Congressmen Booze As Government Shutdown Looms

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post

House Republicans spent hours on Capitol Hill Saturday as a government shutdown loomed, but that didn't stop some of them from having a little weekend fun.

Reporters tweeted that they could see -- and smell -- several Congressmen enjoying a drink while working:

I'm not over exaggerating when I say I can smell the booze wafting from members as they walk off the floor.
https://twitter.com/GingerGibson/statuses/384127970199470080

I def saw more than 1 member of congress putting a few back on Penn earlier. Ran into 2 in the liquor store.
https://twitter.com/KateNocera/statuses/384128161535262720

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/28/government-shutdown_n_4010592.html

[johnd83]

1. They've been waiting for this moment for decades

and now I guess they are celebrating. The "starve the beast" strategy is either going to work now or never...

[Plucketeer]

2. Drinking while driving

our country over a cliff!

[TexasTowelie]

3. Public intoxication.

Can they pass a sobriety test?

[samsingh]

4. it's not like they share in the misery of tens of millions of Americans

[Thor_MN]

5. How many of us would be fired for drinking while at work?

Why should we tolerate it from our employees?

[modrepub]

24. Plenty of People

drink over their lunch hour without repercussions. I don't mind if Congress does. That said I'd like for them to not have their security people, office staff, and janitors working after Tuesday night. I'd think they'd come up with something if their bathrooms were filthy and out of toilet paper, no one was there to answer their phones or emails and no one was there to man the metal detectors and keep the riff raff away.

[Thor_MN]

27. If a sales person gets drunk at lunch and walks back to work, they can't do much damage.

Truck drivers, surgeons, heavy equipment operators... not so much.

People should not be writing legislation while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

[Iliyah]

6. WOW, that is disgusting. You would think them as being so called Christians

could wait until after the devastating vote. They are partying while destroying the country, how charming of them.

I would be fired from work if I drunk during working hours.

[factsarenotfair]

7. Are they drinking champagne?

Dom Perignon provided by lobbyists?

[Brigid]

30. Probably.

[Sunlei]

8. disgusting, drunk politicians.

[Andy823]

9. Sorry sick SOB's

This really ticks me off. Getting drunk so they can do their best to destroy all the gains we have made in the worst recession in history, one that many of them helped to cause dugong the Bush years, and they have to booze it up so they can do their dirty work. What a bunch of assholes!

Everyone of these bastards need to be removed from office! We need to get out the vote in 2014 and send these drunk bastards packing!

[silvershadow]

10. I wonder if Boehner is unconscious somewhere. nt

[Strelnikov_]

11. Nah

He probably has a hell of a tolerance by this point.

Most likely breaking out in tears again, though.

"Oh god, I'm gonna end up like Gingrich, why me . . . "

[CTyankee]

20. I hope he "hits bottom" soon and he hits hard...it is what all alcoholics have to do

and they either get sober or sicken and die. But Boner is taking the country along for the ride spiraling down. He needs an intervention.

[SHRED]

12. Name names

[alp227]

13. So the Booze Cruz wasn't just earlier this week?

[MADem]

16. This is my favorite post of this thread, thus far....! nt

[Nanjing to Seoul]

14. Nero fiddles while Rome burns.

[BillyRibs]

18. Damn! you beat me to it!

[Kablooie]

15. They are intoxicated with power. Power to damage the most powerful country in the world.

Who wouldn't be celebrating when you are as evil as that?

[JDPriestly]

19. Yes. They are so extreme that I have come to the conclusion that the whole shut-down

idea is not about the ACA but about power.

The Republicans are a minority in the country. That is why they hate our democratic system. Bush was not elected by a majority. He was appointed by the Supreme Court. The Congress has so many Republicans because of political manipulation of the numbers at the state levels which has enabled gerrymandering.

So, what this is really about is a minority in the country, a minority that is rapidly declining in numbers, showing that it can take over our democracy, destroy it with shrewd calculations.

The Republicans are clever, they think. But i would guess that with each "clever" maneuver they are decreasing their voting base. All we have to do is find candidates who speak for the people and protect the rights of all of our citizens. If we do that, we Democrats will inevitably regain a huge majority in the country.

