Posted on 03/03/2010 12:14:20 PM PST by pwatson
This is exactly what the Republicans should do in the House and Senate, leave DC and hold a news conference announcing how they refuse to allow an illegal use of the Senate rules to ram through this health care bill.
Texas Democrats Flee to Neighboring State to Avoid Redistricting Vote - 2003-05-15 Washington 15 May 2003
Democratic state legislators in Texas adopted an unusual strategy this week in a political battle with Republicans; they fled the state to neighboring Oklahoma.
On Monday, the Republican-led Texas state legislature was preparing to convene when it suddenly became apparent that virtually all the Democrats in the Texas House were nowhere to be found.
Republicans quickly ordered state troopers and the legendary Texas Rangers to round them up. But the Democrats were one step ahead of the law. They fled to neighboring Oklahoma and set up shop in a hotel.
Democrats left the state to block an attempt by Texas Republicans to redraw the state's U.S. congressional districts. The redistricting plan would change several districts and make it likely that Republicans could win at least four more congressional seats from Democrats in the next election.
Since the Democrats did not have enough votes in the state legislature to block the plan, they decided to deny Republicans the quorum they need to conduct legislative business. The legislature requires at least 100 of the 150 house members to be present to debate and pass laws.
State Representative Jim Dunnam is one of more than 50 Democrats who fled to Oklahoma. "To our families and our friends and our supporters, I would like to say thank you," he said. "We miss you. We are doing fine."
Republicans like this state legislator accused Democrats of doing the unthinkable in Texas; running away from a political fight. "What we are witnessing right now is the tyranny of the minority," said a Republican legislator.
The Democrats may have blocked the redistricting plan for now, but Republicans say they are not giving up.
Republicans took control of the Texas House in January for the first time in 130 years. During the past 40 years Texas, which at one time was a bastion of Democratic support, has grown increasingly Republican.
And just how would that help?
This was Texas
The same way with out a forum they can shut down the congress. It worked in Texas by the way the Republicans had to play with the Democrats in the end. Its time the Republicans learned how to play Democrat Hard Ball instead of always acting like deer caught in the headlights.
Again? They did this in 2003. They ought to pass a state law that made this a defacto resignation from office.
It only worked for the Texas demonRATs because the GOP legislators alone did not constitute a quorum, so they prevented the legislature from being able to conduct business. (They had to flee the state because there was a law that allowed the Texas Rangers to arrest legislators and bring them to the capitol to force them to conduct business.)
I’m not sure what the Senate and House rules require for a quorum. If in either house the demonRATs plus one Republican would not constitute a quorum, having the entire GOP delegation refuse to turn up, except for one who makes a quorum call would be a way to completely shut down Congress.
According to Article One of the United States Constitution, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate each have a quorum of a simple majority of their respective members. The Senate has the additional requirement in Rule VI of its standing rules of a “majority of the members duly chosen and sworn.” The only exception is when either house sits for choosing the President or Vice President when the electoral college fails to obtain a majority vote. In this exception, each house requires the presence of members from two-thirds of the states to satisfy quorum.[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorum
If nothing else, it would get good air time from Fox and local stations. Publicity would not hurt.
They should be arrested upon their return for ‘evasion and flight to avoid prosecution’.
Date on report is 2003.
Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Current Party Divisions of the House. 254: Democrats; 178: Republicans ...
So I will answer my own question a forum is 216 and in the Senate 50 so we can not prevent a forum. However if we really stood shoulder to shoulder somewhere like the Lincoln Memorial the first Republican President and said we will not support this sham it would make for a heck of a political war.
Ummm... Congress operates under the rule of unanimous consent. If no Republican is there to object to proposed laws and demand a formal vote, the Rats could pass anything they like while the GOP is taking a powder. This ain’t Texas.
As I recall they did this before........
yes I now see how this can not work the same but I still think it would make for great political theater and get us lots of positive press. Better than showing up and letting them pass it. Stand up and scream how this is such a travesty.
they did this before
when the going gets tough, the tough get going - eh
the GOP governor should cancel their state govt credit cards
and then later they fled to New Mexico
What did the Democrat grandstanding in Texas get them? The redistricting still went through eventually, but they looked like jackasses in the process.
I’d rather see Paul Ryan and others continue to provide principled and eloquent opposition.
Quorum
- The number of Senators that must be present for the Senate to do business. The Constitution requires a majority of Senators (51) for a quorum. Often, fewer Senators are actually present on the floor, but the Senate presumes that a quorum is present unless the contrary is shown by a roll call vote or quorum call.
There are 57 democrats in the Senate.
Maybe you should have checked into this before posting that this is what the GOP should do? Maybe?
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