In the somewhat bizarre ongoing fight over House Franking Commission rules, Nancy Pelosi has made it even worse. Yesterday, on her Speaker’s Office blog, she published a letter that she sent to House Republican Leader John Boehner:
Thank you for your letter on the recommendations by Franking Chair Capuano to the Committee on House Administration regarding posting web video external to the House.gov domain. We share the goal of modernizing the antiquated franking regulations to address the rapidly changing realities of communications in the internet age. Like many other Members, I have a blog, use YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Digg, and other new media to communicate with constituents, and I believe they are vital tools toward increasing transparency and accountability.
I am glad that the speaker uses technology like any normal online activist. But I wonder why she is using technology that violates the rules that Rep. Mike Capuano (D-MA) is proposing. Furthermore, she and other House Democrats have pointed out that these uses are currently in violation of House rules.
Click-through to any of the videos and you will see "political content". Click through to the Facebook site, and you will find advertisements, clear "commercialization".
Do these people understand that they are currently in violation of House rules and are proposing new rules that they are also in violation of? And if they don’t think that there is any problem with their current usage — and their isn’t — why don’t they want to write rules that are in accordance with current practice?
Do these people have any idea what they are doing?