Republicans and tourists: A History Lesson

As the talkathon on the House floor continues, Republicans addressed an unusual crowd compared to their Democratic opponents: Tourists in t-shirts and shorts coming from as far away as Texas.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) explained the historical parallel between the Republicans and the famous lawmakers portrayed on the walls above the House floor. Lawmakers like Napoleon made the right decisions when the time came, Barton said.

Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said Republicans are sending a letter to House Democrats interested in debating the offshore drilling ban. Democrats need to interrupt House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s book tour and begin debating, said Blunt.

“Our speaker is not showing tolerance,” said Barton (R-Tx.). Barton said he has a “real problem” with Pelosi not letting the Democratic bill on offshore drilling come to the floor when other Democrats like Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) are willing to work with Republicans. Drilling on a 3 square mile area of Alaska would give us 11 billion barrels of oil, said Barton.

Barton pointed to the Daniel Webster quote etched on the wall above the House press gallery and read the words “let us develop our resources” out loud. He called for the United States to acknowledge that quote and drill on American soil.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) said the energy crisis is only an annoyance for wealthy Americans, but it is a severe problem for the poor. 68 percent of oil drillers are small companies, and they need to continue to drill to survive, Bishop said.