Apparently the recent footage captured during the voting process for speaker of the house was such a success that people are asking for continued free roaming cameras to capture more Congress Gone Wild footage.
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We all know that Congress members realize they are in the national spotlight for every action they take while battling in the chambers of Congress, and sometimes that has a negative effect on how the country is run. But as advocates for transparency, more cameras might mean more careful lawmaking.
Washington Examiner reports. With viewers and House members wowed by the unusual camera work of C-SPAN during the multiday vote for speaker, C-SPAN has asked House leaders for permission to continue free-ranging with its cameras.
In a letter to new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican and Democratic leadership, C-SPAN Co-CEO Susan Swain expressed her desire to add its cameras in the chamber so that they could capture the action in the seats, not just the podium and tables where speeches are given to House-controlled stationary cameras.
In a tweet Swain stated”The public, press and member reaction to C-SPAN’s coverage — along with the ‘transparency’ themes in your new rules package have encouraged us to resubmit a request we have made to our predecessors without success: Allow C-SPAN to cover House floor proceedings on behalf of our network and all congressionally-accredited news organizations”
Cameras captured some incredible footage last week during the speaker votes.
Fox news reports, representative McCarthy’s bid for speaker nearly sparked a fistfight between Rep. Mike Rogers and Rep. Matt Gaetz, but that wouldn’t be the first time lawmakers have clashed.
Watch
House of Representatives and Senate lawmakers have a checkered history of attacking each other over disagreements, with fights ranging from a single punch to the drawing of firearms.House of Representatives and Senate lawmakers have a checkered history of attacking each other over disagreements, with fights ranging from a single punch to the drawing of firearms.
A pair of Connecticut and Vermont lawmakers, Roger Griswold and Matthew Lyon, were involved in one of the first widely recorded incidents in 1798. Griswold called Lyon a “scoundrel” during a disagreement, a term considered aggressive at the time. Following Lyon’s spitting, Griswold and Lyon fought until their colleagues separated them.
Just prior to the Civil War, many political fights were sparked by debates over slavery. In 1850, Thomas Benton of Missouri, a Democrat who opposed slavery, drew a pistol and pointed it at his colleague, Henry Foote of Mississippi, during a long disagreement about the topic. Benton’s colleagues were able to talk him down before he fired, however.
The spectacle that unfolded during the vote for the new House Speaker had everyone in shock and awe, and it was all due to C-SPAN’s innovative camera work. What appeared to be a giant theater play or modern circus spectacle was broadcast across the country, highlighting not only the dramatic events that occurred but also how quickly technology has advanced. As C-SPAN co-CEO Susan Swain expressed, she and her team believe that “adding our cameras in the chamber” will help capture the action each day – quite the spectacle. It’s no surprise many viewers and House members have come out in full support for this unique approach. It looks like it’s now up to House leaders to decide if this type of coverage should continue as these events unfold each day.
Let’s continue this conversation, in the comments below.
