Thursday May 28, 2009
It’s a little after 7 p.m. and the House, in its own twisted way, is about the commemorate the start of its seventh hour of debate – and we use the term loosely because it’s really a coordinated filibuster – on the union-backed paid-sick-leave legislation.
We’re still on the first amendment and the plucky 37 House Republicans, whom I’m calling the “Thifty 37,” have slowed action down to a crawl. One after another, for hours on end, they have stood, one by one, with existential questions for Rep. Kevin Ryan, D-Montville, co-chairman of the Labor Committee.
Ryan has been on his feet for hours, occasionally getting bailed out by fellow Democats who will stand up and vamp for a few minutes while Ryan scurries to the men’s room.