Who is emulating who?

I’ve been traveling for business for the better part of two weeks, I’m just starting to catch up on seeing what is going on in the blogosphere and blogging in general.

This story  that I found over at Captain’s Quarters caught my interest:

Oh, When They Get Behind Closed Doors … Watch Out

Oh, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors …

I’m old enough to remember the old Charlie Rich ballad when it was a huge crossover hit. While the song talked about private love, the new session of the Senate may need the same reference to talk about its new approach to public policy. Harry Reid has called for a closed-door session of the entire Senate to kick off the 110th Congress, excluding the press and the public:

Senate Democrats, who campaigned on a pledge of more openness in government, will kick off the 110th Congress with a closed meeting of all 100 senators in the Capitol.

Sen. Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who will be the majority leader when the new Congress convenes Jan. 4, announced yesterday "a joint caucus meeting" for senators only, to be held that morning in the old Senate chamber, a cozy, seldom-used room. …

Reid’s staff said that the planned joint caucus will not amount to a legislative session because no business will be conducted and that it will probably occur before the new Congress officially opens. But Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called it a bad precedent.

"When you get all 100 members of the Senate in a room, that’s no longer a caucus. That’s the Senate," she said. "I think the American people will see through that. I think the only way to restore public trust in what the Congress is up to is to have more transparency than less."

I live in central NH in Belknap County.  Recently, one of the County Commissioners passed away, and the local Republicans started a godawful howling from the local citizenry as they decided to have closed door meetings in selecting a new Comissioner.  After the Press complained, local radio shows (our Meet The New Press certainly ladled out the derision), and the local papers adequately reported (and Doug and I castigated the local Republicans personally at their regular meeting), they did it again….

Apparently, they had a secret ballot in a closed meeting to finally select their new member.  And it seems to be a 180 from the NH Right To Know law – multiplying the offense of arrogance that was repaid during the recent election (NH went from a Republican to a Democratic state).

Good going, guys! (note sarcasm).

Well, at least they seem to be in good company.  After all, Speaker-elect Pelosi and Majority-Elect Reid were campaigning on the Republican "culture of corruption", right?

Good start, guys (note sarcasm).

Seems that arrogance knows no level (local or national) or party (Republican or Democrat).

And these pols wonder why they are held in such low regard????

Pat yourselves on the back guys…frankly, the rest of us want to do something else to your backsides…