Feb 2, 2023
What should have been a simple and unifying amendment put forth by Republicans in the U.S. House devolved into a partisan sniping venture by demagoguing Democrats who tried to ban America First GOP representatives from leading the Pledge of Allegiance. At the outset of a meeting to sort procedures for the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., made what seemed an innocuous amendment to require representatives to recite the pledge to start committee meetings, and allow members to host constituents as guests to lead the recitation. The proposal drew a whining rebuff from Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the committee's ranking member, who groused about the inconvenience of having to recite the pledge twice. "I don't know why we should pledge allegiance twice in the same day to show how patriotic we are," Nadler huffed. At least Nadler seemed willing to allow all representatives the chance to recite and lead the pledge at least once, wh