House shames Gosar

Rep. Jackie Spears introduced the bill to censure Gosar

"As a woman Speaker of the House I want to be clear," said Nancy Pelosi.  

"These threats specifically target a woman, a woman of color, which is part (as the resolution states) of a global phenomenon meant to silence women and discourage them from seeking positions of authority and participating in public life."

Speaker Pelosi called Paul Gosar's behavior "an insult to the house of Representatives." 

Then she spoke powerfully about the significance of his threatening anime video.  I present excerpts from the video of her comments, available on YouTube.  

"Again, this is about workplace harassment and violence against women. Yet the member has never apologized for his actions. 'It's a cartoon, relax,' he said. Really? A cartoon?  Relax?

"'I'm entitled to speak to the people and to do so in a manner that is engaging,' he said.  Really?  Is it engaging to depict killing a colleague or anyone?  It's not just about members of Congress--anyone threatening anyone?" she asked.

"Disguising death threats against a member of the Congress and a president of the United States in an animated video does not make those death threats any less real or less serious.  And indeed conveying portraying them this way makes them potentially more dangerous by normalizing violence.

"It isn't funny.  And yes, you have a right to speak, and so do we have a right to react to what you are saying when you are threatening the lives of members of Congress and the president of the United States.  

"It is sad that the entire House must take this step because of the refusal of the leadership of the other party," she continued.  

"The resolution on the floor before us today is about accountability.  It is about integrity in this House, and it will serve as a reminder to this House and to this Congress, that as is said in Rule 23, 'Shall behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect credibly on the House....'

"Again, a threat against anyone is wrong, whether you're a member of Congress or not, for this [resolution] is just about the example, again, that was a total violation--[needing censure] by the action of the members. "

After all the debating, just before 4:49 pm today, Paul Gosar stood below the podium of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and listened to her read the censure of his behavior.  His buddies stood with him.

"Gosar, flanked by nearly two-dozen colleagues in the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, stood in the well of the House as the censure resolution was read aloud" reported ABC News .

His crime?  Threatening to kill a person in his work place--the House of Representatives.

Anyone else would be fired for making such a threat, but he has not been removed from his post as a representative from Arizona.

After all the speeches by Kevin McCarthy and others defending his behavior, it was satisfying to hear Pelosi lay out the facts and name Gosar as guilty of threatening violence and acting in such a way that others may become violent.

Censure is essentially a public shaming; for the time being, he's allowed to stay in Congress.

NPR reported:
Under the censure resolution adopted by the House, Gosar had to stand in the well of the chamber and listen to the rebuke as it was read aloud. And he will no longer serve on the Natural Resources committee or the Oversight panel — where Ocasio- Cortez is also a member.

The Republican caucus refused to censure him in any way, but two Republicans voted with Democrats for censure: Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.