A movement for bipartisan seating in the traditionally polarized State of the Union Address is gaining traction among members of Congress. Several key Republicans and Democrats have already signed on to the idea, which would literally intersperse Dems and GOP members for the President’s annual speech. Get the more on this story, with pictures and video, below!
Spearheaded by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Senator Mark Udall (D-Colo.), above, the movement already has the support of two dozen congress members. Murkowski says the new idea should set a positive mood for cooperation in the 112th congress.
She said in a statement:
“Congressional reaction to the president’s State of the Union address has increasingly come to symbolize the sharp partisan divide in Congress. So we think a good first step towards greater civility would be for senators and congressmen, Republicans and Democrats, to sit together in the House chamber on Jan. 25 when President Obama addresses a joint session.”
With the January 25th State of the Union Address rapidly approaching, it’s unclear how the Senators’ bipartisan seating plans will be implemented. Despite the seemingly organized seating in Congress that sits Republicans on the right and Democrats on the left, official policy states that there is no assigned seating in the forum. Therefore it will be left up to individual members to cross the aisle on Jan. 25. Murkowski and Udall wrote in an open letter to their colleagues stressing the importance of making the effort.
“The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room – while the other side sits – is unbecoming of a serious institution,” they wrote. “And the message that it sends is that even on a night when the President is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.”
Udall has taken to twitter to keep his followers up to date on the movement’s growing support, tweeting Friday, “bipartisan seating at the #SOTU is catching on. GOP’s #3 leader, Kevin McCarthy, just said he’s open to it.”
With Americans gearing up for an epic clash of wills in congress over the controversial Health Care Reform and impending vote on the national debt ceiling, seeing even a paltry effort at bipartisanship is encouraging. Still, united seating at the State of the Union Address certainly doesn’t translate into a cooperative and productive 112th Congress. But it is a step in the right direction. What do you think of the proposed SOTU seating? Would mixed seating be an improvement over previous years? Or is it an empty gesture? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section after you check out the pictures and video below!
Photos: www.wenn.com/Carrie Devorah
January 17th, 2011 at 3:25 am
This is a terrible idea. What are the ulterior motives? Well, for Murkowski it will provide cover for herself and other RINOS who stand to applaud with the Dems. Remember how Murkowski voted in the lame duck session?
Secondly, don’t put it past the Democrats to bring in a choreographer to seat them in such a way that it will appear that Obammy has almost unanimous approval whenever they stand and applaud.
Personally I’d like to see the Republicans remain seated with their arms crossed only moving when they need to scratch their noses with their middle fingers.
Cooperation is overrated. Ask the Democrats.
January 17th, 2011 at 7:23 am
This is a big mistake. Evil needs to at least be isolated. It’s what evil fears the most. Evil must hide. It is only when evil is recognized, shows its ugly face, that it may be combated.
Obama is making a career out of pandering to evil and this is just the most recent step. We already know that Satan is amongst us, and making great strides. Just put him over there somewhere, OK?
January 17th, 2011 at 7:34 am
Monkey-
I agree
2 years of partisan-demo meetings so what is their motive?
Keep all the Demo’s in a group and head cheerleader NancyPelooski can lead the “wave”
January 17th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Affirmative action never works
January 17th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
How come they didnt want to sit together before ?
All of a sudden because of some freaking loonatic we all need to do the Kumbaya thing ?
That makes no sense unless you’re trying to compromise the effectiveness of your opponents.
Hey, I’ll sit around the campfire with you but if you wanna seat us boy girl boy girl and start singing Kumbaya I’ll smack you upside the head with my smore.
Get real ass-hole
January 17th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Even kindergarteners manage to sit together for a couple of hours a day without tantrums. I would hope the United States Congress could manage it.
January 17th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
“Even kindergarteners manage to sit together for a couple of hours a day without tantrums. I would hope the United States Congress could manage it.”
Are you serious ?
Comparing big clueless babies with no concept of political ideology to a bunch of old idiots making the most important decisions in the world ?
Class rooms are assigned seating so the kids are not distracted and so the teacher has a better abilty to teach without impedements.
Basically you want to force adults to do whats not natural to them.
Maybe we should do this at sporting events too.
Because in all reality, politics is a game.
Typical moonbat sht.
Like I said, affirmative action was a failure.
You’d think you guys would learn by now that not everyone can get along regardless of the utopic visions you carry
January 17th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Actually, I don’t think comparing today’s congress to a bunch of five year olds is too far off the mark.
And your affirmative action comparison is apples and oranges. Racial segregation was chosen by one race and forced on the other. Congressional segregation was one of the few bipartisan results we’ve seen.
January 17th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
“Actually, I don’t think comparing today’s congress to a bunch of five year olds is too far off the mark.”
Yeah, I was being funny.
“And your affirmative action comparison is apples and oranges.”
No, not really.
This as much a use of force as is any other segrative action.
Its just playing dress up for the public, its bullsht.
Democrat and republicans are back and forth to each constantly on a daily basis comunicating if and when they need to. Its leftist bullsht posturing concieved over the false pretense that it will be the cure for what happened in Tuscon.
Never let that crisis go to waste baby.
These idiots know this suggestion is going nowhere and when the rejections start flying in from the right it’ll just give the left a chance to say ” see, we tried but they didnt want to”
When the whole time non of them, left or right really think its a good idea.
Its stupid and coniving and will never happen.
Wanna bet ?
January 17th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Assigned seating, affirmative actions suck.
Ever been to wedding reception and get stuck at a table full of folks you know you dont get along with ?
I’ve organized many a banquet, thousands.
Trust me. When people can sit where they want theres a better chance of peace.
And yeah, the only discrimination I suggest would be the seperate kiddy table.
Engineering a population no matter how small or large is never a good idea
January 17th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
When people can sit where they want theres a better chance of peace.
True ’nuff. But to me the current arrangement seems forced, as opposed to some random arrangement. Like open seating in a theater, maybe.
January 17th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
“True ’nuff. But to me the current arrangement seems forced, as opposed to some random arrangement. Like open seating in a theater, maybe.”
How, please tell me, does the current 200+ year old system seem forced ?
It is random.
They choose not to sit together.
Does anyone seriously believe that this will make any difference at all ?
And does any one believe that these two major parties are not in constant communication with each other, wheelin n dealin ?
Its bullsht posturing and then everyone will go back to their corner in between rounds.
Its fruitless, its stupid, its grandios naivety,and it’ll just look nice for a couple hours. Besides, its been done voluntarily on the steps of the capitol by all of congress in tribute/memorial to the Tuscon victims.
Tell me you’re not hip to all the bullsht suggestions weve seen since Tuscon knowing still that politics played no role in the madmans actions.
All of a sudden now were seeing requests to change the rhetoric, shut down talk radio, change our speech in forums, bring about more restrictions and on and on.
Its all bullsht