Dems Holding A Sit-In On The House Floor

By
James Williams
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WASHINGTON – Well in a move reminiscent of the 1960’s the Democrats have actually are sitting on the floor in a good old fashioned sit-in. The goal of the group is an attempt to compel Republican leadership to allow votes on gun control legislation, some Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday that is now going on its fifth hour and there does not seem to be any reason that they will stop.

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), an influential member of the civil rights movement, kicked off the protest with a speech, and then Democrats sat down on the House floor. At the moment there about a 60 Democratic members giving speeches about gun violence. It is an unprecedented move in the House where there are no cameras on because the body is no longer in session.

That means C-SPAN is not covering the action, there are no clerks or stenographers on duty because of Congress is ready for a scheduled break. Meanwhile, the gallery where people are allowed to sit and watch Congress while they are in session is almost completely filled as they are watching history.

Right now social media is the only place to follow the action via Twitter and Periscope. The cameras controlled by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, have currently been turned off.

The House went into recess after reconvening briefly at noon when the Democrats refused to get up from the floor, and cameras are traditionally turned off during recess. The Senate voted on four gun control measures Monday, and all four failed to reach the 60-vote threshold required to overcome Republican opposition.

James Williams
Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.