NC House Mulls Deal For Shared Power During Recess

House Republicans and Democrats began serious negotiations Thursday on a framework for an unprecedented experiment in shared government after a sixth ballot in the House speaker's race ended with no one winning a majority. The outcome of the vote forced Rep. Jim Black, who saw another opportunity for a third term as speaker dashed by a flurry of Republican maneuvers, to open talks with Republican leaders about possible co-speakerships. "We are going to do something radically different in North Carolina that we've never done before," Black said after the House adjourned Thursday night.

Members won't return until 7 p.m. Monday, giving Black and representatives of at least three other speaker candidates four days to work out a power-sharing agreement, or try to steal support to claim one of the most powerful posts in state government.

Rep. George M. Holmes of Yadkin County, the GOP caucus nominee with 55 votes, said his group is ready for shared power and had presented a written agreement to Democrats.

"We'd share 50-50 all the responsibilities of a speaker, and organization of committees, seating on the floor and office assignments," Holmes told reporters.

Black wouldn't rule out trying to grab one more vote, which Republicans suspected was the true reason for the long weekend break.

Republicans had wanted to resume the vote this morning, but just as the Democrats were on Wednesday, they were felled by a member pushing the wrong button. GOP Rep. Robert Grady of Jacksonville said he mistakenly voted for the long adjournment.

On Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Mary McAllister of Fayetteville killed Black's momentum for the speakership when she mistakenly voted with the Republicans to adjourn.

Black had hoped to win over the final vote he needed Wednesday from Republican Rep. Cary Allred of Burlington, and he said Thursday that he felt as though he "let a big fish get away."

When the session convened at 9 a.m. Thursday, Democrats started with an advantage because Allred was absent.

His absence gave Black a one-hour window to win election by a 60-59 vote. But Republican members desperately staved off the vote by barraging House Principal Clerk Denise Weeks with questions, challenges and objections.

At one point, Rep. Sam Ellis, a Raleigh Republican, even demanded that the entire log of the previous day's events be read aloud in the chamber.

"I think having it read would be wonderful," Ellis said. "I think all of us can hear. I'm not sure all of us can read."

Allred arrived at 10:05 a.m., and after some very public arm twisting by his colleagues -- "You've got to hang with us," Rep. Ed McMahan declared -- the House recorded a history-making sixth deadlocked vote for speaker.

Black still had 60 Democratic votes. Holmes still had 55 Republican votes. And Rep. Richard Morgan, a Moore County Republican, still had five Republican votes.

The House recessed, convened at 2 p.m. and then recessed again. All the talk behind the scenes switched to creating a shared government of the House.

It's only in the past decade that the House has come close to a need for a power-sharing system. But many other states have gone through the experience -- some more than once. Many state legislators who have experienced shared government say it's something to avoid.

North Carolina House members said they were not excited about the prospect, though some suggested it could lead to a solid consensus on key items that need to be resolved.

"Quite frankly, I don't think sharing the power is all that bad if it's not a power struggle," said Rep. Dewey Hill, a Columbus County Democrat.

There remain four candidates for speaker or co-speaker. Rep. Martin Nesbitt, an Asheville Democrat, one of a group of several dissident Democrats who once opposed Black, emerged as the fourth on Thursday. All 60 Democrats have voted for Black so far, but Republicans say Nesbitt is telling them he has at least five Democrat votes.

Those factions have been unsuccessful at building a coalition because they cancel each other out. Nesbitt would have to pull in more votes to help Holmes reach 61, while Morgan would have to do the same for Black.

Meanwhile, Republicans showed signs of reuniting. Morgan and his supporters attended private GOP meetings for the first time and were welcomed back with applause.

All the movement leads to delicate caucus meetings, as representatives with possible cross-purposes sit in on party strategy.

Some Republicans said a group of conservative Democrats, including Hill and Rep. Jim Crawford of Oxford, might emerge as a fifth faction looking to cut a deal. But Hill and Crawford said they remain aligned with Black.

Between House sessions, Black and two of his top lieutenants met with Holmes and other Republicans to try to work out a deal.

But Black said too many details for shared government need to be resolved to warrant coming back today.

Big issues include how the co-speakers would alternate leading the House, representation on committees, whether "floater" representatives would be allowed to vote in any committee, and the process for appealing failed committee votes to the House floor.

The final agreement might be put in writing for representatives to vote on along with the co-speaker duo. Some members say they will insist on it.

In the meantime, each side will be watching the other, and both will be trying to be careful about what they say about each other.

Allred's late entrance caused members of both parties to suspect he was looking for a way to break the deadlock without being held accountable.

