Why are adult members of Congress acting like misbehaving children?
On Wednesday, Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee staged a protest against GOP Congressman Tom Price’s nomination as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Rather than act in a respectable manner befitting their responsibilities as public servants, Democrats boycotted the vote. Twelve chairs sat empty.
The Republicans in charge responded by suspending the rule that requires at least one Democrat to be present for every vote. Then, in a 14-0 vote, they sent Dr. Price’s nomination to the Senate floor for a full vote.
This is not the first time Democrats in Congress have gone off the rails when they didn’t get their way. On June 22, they staged a 25-hour sit-in to demand action on gun control. They sat together on the House floor, snapping photographs and violating House rules. Eventually they gave up and went home.
