Dewhurst at crossroads on redistricting in Texas Senate

Austin American-Statesman ^ | Wednesday, July 16, 2003 | Dave McNeely

[Dog Gone]

It took Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst about six months after his election as presiding officer of the Texas Senate to convince the 31 senators that he was something other than a mega-rich Republican ideologue from Houston who had bought the office.

It could take him about six hours to lose that credibility — or six minutes, some think — if he decides to try to circumvent the Senate's treasured two-thirds rule over redistricting.

Dewhurst is on the hot seat. One Republican House member thinks his decision might be linked to his thoughts about running for other offices.

After the election last year, Dewhurst spent days in one-on-one meetings with senators, listening. He asked them to just give him a chance to prove he was fair.

He gradually won their respect — to the point that they were willing to vote unanimously in favor of a school finance restructuring bill he shaped.

But Dewhurst could blow it if he turns a deaf ear to the entreaty of his predecessor, Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, who joined 10 Democrats in opposing any effort to bring up a congressional redistricting bill.

That the Legislature is in special session at all is partisan politics. Gov. Rick Perry has obeyed the wishes of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, by trying to ram through congressional redistricting, which failed in the regular session because more than a third of the House fled to Oklahoma. The goal: Add to the GOP's 15 Texas congressional seats.

Dewhurst had told Perry, DeLay and Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick in a June 16 meeting at the Governor's Mansion that he thought he could get the 21 votes necessary. That's what it takes, under usual Senate procedure, for the two-thirds vote necessary to suspend the rules to get a bill to the Senate floor.

Once the bill comes up, it takes only a majority to pass it. Or once the bill passes out of the Senate and goes to the House and comes back, again it takes only a majority.

Most Democratic senators — but some Republicans as well — fear a bait and switch. Even if a bill legislators deem reasonable could get a two-thirds vote in the Senate, it could be reconfigured in the House in ways that would by no means please two-thirds of the senators.

The whole reason for the two-thirds rule, senators of both parties will point out, is to require lawmakers to reach a fairly strong bipartisan consensus before measures reach the Senate floor. That process, usually enforced by the presiding officer, also keeps senators from getting "cut up" by casting votes on controversial measures that might not pass anyway.

That underlines the "bipartisan spirit which President George W. Bush nurtured so vigorously and of which he was so proud when he was governor," Ratliff said Monday.

Ratliff said he was also trying to protect some Republican colleagues who would rather not be put on the spot about the bill.

Word was Ratliff had told Dewhurst he could declare the redistricting bill dead, or Ratliff would. Instead, Dewhurst, at a news conference, chose to leave open the door to circumventing the two-thirds rule.

And so Ratliff, considered the conscience of the Senate, held his own news conference.

If Dewhurst tries to circumvent the two-thirds rule, it "would be the most serious mistake he could make," Ratliff warned.

Sen. Ken Armbrister of Victoria, one of two Democrats who has refused to say he won't support some new congressional map, nonetheless thinks enough senators would leave town to keep it from doing business if the tradition was bypassed — and Dewhurst would suffer badly.

"I don't think you'll have a quorum — and I would lead 'em," Armbrister said. "That's one line I won't cross."

What Dewhurst does next could determine how he is regarded by the Senate, the Republican Party, and future Texas voters.

[MeekOneGOP]

Here is a list of recent articles on Redistricting:

FR Search: Keyword "Redistricting"

07-09-2003
DROP IT -- Redistricting would benefit few Texans, harm many
(Editorial)

07-08-2003
Senators have problems with House redistricting map - Texas redistricting

07-08-2003
House passes remap
Veteran Democrats may lose seats if bill goes through Senate

Above article is worthy of showing that a picture indeed is worth a thousand words:
First the Chicken D’s run away to Ardmore, Oklahoma. That didn’t work, so here they are,
still having a fit during the Redistricting debate:

As King began his argument for the new congressional boundaries Monday afternoon, about 30 Democrats in the gallery donned white socks as hand puppets to mock King. Every time he spoke, the little white mouths flapped.

07-07-2003
TEXAS REDISTRICTING--Vote TONIGHT!

