Somebody's not going to get invited to the Rose Garden ceremony...
In Kyle's absence, I feel like I have to comment on this news: a Georgia congressman, Jack Kingston, voted against the traditional House resolution honoring the national football champion because he didn't want to vote for the Florida Gators.
Kyle at DawgSports is all over this with a bunch of links, and Orson at EDSBS pretty much rips Kingston a new one. I definitely see Kyle's point that this looks petty, and it is kind of a ridiculous way to get your name in the news. But ultimately I think I have to agree with SMQ that "the sheer irrational, stubborn hate the representative displays here" is "what makes college football great." It reminds me of my favorite line in Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, from an Alabama fan who would never cheer for Tennessee (or, presumably, vote in favor of a Congressional resolution honoring them): "I'd cheer for Florida, Auburn, Notre Dame, Russia, and the University of Hell before the words 'rocky top' would ever come out of my mouth!"
I guess, for Kingston, "Aye" is too close to "Yay." I was curious, then, how he voted last spring after the Gators won the basketball championship. He got lucky and didn't have to make the choice. The bill (H.R. 761) never made it out of committee. The companion Senate resolution passed by unanimous consent, by the way. No word on the whereabouts of Georgia's Senators that day.
There's a project for someone with time to kill -- search the Congressional Record for your favorite team's title-winning resolution and see if anyone voted against it. You might be surprised what you find. For instance, I found out I agreed with Jesse Helms on at least one thing. However, I might have had to vote "Present" on this one.
And that's probably what Kingston should have done if it was really about the rivalry instead of mere spite and a desire to have us talking about him. It's not too creative, though. If he were really clever, he would have introduced an amendment congratulating "a team from the SEC" for winning the championship. At least have a little conference pride, man.
Kyle at DawgSports is all over this with a bunch of links, and Orson at EDSBS pretty much rips Kingston a new one. I definitely see Kyle's point that this looks petty, and it is kind of a ridiculous way to get your name in the news. But ultimately I think I have to agree with SMQ that "the sheer irrational, stubborn hate the representative displays here" is "what makes college football great." It reminds me of my favorite line in Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, from an Alabama fan who would never cheer for Tennessee (or, presumably, vote in favor of a Congressional resolution honoring them): "I'd cheer for Florida, Auburn, Notre Dame, Russia, and the University of Hell before the words 'rocky top' would ever come out of my mouth!"
I guess, for Kingston, "Aye" is too close to "Yay." I was curious, then, how he voted last spring after the Gators won the basketball championship. He got lucky and didn't have to make the choice. The bill (H.R. 761) never made it out of committee. The companion Senate resolution passed by unanimous consent, by the way. No word on the whereabouts of Georgia's Senators that day.
There's a project for someone with time to kill -- search the Congressional Record for your favorite team's title-winning resolution and see if anyone voted against it. You might be surprised what you find. For instance, I found out I agreed with Jesse Helms on at least one thing. However, I might have had to vote "Present" on this one.
And that's probably what Kingston should have done if it was really about the rivalry instead of mere spite and a desire to have us talking about him. It's not too creative, though. If he were really clever, he would have introduced an amendment congratulating "a team from the SEC" for winning the championship. At least have a little conference pride, man.
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