The first verdict is “What an asshole!”
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a freshman GOP Congressman from Wisconsin, walked in on a group of high school-age Senate pages lying on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda to take cellphone photos of the Rotunda dome. According to an alleged transcript of his outburst prepared by one of the pages, Van Orden said, “Wake the fuck up you little shits…Get the fuck out of here. You are defiling the space!” Van Orden also called the teenagers “jackasses” and “lazy shits” according to the pages.
Maddy Pritzl, a former Senate page, took to Twitter to claim this was a tradition that she had observed herself seven years ago. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, engaged in a bipartisan pile-on, condemning Van Orden for his treatment of the pages. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested that the incident may have been a “misunderstanding” and said that he planned on talking to Van Orden, who, for his part, refused to apologize or express regret for his conduct.
“I have long said our nation’s Capitol is a symbol of the sacrifice our servicemen and women have made for this country and should never be treated like a frat house common room,” Van Orden said in a statement.
Who elects these people?
Observations:
2. (#1 is above) Van Orden is a hypocrite as well as too dumb to be a member of Congress. He thinks lying on the floor briefly to take a photo of the Rotunda dome is an insult to fallen members of the armed services (????) and “defiles the space,” but shouting “fuck,” “shit” and “jackass” is just fine. Wow.
3. Van Orden is a bully who abuses his power, position and authority. If the allegations are accurate, he should be required to apologize to the pages for his language.
4. Van Orden, as a member of Congress, is required to “behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.” He did not. He should be disciplined.
5. All of the above is predicated on the assumption that the pages’ account is fair and accurate. That Van Orden appears not to dispute it is evidence that it is, but an investigation is necessary.
6. Assuming that the accounts are correct, the Speaker’s reaction is fatuous. What “miscommunication” could justify Van Orden’s incivility?
7. Schumer and McConnell are standing up for the pages, and that is appropriate even if the teens’ behavior was inappropriate. Any reprimands of their pages should take place in private, and be delivered by the pages’ supervisors.
8. If Van Orden found the Senate pages’ conduct to be objectionable, his responsible course was a) to tell them to stop and 2) to report their conduct to the Senate authorities.
9. Democrats are ethically estopped from objecting to Van Orden’s language after taking no action when Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said, in public, of the President of the United States, “We’re gonna go in there and impeach the motherfucker!” She was not required to apologize, and faced no House discipline.
10. “It’s tradition!” is a rationalization, a version of the Golden Rationalization “Everybody does it.” If lying on the floor and taking a photo really does “defile the space,” being traditional doesn’t make the conduct any better. Of course, it doesn’t defile the space.
Kudos to Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tx) who imitated the position that the Senate pages had been reprimanded for in this tweet:
Ethics Alarms 
9. It depends on what their objection is and how they frame it. If the criticism is that profane language has no place in the Capitol, that would be hypocrisy. If the objection is that these pages didn’t deserve to be shouted at this way, that doesn’t really contradict any defense of Tlaib’s comment.
Spin. Re-read that #1 in the House Code.
Sounds like Chris to me. Who’s being avenged and why the mask?
Agreed.
One question, though: is the assholitude of Rep. Tlaib mitigated (relative to that of Rep. Van Orden) by either the fact that she was speaking in the third person and he in the second, and/or by the fact she, unlike Van Orden, wasn’t “punching down”?
I’m also intrigued by a statement late in one of the stories I read about the incident that the pages were “ordered” not to discuss the issue further. By whom? with what authority? Given the fact that they’re already in their last week, what can be done to them if they violate that dictum?
Oooh, I missed that. I can understand a general rule that pages should maintain professional confidentiality, but that sounds like an attempted cover-up, no?
Of course “someone” told them to keep quiet. Wouldn’t want there talk demeaning the honor of the House…..does this need a sarcasm tag?
Cool picture.
I wonder how many congresspeople are not petty tyrants.
Ain’t no such person. Happy to provide a list of other similarly qualified incumbents, if desired.
Senior Chief SEAL (Ret) Derrick Van Orden , served over 26 years on active-duty, with multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is a socialist who has worked tirelessly, for the last 4 years, to create, and exacerbate, many of the problems we now face.
There is no comparison between these two.
Senior Chief needs to revise his “motivational techniques” to make them more appropriate for civilian life, but he deserves more “slack” than is ours to give.
38 with a side of 22. You want fries with that?
Bonus points for Rationalization List literacy!!!
The list could use a rejigger. Regrouping and renumbering by type perhaps? Fallacious, reflexive, protective, venial…
Michael West did that a while back and maybe ten or 15 rationalizations ago. It’s just a big, time consuming job to do it, even after all his work, and I’ve never gotten around to it. But you are right.
Try again.
I’m not rationalizing anything. Nor am I trying to “forgive”, or “excuse” him for his totally predictable reaction. R. Tlaib made her remarks during a public speech. Van Orden made his late at night under semi-private conditions. (at least I HOPE they weren’t lying in the floor during public access hours) No one has accused him of profanity in his public speeches.
He took real offense at their perceived disrespect, his words were exactly what one would expect from someone of his background. You can call him a “bully” if you want, he wasn’t telling them to fetch coffee, he was making a point. and I’m sure he had their full attention. His words had no political aim.
You know how this game is played. C. Schumer and the dems have created this politically biased narrative, and Mitch and the Republicans will jump on board to avoid being on the wrong side of “verbal child abuse”, or some such label. Bipartisanship at its finest.
The situation simply is what it is. Some of these “children” had their delicate sensibilities injured. No “children” learned any words that some of them don’t use regularly. Perhaps some will have a new-found appreciation of where they are, and what that means. Perhaps respect for the Rotunda could begin with this staff. If YOU feel qualified to excoriate this man, do it, —(I don’t. I really, really don’t).
So keep your fries, don’t litter, and stay up off of the floor. (please, dammit) OR — please make a list of all of the National Landmarks where it is appropriate to act this way.
Does that pic of rep. ROY indicate that that area may normally be cordoned off…maybe because of too many tourists, etc. trying that stunt? If so, maybe the pages were a bit out of line. Not excusing Van Orden.
Cordoned or not, barring serious cervical damage, there is no reason to lay in the floor to see the ceiling. The behavior that you see in the photo is exactly what your average 3 yr old would be spanked for. Imagine a whole group of kids doing it. Now imagine that you have spent half of your life defending, and protecting their right to even STAND in that hallowed spot.
Americans routinely bathe in the fountains of Paris and Rome, take “selfies” of themselves “mooning” on the sacred mountains of the Orient, and “tag” our names on World Heritage Sites. (and the list goes on……) Is remaining upright, (or at least trying to), in the Capitol Rotunda too much to ask?