Dem. tweaks House Republicans ahead of NPR defunding vote
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, New York, called out Republicans on the House floor Thursday morning for allegedly breaking their own rules, during debate on a measure that would strip federal funding for National Public Radio.
Weiner objected to consideration of the bill, saying it violates a House rule, "which requires 72 hour layover of the bill and it to be electronically noticed in order for it to be considered by the House." He continued, "This bill did not lay over for 72 hours. It was noticed at 1:42 p.m. on Tuesday. Therefore it has to wait until 1:42 on Friday to be in compliance with the rules of the House."
The House vote on the bill was expected mid-afternoon on Thursday.
Weiner then held up a sign with a quote from House Speaker John Boehner and read aloud, "I will not bring a bill to the floor that hasn't been posted online for at least 72 hours." He then prodded Republican Rep. Ted Poe, Texas, who was sitting in the chair, "Would the Speaker please clarify for the body that the 72 hours rule is either being waived or does not exist?"
Poe responded that the rule is not predicated on a number of hours, "but rather on a number of calendar days." He said that since the measure had been electronically available online since Tuesday, that would constitute three calendar days, thus not breaking any rules.
Weiner pushed a little further asking Poe to clarify, "Did this bill age for 72 hours? Yes or no?"
The Speaker said, he would not respond to hypothetical questions.
Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn, who unsuccessfully tried to strip federal funding for NPR last year, introduced the new standalone bill Tuesday. It would bar any of NPR's affiliate radio stations across the country from using any federal funds to purchase any programming from NPR.
According to NPR's website, it provides content to 900 independent stations, reaching 27.2 million listeners every week.
Oregon Democratic Rep Earl Blumenauer circulated a letter to House members Tuesday citing press reports that he said demonstrated the conservative activist who set up the taping, James O'Keefe, "deceptively edited" the video to target NPR.
Blumenauer urged House members to oppose any cuts to NPR funding.
"Every month, more than 170 million Americans tune in to public broadcasting for information about their communities, and recent polling shows that Americans consider federal investment in public broadcasting to be second only to money for our troops as the best use of taxpayer dollars."
Why would one assume any sense of honor or fairness from the party of tobacco lobby bagmen, devoteesof liars like O'Keefe and Brietbart and an incredible assemplage of hawk speaking chickens?
We are at war and the economy is in the tank. Our manufacturing base is going overseas and the price of gas is driving the cost of everything upwards. We can't seem to control spending by the government and the future fo our country is in question. These maniacs want to waste precious time arguing about NPR and partisan politics. How pathetic!
The debate about government funding for NPR needs to be expanded to a general discussion about how we get our news – any organization that depends upon an unreliable funding source (the Federal government; advertising) will naturally introduce bias in their reporting; however, a news organization that has a guaranteed source of funding should be relatively free of bias. I know the BBC model may not appeal to many Americans, with the need to renew an annual television license, but I much prefer their style of reporting as compared to what has become a reality show approach here in the US.
Can anyone tell me the NPR station for Chicago? AM what? I want to tune in but don't want to google it or dial all the way around and hit a commercial anyway.
Thank you New York for electing this guy. He's the only one who seems to really stand up for the working people. Weiner for President 2016!
It's so nice to see the House Republicans honor their mandate and live up to their promises by creating jobs and getting our financial house in order as opposed to wasting time on ideological witchhunts against topics such as abortion and calling emergency session to get back at that mean old "librul" media.
Oh wait a minute, strike that......
So Tea Party, do you feel like you've been played yet?
Due to his last name and idiocy, I think that Wiener must have been picked on a lot when he was a kid. Therefore, now he goes out of his way to make himself look/sound important. He is slowly becoming the new Alan Grayson. Give it time, and the Wiener to Grayson transition will be complete.--But, if the Republicans said 72 hours, then they should definitely give it the 72 hours.
Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York needs to understand that the "72 Hour Rule" is intended to apply only to bills introduced by House Democrats that TeaPublicans object to.
Plain and simple redux:
To the GOP, it is 100% unacceptable that a media outlet exist that is objective as a reult of not being beholden to corporate adevertising dollars and sponsors and, thus, subject to the requirement that it compete for advertising dollars by tempering its objectivity and truth telling. This is precisely what GOPers/conservatives/Teatards mean when they regurgitate the talking points about NPR surviving on its own in the open market...that they want coroprate America essentiallyk in control of ALL news and information sources...they tip their hand with that free market jibba jabba. That NPR is insulated from that competition is why it is so much more objective than the rest and why it so willingly talks about truths that threaten the conservative community's carefully constructed pathological denial-delusions about what reality really is and how it functions. This is all about protecting the ideological echo chamber bubble that they live in...getting rid of all sources of truthy pins that might burst it...and assuring that ALL sources of information are properly influenced and propagandized by the giant corporations and ultra-wealthy to whom they are trying to give the entirety of nation's wealth in order to secure their own positions as powerpuppets.
Nobody, not republicans, not democrats, not independents, not tea party patriots, not anyone ever said that NPR does not have valuable content and that it should not exist. What we are saying is that the government has no right to fund any mass media outlet with tax dollars. Our tax dollars must be spent for the common good (and only what the Constitution specifically states) not for the support of one media outlet. If NPR can support it's self then it is a viable product, if not it needs either to evolve or dissolve.
"and the home of the ___" ? Neanderthal & proud of it !
Since when have the CROOKED GOP ever follow any rules? Does Wi. come to mind? ANYONE?
WHAT?!? Boehner not sitting in the Chair when there is important House matters on the floor. Damn, and just a scant few hours ago the GOP'rs were all agog that Pres Obama took time to pick his bracket.
And the dumbing down of American continues. If you are rich, continue being rich. The GOP'rs policy of dismantling education is starting to work...err...has worked. Seems Mr Poe can't do math and sit at the same time.
"WHAT?!? Boehner not sitting in the Chair when there is important House matters on the floor."
To be fair, this did come up during happy hour.