With bangs of gavel, Frank lays down law
WASHINGTON -- For 12 long years in the minority, House Democrats used the lazy hours of legislative debate to score political points on the ruling party, using procedural objections to make Republicans squirm before the C-SPAN audience.
But when Republicans tried to turn the tables yesterday, they had a well-schooled adversary sitting in for the speaker of the House: Representative Barney Frank , the Newton Democrat who had done his own time on the House floor performing for the cameras. In typical Frank fashion, the Republican objection was dispatched quickly -- and with a bite.
Republicans were trying to seize on the disclosure that American Samoa was exempted from a minimum wage bill that passed the House a day earlier -- which some suspected would benefit Starkist, a company located in the San Francisco district of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The House had moved on to stem-cell research by yesterday, but Representative Patrick McHenry , a North Carolina Republican, rose to ask about the minimum wage bill.
Frank, a well-known master of parliamentary tactics, banged the gavel: McHenry's query wasn't a "parliamentary inquiry," he said. Yet McHenry persisted. How could he find out whether the bill was indeed what he thought it was, he asked Frank.
One option would be to ask the sponsors during normal debate time, Frank responded.
"The other way I could say that the gentlemen could find out would be by reading the bill," Frank added. "Read the bill and it will tell you."
McHenry then got some help from Representative Joe Barton , a Texas Republican. "My point of order is, the distinguished speaker, when he was in the minority, numerous times made points of order that were . . ."
The gavel came out again.
"That is not . . . comments. . . . The gentleman will suspend!" Frank bellowed, the gavel again striking the desk. "Comments on the past behavior of the speaker might be interesting, but they are not points of order."
"The gentleman from Texas will suspend!" Frank said, his voice rising to carry over Barton's. "And the gentleman from Texas, Mr. [Michael] Burgess, is recognized to yield time to someone who might actually want to debate the bill." 