Dean Nation's "Backbone" Award

Dean Nation regular Ian Bellis posted a great idea yesterday on the ZonkBoard: a Dean Nation "Backbone" Award. Well, Ian, you got it! Next week, I'd like to open it up for nominations, but this week, there is little doubt of the winners. For courage under fire, standing their ground in the face of adversity, and speaking truth to power, the first Backbone Award goes to:

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Representative Charles Rangel, and Democrats in the House of Representatives

From the Washington Post account:
Committee Democrats complained that the Republican majority had not given them enough time to review a substitute bill that they had received shortly before midnight Thursday. Most of the Democrats then moved to a nearby library to plot strategy after they demanded that Republicans read the legislation line by line.

Infuriated, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) instructed the Capitol Police to remove the Democrats from the ornate library. Republicans said Democrats were being disorderly and did not have the right to occupy the libary. [...]

Thomas...conceded that the Democrats could demand a line-by-line reading of the substitute. The reading began, with Thomas interrupting at one point to say loudly, "In the House, the minority can delay. They cannot deny."

When the Democrats left for the library, Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-Calif.) stayed behind to prevent the Republicans from obtaining unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. After several minutes, Thomas again asked unanimous consent to dispense with the reading, and instantly brought down his gavel. Stark said later that he had objected, and Thomas had replied, "You're too late."
From the New York Times account:
As protests go, it wasn't much. There were no nightsticks or tear gas, and nobody was arrested. But the conduct was far from orderly in the House of Representatives this morning, when more than a dozen Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee — infuriated by last-minute changes to a pension bill — stalked out of a hearing in the Longworth Office Building and holed up in an adjacent library, prompting Representative Bill Thomas, the committee's chairman, to summon the Capitol police. [...]

"The Greeks had a word for it: hubris," declared Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, who initiated the motion to rebuke Mr. Thomas and then played the role of prosecutor. "It was about power, abuse of power."

"This is indeed not an isolated instance!" thundered Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic whip, his face red, his finger wagging. He added, "You are trampling on the rights of the minority! You are trampling on the rules of this institution! This is America! This is not American!" [...]
More from The Post:
Sergeant at Arms representative Don Kellaher slipped into the room less than 45 minutes later, saying his office decided "this is a committee matter" and would take no action. Rather than concluding the fracas, however, this simply emboldened House Democrats. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) used a point of personal privilege to introduce a resolution on the House floor protesting the incident.
Video of Pelosi's reprimand of the Republicans on the House floor here. For other views, see Billmon at Whiskey Bar here and Kos at Daily Kos here.

On a personal note of irony, Pelosi is my former Rep. from San Francisco and Thomas is -- unfortunately -- my current Rep. from Bakersfield, CA. Hey Nancy, in my heart, you'll always be my Representative in the House.

UPDATE: Send Rep. Nancy Pelosi an e-mail and Rep. Charles Rangel some feedback (type in an NY zip like 10027) and let them know that you are a Howard Dean supporter, and that you are proud that they stood their ground and drew "a line in the sand!"

The way to beat the Republicans is to stand up and fight!

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