Bill Pascrell: “I rise personally ashamed at the political sideshow in front of the White House perpetrated by Ms. Palin and Senator…”

“I rise personally ashamed at the political sideshow in front of the White House perpetrated by Ms. Palin and Senator Cruz and his congressional allies. For Members to protest against the consequences of a shutdown they, themselves, caused is the height of hypocrisy. The truth is we could pass a clean continuing resolution today and get our government back to work. I was outraged by some of the imagery we saw from the Tea Partiers who were rallying in front of the White House. Calling for the President's impeachment not a year after his reelection by a large majority of the American people and continued lies about the President's religion, including one participant saying, Put the Quran down, have no place in civil discourse. But I was especially disturbed by the waving of the Confederate flag, a symbol of racial oppression, being waved at our first African- American President. I call on my colleagues to condemn this hateful rhetoric and to renounce these fringe voices within their coalition. This is a shameful display of Members on the other side of the aisle, and they ought to stand up--the majority--to the extremists in their own party, as we have with our own party, and stop trying to hold the government and full faith and credit of the United States Government hostage. ____________________”