(Idaho) Democrats walk out over budget seat

[Newsjock]

http://idahostatesman.com/101/story/63164.html

By Gregory Hahn
Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 12/09/06

A month before the Idaho House even starts its business, Democrats and Republicans are already at an impasse.
All 19 Democrats walked off the House floor in protest Friday after the new Republican leaders refused to allow the minority party a third seat on the important and powerful budget committee.

"We would say this is a breach of trust," said Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet of Ketchum. "You are not respecting the voters who sent us to the Statehouse to represent them."

... Democrats picked up six House seats this November and now make up 27 percent of the 70-member House. Jaquet and her caucus argued that they should have been given three of the 10 House seats on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.

... This November, as Democrats swept into Congress around the country, Idaho actually elected more statewide Republicans than any year since 1928.

But Democrats held their seven seats in the Senate and gained six in the House, largely by taking over moderate and split districts here in Boise.

[LiberalFighter]

1. They should make a big to do about being fair

Maybe even demand that one of the Republicans should vote 80% of the time for the Democratic side. The Democrats make up 38% of the House seats. So there should be 3 full blooded Democrats and 1 that 80% Democrat.

[Diana Rowe Pauls]

2. Made the front page of Times-News also...

...and being discussed among the liberal blogs across the state...

See Red State Rebels and State of Technology for more.

One Dem rep told me that:
"It is too bad the GOP feels it necessary to exert that kind of pressure. Our only recourse is to keep reminding the electorate that this move disenfranchises those voters who are represented by those new legislators. A kind of vindictive act showing disrespect for the individuals right of choice. We got the numbers in all the other committees, but this one was so important as it controls the appropriations and who gets them. With the more conservative leadership this is just the beginning of the attempts to jerk us around. We did get some great new people and I think we will hold our own."

[Diana Rowe Pauls]

3. Former state legislator wants to see some outrage

All Idahoans are invited to contact their representatives and write a "letter to the editor" (South Central Idaho and/or throughout Idaho and U.S.)...

Posted at Red State Rebels:
Ken Robison: Let's see some outrage
Former state legislator Ken Robison, who remains a tireless advocate for average Idahoans, sent this email to activists in response to the Idaho GOP's power grab:

Friends,

Idahoans should be reacting with disbelief and outrage to the action of the Idaho House Republican leadership. They have refused to recognize and accept the results of November's election.

With a gain of six House seats, there should now be three instead of two Democratic House members on the Joint Finance-Appropriati ons Committee.

But the Republican leadership team (Denney, Moyle, Bedke and Roberts) decided to give the Democrats only two, the same number as in the past two sessions.

With 72.8 per cent of the House membership, the Republicans are claiming 80 per cent of the House budget seats.

In all of the years I was in the House, something like this never happened. The Republican leaders always honored the results of the election. They honored the practice of allocating seats on committees in proportion to the membership of the House. Had Democrats been in the majority they would have done the same.

The budget committee is the most important committee in the legislature. Now the House Republicans are saying they should retain a 16-4 majority notwithstanding the results of the election.

This is not just a disagreement between Republicans and Democrats. It goes to the essence of our system of Democratic and representative government.

Idahoans, whether Republicans or Democrats, should recognize the significance of what is happening. Representative government is being hijacked.

At the very least I would hope that people in this group would express yourselves in letters to the editor and letters and messages to GOP legislators and legislative leaders.

Ken Robison