Hypocrisy from Dem Oregon House Majority Leader over DC ‘Sit in’

by Rep. Bill Post

As America has watched this week, the U.S. House Democrats staged a “sit in” on the House floor. Now I am not debating the issue but rather the hypocrisy of our own Oregon House Majority Party leadership.

How?

In February of this year when the Oregon House was moving at “lightning speed” toward passing many bills, the House Republicans (minority party) followed the Oregon Constitution and chose to have all bills read in their entirety, as a “slow down” tactic. Some may not have agreed with that, but it was and is “constitutional”.

House Majority Leader Rep. Jennifer Williamson was quoted in a Medford Mail Tribune/AP article saying: “These obstructionist, D.C.-style politics are not what Oregonians expect from the legislature. To be clear, these political stunts won’t stop us from standing up for Oregonians’ priorities.”

So clearly she is and was against the move the Oregon House Republicans made and she has the right to have that opinion. Now, however, as the U.S. House Democrats are waging the same tactics via the “sit in,” she has launched a petition in which she makes this statement: “We support the courageous U.S. Representatives who conducted a sit-in on the House Floor until votes are scheduled.”

So which way do you want it Rep. Williamson? “DC style obstruction?” Or not?

Hypocrisy is something we do NOT need in Oregon. I think the Oregon House Majority could learn a thing or two from the US House Majority!

[NOTE: Unlike the Oregon “slow down” by Republicans which was Constitutional, the “sit in” by Democrats in the U.S. House in DC violated House rules and included prohibited displays.]

Bill Post is the Republican Oregon House representative from District 25 (Keizer, St. Paul, Newberg and parts of rural Marion and Yamhill Counties)