Time and tides flood the House
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Time and tides wait for no man, goes the phrase usually attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer.
Time doesn’t even wait for members of Congress.
“The conga line is forming,” a congressman said Sunday on the House floor, and no, it wasn’t the legendary poet.
The conga line is the parade of lawmakers waiting to put their remarks into the official record. It is used because time is fleeting, gets used up and most lawmakers want to be on the record for a historic vote and to cover themselves for the political fallout.
“Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks,” goes the usual formula.
“Without objection,” the speaker intones.
And the next lawmaker takes the podium to do it all over again.
The vote on the healthcare rule is expected within minutes, with the real debate on the measures upcoming.
--Michael Muskal
