GOP Senators visit ABQ
By Byron LaMasters
Yesterday, two Republican Senators visited ABQ to try and negotiate with the 11 Democrats away from the state, breaking quorum. The Houston Chronicle reports:
Two Republican state senators flew here Wednesday for a covert two-hour meeting with several of the 11 Democratic state senators who fled Texas to block a GOP congressional redistricting plan.
Republican Sens. Todd Staples of Palestine and Robert Duncan of Lubbock told the Houston Chronicle Wednesday evening that they met with Democratic Sens. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, Royce West of Dallas and Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa of Mission.
Despite the gesture, however, no progress was made.
Van de Putte characterized the meeting as friendly and respectful, but she and other Democratic senators said it did not change their minds about staying in Albuquerque.
"We still remain inalterably opposed to redistricting," Van de Putte at an evening news conference.
The Senators were sent by Lt. Gov. Dewhurst, says the San Antonio Express News:
The meeting was described as an effort to reach out to Democrats, and had the support of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who a day earlier said he was exploring unspecified "legal options" to yank the senators back across the state line.
Dewhurst provided the leased twin-propeller plane taken early Wednesday by Republican Sens. Todd Staples of Palestine and Robert Duncan of Lubbock. The two sought to meet with all the Democratic senators at their hotel, the Marriott Pyramid.
The article goes on to explain why little progress was made. It's kind of hard to convince the Democrats to come home, when there's nothing being offered to them.
In Austin, Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, said Staples and Duncan sought to persuade the senators "to come back and do their jobs."
"They are not offering anything for them to come back," Wentworth said. "They're there to encourage them to come back."
In all honesty, this basically looks like a pr gimmick by the two Republican Senators. I doubt that it has or will accomplish anything.
Posted by Byron LaMasters at August 7, 2003 03:05 AM
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