by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The United States House of Representatives has 435 members, and currently 101 of those members are women. And while that is less than one-quarter of the total House membership, it is still a record high - and the current Speaker of the House is even a woman. Having a surge in female membership appears to be having a negative impact on the good old (white) boy network that has run Congress throughout its entire history.
Three female members of the House had clashes with the patriarchy this week, and two of those actually occurred at the Capitol on one of the few days that Congress had chosen to be in session.
The first incident involved outspoken Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California who was driving her SUV in Los Angeles last weekend when she noticed that police had pulled over a black driver. Congresswoman Waters parked her car along the side of the road and walked over to the police car to observe the encounter. Police threatened her with a ticket unless she moved her car, but she apparently chose to remain at the scene to monitor the situation with the black driver.
Then on Tuesday when the House was returning to session after it's long weekend off, two female representatives, one Republican and one Democrat, were verbally assaulted and dressed down by some of their male colleagues.
Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican of Wyoming and the House Republican Conference Chair, was at a meeting with House Republicans when several radical conservatives from the "Tea Party" caucus launched a barrage of criticism at her which basically questioned her loyalty to Trump. The group, which included several well known wing-nuts like Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, and Louis Gohmert, was incensed that Cheney was encouraging parents to take their medical cues from medical professionals like Dr Anthony Fauci over the sage medical advice of Donald "Let 'em drink bleach" Trump. There were also complaints that Cheney had endorsed a primary challenger who is running against Rep. Massie.
The goal of the group was apparently to force Cheney to resign her leadership position within the party - but she didn't budge.
Meanwhile, outside on the steps of the Capitol, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (AOC), a Democrat from the Bronx, was confronted by an angry Republican congressman from Florida. Ted Yoho, a three-term representative from the Florida panhandle who is not running for re-election, was angry over remarks that AOC had made on the floor of the House in which she blamed street crime on poverty and economic conditions. He said that AOC was "out of her freaking mind!" Representative Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho - whom she said that she had never even spoken to before - that he was rude. He then reportedly stormed off while muttering loud enough to be heard by a nearby reporter, "f_cking bitch!"
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, coaxed Yoho into apologizing on the floor of the House yesterday, Yoho had this to say:
Rep. Yoho completed his word salad with this turnip:
For her part, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez noted that Yoho's apology wasn't really an apology and he hadn't even bothered to address her by name in his remarks - and she declined to accept the verbose groveling.
The patriarchy may still control much of the machinery of Congress, but one cannot help feeling that male dominance is on the wane. The ladies, it would seem, are no longer content to sit quietly and let the men run the show. Change has been long overdue, and now suddenly it is at hand - and those male members of Congress who have trouble adapting to change might do well to follow in the footsteps of Congressman Yoho and pack it in!
Citizen Journalist
The United States House of Representatives has 435 members, and currently 101 of those members are women. And while that is less than one-quarter of the total House membership, it is still a record high - and the current Speaker of the House is even a woman. Having a surge in female membership appears to be having a negative impact on the good old (white) boy network that has run Congress throughout its entire history.
Three female members of the House had clashes with the patriarchy this week, and two of those actually occurred at the Capitol on one of the few days that Congress had chosen to be in session.
The first incident involved outspoken Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California who was driving her SUV in Los Angeles last weekend when she noticed that police had pulled over a black driver. Congresswoman Waters parked her car along the side of the road and walked over to the police car to observe the encounter. Police threatened her with a ticket unless she moved her car, but she apparently chose to remain at the scene to monitor the situation with the black driver.
Then on Tuesday when the House was returning to session after it's long weekend off, two female representatives, one Republican and one Democrat, were verbally assaulted and dressed down by some of their male colleagues.
Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican of Wyoming and the House Republican Conference Chair, was at a meeting with House Republicans when several radical conservatives from the "Tea Party" caucus launched a barrage of criticism at her which basically questioned her loyalty to Trump. The group, which included several well known wing-nuts like Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, Andy Biggs, and Louis Gohmert, was incensed that Cheney was encouraging parents to take their medical cues from medical professionals like Dr Anthony Fauci over the sage medical advice of Donald "Let 'em drink bleach" Trump. There were also complaints that Cheney had endorsed a primary challenger who is running against Rep. Massie.
The goal of the group was apparently to force Cheney to resign her leadership position within the party - but she didn't budge.
Meanwhile, outside on the steps of the Capitol, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (AOC), a Democrat from the Bronx, was confronted by an angry Republican congressman from Florida. Ted Yoho, a three-term representative from the Florida panhandle who is not running for re-election, was angry over remarks that AOC had made on the floor of the House in which she blamed street crime on poverty and economic conditions. He said that AOC was "out of her freaking mind!" Representative Ocasio-Cortez told Yoho - whom she said that she had never even spoken to before - that he was rude. He then reportedly stormed off while muttering loud enough to be heard by a nearby reporter, "f_cking bitch!"
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, coaxed Yoho into apologizing on the floor of the House yesterday, Yoho had this to say:
"I rise today to apologize for the abrupt manner of the conversation I had with my colleague from New York. It is true that we disagree on policies and visions for America, but that does not mean we should be disrespectful. I will commit to each of you that I will conduct myself from a place of passion and understanding that policy and political disagreement be vigorously debated with the knowledge that we approach the problems facing our nation with the betterment with the country in mind and the people we serve."
Rep. Yoho completed his word salad with this turnip:
"I cannot apologize for my passion for for loving my God, my family, and my country."
For her part, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez noted that Yoho's apology wasn't really an apology and he hadn't even bothered to address her by name in his remarks - and she declined to accept the verbose groveling.
The patriarchy may still control much of the machinery of Congress, but one cannot help feeling that male dominance is on the wane. The ladies, it would seem, are no longer content to sit quietly and let the men run the show. Change has been long overdue, and now suddenly it is at hand - and those male members of Congress who have trouble adapting to change might do well to follow in the footsteps of Congressman Yoho and pack it in!
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