As a gesture of goodwill in this era of bipartisan rancor, we, the undersigned, request all members of the United States Congress, aside from the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, to relinquish their traditional party aligned seats during the President's next nationally televised State of the Union Address, and instead consent to a randomly assigned seating configuration within the Chamber of the House of Representatives.
By "mixing it up" and literally crossing the aisle in this way, our elected congress men and women will show their willingness, if just for one day, to rise above what we believe is a tenor of toxic political intolerance and embrace the political, physical, and philosophical diversities that exist within their ranks. Our nation seems to be at a political and philosophical crossroads. Such an act of civility and tolerance by our elected leadership is desperately needed.
The current practice of seat assignment during the Address, in which House Representatives "give up the best seats in the House" to their guests from the Senate, is based solely on tradition. There is no law stating that the Representatives must sit behind the Senators, or that the Democrats must sit on one side of the chamber while the Republicans sit on the other. It has only evolved in this way due to the personal choices of each and every member of congress. It is this same personal choice that we ask you to exercise when we call upon you to mix up your seating chart at the next nationally televised State of the Union Address.
As we see demonstrated in every kindergarten classroom across this great nation, sometimes you have to sit next to someone you do not like. To do so amicably is a true testament to one's character. It is therefore our sincerest hope to witness, through this simple call to action, the ultimate measure of courage, character, and self-control within our esteemed elected officials.
Congress continues to cling to their tribal floor seating while the rest of the country suffers through their constant partisan warfare. They act like sitting next to someone from the other party is some dangerous political sin instead of the bare minimum of professional behavior. We are pushing much harder to force them out of these pathetic comfort zones.
May 6, 2010
The momentum behind this demand is proving that people are fed up with the pathetic partisan theater being staged in Washington. Our representatives are hiding behind archaic traditions to avoid sitting next to anyone who disagrees with them but this surge shows they can no longer ignore our demand for basic human decency.
3 Comments
S
Sarah Hardy
16 years ago
Featured
ABOUT TIME. watching them glare across the room is so embarrassing for the whole country. grown adults should be able to sit anywhere.
M
Mike Chapman
16 years ago
Featured
Maybe if they actually had to sit next to each other they would stop acting like children on tv. Do it.
D
David Fisher
16 years ago
Featured
It is just a seat. They should do this every year to remind them they represent all of us not just their donors.
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As a gesture of goodwill in this era of bipartisan rancor, we, the undersigned, request all members of the United States Congress, aside from the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, to relinquish their traditional party aligned seats during the President's next nationally televised State of the Union Address, and instead consent to a randomly assigned seating configuration within the Chamber of the House of Representatives.
By "mixing it up" and literally crossing the aisle in this way, our elected congress men and women will show their willingness, if just for one day, to rise above what we believe is a tenor of toxic political intolerance and embrace the political, physical, and philosophical diversities that exist within their ranks. Our nation seems to be at a political and philosophical crossroads. Such an act of civility and tolerance by our elected leadership is desperately needed.
The current practice of seat assignment during the Address, in which House Representatives "give up the best seats in the House" to their guests from the Senate, is based solely on tradition. There is no law stating that the Representatives must sit behind the Senators, or that the Democrats must sit on one side of the chamber while the Republicans sit on the other. It has only evolved in this way due to the personal choices of each and every member of congress. It is this same personal choice that we ask you to exercise when we call upon you to mix up your seating chart at the next nationally televised State of the Union Address.
As we see demonstrated in every kindergarten classroom across this great nation, sometimes you have to sit next to someone you do not like. To do so amicably is a true testament to one's character. It is therefore our sincerest hope to witness, through this simple call to action, the ultimate measure of courage, character, and self-control within our esteemed elected officials.
Congress continues to cling to their tribal floor seating while the rest of the country suffers through their constant partisan warfare. They act like sitting next to someone from the other party is some dangerous political sin instead of the bare minimum of professional behavior. We are pushing much harder to force them out of these pathetic comfort zones.
May 6, 2010
The momentum behind this demand is proving that people are fed up with the pathetic partisan theater being staged in Washington. Our representatives are hiding behind archaic traditions to avoid sitting next to anyone who disagrees with them but this surge shows they can no longer ignore our demand for basic human decency.
3 Comments
S
Sarah Hardy
16 years ago
Featured
ABOUT TIME. watching them glare across the room is so embarrassing for the whole country. grown adults should be able to sit anywhere.
M
Mike Chapman
16 years ago
Featured
Maybe if they actually had to sit next to each other they would stop acting like children on tv. Do it.
D
David Fisher
16 years ago
Featured
It is just a seat. They should do this every year to remind them they represent all of us not just their donors.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach
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ABOUT TIME. watching them glare across the room is so embarrassing for the whole country. grown adults should be able to sit anywhere.