The Swamp

This leadership team will create the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi, November 16, 2006

Having promised to "drain the swamp" of Republican corruption in the first 100 hours of Democratic majority rule in the House, it looks like Speaker Pelosi may still have some work to do. In a scene that would have been more fitting for the House of Commons, the House fell apart last night when Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY) tried to take his ball and go home when a vote didn't go the Democrats' way.

From Politico:

In a massive flare-up of partisan tensions, Republicans walked out on a House vote late Thursday night to protest what they believed to be Democratic maneuvers to reverse an unfavorable outcome for them.

[...]

Details remain fuzzy, but numerous Republicans argued afterward that they had secured a 215-213 win on their motion to bar undocumented immigrants from receiving any federal funds apportioned in the agricultural spending bill for employment or rental assistance. Democrats, however, argued the measure was deadlocked at 214-214 and failed, members and aides on both sides of the aisle said afterward.

[...]

Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) eventually offered a motion to reconsider, according to floor staff on either side, ostensibly giving members a chance to recast their votes. But the maneuver sparked a chorus of angry protests from the Republicans, yelling “shame” on Democrats, while they returned fire with angry volleys of their own.

When Democrats finally moved to consider the spending bill as the last vote of the night, furious Republicans left the chamber en masse to protest the maneuver. The House eventually recessed at 11:18 p.m. But Republicans quickly discovered that there was no longer any record of the controversial vote and immediately charged Democrats with erasing the bad result.

The following is video of Hoyer's motion, and the ensuing fallout:

According to the NRCC, on the re-vote four Democrats were strong-armed by party leaders into changing their votes. They were Nick Lampson (TX), Harry Mitchell (AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), and Zack Space (OH). In this video, you can see them all heading back up to the clerk to change their votes:

Remember, the issue the Democrats are opposing here is legislation that would prevent federal funds being used for housing allowances for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, er, I mean "undocumented immigrants." Between their sleep-overs to support terrorists in Iraq and their willingness to lie, cheat, and steal to help illegal immigrants, it seems that Democrats have very clear priorities, and they don't favor the well being of the United States of America.

Roy Blunt, the Republican Whip, takes the Democrats to task for their poor behavior:

It's no wonder that the Congressional approval rating has sunk to just 24%. If Pelosi and Co. really believed in their so-called "mandate of the people," they would be resigning en masse instead of engaging in underhanded, corrupt "do-overs" on the House floor.