>> Get ready, this is a microcosm of what is to come in the Dems 1 seat shy of a filibuster proof majority. The likeness is uncanny. <<
I'm convinced the RATs have "fail safe" measures in place in most parts of the country to find ways to cling to power when a scenario results in them being narrowly defeated by the voters. The theft of Minnesota's senate seat is another fine example. Even, the Canuk version of RATs tried to overturn the election results recently. As far as RATs are concerned, once a seat or office goes RAT, they "own" it forever. From their perspective, Norm Coleman is temporarily "occupying" Paul Wellstone's Democrat seat.
Even take my state for an example. We have a 59 member senate. Only 7 years ago, my state senate was Republican. Today, the Dems have a gerrymandered "safe" legislature and thanks to even more GOP screwups, have a filibuster proof 37D-22R majority. But let's go with a Dem "doomsday" scenario. Let's say there was a special election held in Illinois and voters were so FED UP with the RATs and GOP turnout is on par with 1994 levels. As a result, the GOP won ALL the contested seats in the suburbs and downstate -- including several majority Dem districts -- and the new makeup of the state senate was 30R-29D.
Republicans take control? Possibility. But under such a scenario, Kirk Dillard certainly got re-elected, since he is the dean of the DuPage delegation (home to our state's Republican machine) and in an ultra safe GOP district. However, Kirk Dillard is also part of the Illinois combine and takes money under the table from the RATs. He is the Illinois version of Jim Jeffords, and had a pathetic 40% conservative rating from the United Republican Fund last year, our state's equivalent of the ACU. Dillard agreed to appear in campaign ads for Obama last year, where he heaped praised on Obama's work in the Illinois General Assembly (Dillard claimed this wasn't actually an endorsement on his part. Sure.) Dillard doesn't switch parties or even become independent, but let's say he decides the Senate Republican leadership is just too mean-spirited and "divisive" to be in charge, so he votes with the 29 RATs to make John Cullerton (D-Chicago) Senate President. You'd get the same result that happened in California, Texas, and Tennessee.
Believe me, the RATs have planned this stuff out, and have sleeper cells in the GOP ready to be activated.
I think some freepers simply dislike the word "democracy" because it sounds like "Democrat". But believe me, the last thing the Democrat party believes in is its namesake. The only time the Dems accept election results as legit is when they win.
Remember in 2004, we won the Senate here with a narrow majority for the first time since the 1860s (although we had two party switches in ‘95 after the organizational session, which technically meant we were the majority, but we didn’t hold it in ‘96). Two Rs voted for the then-DINO 32-year Speaker/Lt Governor. But it wasn’t a surprise, since they made their intentions known. Spkr. John Wilder had, up until that point, operated in a bipartisan manner (in fact, probably only the legitimately non-partisan legislative leader in the country, he would campaign for any incumbent Senator that asked, regardless of party). I had a lot of respect for Wilder and his playing fair with us even when it could cost him and the Dems wanted to depose him.
Problem was with his election to an unprecedented 17th term as Speaker (the longest serving Speaker of any body of any state in the history of the country) was that Wilder was clearly becoming feeble and well past senile. He immediately rewarded the Democrats and the 2 Rs and punished the Republicans and gave them practically nothing in the way of Chairmanships. He had gone from non-partisan to hyper-partisan. At the time of his reelection and over the coming 2 years, a large chunk of Democrat Senators came under indictment, put on trial, or ended up in prison. One Democrat was so disgusted because of the mismanagement and arrogance that he switched parties. Unfortunately, he lost narrowly for reelection in ‘06.
When the organizational session occurred 2 years ago, only one of the 2 remaining R’s, who ALSO was named Williams (Mike Williams, a major league asshole), remained in the body. He was the Speaker Pro Tempore (his reward by Wilder) and was prepared to vote for Wilder again with our 1 seat majority in the balance, despite Wilder, at 86, being completely incompetent. As the roll call went down, a Clarksville Democrat lady named Rosalind Kurita had enough of this farce and voted for Republican Ron Ramsey, and Williams was left to gnash his teeth, since his vote no longer mattered (and he tersely voted for Ramsey). Kurita was vilified beyond belief during the session, nevermind she voted to uphold the legitimate GOP majority in the body (for which Ramsey rewarded her courage with Williams’s Speaker Pro Tempore post).
This past year, Kurita won renomination narrowly in the Dem primary. The state Dems stripped her of the renomination and installed the loser for the general election, forcing her to run a write-in candidacy (which is almost impossible to win), for which she didn’t prevail. Williams himself switched to “Independent” but of the Judas Jeffords vintage. That traitor was dumped in the general election by a Republican, and we now have a 19-14 majority in the body, wide enough to prevent any chicanery and the GOP side is 100% unified in that body. I had hoped to see the GOP refuse to seat the Democrat occupying Kurita’s seat, but have no idea the status of that. They organized the body this morning without event. Ramsey had 2 Democrats in chairmanships in the last session. One of them retired, and the other is my buffoonish urban Black lady rodent Senator. He promptly removed her from her posting, and now the GOP chairs all committees.
I convinced that on paper we should have 30 seats. I didn’t know of these ratings. 2008 Dillard 50, Maloney 33. Most score better in 2008 than 2007. Possibly they could use some refinement and a wider selection of bills.
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/08Scorecard.pdf
You had Maureen Murphy as a Rep huh, too bad about that.
“Mike Madigan never really lost power even during his two year stint as “minority leader” “
Really? They did get rid of straight ticket voting, I’m sure he didn’t want that.