Not wimps or rabbits

For veteran legislative Democrats who have spent considerable time worrying about whether they extended enough respect to their Republican counterparts, these are strange times. Where Speaker McCoy anguished over the fairness of his decisions and often erred on the side of deference, Speaker Gunn and the replacements have chosen to deal in raw partisanship and compensate for their lack of institutional knowledge with sneak attacks and surprise. Even "sunshine" legislation, the centerpiece of the Republican election effort, was too incomplete and underdeveloped to be rolled out in the plain light of day. Containing nothing resembling what a reasonable person would consider "sunshine", the recently-deceased HB 122 stands as a reckless fantasy of a Speaker confused by a state that would permit a law and order Democrat to be elected Attorney General in a ruby red state.

The stops and starts of the first month of non-work in the House have rightfully drawn the ire of House Democrats. In a press release labeled "HB 122: The bill that was never properly before the House", Rep. Cecil Brown (D - Jackson) was quoted as saying:

"Republicans are fast-tracking selective legislation by subverting the committee process and bringing bills out on the floor well before their time.  This method of forcing bills down our throats has happened twice and it needs to stop.” 

For those who missed the point, Rep. Bob Evans (D - Monticello) told WLBT there would be no rolling over if Republicans stand determined to steamroll the rules of the House and of basic decency. Hopefully, Speaker Gunn is learning that the Speaker's stand is no place to work out your frustrations over seeing Jim Hood reelected. If not, he can expect the likes of Bob Evans and Cecil Brown to be waiting at every turn. Don't let the numbers on the House vote tally fool you, these folks are no "wimps or rabbits."  And if House Republicans continue in their efforts to ramrod shoddy legislation, they will be in for a long, unpleasant session.