# Democrats Hold Sit-In on House Floor **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 22, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060 "2016-06-22T17:19:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/101 "2016-06-23T04:13:54Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > You’re also completely wrong about the causes of and solutions to gun violence, but that’s another thread altogether. 🙂 Is that in any way similar to the causes of and solutions to terrorism? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/102 "2016-06-23T04:22:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > **D’Anconia** , you seem to be a bit confused about what “obstructionism” means. The Democrats are not obstructing on this issue. They want it to just come to a simple vote. If you think that the bill is a bad idea, then just vote against it. But the Republicans aren’t satisfied with that. They want to obstruct it, by preventing it from coming to a vote. It’s precisely that obstructionism that the Democrats are fighting against. So when Democrats block a bill from coming up for a vote, that’s somehow different? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/103 "2016-06-23T04:31:33Z")
What prevents the Republicans from simply going on taxpayer-paid vacation while the Democrats have the House floor? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/104 "2016-06-23T04:49:58Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > …GOP will get plenty of political cover from groups like the ACLU… Who would be flattered to hear your assessment of their political clout. But if their massive power were not enough, who else may the GOP rely upon? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/105 "2016-06-23T05:17:00Z")
The Democrats are the party of gun control. THey own it now. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/106 "2016-06-23T06:07:21Z")
Tonight isn’t the night to watch C-SPAN at 2 in the morning to cure insomnia 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/107 "2016-06-23T07:14:42Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > So when Democrats block a bill from coming up for a vote, that’s somehow different? The Democrats _wanted_ it brought to a vote. That’s the entire point. Just to save time for all of us, are you really having trouble comprehending the issue, or is this one of those times when you ignore the larger conversation to be incredibly partisan and pedantic? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/108 "2016-06-23T08:11:49Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > There are more important things than democracy, which is why you have a Bill of Rights in the first place. If the government can take away your rights … > > … you have no rights. … a fucking idiot … planning to abuse the hell out of it. Just once … just ONE time, I’d like to hear someone defending “gun rights” actually offer a coherent position on whether those gun “rights” are good or bad. Instead all we ever get is that gun _rights_ are a _right_ because they are a _right_. I can say that spinach is a fruit because it’s a fruit, but that doesn’t make me right. Right? When rational thinkers question that the Second Commandment was given to Moses atop Mount Sinai — Wikipedia (a libtard blog) claims the Second Amendment was written by fallible humans 3000 years after Moses’ adventure — gun rights advocates insist that guns are a “Natural Right” that preceded even Moses. Presumably Hammurabi omitted mention of guns from his famous Code not because they hadn’t been invented yet, but because the right to bear arms was too obvious to mention. A nation of sentient beings might want to debate rationally whether terrorists and lunatics should be allowed to own guns. But there’s a popular but hysterical mindset in the U.S.A. unable to participate in such a debate. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/109 "2016-06-23T09:32:02Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > The Democrats _wanted_ it brought to a vote. That’s the entire point. They are not entitled to a vote on any given issue. Elections have consequences, remember? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/110 "2016-06-23T10:31:06Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > They are not entitled to a vote on any given issue. Elections have consequences, remember? So…option 2 then. Thanks for clarifying ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/111 "2016-06-23T10:38:58Z")
Yes, elections have consequences, and the way to see what those consequences are is for the legislature to actually vote. Apparently, in this past election, we decided to elect a whole lot of people who thought that this bill was a good idea. The consequence of that is supposed to be that this bill gets passed. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/112 "2016-06-23T11:06:41Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > [Here is an amusing blurbrant](http://www.rawstory.com/2016/06/watch-jim-mcdermott-rip-paul-ryan-during-house-sit-in-hes-up-in-his-office-crying/). WA rep Jim McDermott claims that Paul Ryan was just about to debut his glorious ACA-killer bill when the sit-in shat upon his parade. McDermott says that Ryan went to his office to sob. Looking at Ryan, you could almost see the little rebus thought bubble of the White House flying away on little wings… ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/113 "2016-06-23T11:07:53Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The Democrats are the party of gun control. THey own it now. Yes, and your Republicans are the party of doing the NRA’s bidding no matter what. Does that make you happy or sad? