Yes, but the quorum loophole is a perfectly legal part of the process too. Considering that, it's actually laudable how infrequently it gets used.
-Kevin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andy Ousterhout" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 6:58 AM Subject: RE: Emergency: Democracy under attack in Texas > Sandy, > > This deserves our mirth, not attention or money. This is one of the oldest > tricks in the book. Democrats in Illinois did it a few years back and > gained several seats in both houses, as I remember. Republicans did not run > and hide, because what they did was perfectly legal, as supported by the > State Supreme Court. And you should see the shape of some of the districts! > So this is NOT democracy under attack. It is democracy at work and the > democrats in Texas, not liking when it goes against them, are fighting in, > IMHO, an inappropriate fashion. What would be the state of our democracy if > EVERY group of politicians decided NOT to show up when they disagreed? > > This is exactly the same thing crap that went on in Florida and still has > the dems crying(and you can really hear their tears of righteousness when > they pulled the same illegal BS in New Jersey). When it works for the > democrats it is great. When they get creamed by the same tactic, it is > un-American and a right wing plot to take over the world. I am so tired of > their two-faced BS. > > In summary, it is just a butch of cry babies throwing a temper tantrum when > their God-given right (but wait, they don't believe in God in Government?) > to govern is challenged. > > Oh, I feel sooo much better now. Time to go out for a run. > > Andy > > -----Original Message----- > From: Sandy Clark [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 6:01 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: FW: Emergency: Democracy under attack in Texas > > > I don't normally pass this stuff on, but I think this one deserves some > attention. However I have to warn you that their donation page is not > secure. I am currently getting information on how to donate via PayPal and > will be glad to pass that on to those who want the information off list. > > Sandy > > From: Zack <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Exley, MoveOn.org > To: > Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2003 6:04 PM > Subject: Emergency: Democracy under attack in Texas > > Dear MoveOn member, > > Impeachment. The 2000 Election. The California Recall. The pattern is > becoming clear: there's a group of men in power who will do anything to > consolidate that power, including undermining our democratic institutions. > We've got to fight back. In Texas, they are fighting back. And while the > world is focusing on the California mess, they are fighting alone. They need > our help. > > A partisan plan pushed by Karl Rove and Tom Delay will redistrict up to 7 > Democrats out of Congress. Right now, 11 Democratic State Senators are > hiding across state lines -- with the Texas Governor calling for their > arrest -- to prevent this illegitimate plan from being strong-armed into > law. They have put their reputations and careers on the line for all of us. > A letter below from State Senator Rodney Ellis explains the situation in > detail. Please read it, and then please help us launch a hard-hitting ad > campaign to fight back in Texas. Whether you donate $5 or $5000, you will be > helping to hold accountable reckless leaders who think they can get away > with anything. Please contribute to this effort now: > > http://moveon.org/texasads > <http://moveon.org/texasads?id=1595-2240002-M3WjX6jzxSCzgvKUUyXKeA> > > The Texas special session that was called to gerrymander the Texas > congressional districts ends early next week, and the pressure is building. > These courageous leaders need to see real support now, or they won't be able > to hold out. > > Our numbers our great enough now to fight back effectively against these > attacks on democracy. Please get even more people involved by forwarding > this email to everyone you think would like to help. > > Thanks, > > --Zack and Wes > MoveOn.org PAC > August 20th, 2003 > > Below is the letter from State Senator Rodney Ellis. > ___________________ > August 18, 2003 > > Dear friends, > > I am writing to you from a hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I > and 10 of my colleagues in the Texas Senate have been forced to reside for > the past 20 days. If we return to our homes, families, friends, and > constituents, the Governor of Texas will have us arrested. > > I know, it sounds more like a banana republic than the dignified democracy > on which we have long prided ourselves. We are effectively exiled from the > state due to our unalterable opposition to a Republican effort -- pushed by > Tom Delay and Karl Rove, and led by Texas Governor Rick Perry -- that would > rewrite the map of Texas Congressional districts in order to elect at least > 5 more Republicans to Congress. > > You may not have heard much about the current breakdown in Texas politics. > The Republican power play in California has obscured the Republican power > play in Texas that has forced my colleagues and me to leave the state. > > Recognizing that public pressure is the only thing that can break the > current stalemate, our friends at MoveOn have offered to support our efforts > by sharing this email with you. In it, you will find: > > * Background information on how the situation in Texas developed; > > * Analysis of what's at stake for Democrats and the democratic > process; and > > * How you can help by contacting Texas politicians, signing our > petition, contributing funds, and forwarding this email! > > The Republican redistricting effort shatters the tradition of performing > redistricting only once a decade immediately after the Census -- making > redistricting a perpetual partisan process. It elevates partisan politics > above minority voting rights, in contravention of the federal Voting Rights > Act. It intends to decimate the Democratic party in Texas, and lock in a > Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. And Republican > efforts to force a vote on this issue by changing the rules of legislative > procedure threaten