As we reported earlier, Democrats have staged an Occupy Wall Street-inspired sit-in on the House floor in an attempt to force a vote on gun control legislation.
Despite another compromise bill being voted on possibly this week, Democrats decided they’d pull this political stunt.
Reuters reports:
Talks intensified in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday on compromise legislation to stop gun sales to people on some terrorism watch lists, as Democrats shut down the House of Representatives to protest their chamber’s lack of action.
That’s right – Democrats shut down the government, something they themselves have described as a ‘temper tantrum.’
As a reminder, here are five times that prominent Democrats called Republican attempts to shut down government a ‘temper tantrum.’
- As Weasel Zippers reports, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), who ironically tweeted support for the Democrat sit-in, once took to social media and blasted Republicans for shutting down the government.
“Temper tantrums belong in preschool, not Congress,” the DCCC wrote.
- Former congressman Henry Waxman slammed “extremist Republicans” for shutting down the government over Obamacare saying “Republicans are having a temper tantrum and they’re willing to hurt lots of innocent bystanders and threaten the economy if they don’t get their way.”
He added that “these extremists just can’t get over” the law that was upheld by the Supreme Court – you know, kind of like that whole Second Amendment thing.
- Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who joined House Democrats in their petulant sit-in, probably doesn’t remember this one. In 2013, she urged Republicans to avoid a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution on the budget.
She lambasted her colleagues on the other side of the aisle, issuing a press release which read in part, “Republicans need to put an end to the Tea Party temper-tantrums and pass our bill without any gimmicks or games.”
- Rep. Matt Cartright (D-PA) similarly took exception to a shut down due to the budget impasse, telling MSNBC “We’re here not learning anything new, we’re here because a certain faction of the Republican conference are throwing temper tantrum.”
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi ripped Republicans over the government shutdown in 2013 asking, “Was their temper tantrum worth $24 billion?”
Of course, the entire comparison isn’t quite straightforward, since Republicans were using legislative reasoning and procedural rights to halt political elements they opposed.
Democrats are, quite literally, sitting on the floor.
It’ll be interesting if any of the above listed Democrats would be willing to admit that their colleagues are now engaged in a self-described ‘temper tantrum.’
Comment: What do you think of the Democrats sit-in, and are they hypocrites for once telling Republicans that a government shut down is a ‘temper tantrum?’ Share your thoughts below.
