Blue Dog Says Pelosi Treats Members Like 'Mushrooms'

Amanda Carpenter | February 03, 2009 10:04 PM

Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper (Tenn.) vented to Air America about the way Speaker Nancy Pelosi was treating members who wanted to do things like read the bills being voted on.

It wasn't pretty.

Cooper, one of the 11 Democrats to vote against the House version of the stimulus bill, said he landed in hot water with Pelosi because he cared what was in the bill.

"I got in terrible trouble with our leadership because they don’t care what’s in the bill, they just want it pass and they want it to be unanimous," he said. "They don’t mind the partisan fighting cause that’s what they are used to. In fact, they’re really good at it. And they’re a little bit worried about what a post-partisan future might look like. If members actually had to read the bills and figure out whether they are any good or not. We’re just told how to vote. We’re treated like mushrooms most of the time."

The interview is compelling. The good folks at Eyeblast.tv snipped it and posted it. Here it is below.