July 28, 2003
DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS....Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has broken
his promise to abide by the tradition that it takes a two-thirds
majority to debate a bill in the Texas Senate. What a surprise. I
always thought conservatives were supposed to cherish traditions, like
the one that says redistricting is done once per decade, for example,
but they seem rather unfond of tradition these days.
Anyway, leaving the state to prevent a quorum is a Texas
tradition, and since Governor Rick Perry has called yet another special
redistricting session and Dewhurst has thrown in his lot with the Tom
DeLay brigade, the Democrats have all decamped to Albuquerque.
It's not just California that's having all the fun these days.
Posted by Kevin Drum at July 28, 2003 03:13 PM
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This is, of course, the Democrats' fault. If they'd do their duty
and just stop disagreeing, then Republicans wouldn't have to redistrict
completely off-schedule and change the standing rules of the Senate to
get this plan through. Why can't the Democrats just accept that
opposition to this plan can't be tolerated?
try again, fail again, fail better next time.
Wow...I never thought they'd actually run, given that they all have
jobs and families and such. I wonder how long they can hold out? Perry
can keep calling special sessions ad nauseam. I wonder if the state has appealed the judge's ruling that forbade law enforcement from dragging them back into session?
Anyway, it was not exactly a surprise that Dewhurst was going to
break this tradition if they called another session. That's been known
for several days now.
Damn, we suck. A thousand apologies from depp in the heart of Texas that this has to remain in the national news at all.
If it's any consolation, Texans as a whole don't support this
repeating string of asinine, never-ending, Tom Delay-ego-stroking,
special sessions.
According to recent debate on this board, 2/3 requirements are awful
in California. I wonder if the argumentative difference is all about
which party is in the minority?
According to recent debate on this board, 2/3 requirements are
awful in California. I wonder if the argumentative difference is all
about which party is in the minority?
Probably, in part. In my case, though, there is a big difference
between a "filibuster"-ish 2/3 rule that applies to all bills to prevent
consideration, and having a special 2/3 rule that applies in both
houses only to the budget, for final passage.
A party that is confident, sure of its mission, secure in its
political niche, wouldn't need to resort to these low and desperate
redistricting measures. The way the GOP governs reveals that they know
their time is short....
There's also a distinction between a perennial obligation to the
state, such as a budget, and an activity that seems less about
obligations to the state and more about profit to one's party...
Good for the dems. If the situation were reversed the Republicans
would high tail it too. They need to fix the rules or accept the
consequences.
According to recent debate on this board, 2/3 requirements are
awful in California. I wonder if the argumentative difference is all
about which party is in the minority?
No, it about changing the rules mid-stream. Whether or not you like
the 2/3 rule is an aside - from what I understand the 2/3 rule is a
tradition, and the Republicans are doing away with the rule because they
can't press thier agenda with it in place.
Not unlike the national Republicans and the filibuster rule. They had
no problems using it against others, but don’t like when it’s used
againt them.
The 2/3 requirement in California is MUCH MORE than a tradition. It
is a part of the constitution. If it is merely a Texas tradition, I
don't see how one could complain about the 2/3 California rule without
suggesting that you would change it if you could. A tradition doesn't
typically have the force of a state constitution, so it is more easily
changed.
If you have read me before you will know that I think governments
need to be more attentive to traditions. So on that basis I decry the
Texas change. What I don't understand is why you guys think it is bad.
The Republicans are betting the farm on permanent majority status (or
at least---long enough for memories to fade). They are doing everything
they can to grab power away from the minority party, in many cases
without even pretending to be consistent. Another example: Orrin Hatch
cracking down on Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee who
presented a united opposition:
Hatch, as Chair, ruled to silence the Democrats, taking a position
exactly opposite to one he took when he was in the minority. "I was
wrong," he declared, not indicating if he may be wrong yet again in the
future should he be in the minority again.
from The Daily Page Forum
One of my in-laws is tied in to Texas politics...a colleague of his
reported that there is a guy standing across the street from the Texas
Governor's office (or it could be one of the other Texas gov't
buildings, I'm not sure) holding up a sign that reads
"Rick Perry is Tom DeLay's BITCH"
The truth hurts, don't it?
PaulB, the Democrats have said that they can stay the month of this
special session, and I have no doubt that the Texas Democrats can
continue to pay their expenses for as long as required. I'll be happy to
contribute.
As for the Rangers, the previous Judge has declared that the Texas
Department of Public Safety cannot enforce a ruling of the Speaker fo
the House, and the Rangers are one of the four branches of the DPS.
Besides, the Rangers have no authority outside of Texas, and New
Mexico has a Democratic Governor and Attorney General. The only thing
the legal decision has an effect on is whether the Democrats can stay in
Texas and not be dragged to the Capital. Once outside of Texas, they
are safe.
it's not just changing the rules in midstream, its breaking promises
about it. The Light Gov made a flat statement that he would honor the
2/3 rule, apparently thinking that the Dem's could not hold. When he
did, lo and behold, just like Hatch, he finds out he misspoke and only
meant that he committed himself for the current session -- and this with
Governor "Good Hair" Perry waiting in the wings with a fill in the
blank special session . . .
