nancy Pelosi that is trying to give Ms. Fluke the opportunity to speak in The House.

I think it comes down to the fact that Pelosi probably sees no reason to ask The Senate to fight a battle that she can fight herself.