Allred said he was waylaid by a constituent who called him with a concern, but that constituent, a DOT employee in Graham, said he only talked to Allred for 10 minutes just before 8 a.m. on the representative's cell phone.

"He said that we could talk later but if we talk right now he'd be running behind, and I didn't want him to be late for the meeting," Alvin Owen, a mechanic supervisor, said in a telephone interview.

At first, Rep. Billy Creech, a Clayton Republican, didn't believe Allred's story.

Say what you want about Brown, but he may have been one of the most brilliant politicians in California in the last 50 years (along with the late Phil Burton). CA Republicans only rarely ever won a majority in the legislature and so hardly ever knew what it was like to lead. If you'll remember, when they won a narrow majority in '94, it took Willie by surprise, but he didn't take it lying down. Just like in NC, there were a few "Republicans" that were a bit hesistant to vote for a Conservative like Curt Pringle, who had been voted as the nominee in the caucus. Brown decided to have some fun, so he persuaded a quirky, though usually loyal, GOP Assemblywoman named Doris Allen and said he would make her the first woman Speaker in CA history. So she got seduced by the devil and Willie got all the 'Rats to vote her in, beating Pringle. She naively thought the GOP would accept her and that her constituents would be thrilled to have her serving as Speaker. She was wrong on all counts. Her district realized she was a puppet for Willie and recalled her (though it took 9 months to finally get her out). Willie had also a reserve nitwit, a brand new GOP Assemblyman from Fresno whom he persuaded that putting one of those "radical right wingers" would be the wrong thing for California. So Mr. Nitwit, Brian Setencich, got his vote and every 'Rat vote, beating Curt Pringle again (by one vote). Right afterwards, Willie was elected Mayor of San Francisco, so he had to resign his seat, and when that occurred, the GOP dumped Setencich as Speaker and finally elected Curt Pringle in January 1996, more than a year after they won the majority. The damage was done, though, as the GOP looked like the gang that couldn't shoot straight, and hardly had enough time to put forth an agenda in a 10-month period. With Clinton running strong there, they lost their majority again (never to get it back). And what happened to our players ? The classless Doris Allen after being fired mid-term after 12 1/2 years in office, denounced the GOP as a party run by white men with small penises scared of strong women (no sugar, we're not scared of strong women, we just don't like traitors and turncoats of any gender). She literally was run out of California on a rail after her comments, fleeing to Colorado. She died of cancer there almost 4 years to the day after they bounced her out of office. The fresh-faced Brian Setencich lost renomination 3 months after being booted from the Speakership and switched to the Reform Party. After his one-term stint in the legislature, Willie Brown gave him a job, that was until he was charged with multiple counts of bribery and mail fraud. He was acquitted of that, but then brought up on charges of federal tax evasion and went to prison for that. He hasn't been heard from since. Curt Pringle, who so badly wanted to show how the GOP could lead, but was largely denied that, soon was term-limited out of office and lost a race to succeed Matt Fong as State Treasurer in 1998. In a remarkable political comeback, he ran for and won in a multi-candidate contest, the Mayorship of the rapidly 'Rat-moving city of Anaheim just last November. As for Willie Brown, there he still sits in his last term (and year) as San Francisco Mayor. He is planning to succeed, yup, you guessed it, the brother of Phil Burton, John, the President Pro Tempore of the CA Senate (where he'll probably end up in that job). You've got to admire the man's no-holds-barred effort for his party, sheer cajones. Those sort of cajones is too often found lacking on our side, sad to say. The moral of the story is that being an apostate to the GOP can not only be hazardous to your health, for Mr. Setencich, it can be painful to your rectal cavity in the big house. Ayeeeeeee... =8-0>

You are so right, DJ, these Democrats like Brown and Clinton believe in total victory for their party and themselves and will accept nothing less. You have showed what happens when Republicans play games with such destructive Democrats. Republicans could learn a lesson from them. It seems to me like the GOP is so afraid of its shadow at times (witness Trent Lott) that tomorrow could be designated as "National GOP Day" -- appropriate for "Ground Hog Day"! So even when the GOP wins legislative majorities, it is often so divided among itself that it can't "lead."

I know there are three or four liberals or "stand-patters" in the TX Republican Senate caucus that will make it hard to pass conservative programs in TX despite the overwhelmingly Republican "control" now in existence. Why? Because the TX Senate requires even 2/3 votes to confirm gubernatorial apppointments and 2/3 votes just to bring up issues on the agenda. Thus far, the governor has issued a 7 percent across-the-board budget cut, excluding only public schools (Pre K-12). But will the Republicans be able to stand up to the interest groups already organizing in opposition to the "cuts." I am not sure if these are real cuts or decreases in projected revenue increases.

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