Some alert poster over at Dailykos pointed out the proclamation
ordering the special session has the wrong date - June 28, 2003. Well,
at least the document over on talkingpointsmemo:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/gov.proc.7.28.03.pdf
Amusing.
RickB, thanks for the update. I'm aware of the limitations on Texas
state law enforcement. That's why they couldn't round up the House
Democrats who engaged in this tactic earlier this year.
The reason I was surprised isn't the expenses, so much, as it is that
these people all have other jobs, family, friends, and so on. More
than just their daily expenses are involved. For some of them, it may
well be their livelihoods. And, of course, Perry can continue to call
special sessions for as long as he wants. I can see the Democrats doing
this once, but doing it over and over and over again?
That's why it would be nice to have a definitive ruling from the
Texas State Supreme Court that law enforcement personnel cannot drag
members of Congress back into session. If that were the case, then the
members could stay home, go to their jobs, be with their families. The
breaking of the quorum would have absolutely no ill effect on them.
Norbizness, what are you going to do about it? I mean, if the People
aren't behind it, how long can goodhair keep it up? Switch his Viagra
for a placebo? I'll bet you can get some fake Viagra off the internet,
judging from all the offers that are floating around.
And yes, I should talk, being from Cali for ni ay and all. But hey,
thanks to your boys in Houston, we've got the biggest state deficit of
all, so I'm thinkin you owe us something. ;-)
I'll bet, if you all can beat the redistricting, we all can beat the recall. Whaddya say?
Dang, you all have interesting politics in the south and west.
I have to wonder, though--here in NY we're not very much better.
Which is the state that is doing well and needs no assistance?
Duckman: What am I going to do about it? It's too hot to do anything about anything!
I propose a counter-offer: Elect Michael Huffington and I'll give you
a Hickory Farms gift basket and a Honda gas generator for your next
round of brownouts.
Which is the state that is doing well and needs no assistance?
I gather that Vermont is doing okay.
Sebastian brings up a good point.
Frankly, I don't think most of us think too deeply about what's
really the best way for a government to run -- we just see what's
happening in a particular case, notice what we think is right and wrong
with it, and then take a stand.
Because we don't think too deeply about the full implications of that
stand (most of us, including me, aren't really in a position to do so),
we almost inevitably contradict ourselves.
I have to be honest -- I don't know to what extent and in what
situations requiring a supermajority rather than a simple majority is
likely to lead to good governance.
What I will stand by is this:
a. I have seen no one, on either side, defend the current California
constitution with much enthusiasm, and Fareed Zacharia spends
considerable time complaining about it in _The Future of Freedom_ -- to
convincing effect.
b. Unilaterally changing informal rules as Dewhurst is proposing to
do necessarily weakens the trust that is required for good governance.
I don't know enough about the situation in Texas to assign blame for
this, but it's clearly an unfortunate move for all concerned, to be
lamented.
Good luck, Texans.
Uh, Norbiz, I'll have to pass on your generous counter offer. Until
bill simple simon came along, I thought that huffinpuff was the most
pathetic campaigner since... I can't think of anyone more lame off the
top of my head, but you know what I mean.
Perhaps you all can cut goodhair's (love that handle) A/C? There's
no way that thuglican could stand the heat (let alone his coiffure),
since that requires some sort of moral integrity, and clearly, since he is delay's bitch, he has none. Maybe some more of those signs, and on TV, could help too?
What are we going to do here? Hell if I know, but it would be nice
if we do it sooner, and do it convincingly so we don't need to waste our
time and money responding to master rove's blueprint. It would be nice
to take it to that prig for a change, wouldn't it?
I'm thinking of an appropriate wager, like if you guys win, and we
lose, i.e. a thuglican governor, I'll send a donation to the TX Dem of
your choice, and vice a versa? And if we both win, then we both
contribute to some national effort, or if we both lose, f it, we got our
own problems to deal with!
Love that guy's sign! Could you imagine, "michael huffington is Ariana Huffington's bitch!" lol
When the going gets tough....
...the tough resort to stupid slogans that are completely meaningless in this context? Is that what you were going to say?
Norb,
"If it's any consolation, Texans as a whole don't support this
repeating string of asinine, never-ending, Tom Delay-ego-stroking,
special sessions."
How come Texans keep electing these national embarassments? I don't get it. You think they'd be ashamed.
Of course what do us Yankee's know anyway.
BTW, in a related vein, the Nevada Supreme Court recently set aside
the 2/3 vote on taxes requirement OF THE STATE CONSTITUTION. Wow.
from the Houston Chronicle:
"Standing in front of a Texas flag, Van de Putte said more than 1.4
million minorities in her state would lose effective congressional
representation if the Republicans redistrict according to their wishes."
Now that statement is really really funny. It is also totally
ignorant. And it is blatantly racist. If this person flees to New
Mexico and stays there, everyone in the state of Texas should celebrate.
Against boredom even the gods contend in vain.
There is no great genius without some touch of madness.
There's nothing to gain and nothing to lose.
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