Republicans propose banning livestreams on the House floor
It's officially to maintain order, but it would conveniently silence dissent.
Remember when House Democrats staged a sit-in to insist on a vote for gun control legislation, and relied on livestreams and social networks to keep their message alive when TV cameras weren't running? Republicans weren't happy about that... and now, they're hoping to prevent a similar protest from happening again. The party has proposed measures that would fine members of Congress up to $2,500 ($500 for the first offense) if they record or livestream images and audio on the House floor. According to Paul Ryan spokeswoman Ashlee Strong, it's meant to "ensure that order and decorum are preserved" so that politicians can "do the people's work."
The measure won't be retroactive. Democrats who participated in the sit-in won't get a rude surprise, then. It will, however, cut directly into any offender's net salary.
While it's true that the protest was largely symbolic (not to mention ineffective) in a Republican-controlled House, it's also clear that there's significant spin going on here. A ban on livestreams and social photos conveniently shuts down attempts to draw attention to issues that might otherwise be swept under the rug. Also, it's not clear that this will be much of a deterrent when the average Representative is paid $174,000 per year. House members that participated in the sit-in are already vowing that the threat of fines won't stop them in the future. In that regard, the proposal is more a shot across the bow than anything -- it's a bid to discourage dissent before Republicans assume greater control of the US government in 2017.
