Posted on 01/18/2011 12:24:16 PM PST by markomalley
When did members start sitting by party during the State of the Union?
As with most everything concerning the State of the Union, the congressional seating chart has a lot to do with tradition.
Political parties have been sitting separately in Congress since the 1840s, according to the Congressional Research Service. The custom held during presidential speeches as well.
Back then, Whigs sat to the left of the speaker and Democrats to the right. Swap Republicans for Whigs and you have the current seating tradition.
Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) plan to break with the norm by sitting together during this year's speech, an effort on their part to promote bipartisanship in the wake of the deadly shooting in Arizona.
We don't know yet where they will sit.
Aside from seats reserved for the Senate in the front of the House chamber and those for leadership, seating remains first come, first serve — as it has been for most of Congress' history.
In the past, members living around D.C. often got the best spots by arriving early to stake out.
And that is yet another tradition that remains alive and well today.
It is so heartwarming to see their fellowship and conviviality blossom.
What a DUMBASS Coburn is!! EVERYTIME Chuckie stands up to clap, the cameras will be on Coburn sitting! IDIOT.....I am so disappointed in him.
My personal opinion is that seating in both houses of congress should be assigned via a random drawing held at the beginning of each session.
If I recall correctly, back in those days men still engaged in dueling. Separation reduced conflict.
So Democrats don’t like looking like the minority they are, so the representatives ELECTED BY THE VOTERS will mixed it up to make them feel/look better. Do I have this right?
...or, they will be on Coburn standing and clapping.
Aw-w-w-... Let’s all hold hands and sign Kumbaya. What has happened to Tom Coburn? And that obnoxious Shumer? Good choice, Tom.
“As a rule of thumb, Congressional legislation that is bipartisan is usually twice as bad as legislation that is partisan.” - Thomas Sowell
>> Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) plan to break with the norm by sitting together during this year’s speech
I used to have high regard for Coburn, but his recent actions and positions (including this idiotic theater act) out him as just another ‘Rat-asskissing RINO pinhead.
The ‘Rats — and PARTICULARLY the faction represented by the piece of filth Schumer — are EVIL and need to be OSTRACIZED, MARGINALIZED, and REMOVED (politically speaking), not coddled.
Democrat president & majority in congress = "FU GOP".
Democrat president, historic republican gains in congress = "lets all get along".
Why do some republicans seem to enjoy being made fools of?
Senator Byrd is turning over in his grave. If nothing else he held to Tradition.
Seat-gate? I don’t see how that’s as important as the HC vote
Gee, no more “you lie!” or shots of Supreme Court Justices shaking their heads ‘no.’
I’m glad we can all just get along...
Not until Woodrow Wilson did the president personally deliver an address to Congress and turn it into an occasion of state.
Mayhaps, Tom wants to take advantage of their proximity to smash Schmuckie in the chops.
I could understand that.
Maybe Chuckie will tell Coburn about that b1tch flight attendant who asked him to turn his cell phone off so they could take off.
What a DUMBASS Coburn is!! EVERYTIME Chuckie stands up to clap, the cameras will be on Coburn sitting! IDIOT.....I am so disappointed in him
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What makes you think Coburn or any other Republican will be sitting?
I never thought a good man like Senator Coburn would cave on this so-called promotion of "bipartisanship".
Whether symbolic or substantial, now is not the time for any Conservative to embrace form of "bipartisanship". So long as 0bama and his RAT brethren remain in power, the differences between American Patriots and the traitors need to be in evidence.
Jim Robinson's tagline aptly expresses the stance that Conservatives should be taking instead of this wimpy "bipartisanship":
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