Yesterday morning USA Today ran an Op-Ed by Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, which for ease of discussion I will attribute to Pelosi. The title is ‘Un-American’ attacks can’t derail health care debate, which frankly I find amusing since I don’t recall a debate on that or any other subject this year, actually happening on Capitol Hill. She bounces back and forth between oooohing and aaaahing about how awesome (butterflies, rainbows, unicorns, fairy dust) government takeover of your personal health care decisions would be, and berating freedom-loving Americans (bad conservatives! Flyover country! Hitler! Astroturf! Limbaugh! Goblins!) for strongly expressing their opinions to their elected representatives, and oppressively running into union thug fists with their faces.

She’s right about one thing:
Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.

As it happens, “drowning out opposing views” is an area of expertise for Speaker Pelosi.

New Rules - no rights for minority party

On January 9 of this year, the first day of the 111th Congress, Pelosi put into place new House rules, removing the “motion to recommit”, a minority tool that had been in place 100 years. Without the rule, the minority basically has no leverage, no card to play, no chance to affect legislation or force their own amendments to even be considered.

Republicans locked out of Porkulus debate

She did not wait long to take advantage of the rules changes. During creation of Porkulus (passed Febuary 15) Republicans had been left out of the drafting process and had minimal contact with Pelosi and other House Democrats, according to Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)..

Waiving the Three-day Rule — for all important bills

Then there’s the matter of House Rule XIII Clause 4a1, aka the “Three Day Rule”, in essence requiring a three day pause after a bill is reported out of committee before it can come up for consideration on the House floor. It can be waived. And in fact, it has been for every major policy bill undertaken by Congress this year, namely:

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
• Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization (SCHIP)
• Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
• Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009
• AIG Bonus Tax Act
• Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009
• American Clean Energy and Security Act/National Cap-and-Trade Energy Tax

Debated? Read before voting on? Amendments allowed? No, that would be American.

We Won — and shut up

Special Orders after the last recorded vote of the day are an indulgence to allow members of the minority party to express indignation with whatever bug is up their rear that day. On July 13, Republicans intended to use the time, according to Joe Carter (R-TX), to

… discuss House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s statement last week that if his Members were required to read the Democrats’ healthcare reform package before it was voted on, it would fail.

Utterly harmless. Powerless. Majority members can take the time to make phone calls, file their nails, take bathroom breaks, take power naps, or just leave. But Nancy and Steny cannot tolerate even toothless dissent. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) made a motion to adjourn, which passed 208-172 (mostly party-line). Motions to adjourn commonly pass 380-20 or the like, and this was clearly done to deprive the Republicans of any expression of opinion at all.

Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.

Thanks, Nancy and Steny, for telling us that you are un-American. Not that we didn’t already know.