to undermine the rule of law in Texas. > > We do not take lightly our decision to leave the state. It was the only > means left to us under the rules of procedure in Texas to block this > injustice. We are fighting for our principles and beliefs, and we can win > this fight with your support. > > Sincerely, > > Rodney Ellis > Texas State Senator (Houston) > > Background > > During the 2001 session of the Texas Legislature, the legislature was unable > to pass a Congressional redistricting plan as it is required to do following > the decennial Census. A three judge federal panel was forced to draw the > plan. Neither Governor Rick Perry or then Attorney General John Cornyn, both > Republicans, objected to the plan, which was reviewed and approved by the > U.S. Supreme Court. > > The 2002 Congressional elections, the first held under the new redistricting > plan, resulted in a Congressional delegation from Texas consisting of 17 > Democrats and 15 Republicans. However, five of the 17 Democrats prevailed > only because they were able to win the support of Republican and independent > voters. All statewide Republican candidates carried these five districts. > Most experts agree that the current plan has 20 strong or leaning Republican > districts and 12 Democratic districts. > > Meanwhile, the 2001 redistricting of Texas legislative seats (which was > enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislative Redistricting Board, after > the legislature again gridlocked in its efforts) resulted in wide Republican > majorities in both the Texas House and Texas Senate. Now Tom Delay has made > it his priority to force the Republican-controlled Legislature to enact a > new redistricting plan to increase the number of Republican-leaning > Congressional districts. Republicans believe they can manipulate the > districts to elect as many as 22 Republicans out of the 32 member Texas > Congressional delegation. They achieve this by packing minority voters into > as few districts as possible and breaking apart rural districts so that the > impact of independent voters will be reduced and suburban Republican voters > will dominate. > > During the regular session of the Texas Legislature, Democratic members of > the Texas House of Representatives exercised an unprecedented parliamentary > move to prevent the House from passing Tom Delay's redistricting plan. While > Democrats are in the minority of the House of Representatives, the state > constitution requires that at least 2/3 of the House be present for the > House to pass a bill. Because it was clear that the Republicans would > entertain no debate and brook no compromise in their effort to rewrite the > rules by which members of Congress are elected, the Democrats were forced to > break the quorum to prevent the bill from passing. Because the Republican > Speaker of the House and Governor called on state law enforcement officials > to physically compel the Democrats to return, the lawmakers removed > themselves to a Holiday Inn in Ardmore, Oklahoma -- outside the reach of > state troops(1). In there effort to apprehend the Democrats, Tom Delay > officially sought the hel! p of the Department of Homeland Security, the > Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice. > > The House Democrats (nicknamed the "Killer D's", based on an earlier episode > in Texas history in which a group of Democratic state senators called the > "Killer Bees" broke the quorum in the Senate over a similarly political > stalemate) succeeded in stopping Delay's redistricting plan during the > regular session, returning to Texas after the legislative deadline had > expired for the House to pass legislation. However, because the Texas > Legislature meets in regular session only every two years, the state > constitution gives the Governor the power to call a 30-day special > legislative session at any time between regular sessions. Despite statewide > protests from Texas citizens who oppose Tom Delay's redistricting plan, the > Governor has called two special sessions(2) already this summer to attempt > to force the legislature to enact a new plan. > > The first called session expired in a deadlock, as 12 of 31 Texas > Senators(3) opposed the plan. Under Senate rules and tradition, a 2/3 vote > is required to consider any bill on the floor of the Senate, giving 11 > Senators the power to block a vote(4). The Republican Governor and > Lieutenant Governor then determined they would do away with the 2/3 rule, > and called another special session, forcing 11 Democratic Senators to break > the quorum and leave the state.(5) These Senators have spent the past 22 > days in Albuquerque, New Mexico. > > The Governor has indicated he will continue calling special sessions until > the Republican redistricting plan is enacted, despite the fact that the > Republican-controlled Texas Supreme Court recently rejected the Governor's > writ of mandamus filing to compel the Senators to return to the Senate. > Meanwhile, eleven Democratic state senators are exiled from their state, > unable to be with their families, friends, and constituents, for fear of > being arrested as part of a partisan power play by Republicans. In the most > recent indignity, Republican Senators voted to fine the absent Democrats up > to $5,000 per day, and to revoke parking and other privileges for their > staffs as long as the Senators are away. > > What's at stake > > At stake, on the surface, is whether Tom Delay will succeed in exploiting > Republican control of the Texas Legislature to add to the Republican > majority in the United States Congress. But deeper issues are also at stake. > > > * If the Republicans succeed in redrawing the Texas Congressional > lines to guarantee the election of five to seven more Republicans, it will > ensure that Republicans hold the majority in the U.S. House of > Representatives for the entire decade and will likely result in Tom Delay > becoming Speaker of the House.