Mark Steyn, fortunately, comes from a former Crown Colony, where there is a strong tradition of real back-and-forth debate. He was on a panel that was being insulted, both as a group and individually, by Senator Markey, who fully expected he could just waltz away without challenge as he, and all Senators, had done before. Mark Steyn, bless him, was having none of that. He challenged, questioned and debated Markey on his false points. He also broke a bad, nearly totalitarian, "rule-tradition" that was imposed in Congress, but doesn't exist anywhere else in the English Speaking World.
Let us hope that Mark Steyn has undone that old, dictatorial, "tradition" and forced a more open dialogue to be part of these Congressional Hearings from now on.
Bravo to Mark Steyn! m/r
The GOP Don't Never Dance With Them What Brung Them :: SteynOnline
by Mark Steyn - Steyn on America -
... Markey didn't "commandeer" the proceedings. He was just blowharding off, and me and Judith Curry decided to blowhard right back at him, to the point where the big wimp cleared out and chose not to return for the second round of questions.
It might be truer to say that the Democrats as a whole commandeered the proceedings. But even that would not be strictly correct. What happened is that Senate Republicans chose to permit the Dems to commandeer them.
How did that happen? Ted Cruz's Science committee is a sub-committee of the Senate Commerce committee. The sub-committee has six Republican members, five Democrats. The senior party representatives on the overall Commerce committee - John Thune (Republican) and Bill Nelson (Democrat) - are ex officio members of the sub-committee and are also permitted to attend. So there should have been seven Republicans and six Democrats in the room that afternoon. Instead:
All the Democratic subcommittee members were present and accounted for: Senator Tom Udall, (D-NM), the Ranking Member; Senator Ed Markey (D-MA); Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ); Senator Gary Peters (D-MI); Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI). Also in attendance, the Ranking Member of Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL).-go to links-
In Washington, as Woody Allen once joked, ninety percent of success is showing up. All the Democrats showed up.
However, John Thune (R-SD), Chairman of the full committee, was a no-show.
Thus, the most senior Senator present for the hearing, in an institution dedicated to Seniority (hence the name "Senate"), was a Democrat.
Only one other Republican was present on the dais, Senators Steve Daines (R-MT). All the other G.O.P. members, including Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) were absent. Message: I don't care.
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