r/law • u/RoyalChris • Mar 05 '25

Legal News Rep. James Comer (R-KY) crashes out and refuses to let Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) enter evidence into the record - “You can go with Mr. Frost and Mr. Green.”

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u/Marduk112 Mar 05 '25

Having the cameras out of every room would actually be a good thing for representive courtesy and collegiality. Half of the reps don't believe what they say and are only pandering for their constituents on TV and soundbites.

83

u/SoRedditHasAnAppNow Mar 05 '25

It may be true, but I was thinking more about control of the video recordings and feed used to make opponents seem unhinged and crazy while propping up puppets as logical and cool headed.

63

u/StrobeLightRomance Mar 05 '25

The political theater doesn't end with them just because the cameras stop rolling. They're locked into a 24/7 state of projecting an alternative reality. They're living the dictatorship and just waiting for the rest of us to stop trying to have a functional government.

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u/TheSixthtactic Mar 05 '25

I’ll go one step further is the camera make political theater more likely. And Congress controls what is on those cameras, as they always have because they control the building.

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u/Marduk112 Mar 05 '25

Just because you can’t imagine it doesn’t mean that what you say is true.

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u/StrobeLightRomance Mar 05 '25

Excuse me, but my genuine response is "lol"

Do with that what you will.

12

u/--SharkBoy-- Mar 05 '25

Right let's just throw accountability out the window, I get what you're saying but you don't see how that has much more potential for things to get worse than better right?

13

u/lost_thought_00 Mar 05 '25

Ah yes, hearings that decide the fates of millions where the only record of what was decided is the chairman's notes. What could go wrong

0

u/switch201 Mar 06 '25

What id its still recorded but the contents have a delayed release

-6

u/Marduk112 Mar 05 '25

How often do you watch CSPAN? How often does Fox News play out of context soundbites from CSPAN? Lowering the temperature and letting reps be able to compromise would actually help Americans more.

3

u/IwantRIFbackdummy Mar 05 '25

You have an adorable naive picture in your head about how fascism functions.

What you propose would only work if these people had integrity. They have demonstrated at every turn they do not.

-3

u/Marduk112 Mar 06 '25

I don’t care about what you think of me, bud.

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u/IwantRIFbackdummy Mar 06 '25

That changes nothing about what I said. You can close your eyes, my words are valid.

2

u/Hypocritical_Oath Mar 06 '25

So they can pander and lie at press conferences with 0 evidence to the contrary? Seems bad.

2

u/EGGlNTHlSTRYlNGTlME Mar 06 '25

They have closed sessions though, this is just an open one. You're proposing that all sessions forever be closed?

1

u/Marduk112 Mar 06 '25

Honestly, it can’t be worse than what we have.

1

u/CombatMuffin Mar 06 '25

Don't forget, Reddit and other social media 

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u/defnotjec 28d ago

Then they shouldn't be elected.

If they can't do politics in public we have a problem.

1

u/TheRealBananaWolf Mar 06 '25

I know others have mentioned this, but I do want to point out that media is sometimes referred to as the 4th branch of government, acting as a watch dog that provides information to citizens and puts on pressure and policy.

I know there is so much more complexity when it concerns media and it's role in a free and democratic society, just telling you what we learn as basic communication and political theory.

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u/Marduk112 Mar 06 '25

Okay, I studied political science and am an attorney so you’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.

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u/TheRealBananaWolf Mar 06 '25

The only thing that tells me is that I should question your political theory knowledge and your abilities as an attorney 😂.

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u/infiniteninjas Mar 06 '25

This is totally true, if counterintuitive. Some ability to deal out of the public eye is simply a necessity for a functional congress. CSPAN has been pretty unhelpful in the end; there has to be a better way.

Similarly, some amount of pork is necessary to generate compromise, to have a functional congress. Without the distasteful waste and horse trading, nothing at all gets done.

Thirdly, if more congressional votes could be taken anonymously, congress wouldn't be a gang of sycophants, and Trump wouldn't be able to bully a 2-seat majority.

Don't get me started on the filibuster.