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Two lawmakers just debated the merits of Nickelback on the House floor

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House lawmakers are debating campaign finance reform, anti-Semitism and Nickelback on the floor on Thursday.

{mosads}The rockers came up during a discussion on Democrats’ sweeping election reform bill after Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) likened the popularity of “prison gerrymandering” to the frequently derided hard-rock band from Canada. 

“Only four wanted to keep this provision. Everyone else wanted to change this out of the 77,000,” Pocan said. “That’s probably about the percent of people who think Nickelback is their favorite band in this country. It’s pretty low.”

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) replied that he was sure Pocan didn’t mean to “offend the many thousands upon thousands of Nickelback fans of his district in Wisconsin.”

“I stand here to save you from doing that and have to face the political consequences at the ballot box,” said Davis, who later copped to having a Nickelback song on his running playlist.

“I enjoyed debating back and forth and it’s always good to have some good humor on the floor of the House. Yes, I actually do have a Nickelback song on my running playlist that I listen to on a regular basis and was ridiculed about that when I posted my playlist one time and I know some in this chamber even up at the dais are still laughing about that. But this amendment is a bad amendment,” Davis said.

Pocan joked that their music preferences show yet another contrast between the parties.

“Wow. Another reason why there is a difference between Republicans and Democrats found on the floor of Congress today,” he quipped.

Prison gerrymandering refers to a Census Bureau practice in which people in prison are counted as residents of the towns in which they are jailed, even though they cannot vote.

Updated at 7:42 p.m.

Tags Adam Smith Mark Pocan Rodney Davis

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