The Republicans are demonstrating how a minority can grab power in a democracy. It is a sad spectacle. They will not earn the respect or love of the ever growing majority made of of women, intellectuals, working people, people of color and people who care about mankind. And because they won't earn the respect of those groups, who just happen to make up the majority of the country's voters, I think this is kind of a "last stand" for the Republican extremists.

Enjoy your Last Stand, Republicans. Because you Party's days are numbered, at least your Party's days are numbered as long as you harbor and encourage anti-democratic, anti-Constitution, anti-government extremists and allow them to control your Party.

[Auntie Bush]

23. +1000

[hue]

25. Good view of what's happening-->the death throes of the "good 'ol boys club"

You wrote that they are "Republican extremists", I call hem the "good 'ol boys". (Usually white males, rich, spoiled & in positions of power).

Yet I'll add that in regards to "They will not earn the respect or love of the ever growing majority made of of women, intellectuals, working people, people of color and people who care about mankind.", I really don't think they WANT to earn that "respect". They don't have it as one of their goals/objectives and to me they, as You stated above, only want POWER over these groups.

As far as I'm concerned, good riddance to bad rubbish...

[Voice for Peace]

17. I predict karma will be smacking them around, one day

:hope: :trust: :faith: :peace: <--- hmm.. who creates the smilies for DU? We need some more.

[Maeve]

21. Liquid courage--the only kind they can muster eom

[tabasco]

22. I hope they drink themselves into a coma

and wake up without health insurance.

[hue]

26. Lol! They ARE in a coma already!! Hope their gov. supplied premium HC expires tho

[lonestarnot]

28. Bunch of damned drunks driving the world around the edge of 93% grade.

[davidthegnome]

29. So these rich idiots are out drinking...

While there is a very real possibility of a government shutdown. It's not going to hurt them, even if they don't get re-elected. They have enough assets that they don't really have to worry about it. Where people who rely on federal assistance, or employment, are wondering how the heck they're going to survive if this goes on for any length of time.

I don't think that either the Senate members or the House members understand what this is going to mean for working class Americans, especially those in poverty. What happens when people can't get food stamps, or heating assistance, or social security, or disability payments? Where will they go when they can't pay their mortgage or their rent? What will they do when they can't buy food?

This government shutdown, if it occurs, will almost certainly lead to job losses, greater economic hardship, homelessness, people going hungry - the resulting suffering. Yet they're out drinking, probably boasting about how tough they are for standing their ground against the affordable care act. Granted, the ACA isn't perfect, but if they had had a better alternative, one that could work, the American people would have listened. They didn't.

Throw a stone in a pond, note the ripple effect. So many people will suffer if they pull this off... and yet the idiots are cheering for it, maybe while commisserating about what a struggle it is to make less than a million dollars a year (well, for some of them).

Those of us who earn minimum wage, or have children and need assistance to survive, are wondering if they'll have to move back in with their parents, or maybe into a homeless shelter.

All of this, because we wanted health insurance so that if we get sick or hurt, we can actually get some help. I've never been a fanatic supporter of the ACA, I've always had my doubts about it - and frankly, I think we could have done better... but shutting down the government simply to defund it is so sick and stupid that it hurts my brain.

So on top of having no health insurance, if this shit keeps up, we'll have much greater worries.

I hate these assholes. Not dislike, not disagree with. Hate. It has finally reached that point for me.

[Brigid]

31. I was just last night wondering . . .

if this government shutdown will finally be what drives people into the streets. I think it will if it goes on long enough.

[hughee99]

32. Seems to be most people are assuming it's JUST the repukes that are drinking here. n/t

[davidthegnome]

33. Fair point.

Nah, I figure they're more or less, all of them, drinking all the way to the bank. Politicians have the best get rich quick scheme in the world going for them, it's like having your cake, and eating it too.

[hughee99]

34. With the Dems showing up every day and the repukes refusing to even negotiate

I wouldn't be surprised if this was happening on both sides. Besides, maybe after a few drinks the repukes will get up the courage to do what's right and this will be a positive thing.

[Brigid]

35. Just saw a bunch of drunks hanging out at the bus stop.

A depressing sight, true enough; but which bunch is in a position to do more damage?