(6) > > * The Republican advantage would be gained by removing many African > American and Hispanic voters from their current Congressional districts and > "packing" them into a few districts that already have Democratic majorities. > The voting power of these minority voters would be dramatically diluted by > the Republican plan, in contravention of the federal Voting Rights Act. If > the Republicans succeed, over 1.4 million African American and Hispanic > voters will be harmed. It would be the largest disenfranchisement of > minority voters since the Voting Rights Act was passed. > > * Redistricting exists for the purpose of reapportioning voters among > political districts to account for population shifts. The purpose of this > reapportionment is to ensure a roughly equal number of voters in each > district, to preserve the principle of "one man, one vote."(7) For this > reason, redistricting has always been conducted immediately following the > U.S. Census' decennial population reports. Tom Delay now proposes a new > redistricting plan two years after the Census report simply because > Republicans gained control over the Texas Legislature in 2002 and now have > the power to enact a much more Republican-friendly plan than the one drawn > by the federal courts two years ago. This is an unprecedented approach to > redistricting, one that subordinates its original purpose of ensuring the > principle of "one man, one vote" to the purpose of perpetual partisan > politics. Redistricting, in this model, would never be a settled matter, and > districts would constantly be in fl! ux depending on the balance of > political power in the Legislature. > > * The Texas Legislature has traditionally been defined by a spirit of > bipartisanship and cooperation. This issue has polarized the legislature in > a way that threatens to destroy that tradition. The Republicans have > effectively exiled their Democratic counterparts in a power play that makes > our state look more like a banana republic than a dignified democracy. The > arbitrary decision to discard the 2/3 rule in the Senate sets a precedent > that undermines that body's tradition of consensus and cooperation. The > deployment of state law enforcement officials to apprehend boycotting > legislators erodes the separation of powers between the executive and > legislative branches of government, and diminishes legislators' ability to > represent their constituents as they see fit. The unilateral Republican > effort to penalize Democratic Senators and their staffs > > What is needed > > The Democratic Senators currently in Albuquerque have two critical needs. > The first is to generate increased public awareness of the situation. By all > reason, every day the Senators are out of the state this story should get > bigger. Instead, news media have gradually lost interest in the story. The > California recall has dominated the attention of the national media, and the > Texas media has largely lost interest in the story -- out of sight, out of > mind. Without public attention to this story, the Republicans have all the > leverage -- if it does not cost them politically, it costs them nothing(8) > to continue calling special sessions until the Texas 11 are forced to come > home. > > The second critical need is funding. The cost of hotels, meeting rooms, > staff support, and public relations efforts is mounting. In addition, the > Senators must defend themselves legally against Republican efforts to compel > their return, while also filing legal claims against the Republican power > play. The Senators are actively raising money for the Texas Senate > Democratic Caucus Fund to offset these costs and prepare themselves for a > stay of indefinite duration in Albuquerque. > > Notes > > 1. A recent Department of Justice investigation chronicled Republican state > officials' illegal attempts to use federal resources -- including > anti-terrorism resources from the Department of Homeland Security -- to > compel the Democratic lawmakers' return. See > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51520-2003Aug12.html for a > news report on the Justice Department investigation, or > http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/03-08a/final.pdf for a copy of the complete > Justice Department report. > 2. At a cost to taxpayers of over $1.5 million per session. > 3. House Republicans passed a redistricting bill in the special session > despite an outpouring of public opposition in hearings across the state. All > 12 Democratic state senators opposed the plan, along with Republican state > senator (and former Lieutenant Governor) Bill Ratliff. > 4. The "2/3 rule" requires the Senate to reach broader consensus on > difficult issues than a simple majority vote. It is a combination of > official Senate rules and tradition. The rules of the Senate require a 2/3 > vote to suspend the "regular order of business" to consider a bill that is > not the first bill on the Senate calendar. By tradition, the Senate has > always placed a "blocker bill" at the top of the Senate calendar, so that > every bill requires a suspension of the regular order of business to be > considered. The process requires compromise and consensus to achieve a 2/3 > majority on each bill. One Texas insider has said that the 2/3 rule is "what > separates us from animals." > 5. In fact, the Governor and Lt. Governor attempted to "surprise" the > Senators by calling the second special one day early and "trap" them in the > Senate Chamber. The Senators were able to escape the Capitol with literally > minutes to spare. > 6. Republican party activist Grover Norquist, head of the Washington > D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform, was quoted as follows in the August 17 > Fort Worth Star Telegram: "Republicans will hold the House for the next > decade through 2012 if Texas redistricts.It depresses the hell out of the > Democrats and makes it doubly impossible to take the House and probably > depresses their fund raising.Anything that helps strengthen the Republican > leadership helps DeLay become speaker someday if he wants it." > 7. Established in the landmark case Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186 (1962) > 8. Notwithstanding the millions of dollars it is costing taxpayers. > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm?link=t:5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm?link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Your ad could be here. 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