Wednesday - November 22, 2006

Office Space

My first thought upon reading this was that if Republicans pulled this kind of grab, the Donks would be screaming to high heaven and the NY Times would be yelling even louder about how Republicans are “oppressing” the minority party. My second thought was that the Donks and the Slimes have been doing precisely that since 1994.

Odds are the Republicans will not complain and will just sulk and pout and move into the closets that the Donks leave them. Not a decent backbone in the whole bunch as far as I can see. Pelosi and company are going to ride roughshod over the GOP in Congress and this is just the first sign. You can forget all that bullshit about “bipartisan efforts”. It’s going to be a long two years ....

Spoils of Prime Office Space Go to Democrats
_{WASHINGTON (NY TIMES) — November 22, 2006}

Forget those pesky leadership fights. The folks who run Congress are now getting down to what really matters on Capitol Hill: dividing up the office space. In something of a break with recent tradition, the incoming Democratic speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, is planning to expropriate the second-floor suite of offices now occupied by the current speaker, J. Dennis Hastert — a handful of rooms providing a spectacular view of the Mall.

That space has been in Republican hands for 50 years or so, even when Democrats were in charge. In fact, the main offices are so strongly associated with Republicans that they were officially designated the Robert H. Michel Rooms by the House in 1995 in honor of the popular former Republican leader.

While there might be some private grumbling by Republicans about the Democratic land grab, even Mr. Michel sees nothing wrong with Ms. Pelosi wanting to move into his namesake space.

“The speaker is the speaker,” Mr. Michel said in an interview. “They reign supreme over on the House side, and they can pretty much do anything they want to.” While Democrats are moving up, Republicans are downsizing, abandoning their preferred spots and planning to squeeze into the current, tighter digs of the Democrats.

Even as Republicans were voting last week on their new leaders, a couple of top staff members from the office of the current majority leader, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, just happened to stop by Ms. Pelosi’s office to visit with some Democratic friends — and take a peek at their likely new quarters. Mr. Boehner will be minority leader when the new Congress convenes in January.

And on Monday, the new Democratic majority leader, Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, toured Mr. Boehner’s present offices on the first floor of the Capitol to see where his furniture might go. Note to President Bush: No word on whether any drapes were measured.

Vice President Dick Cheney might also come out a loser in this literal floor fight. Democrats have an eye on an office on the House side that Republicans granted to him as a kind of second home in the Capitol, to complement his office on the other wing of the building, where, by virtue of the Constitution, he presides over the Senate (he has no formal role in the House). Representative Charles B. Rangel, Democrat of New York, is interested in reclaiming Mr. Cheney’s House space for the Ways and Means Committee.

Given the finite amount of space in the landmark building and the natural competitiveness of politicians, office space has always been currency in the Capitol. Lawmakers leverage their majority and seniority for the top views, the most convenience and suitably impressive surroundings to dazzle their constituents, supporters and even themselves. To many members of Congress and their equally status-conscious staffs, you are where you sit.

To Democrats, one of the chief fringe benefits of the coming takeover is that they will no longer be at the logistical mercy of Republicans. In fact, one of Ms. Pelosi’s best applause lines during last week’s leadership elections was when she raised the subject of a room for future Democratic meetings. “We can have any room we want now,” she told her approving colleagues.

Even as it became apparent that Democrats could regain the majority, Republicans were starting to wonder if Ms. Pelosi might be interested in the speaker’s rooms. On Monday she toured the offices that Mr. Hastert has called home, and aides said she was inclined to grab them.

Democratic aides say it is mainly a matter of needing more space, especially since the construction of a visitors’ center on the east front of the Capitol cut into current Democratic space, including the offices that had been the center of House power when Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. ruled. Democratic leadership aides are scattered around the building, including a makeshift office in a renovated part of what had been the members’ dining room.

“We have offices tucked away on four different floors,” said Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for Ms. Pelosi, who said the new offices would allow the staff to be consolidated. But there are other perquisites. The office now occupied by Mr. Hastert faces the Mall and comes with a balcony that has been the scene of many a reception, staff party and occasional marriage proposal while providing great viewing of the Fourth of July fireworks.

Mr. Michel said the offices came under a long-term Republican lease back in the mid-1950s when Sam Rayburn of Texas decided that his Republican counterpart, Joseph Martin of Massachusetts, could stay there after he was ousted as speaker when Democrats regained control.

- More ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 11/22/2006 at 12:31 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists •  
• Comments (7) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.

Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner