Rep. Paul Broun Will Not Be 'Kissy Kissy' at Obama State of the Union

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If you thought the Tucson, Ariz., shootings, which left six people dead and 13 others -- including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords -- injured, would herald a new age of civility in Washington, you probably haven't been listening to U.S. Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia much.

In response to calls from the the fledgling centrist political party No Labels asking members of Congress to ditch tradition and sit together, regardless of party affiliation, during Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, Broun came out swinging against his Democratic colleagues and the president.

"I believe firmly that it is a trap and a ruse that the Democrats are proposing," Broun said on a radio talk show this week. "They don't want civility, they want silence from the Republicans. And sitting together being kissy kissy is just another way to silence Republicans and also to show, to keep the American people from seeing how few of them there are in the U.S. House now. And when people stand up to what the Democrats are doing when Barack Obama spews his venom, then if they're scattered throughout the Republicans, it won't be as noticeable if the Republicans sit apart."

Listen:

No Labels co-founder Mark McKinnon described the rationale for the symbolic seating-chart change in starkly different terms.

"Tens of millions of people tune in every every year to watch the State of the Union address, the Super Bowl of American politics," he said. "This year, Congress should send the message that when it comes to rising above the gridlock and hyper-partisanship plaguing Washington, we're all on the same team."

So far, 58 members of Congress -- 23 House Democrats, five House Republicans, 24 Senate Democrats and six GOP senators -- have endorsed the plan, The Washington Post reported.

Given the way that Broun is talking, however, it seems more likely that the nation will be treated to a spectacle more in line with Rep. Joe Wilson's performance from a year ago. Given the recent spike in the president's popularity, that may not be the wisest move.

Obama will deliver the State of the Union address on Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. EDT.

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