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Adam Schiff: Mets Bet Forces Congressman To Sing On The House Floor [Video]

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 23:47 PST, Oct 23, 2015

When California Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff made his way to the House of Representatives floor, it’s doubtful that most of his fellow Congress members had any idea what was about to happen. Perhaps he had a response for President Obama’s veto of the military spending bill. Or, something to say about the 11-hour testimony of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

No, Adam instead had something to say — about baseball. Well, the New York Mets in particular. And Schiff didn’t say it, so much as sing it.

According to CBS New York, Rep. Adam Schiff made a friendly wager with New York Democrat Rep. Steve Israel, who represents the areas around Brooklyn Dodgers Stadium. Although established in Brooklyn, the Dodgers are now a Los Angeles, Califorina team. Schiff was therefore convinced that in the New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game, it would be the Dodgers that emerged victoriously. Meanwhile, Israel was sure it would be the Mets.

Israel bet fresh bagels and Schiff bet gourmet popcorn. Also, the losing representative would have to wear a tie representing the winning team and make a one-minute speech on the House floor “extolling the virtues of the winning team.”

The Mets and Dodgers duked it out from October 9 through October 15, and it was the Mets that came out on top — along with Rep. Israel. That meant that Rep. Schiff would be forced to wear Mets colors, cough up some yummy popcorn, and make a minute-long speech on the House floor about the winning team.

Did Adam go through with it? Why yes, yes he did. Adam Schiff was a good sport and a man of his word. Anyone who happened to be watching C-SPAN was no doubt caught off guard. However, for those of us who don’t regularly tune in to the daily goings on at Congress, there is footage of the bizarre event. And, no surprise, it’s quickly going viral.

Adam Schiff wasted little time getting down to business. He congratulated Steve Israel and “his beloved Dodgers” and then seconds later launched into the New York team’s anthem, “Meet The Mets.” He did as good a job as anyone can expect from a Congressman, one who apparently never anticipated he would be singing in public, let alone before the House of Representatives.

It’s been nearly a month since a member of Congress burst into song, although the previous singer was John Boehner before his announcement in September that he would be leaving his position as House Speaker at the end of October. Despite being heard ahead of his press conference, the New York Daily News said that Boehner apparently sang it all the time.

As for Schiff, he performed as bravely as he could with his allotted minute. It’s safe to say that near the end, the embarrassment got to Adam. He was heard asking the Speaker if his time was almost up. Fortunately for Schiff it was.

Although nothing serious was at stake for Rep. Adam Schiff, perhaps he’ll more carefully consider his betting wagers in the future.

California Representative Adam Schiff previously made the news (as reported by the Inquisitr) after it was speculated he might replace Sen. Barbara Boxer in the Senate. However, Schiff made it clear he had no intention of running for her open seat.

“I have decided not to run next year… I feel I’m in a position to have a big impact on national security policy as the ranking member on the Intelligence Committee. And I’d like to continue doing that.”

Despite the edge some feel his foreign policy experience would have given him in a Senate race, Adam Schiff is content to stay at his current position, where he hopes (when not singing baseball tunes) to make a difference on behalf of his constituents.

[Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]

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