Joe Barton: “So in the spirit of the moment, we cannot say that Chairwoman Slaughter ran a closed rule out on us. It was an open…”

“So in the spirit of the moment, we cannot say that Chairwoman Slaughter ran a closed rule out on us. It was an open rule. It was a fair competition. Luckily, for both sides, the real winners were, as you said it, the Boys and Girls Club of Washington, DC, and the Washington Literacy Council. I do want to commend my Republican team. I am very proud of them. John Shimkus pitched his heart out. Bill Shuster made an almost unassisted double play when he caught the ball and picked somebody off at first base. Every member of our team got to play. They all were in good spirits and good fellowship. We will show up next year with warmth in our hearts, and we will continue this tradition, hopefully, with a more pleasurable outcome for our side. Congratulations to you, Mr. Doyle. You ultimately deserved the win. You played better. We congratulate you.”