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/114 "2016-06-23T11:07:57Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Who would be flattered to hear your assessment of their political clout. But if their massive power were not enough, who else may the GOP rely upon? If the center of your argument is that only NRA shills oppose a certain bill, it is a pretty effective counter-argument to ask whether the ACLU are NRA shills. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/115 "2016-06-23T11:12:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, elections have consequences, and the way to see what those consequences are is for the legislature to actually vote. Where do you get the idea that the House is somehow obligated to bring a vote to the floor? ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/116 "2016-06-23T11:17:23Z")
This is how democracy works now in the US - 100 gun control bills voted down. Mass shootings almost very day: > **[America's gun problem is so much bigger than mass shootings](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/21/gun-control-debate-mass-shootings-gun-violence)** > > US politicians often cite Australia as providing a model of impactful reform. Here’s why such blueprints likely won’t work to combat gun violence in the US > [@](#): > > In the US, more than 10,000 Americans will likely be killed in gun murders this year. Another 20,000 will likely be lost to gun suicide. The total number of gun deaths and violent injuries will be close to 100,000. Does it ever strike people you have a really, really shit system. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/117 "2016-06-23T11:27:08Z")
Oh, my, yes. But more often it strikes us that we too often elect really shit people. As to what work the sit-in disrupted, let Sen. Warren tweet it: > [@](#): > > After a whole day of #NoBillNoBreak, @HouseGOP is instead moving on a vote to make it easier for retirement advisers to cheat ppl. Really. Yes, Ryan tried to gavel through a vote to override the President’s veto of the bill to stop the new CFPB rule that financial advisors have to represent their clients’ interests, not their own. Really. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/118 "2016-06-23T11:41:49Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > They are not entitled to a vote on any given issue. Elections have consequences, remember? First of all, the only reason for a Republican majority it gerrymandering. Secondly, if they have a majority, presumably they’d prevail in a vote. So why are they afraid of a vote? The system that only the Speaker can force a vote is silly. I think any party with 10%+ of the membership should be able to force a vote on any issue. If elections have consequences, let the fruits of those elections carry the day. Republicans are afraid of being on the record of doing the bidding of the terrorist NRA organization. The morning after Orlando, we all woke up to the sounds of Republicans masturbating like motherfuckers. Oh yes, a terror attack by a Muslim! Surely that would push the voters toward Trump. Maybe he’d invade some country that had nothing to do with it. And of course NRA membership would spike up, gun sales would boom, because every time Diane Feinstein farts these things happen. NRA members would be motivated to vote and the Senate would safely stay in Republican hands, Trump would win the presidency, and the elite could start backing up their armored cars to the treasury and begin to load. But it didn’t happen that way. Trump totally shit the bed with his childish response to Orlando, while Hillary seemed presidential. The moment of silence in the House chambers was suddenly seen to be totally inadequate and House Democrats finally showed some spine. What’s more, the majority of the people are on their side. Maybe, just maybe, we can free ourselves from the tyranny of the NRA and do some things that make some sense. Maybe we can stop obsessing over this so-called right to buy instruments of death and do something that might keep people safe. I think Orlando turned the tide, suddenly gun control isn’t the third rail of politics that it used to be. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/119 "2016-06-23T11:54:50Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Yes, and your Republicans are the party of doing the NRA’s bidding no matter what. > > Does that make you happy or sad? The NRA’s power lies in the votes it commands. They don’t sway votes with money the way corporations and many other interest groups do. All they have to do is threaten to score a vote and Democrats in all but the bluest states scurry for cover. There are some states where you can’t get elected at all without an A rating from the NRA. That’s how democracy is supposed to work. Figures Democrats hate it. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060/120 "2016-06-23T11:56:13Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That’s how democracy is supposed to work. Figures Democrats hate it. Uh- what? The founders envisioned a system where a terrorist lobbying group would be able to hold congressmen hostage to their unreasonable demands? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-hold-sit-in-on-house-floor/758060.md?page=7)