Posted on 05/14/2003 5:34:18 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Texas Democratic legislators still in Oklahoma
AWOL House members, GOP leaders stick to guns in redistricting standoff
05/14/2003
AUSTIN – Neither side budged in the Red River redistricting standoff Tuesday, a second day of insults and indignation lobbed between Republicans and 51 House Democrats holed up in Oklahoma.
The Democrats, who fled to shut down the House on Monday in protest of a proposed Republican redistricting plan, defended their actions in a news conference outside their haven, the Holiday Inn in Ardmore, Okla.
"We have a message for Tom DeLay: Don't mess with Texas," said Rep. Jim Dunnam of Waco, the Democratic caucus chairman who has emerged as a ringleader of the rebel efforts.
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Mr. Dunnam said the members agreed to stay at least until midnight Thursday – the session's deadline for introducing legislation such as the redistricting bill.
"We decided yesterday that we were going to stay as long as it takes. ... It would take about two minutes if the Republican leadership makes the right decision," said Mr. Dunnam, who called the GOP response to the crisis "cowardly."
In Washington, Mr. DeLay, R-Sugar Land, chided the "fugitive Democrats" and defended the redistricting proposal, which he said would better reflect the way Texans vote by redrawing districts to create at least four more safe seats for Republicans in the U.S. House.
House Speaker Tom Craddick, who has labeled the missing Democrats "chickens," noted that Republicans never fled from redistricting battles. "Two years ago the Republicans could have walked and ... we didn't do it," he said in Austin. "We didn't run and hide, and that's what they are doing."
Mr. Craddick said the hour of death is near for some major state legislation, including bills designed to raise much-needed cash. Until at least two-thirds of the 150 House members return to achieve a quorum, no business can be conducted.
"We killed over $630 million worth of revenue measures ... [needed] to help the state of Texas in balancing the budget," he said.
One of the rebellious Democrats, Rep. Steve Wolens of Dallas, said that despite the fervent talk, there's plenty of time for the Legislature to accomplish critical business. Even if Thursday passes, Mr. Dunnam agreed, the House can vote to suspend that deadline and consider bills.
Mr. Wolens likened the walkout to other parliamentary maneuvers used routinely to kill legislation. For instance, under Senate rules, any bloc of 11 members can prevent a bill from being considered.
"Rome isn't burning, and the Legislature's not going away," he said, adding that redistricting is always among the most divisive issues. "We get past these things all the time."
While the crisis would end if one or two of the Democrats in Ardmore switched sides and returned to Austin, there were no rumbles about any defections around the normally gossipy halls of the statehouse.
Speaker Pro Tem Sylvester Turner of Houston, one of the House Democrats who stayed, asked Mr. Craddick to pull the redistricting bill from the calendar so the House could move on to more pressing matters, such as the state budget.
"Congressional redistricting is not a must-do thing," Mr. Turner said. "The budget is No. 1."
The attempt to force the runaways back to Austin at the hands of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers appeared to have stalled. The DPS said it has no jurisdiction in Oklahoma – or the signatures of judges required of traditional criminal arrest warrants – to serve the "arrest warrants" drawn up by Mr. Craddick's staff based on House rules.
Likewise, a bid for federal intervention failed. A spokesman for state Attorney General Greg Abbott said First Assistant Attorney General Barry McBee had inquired about federal assistance, at the request of Mr. Craddick's office.
The spokesman said Mr. McBee had not heard back, but federal officials in Washington said there was no basis for the Justice Department to get involved. "That's a state matter," said Justice Department spokesman Jorge Martinez in Washington.
As the standoff dragged on, DPS officers at the Holiday Inn in Ardmore remained friendly with their would-be quarry.
"They're just kind of hanging out," Mr. Wolens said. "They said, 'If you'd like, we'd be happy to accompany you back to Austin,' " Mr. Wolens said. "We did what Nancy Reagan said to do. We just said, 'No.' "
Mr. Dunnam said that the Democrats are paying for the trip with their own money and that they've agreed to forfeit their $124 daily state allowance until the imbroglio is resolved.
Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday that there's still time for Democrats and Republicans to work out their differences and noted that he's waiting for important legislation that can't cross his desk until the House deals with it.
"With less than three weeks left in this legislative session, legislators have yet to send me a balanced budget, meaningful homeowners insurance reform that lowers rates and a medical malpractice bill that will protect patients' care in Texas," he said.
"It's unfortunate they would run and hide rather than stay and fight for their constituents," Mr. Perry said.
State GOP leaders argued Tuesday that the concentration of Democrats in Ardmore could constitute a quorum of certain House committees, in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act. State Republican Chairman Susan Weddington said it was outrageous that the missing lawmakers are not subject to legal sanctions.
Democrats deny they are conducting any House business.
Staff writers Matt Stiles in Ardmore, Okla., Robert T. Garrett in Austin and Michelle Mittelstadt and David Jackson in Washington contributed to this report.
E-mail gkuempel@dallasnews.com
Most of the people we argue against here on FR are either Wormtongues or Sarumans. They say pretty things in a pretty way that make no sense for the purpose of obscuring the thought of the rest of us. We need to stop bandying crooked words with them and simply kick their a$$es out of the court.
Shalom.
Shalom to you too! :O)
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