About those State of the Union squatters

in Uncategorized by

The Washington Post reports on the lawmaker who will spend up to seven hours staking out seats near to the aisle to be seen shaking President Obama’s hand as he enters the House chamber.

They’ve been around for at least 46 years. For the people on the aisle, the State of the Union is a rare night when a low-ranking legislator can score both a TV appearance and a personal audience with the president. Just try to ignore the elbows thrown by your colleagues. And be brief.

The squatters on the House aisle are now a familiar part of the State of the Union ritual — a signal that the night has evolved from from a speech into a show, and then from the president’s show to more of an ensemble piece.

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.