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Democrats sit back and watch GOP squabble
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF ^ | Tuesday, September 16, 2003 | By Ken Herman and Laylan Copelin

Posted on 09/17/2003 7:40:07 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952

House passes map, but West Texas plan clashes with Senate vision

And on the second day of the third special session, without the raucous crowd that a day earlier had egged one side on and aggravated the other, peace and love reigned in the Texas Senate.

Tuesday's outbreak of interparty peace, including movement toward dropping fines imposed on the Democrats during their 45-day boycott, shifted the focus to GOP intraparty fighting that could become the biggest obstacle to new congressional maps.

"I think they changed people's medicines last night," Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, joked after watching Monday's opening day mayhem melt into Tuesday's love fest.

Before being gaveled into session by GOP Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the Republicans and Democrats chatted and mingled like long-lost friends at a cocktail party.

"We may differ on issues," Dewhurst, flanked by Democrats and Republicans, said after the brief floor session, "but we've got 32 friends here, and we are all committed to doing what's best for the state of Texas."

In the House, Republicans pushed through the same version of a redistricting map they have been championing for months. But the House map, approved 77-60, sets up a standoff between Senate and House Republicans that even U.S. Majority Leader Tom DeLay could not resolve in a meeting last week.

Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, wants a congressional district for his hometown, but Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, is standing in the way.

DeLay, who has engineered the Republican mapping efforts from Washington, D.C., met Sept. 9 in Austin with Craddick, Duncan and Sen. Todd Staples, R-Palestine and the Senate's chief mapmaker.

Craddick disputed claims by Dewhurst that both sides are closer to resolving the West Texas standoff.

The speaker complained that he thought he and Duncan had a deal in May to remove Midland-Odessa from the Lubbock district and couple Abilene with Lubbock instead.

Asked if Senate opposition to a Midland district is a deal-breaker, Craddick said, ". . . I feel very strongly about the House map."

Duncan said he told Craddick that he thought the House map had merit, but he denied there was a deal. He said he told Craddick in June that he could not support the House proposal because his constituents oppose any boundary change.

Saving redistricting, Duncan said, depends on Craddick: "So far he hasn't been willing to negotiate."

Republicans have even tried to tempt U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm, a Democrat who lives near Abilene, to consider retiring from Congress to free up a West Texas seat.

"Charlie is not interested in retiring right now," said Duncan, who took Stenholm an offer to establish an endowed chair for him at Texas Tech University.

Democrats had stalled action on a redistricting map since May by fleeing the state twice so the House and later the Senate would not have enough members to conduct business.

Now that both chambers have quorums, the Democrats are watching Republicans fight among themselves.

"How can you go nine months and spend $5 million and not have a (GOP) map?" said Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, of the state's GOP leadership.

Dewhurst spokesman David Beckwith said the Democrats should not celebrate too soon.

"There's going to be a resolution within a few days to a week," he predicted. "Nobody will get everything they want, but almost everyone will be satisfied."

Although the West Texas standoff is getting the most attention, there are crucial differences between the House map and a proposal that a Senate committee could take up today.

The House map splits Waco, which is unacceptable to Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor. And northern Central Texas, which includes Williamson County, changes, in part, because the House's Midland district sprawls into the Hill Country.

The House map also pits 14 incumbents against one another, while the proposed Senate map has only one head-to-head contest.

Both maps save Democrats Martin Frost of Arlington and Lloyd Doggett of Austin and leave the Mexico border region changed very little.

Although subdued Tuesday, the Senate Democrats, outnumbered 19-12, still do not plan to go quietly. They have promised to use every available tool — including filibusters — to block redistricting.

Still to be resolved are the sanctions levied by the Republicans against the Democrats, including $57,000-per-Democrat fines and loss of privileges, including Capitol parking.

The Senate will meet behind closed doors today as a caucus to discuss the fines and adoption of new rules on how to punish future boycotters. Caucus meetings are not subject to open meetings laws.

The Senate Administration Committee on Tuesday opted to make no recommendation about waving the fines. But committee Chairman Chris Harris, R-Arlington, said he favors forgetting about them.

"It is my belief that since we are back here working together — and with there not having been a previous rule (on fines) — that the important thing is to do away with them and get back to work," he said.

Not all committee members were so inclined. Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, was pleased by Democrats' decorous behavior and said he might be ready to reduce the fines. "But I'm not in a no-money mood."

Harris' committee recommended rules that would allow the Senate to strip seniority from any member who boycotts to break a quorum. Senators with seniority get the first choice of offices, parking and floor desk. Seniority also is used to determine when senators get to serve as governor for a day, an honor that can bring fund-raising opportunities.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, led the boycott and said none of that would be much of a threat to a senator who felt compelled to bring Senate action to a halt by leaving the state. She also said the proposed rule could come back and bite Republicans some day.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 45dayboycott; democrats; midlandodessa; redistricting

1 posted on 09/17/2003 7:40:07 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
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To: FairOpinion; South40; Tamsey
When I saw the thread title, I thought sure it was about the California gubernatorial race.
2 posted on 09/17/2003 7:42:27 AM PDT by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: Arrowhead1952
"We may differ on issues," Dewhurst, flanked by Democrats and Republicans, said after the brief floor session, "but we've got 32 friends here, and we are all committed to doing what's best for the state of Texas."

No... you have 11 members of a legislative body who have shown contempt for law in promoting their party's needs over the will of the voters. Am I the only one sick of the ass-grabbing Republicans playing lockerroom politics instead of leading with principle?

3 posted on 09/17/2003 7:50:51 AM PDT by pgyanke (Why do we even bother?)
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To: Arrowhead1952
How is the redistricting battle going down there? will the GOP be successful or will there be a backlash?
4 posted on 09/17/2003 8:01:05 AM PDT by DM1
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To: Arrowhead1952
I don't know if this article describes the situation correctly, but it would be a sad day if the Republicans let the Democrats recover from their terrible PR just as they have them on the ropes.

Pass the redistricting bill, now.
5 posted on 09/17/2003 8:15:11 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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