Waxman In Trouble Again

April 11, 2008, 10:00 am; posted by
Filed under Articles, David, Featured, Humor  | No Comments

Sen. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is in trouble again. You’ll recall that Waxman spent the last 18 months embroiled in an intellectual property lawsuit with New Line Cinema, who accused him of violating their trademark for the computer-generated King Kong image by wearing an identical mask on the floor of the Senate, terrifying visitors and amusing colleagues.

After months of legal wrangling and threats of financial penalty, it was determined Waxman was not indeed wearing a mask, and that any similarity between him and the mythical ape was purely coincidental. New Line apologized warily, but told Waxman off the record that they would be watching to see if his appearance changed down the road.

Now his colleagues are after him. After the televised baseball hearings, featuring Roger Clemens, put Waxman in the public eye for long periods of time, many senators were deluged with complaints from frightened members of their constituency.

Several have now sponsored a bill with wide bipartisan support, which would establish protocols for which senators would receive prominent coverage during televised hearings, based on standards of personal appearance. Although no one has specifically pointed to Sen. Waxman as the bill’s target, around the Senate, the bill has been unofficially dubbed the “Hideous Henry Act.”

“There should be a minimum level of attractiveness that we adhere to in our dealings with the public through mass communications,” said Fran Crouse (R-Iowa), chairman of the powerful Personal Beautification Standards committee. “We have not singled anyone out — obviously we would never do that — but there are, frankly, some politicians who should be heard and not seen.”


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