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Censorship in the House: John Boehner’s Office Cuts C-SPAN Feed
C-SPAN is an independent entity, or so they thought before John Boehner’s office took control over their programming.
Speaker John Boehner doesn’t want you to see what went down today in a pro-forma session of the House as he and his fellow Republicans ran away from their responsibility to the people, ignoring Rep. Stenny Hoyer (D-MD)’s calls to put the Senate passed payroll tax holiday extension up for a vote. He didn’t want you to see this so badly that he commandeered the congressional cameras to stop the live feed from the House floor.
As C-SPAN’s Brian Lamb pointed out to Reason magazine in speaking about government transparency, “The big threat is that they will run the cameras themselves, that they’ll decide what shots they get. Journalism will be diminished even further by that.”
Here’s the footage of Hoyer calling them out as they run away after Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA) (acting as speaker of the pro-forma session) hurriedly adjourned the meeting:
Then the live feed cut off and suddenly we were dumped on an exterior still shot of the capitol. Sorta makes you feel all Scott Walker inside.
Stephen Webster at Raw Story broke it down:
“As you walk off the floor, Mr. Speaker, you’re walking away, just as so many Republicans have walked away from taxpayers, the unemployed, and very frankly, as well, from those who will be seeking medical assistance from their doctors, 48 million senior citizens,” Hoyer can be heard saying.
“We regret, Mr. Speaker, that you have walked off the platform without addressing the issue of critical importance to this country, and that is the continuation of the middle class tax cut, the continuation of unemployment benefits for those at risk of losing them, and a continuation of the access to doctors for all those 48 million seniors who rely on them daily for help.”
Ouch.
C-SPAN tweeted and explained: “C-SPAN has no control over the U.S. House TV cameras – the Speaker of the House does.”
Way back in November of last year, The Hill reported on Boehner’s refusal to allow C-SPAN to put their own cameras in the House, “We’re disappointed to learn that despite 32 years of experience with televising its sessions and in an age of ubiquitous cameras in political life, the House of Representatives has chosen not to allow C-SPAN’s cameras into its chamber to cover its sessions,” network CEO Brian Lamb said in a statement. “We continue to feel that the public is best served by seeing a more complete picture of the legislative process than what’s delivered by Congressionally-controlled cameras and will continue to work with Speaker Boehner and other leaders in the House in hope of one day gaining access on behalf of the media.”
The Speaker did allow more access to media in other ways, he just insisted on keeping control of the congressional cameras. But given Mr. Boehner’s constant nattering on about transparency during his Tea Party days, his refusal to allow C-SPAN to install their own cameras is a reversal. But lest you think it’s just Boehner, former Speaker Pelosi also refused to grant more access to C-SPAN.
However, Pelosi never cut their feed as she ran away from her job. And Pelosi did grant additional coverage of the healthcare debates, as requested by C-SPAN.
You have to love transparency under Republicans. First, they refuse to even put up the payroll tax cut extension for a vote, and then when Rep. Stenny Hoyer is calling them out for running away, abandoning their responsibility to the country, in order to avoid YOU hearing what Hoyer had to say, Boehner’s office took control of the congressional floor cameras and cut them off.
The entire point of C-SPAN’s access to the live feed is so that the American people can see for themselves what is going on. Speaker Boehner took it upon himself to decide what shots C-SPAN would get today and that flies in the face of the entire purpose of C-SPAN.
Shame on Speaker Boehner for an absolute failure of a day.
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29 Responses to Censorship in the House: John Boehner’s Office Cuts C-SPAN Feed
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Anita T. Monroe
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 1:08 am
To quote Amy Winehousr, “Oh, no, no, no”. C-SPAN is a national treasure. PLEASE do not mess with it, Speaker Boehner.
GunnyCoop
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 1:27 am
F*the GOP. Ron Paul 2012.
J.D.
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 2:45 am
Ron Paul is EVERY bit as scary as the GOP. Just READ his track record on voting, on big oil interests, on pandering to the wealthy and elite.
Fiona Mackenzie
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 3:13 am
More so. Less powerful, but ‘way beyond them in terms of clinically loose screws.
Curt Larson
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Just the opposite Ron Paul does not pander, has no ties or investments to big oil and only votes within the constitution. You are completely wrong about him. He is our last chance at saving this dying country. RON PAUL 2012
A Walkaway
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 9:40 pm
(SIGH!)
www.alternet.org/teaparty...
world.std.com/~mhuben/lib...
These are just two links I found “right of the top of my head”. There are many more.
Ron Paul is a stealth dominionist.
Deborah Montesano
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 1:50 am
Scary. How does Boehner think he’s going to get away with that?
msbpodcast
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 10:26 am
Boehner thinks that he’s a member of a ruling elite and he also thinks we have no choice.
He thinks that we will put up with whatever excesses he imperiously commits because he is John Boehner.
The key word to describe the kind of mental state is SOCIOPATH.
Come the election, he’s going to find out that those C-Span camera’s are there to report on what people do.
If Mt. Boehner turn off those cameras, then those cameras cant show anything, but sadly for Mr. Boehner, their absence will be there to report on what people DON’T.
He thinks that we wont be able to remember that we aren’t seeing any work being done by our members of congress. Guess what? We don’t see work, we don’t pay. His ass is on a trampoline and he’s going to get bounced out of office.
newmeximan
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 2:07 am
I am reminded of a cartoon were a man has crawled out onto a tree limb to avoid an animal predator. As the threat gets closer, the man starts to take a saw to the limb.
Perhaps Boehner will be able to get away after he falls to the ground. I suspect he will have a pronounced limp for quite some time.
Matt
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 2:10 am
From an Australian looking in from the outside, seems that the US government is becoming less and less democratic by the day despite what it (and it’s people) preaches around the world. Republicans have their own Goebbels in Fox News and the Reps that appear on it, and now they are even taking control of and restricting what is shown by the one independent source the public are supposed to have to see what their government is doing… I know the political climate over there is toxic (another one of your articles mentions that Bill Clinton praising Gingrich for being reasonable and a good ideas man is a nail in his coffin – whatever happened to the dream of bi-partisan relationships in Washington?) but when it goes all the way to cutting off public access to viewing what your own government is doing everyone should be very concerned.
msbpodcast
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 10:13 am
Our politicians are equipped with the morals of gutter cats.
The problem with republics is the same as with monarchies. After a while, the noble intentions at the start are as dead as the noble individuals which founded the kingdom or the republic. (The methods of creation for either are equally bloody.)
If we want a representative government, we’ll have to create it.
If we want smaller government, we’ll have to take out the incentives for its growth.
We’ve become a government
• OF the thousandaires (the 99%)
• BY the millionaires (the 1%)
• FOR the billionaires (the 12,400 individuals identified by the IRS as the people who count (though they don’t really count as they hire some thousandaires to run machines to do that.)
The first thing we do is change from an ELECTED to a SELECTED form of government.
Pick names at random out an eligible citizen pool and they’re stuck with doing the job for one, and only one, four year term.
There could/should/would be no such thing as a career in politics. (The only thing worse than getting stuck with somebody who didn’t want the job is getting stuck with some idiot who did, figuring it was going to lift him a few rungs up the social/economic ladder.)
Eligibility requirements are:
• were you born here or are you a naturalized citizen?
• are you a permanent resident in a village, town or city within our borders?
• are you above the age of 25?
• are you healthy enough? (you don’t suffer from any clinical health issue(s) or mental impairment(s) which would prevent you from fulfilling your duties?)
• have you NEVER served on the government before?
• have you NEVER been found guilty of a violent crime?
• have you NEVER been found to be clinically insane?
Answer yes to all of these questions, you’re eligible for selection.
Don’t want to be bothered?
Go live elsewhere!
That would get rid of all PACs, K Street lobbyists, a lot of graft, waste and expense that WE’RE all paying for.
Reynardine
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 11:18 am
My cats have better morals, even though they’re not fixed.
Rho D
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 11:46 am
There are plenty of local guys and girls running out there, non-lawyers, looking to make a change. So vote for the auto mechanics, artists, teachers, and other 99% people whom are willing to take a chance on making this do-nothing congress disappear. We can help them take the country forward by taking a leap of faith on them.
drummondforcongress.org
A Walkaway
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Sounds good on the surface, but I know of situations where jury duty (or other legal requirements) were used to punish people. For instance, someone who is about to graduate and has one final requirement that must be met might find him-or-herself called to jury duty at the same exact time, and the judge unwilling to cut any slack.
I could think of a number of situations where the same might happen. Let’s say that someone finally gets a job in their field (after trying for many years) and is looking forward to the work, and then gets tapped to hold office. There goes the dream – poof!
john R
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 4:53 am
this needs to be shown multiple times in every republican congressional district.. we should be able to take back the house based on yesterdays events alone
SinghX
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 7:48 am
True…everyone knew that republicans didn’t have a chance in the last year of the Bush regime, including Bush. The republicans kept on acting out, doing as much damage as possible and then dropped the “Surprise, we’re broke!” heist on the country as Bush left office…no surprise at all, actually and we should have seen it coming…again, they are running the same themes of evangelical fundamentalist demands, an election pattern of promoting crazy candidates who dominate and distract, on and on…this is all a big media re-run.
The republicans are like the crazy drunks in a western saloon scene, jumping up on the tables and kicking over the drinks, ruining everything as a way to set the table for the next election. If they cain’t own the town, well, they’ll just shoot it up and scare off the townspeople sos’they have’ta sell it off to Dishonest John!
Michael
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
It wouldn’t matter. Republicans would spin it as C-SPAN being part of the liberal media and trying to cast Republicans in a bad light and that somehow Boehner was justified in killing the feed.
Sally
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 7:35 am
So this is the ‘open and transparent’ GOP? The party that constantly blasts the President for not being ‘open and transparent’ enough? The ‘small government’ party that supports Snyder’s takeover of Michigan black towns to hand them to his rich white corporate backers so they can buld golf resorts?
That GOP? I think this party is strangling itself, and it is a pleasure to watch them in their death throes.
Reynardine
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 7:46 am
To me, their growing arrogance looks like a sign that they think they won’t have to answer to an electorate at all soon.
SinghX
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 8:09 am
Yep…yet another November surprise…could this be the year our elections are finally “taken over” openly by blatant, partisan, illegal action? Are we so blind not to see that there is no choice, that republicans have been setting in motion an nation-wide plan to take over the election grid? Can’t we see what is being thrown in our face??
KatzKids
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 8:12 am
If they gain complete power again – they won’t. If we don’t stand up vote everyone of these #$%@ fanatics out, the destruction will be complete.
Peter Gatliff
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 10:03 am
Sounds like good old fashion “Fascism” to me. Boehner gave the American middle class a Christmas present. It will get worse before it gets better in this country. We have’nt seen anything yet.
Ron
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 10:41 am
Welcome to North Korea.
Dave
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 3:17 pm
HR 493 of the 112th Congress and the Constitution allows them to do this. Is it right? No, but I believe it is within the rules they all have agreed on.
Dave
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Edit – I mean to adjourn the session, not cut the cameras off. Not sure what the deal is there.
Pally
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Actually, the HR that was sited for adjournment had nothing to do with what happened.
H.R. 493 is described as follows: To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for forgiveness of certain
overpayments of retired pay paid to deceased retired members of the
Armed Forces following their death.
Not sure what that has to do with adjourning a session of the HoR. Keep your lies straight boys!!
chase
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 5:29 pm
ABOUT TIME! Finally Obama tells these tea bag thugs to go F themselves! Luv it.
Jan L.
Dec. 22nd, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Big Brother at work!