Senator: Redistricting Should be Debated "On Senate Floor" (Whitmire holds "illegal" presser)

WOAI San Antonio ^ | Sept 5, 2003 | Jim Forsyth

[hocndoc]

Senator: Redistricting Should be Debated "On Senate Floor" LAST UPDATE: 9/5/2003 3:04:31 PM Posted By: Jim Forsyth

(AUSTIN) -- One of the eleven Democratic Texas state senators who spent 34 days in New Mexico in an attempt to kill a Republican backed Congressional redistricting plan returned to the Capitol today, and vowed to continue the battle on the Senate floor.

John Whitmire (D-Houston), the longest serving member of the Texas Senate, urged Governor Rick Perry not to call a third special session to discuss the issue, but he said if that happens, he will 'be present' in the Senate. Whitmire, along with fellow Democratic State Senator Ken Armbrister (D-Victoria), who did not join the walkout, and the Republicans will constitute a quorum and will allow Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst to bring the issue up for debate.

Whitmire says his fellow Democrats have encouraged him to join them in an attempt to turn the battle against redistricting into a fight against President Bush.

"There was some discussion that we needed to go on the road, and there was some discussion that for the next thirty days we would be camped out in Washington D.C.," Whitmire said. "This is not what I was elected to do."

He says Texas Democrats should not turn this into a national issue.

"I think that's a mistake," he said. "I think we should put Texas first."

Technically, Whitmire's news conference in the Lieutenant Governor's press room of the Capitol was illegal, since Senate Republicans assessed 'fines and penalties' against the exiled Democrats, stripping them of access to Legislative supplies, staff, and even parking spaces, and fined them for each day they were absent from the last special session. Whitmire technically owes more than $50,000 in fines, although it's unclear whether any attempt will be made to collect that money.

Whitmire said an effort by Democrats to draw President Bush into the redistricting battle would backfire, and would make it more difficult for the wide gulf which has grown between the parties during two Democratic walkouts to be healed.

"George Bush is probably the most popular Texan today," he said.

The ten Democrats remaining in Albuquerque released a statement blasting Whitmire and claiming 'he doesn't represent us.'

"Senator Whitmire has stated repeatedly that he will negotiate for us. This is to inform you in the strongest possible terms that Senator Whitmire does not represent us and cannot negotiate for us in any way or on any matter," read the letter to Dewhurst signed by the ten and released to the news media.

The remaining ten also released a long statement entitled "Senator Whitmire on the Record," in which they recall comments from Whitmire supporting the Democratic walkout and vowing to support it.

"We are here out of conviction and we are not going to yield," the Democrats quote Whitmire as saying on August 12. "We will not yield to a redistricting that would disenfranchise the Democrats' constituents."

Meanwhile, there is talk that the delay in approving a Congressional redistricting plan may force Texas to hold a 'split primary' next spring, in which candidates for all other offices, including President, would run in one election, and candidates for Congress would run in a second primary later in the year.

"We're looking at all the different possibilities," State Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) said. "That is a possibility right now."

Any Congressional redistricting plan would have to be approved by the courts and by the U.S. Justice Department, and that is unlikely to occur before the end of the year, which is the deadline to file to run in next year's March primary.

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[hocndoc]

I'm glad that Whitmire has seen fit to come home, but couldn't he be more respectful, circumspect, and respect*able*?

I have never understood how a person who thinks himself an authority, a leader, can flaunt the law but demand that others follow the law.

If Whitmire is a law-abiding citizen of Texas, he will not only show up in Austin when called by the elected Governor, but he will pay his fines before he holds another press conference.

[hocndoc]

He tells the truth:

"" Whitmire says his fellow Democrats have encouraged him to join them in an attempt to turn the battle against redistricting into a fight against President Bush.

"There was some discussion that we needed to go on the road, and there was some discussion that for the next thirty days we would be camped out in Washington D.C.," Whitmire said. "This is not what I was elected to do."

He says Texas Democrats should not turn this into a national issue. ""

But he does it the wrong way:

"" Technically, Whitmire's news conference in the Lieutenant Governor's press room of the Capitol was illegal, since Senate Republicans assessed 'fines and penalties' against the exiled Democrats, stripping them of access to Legislative supplies, staff, and even parking spaces, and fined them for each day they were absent from the last special session. Whitmire technically owes more than $50,000 in fines, although it's unclear whether any attempt will be made to collect that money.""

[TRY ONE]

"....turn the battle against redistricting into a fight against President Bush."


There was some flooding in SE Texas last week also --- must have been Bush's fault!

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the post and ping. Redistricting Special Session 3: September 15th ...

[isthisnickcool]

"along with fellow Democratic State Senator Ken Armbrister (D-Victoria), who did not join the walkout..."

I don't know why Ken is a damn Democrat. I've dealt with him and he is mostly a straight up guy.

[Dog Gone]

This is the first I'd heard that the Texas Rats were planning a DC campout. I wonder if that was Terry McAuliffe's idea.

Gosh, it must be fun getting all this attention and living off of someone else's money. These irrelevant senators are celebrities!

[Bubba_Leroy]

"Senator Whitmire has stated repeatedly that he will negotiate for us. This is to inform you in the strongest possible terms that Senator Whitmire does not represent us and cannot negotiate for us in any way or on any matter," read the letter to Dewhurst signed by the ten and released to the news media.

I love it when democRATs start turning on each other.

[hocndoc]

They have no loyalty to the 62% of Texans who oppose their flight. They have no loyalty to the legislative process.

And now we know they don't even have loyalty for each other.

That last presidential administration taught us about turning on former associates who don't absolutely walk the party line (or who might know something incriminating). These Fleas have learned that lesson well.

[Texan5]

This guy may as well change parties-neither he nor Armbrister are ever going to get support from the rest of the rats again. Ah, yes, they are eating their own...If the idiots keep up this whining or go crying to DC, they will be lucky to be able to return to Texas at all in a political capacity.

[Bubba_Leroy]

The trouble is that the remaining 10 are all in safe democRAT districts. Their constituents are eating this up. Armbrister is in a Republican district so he couldn't afford to go. Whitmire's district could go either way.

Bottom line, they are all doing whatever they need to do to get re-elected in their own districts. The rest of the state can go to hell as far as they are concerned.

[Texan5]

Some conservative politicians need to mount a hot and heavy campaign in those rat districts to show the folks who live there that these jerks only care for power. Too bad I'm no politician-I'm conservative and Hispanic. I know there are plenty of others just like me, too. Time for them to come into the light.