House Majority Leader
- “The truth of the matter is that, you know, we’re being more open in government than ever before.”
- “[I]t’s a misconception that is being attempted to be sold to the general public to try to make it look like we’re doing somethin’ that’s not right.
- “We’re not targeting the Democrat [sic] caucus bills. We target every bill…” [Interrupted by laughter and jeers.]
- “This system works, and to criticize what we are doing — which is far greater than most have ever done in any state but particularly in this state — is, I believe, an offense…”
- “If a piece of legislation has a chance of passage, it absolutely should have a recorded vote.” (To which Del. Ward Armstrong (D-Henry County) responded, “How will we know a bill has a chance of passage if we don’t have a vote?”)
- “The unintended consequences of this rule, I believe, would actually put the minority party at a great disadvantage and so, y’know, I believe strongly…[this is] truly an attempt to make this place a fair place.”
Dontcha see? Republicans are just trying to help Democrats here! That’s the whole idea behind secret votes! And Legislative Services — Republicans just want to help them out, too. It’s so much work for them to record who votes how. Far easier for them to only have to worry about how the vote turns out. It’s all about efficiency!
Why, soon enough, Virginia Republicans may be helping us all out by putting these reforms into effect on a wider scale. It’s so much trouble counting votes after each election. Why bother? They’ll make sure that candidates are only allowed to run if they have a chance of winning. If not, there’s no need to worry about all that fuss and bother. And we don’t need to record the votes — let’s just trust that whoever we’re told was the winner was probably the winner.
Recording votes is so…anti-American, isn’t it? So, please, let’s do things the Morgan Griffith way. His message is simple: Trust us…we’re the government. I look forward to the Republican Party of Virginia adopting that as its motto. They can ride that line right into the November elections and watch it pay dividends.
Assuming the votes will be counted.
This is pretty damn tough to defend. What IS the real rationale you think? To kill bills the GOP doesn’t like but the public would without any fuss?
J.S. wrote:
That would be my guess. Why do something unpopular with negative consequences publicly, when you can do it in secret and have no consequences at all.
The US Congress was in Republican hands for 12 years. If the Republicans in the General Assembly keep acting like an entrenched power with something to hide (and I don’t concede that they do in all cases, but certainly in the example at hand) they won’t last that long.
The secret votes remind me of the proverbial “smoke-filled room”. Time for that nonsense to go.
Griffith broadcasts his status as a neocon ideologue by his weird neocon use of the word “Democrat” as opposed to “Democratic”. First I propose that we start referring to everything Republican as the “Republic” this and the “Republic” that.
As to the reasons for holding secret votes to kill bills, this state managed without such a provision for centuries so he’s full of nonsense. I agree with your analysis, Waldo, and your statement that this is flatly un-American.
Judge Smails,
Good to hear you saying that. I’ve noticed a few Republicans trying to defend the practice of secret votes in Richmond, which makes no sense to me because I can’t see what such a practice would have to do with conservatism. If the Democrats ever start doing such a thing in Washington then I hope that the party base will, in the same manner that you have, manage to seperate the question of partisan ideology from their idea of what constitutes ethical legislative tactics.
The worst thing about this from a partisan Republican perspective is that I actually think my side can engage and defeat the left in the marketplace of ideas. I think our solutions and policies are better and wiser.
But having the leaders in VA on the right block public access to votes in order to obfuscate or muddy further the murky waters of responsibility is not the sign of a confident movement.
As well you should, JS. (As I, of course, believe the same about Democrats.) But you’re right: Republicans are telegraphing precisely the opposite to voters by continuing to bar citizen knowledge of what they’re up to.