June 29, 2012 01:22 PM UTC

Congressional Contempt

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• by: Konola

Yesterday was a big news day. I found myself glued first to MSNBC watching coverage of the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, and then to C-Span watching coverage of the vote to hold Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.

At 1:53 p.m. I posted, in a note to friends, “Pelosi just delivered a barn burner of a speech on the floor of the House, and said she will lead the walk-out after the debate and before the vote.”

At 2:35 p.m. “They are voting RIGHT NOW on a motion from Dingell to refer it back to the committee. Then there will be a vote on the contempt.”

At 2:58 p.m. “Final Vote: 17 DEMS voted in favor of contempt, 65 voted no, 1 voted present, 108 walked out in a protest led by Pelosi & Hoyer.”

Watching the C-Span coverage was surreal. It seemed as though the two parties live on completely different planets.

The Republicans said they wanted to get to the bottom of what happened to Border Guard Brian Terry when he was killed by Mexican drug runners.

The Democrats said that they had not been allowed to subpoena any witnesses that could actually discuss what happened, including the head of ATF at the time of the “Fast and Furious” operation that allowed guns to walk into the hands of the Mexican drug runners.

The Republicans said that the Democrats could have held their own minority hearing, but failed to do so.

The Democrats said this was nothing but a witch hunt as a favor to the NRA and because Eric Holder was going after activities designed to suppress the vote of minorities in the fall.

Democrats pointed out that there had never before been a Contempt of Congress citation of any sitting cabinet member, and that any previous Contempt citation had taken months, sometimes years, of investigation and negotiations before coming to a vote on the floor of the House. This citation moved to the House floor in one week.

From everything that I’ve read about Darrell Issa, I don’t trust him even the teeny tiniest bit. He is a political hack. He entered office determined to find dirt on Obama so that he could impeach the president. He has a history of walking on the wrong side of the law, with telling lies to save his own skin his preferred modus operandi. I even heard a rumor from a California music business attorney that he has connections with Mexican drug lords. I have seen nothing to confirm that rumor, and the attorney admitted that he had no evidence confirming the rumor, but the fact that it exists speaks volumes to Issa’s reputation in his own state.

He is known as a sleaze bag, elected because he is extremely wealthy and has wealthy friends. Money CAN buy politicians these days.

Before the vote was taken yesterday, Representatives Pelosi and Hoyer led a walk out that was first proposed by the Congressional Black Caucus. In Pelosi’s barn burner of a speech she indicated that she wanted to vote “no” on the resolution, but because it was such a sham she would honor her colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and join them in walking out.

They walked out, and up to a microphone where they chanted “Shame, Shame, Shame.”

It was a shameful day. Nothing was learned about the how, what, and why of Brian Terry’s death. What I learned is that the Republicans have no shame when it comes to trying to destroy this president. They will tell actual lies on the floor of the House.

Shame, Shame, Shame.