Yesterday the big political drama was the dispute over the precise date President Obama would give his long-awaited jobs speech to a joint session of Congress. Would it be Wednesday night … or Thursday night? Now it has been decided: Obama didn’t really care, and didn’t really have a choice, since John Boehner is hosting, so Thursday it is.
With that out of the way, we can finally focus on the more substantive issues surrounding Obama’s jobs speech. For example: Will Congress go back to its bi-partisan seating arrangement???
In a show of unity following the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, members of Congress invited friends from the opposite party to sit next to them in the chamber during Obama’s State of the Union address. As senators and representatives paired off, it was almost like watching high-schoolers ask each other to the prom. And it looks like they may do the same thing again for Obama’s jobs speech. ABC News reports:
Asked on ABC’s “Top Line” today whether mixed seating — Democrats next to Republicans — will be in place like it was in January, at the State of the Union address, a top member of House Democratic leaders said he hopes so.
Sure, it sounds like a nice idea. But what happens if some people want to bring a different date this time? Will Tom Coburn feel insulted if Chuck Schumer decides to go with a member from his own state? Will John Thune develop an eating disorder if Kirsten Gillibrand asks Scott Brown to the speech? This could be a disaster.
Rep. Van Hollen: Bipartisan Seating Possible Again Next Week [Note/ABC News]
