More on Pena, Flores

by: Jose Blasquez

Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 02:00 PM CDT

Absence of two Valley Reps proves crucial on key Voter ID amendment.

AUSTIN - The absence of two Rio Grande Valley lawmakers from the House floor on Monday proved crucial on a closely fought amendment to a controversial Voter ID bill.

The article then goes on to make much of the same points that were made here at Burnt Orange last night, specifically about the one-vote margin of defeat that happened on Rep. Jim Dunnam's amendment.  The article also notes that Flores was "unwell" and that Pena was back home in McAllen giving a speech about crime victims.

Flores' statement would carry more weight had not another Representative who has been sick with pneumonia not sat on the house floor through the hours of debate just to vote no.  And as important as it is to recognize victims of crime and the suffering that they have gone through, HB 218 was a pretty important bill.

Two notable lines from the article, below the fold.

"It's very hard to lose these battles by one vote. I don't know why my colleagues are not here," said Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, when asked about the absence of Flores and Peña.

Dunnam said he believed that if his amendment had passed, Democrats would have gone on to secure other amendments to water down some of the provisions in HB 218.

Imagine what would have happened yesterday had the first unfriendly amendment that was presented, passed.  Is the Dunnam scenario that implausible?  Could it have changed the momentum?  Would more "moderate"/electorally vulnerable Rs have seen the writing on the wall after the Dunnam amendment and started to flip their votes?

Because of the absence of two Craddick Ds, we'll never know.