As Grist reported, Republicans miffed about Congress going on August recess without a vote on offshore drilling started a sit-in in the Capitol on Friday. The shenanigans continued until police escorted the tourists out of the chamber at 4:30 p.m., and GOP lawmakers went home for the night.
“Today is the 2008 version of the Boston Tea Party,” said Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.).
Apparently they’re back. A dozen or so have vowed to continue their protest.
“We realize not everyone can be in Washington next week,” Republican leaders John Boehner of Ohio and Roy Blunt of Missouri wrote in a note to their caucus. “But if you can be, we ask that you come to the Capitol, join our colleagues, and lend your voice, beginning this Monday at 10 am.”
As the protest continued, legislators used Boehner’s “Republican Uprising” blog to draw comparisons to the founding fathers, and even to declare their protest more important than the founding of the nation. (They’ve also started a Twitter feed and are putting up photos on their Flickr page. Apparently the “2008 Boston Tea Party” is a 2.0 affair.)
“This could be America’s greatest hour,” said Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.).
Bonus: Though they kicked out CSPAN’s cameras on Friday, someone took some home-footage of the proceedings:
