Speaker of the House Paul Ryan turned off C-SPAN’s cameras, but he was not able to stop the network from broadcasting video of the Democratic protest that has shut down the House of Representatives that is being shot by Rep. Scott Peters and shown on Periscope.
C-SPAN’s broadcast of the Democratic live stream contains a hint of their displeasure over Speaker Ryan’s decision to turn off the cameras:
C-SPAN also made it clear who is controlling the cameras:
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C-SPAN has also been active on its Twitter account:
C-SPAN has no control over the U.S. House TV cameras.
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 22, 2016
C-SPAN has no control over the U.S. House TV cameras. Now showing a @periscopeco from @RepScottPeters. pic.twitter.com/L3JeHuSdL5
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 22, 2016
Speaker Ryan made a huge mistake by trying to black out the protest. As soon as Ryan turned off C-SPAN’s cameras on the House floor, interest in the protest grew exponentially. Democrats on the House floor are hearing that Republicans are getting nervous about the protest, but they are afraid to give in. Republicans fear that giving in for the Democrats’ demand for a vote on gun control would lead to more problems for them later.
The idea of doing what the vast majority of Americans support doesn’t enter into the minds of House Republicans. The Republicans aren’t going to allow a vote on common sense gun legislation. It doesn’t matter what the American people want. The attitude of putting the NRA first, and the American people last is why Democrats have shut down the House, and it is also why Republicans deserve to be tossed out of the majority in November.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