07-07-2003
Race rhetoric stokes Texas redistricting fire

07-07-2003
Tension may soar as map debate hits House floor - Texas redistricting

07-06-2003
House panel quickly passes Republican redistricting plan -
map likely to unseat six Democrats

07-04-2003
New GOP map restores (Rep. Martin Frost's) district

07-03-2003
Republicans pull proposed map - redistricting

07-03-2003
Chamber of Commerce and GI Forum Hire Temps to Testify

07-02-2003
The Great Texas Power Grab - redistricting

07-01-2003
Tx Democrats Trying Fight, Not Flight, Over Districts
(The-Terrific-Texan-Special-Session)

[MeekOneGOP]

Dewhurst had told Perry, DeLay and Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick in a June 16 meeting at the Governor's Mansion that he thought he could get the 21 votes necessary. That's what it takes, under usual Senate procedure, for the two-thirds vote necessary to suspend the rules to get a bill to the Senate floor.

This editorial conveniently left out something that hardly anybody has noticed. This, from The Dallas Morning News, posted here on FR:

The state Republican Party was quick to point out that the rule has been abandoned on occasion – such as when the Senate took up a state senatorial redistricting plan in 1992.

[Radtechtravel]

Listen to the crybabies whine.

For decades, dems have thrown bi-partisan out the window re redistricting, gerrymandering the GOP to the thinnest margins possible. Now that the GOP has the power to dish out a bit of what Dems have forced upon them, listen to the crybaby, spoiled brats' demogoguery!

Sock it to 'em Dewhurst. The nation will love you for it.

[Dog Gone]

Most Democratic senators — but some Republicans as well — fear a bait and switch.

In fact, it's what I've been advocating. It's exactly what we should do.

All this crap about being bi-partisan is just that. Redistricting is all about being partisan. McNeely won't come out and admit the Rats suspended the 2/3rds rule in 1991 when they drew the existing districts.

Let's see if Ratliff, Armbrister and others want to do a Senate version of Ardmore. Bring it on.

[MeekOneGOP]

Exactly. In fact, from the beginning this has been an effort to align the state closer to the voters wishes. MORE people are voting GOP, a LOT MORE than the current lines would indicate. The whole intention is to get more GOP seats in the House, and that was not disguised one bit from the beginning.

Amen ! Bring it on !! Go GOP !!

[Redbob]

"...the Senate's treasured two-thirds rule..."

So now it's a "treasured" rule?

Reality never did mean much to the Austin "American" Statesman, did it?

[Dog Gone]

If Dewhurst tries to circumvent the two-thirds rule, it "would be the most serious mistake he could make," Ratliff warned.

Empty words from Texas's version of Jim Jeffords. He's the one who just made the biggest mistake of his political career.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

WHAT DAMN 2/3 RULE?? Someone PLEASE show me this rule.

[Dog Gone]

Sorry, HC. That's impossible because it doesn't frickin' exist, except in the minds of some senators and the media.

Instead, it's "hallowed tradition" that the Democrats were free to waive, but the Republicans must not.

[SwinneySwitch]

"Damn the 2/3 Rule, Full speed ahead!"

[Flyer]

"I don't think you'll have a quorum — and I would lead 'em," Armbrister said

They will dig up Jimmy Hoffa before Texas Republicans let them get away with this.

[hopespringseternal]

And so Ratliff, considered the conscience of the Senate, held his own news conference.

Anytime the press calls someone the conscience of I have to howl with laughter. It's like saying "The conscience of O.J. Simpson." What is shows is that the person in question is a complete @sshole.

[SwinneySwitch]

You can e-mail Lt. Gov. Dewhurst @

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/ltgov/Contact.htm

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

They will dig up Jimmy Hoffa before Texas Republicans let them get away with this.

Per Fox News-- Channel 2, Detroit.

Oakland County Sheriffs are now digging in a home in Hampton Twp, Michigan, searching for the body of Jimmy Hoffa.

[Flyer]

I wonder if it's cold in Hell today, too?

[jagrmeister]

One response to this editorial- (LOL!). This desperate, if not outright pathetic, attempt by the Austin-American to influence a Republican state leader shows the perils that a paper faces when it shreds its credibility well in advance of pivotal decisions. The AAS is already acknowledged as a leftist rag after editorial after editorial of breathlessly advocating liberal positions and castigating Republicans. Now who is left to listen to their laughable liberal rants? Only liberals. They are changing no minds.

[goldstategop]

I noted Bill Ratliff being described as "the conscience of the Texas Senate." Its a dead giveaway the guy's a liberal. Ratliff is simply Texas' version of Jim Jeffords. No wonder the liberal media in the state is having orgasms over the RINO. They wonder how soon it is before he jumps ship to join the other party.