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Floor Charts for the Floor Show — Summer Edition

Our favorite visual aids from a month of congressional floor-watching

(Courtesy @FloorCharts, Screenshot/C-SPAN)
(Courtesy @FloorCharts, Screenshot/C-SPAN)

Cheesin’ photos, safety precautions and tiny charts — watching the House and Senate floors can be a thankless task. But the floor charts make it  worthwhile.

Lawmakers like these oversize and sometimes garish visual aids because they help them get their point across. The Twitter handle @FloorCharts posts some of the daily highlights, and Roll Call now provides a monthly roundup of the best of the best.

On July 12, California Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman compared President Donald Trump to American gangster and businessman Al Capone with side-by-side photographs of the two men both smiling.

(Courtesy of @FloorCharts screenshot of C-SPAN)
(Courtesy @FloorCharts, Screenshot/C-SPAN)

On July 11, Republican Sen. Charles E. Grassle of Iowa discussed the Pentagon’s infamous $600 toilet seat with a cartoon.

The 1985 scandal — or myth, depending on how you see it — was used as an example of wasteful spending in the Defense Department.

(Courtesy of @FloorCharts screenshot of C-SPAN)
(Courtesy @FloorCharts, Screenshot/C-SPAN)

On July 11, New York Rep. Claudia Tenney displayed a blown-up photo of herself and a fellow Republican, Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, meeting the Dalai Lama. 

Both congresswomen were smiling ear to ear in the photo, with a corner inscription reading, “Thank you for your service.”

(Courtesy of @FloorCharts screenshot of C-SPAN)
(Courtesy @FloorCharts, Screenshot/C-SPAN)

Also on July 11, Oregon Republican Rep. Greg Walden used a through-the-car-window photo, among others, to highlight his legislation to protect a local community from wildfires.

(Courtesy of @FloorCharts screenshot of C-SPAN)
(Courtesy @FloorCharts, Screenshot/C-SPAN)

On June 21, Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King showed that his floor chart game needs improvement, using a graphic that appeared to be unreadable to anyone standing more than a foot away.

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