MUTH’S TRUTHS

Apparently there was some confusion on that conservative protest vote against Democrat Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley for Speaker on Monday. Yes, seven conservative Republicans did abstain from voting for Madame Speaker; however, some of them are now saying the Speaker vote was one thing; joining the Assembly Conservative Caucus (ACC) and approving the press release which went out about that vote is another thing altogether.

“That group (ACC) does not exist,” Assemblyman Chad Christensen (R-Las Vegas) tells Anjeanette Damon of the Reno Gazette-Journal this morning, “and if it does exist, I’m not a part of it.”

Added Assemblyman John Hambrick, “I stand by my lack of a vote (for Buckley), but that term ‘conservative caucus’ never came out until after the vote. I am a member of the Republican caucus and Heidi Gansert is our leader.”

So it appears that once again Republicans who never blow an opportunity to blow an opportunity have found a way to turn lemonade into a lemon. Good grief.

But here’s some cheerful news: That vote to elect Barbara Buckley Speaker may not have actually happened after all - and the Assembly will have to do it all over again in the regular session. Here’s why…

Democrat Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera nominated Democrat Barbara Buckley for Speaker. REPUBLICAN Minority Leader Heidi Gansert seconded the nomination. At which point someone (I can’t remember exactly who it was) made a motion to close nominations. And THAT’S when the voice vote was taken which the seven conservative Republicans abstained from.

So the vote was to close nominations, not elect Buckley Speaker. A vote to elect Buckley Speaker was never actually taken. Therefore, Barbara Buckley was NOT elected Speaker on Monday.

Somebody simply needs to get a copy of the audio or video of that portion of the session to verify this. And if it turns out to be accurate, maybe the next time the election for Speaker will be conducted via secret ballot as it should have been on Monday. That would be fun, huh?

One last note on Assembly Republicans. In Anjeanette’s story this morning, she also quotes Minority Leader Gansert as asserting that “All of our members are conservative.”

Remember that quote, dear reader. I suspect it’s going to come back to bite Ms. Gansert before long. After all, Assemblyman Joe Hardy already proposed a sales tax hike during Monday’s special session, and I’m guessing he’s not done yet. And I’m also guessing Hardy and some others will be voting in decidedly non-conservative ways throughout the regular session.

Here’s hoping the Assembly Conservative Caucus continues to develop and move forward, even if it’s only founded by five members instead of seven. Heck, the Fabulous Five sounds just as good as the Magnificent Seven. And as Founding Father and beer aficionado Samuel Adams famously noted, “It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”

Somebody pass me a match.

Posted on December 11th, 2008 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada