Reasonable people can differ on what the congressional map should look like.
None of this is new. Since General Ewing issued General Order No. 11 Washington Republicans have been issuing orders to Missouri republicans and they have replied “yes sir, may I have another” every single time.
However, I cannot fathom how the body formerly known as the Missouri Senate decided to go about it like this.
The puzzling part is that somehow the House has not only gotten the upper hand on the Senate, but I’ve never seen the House be so dominant over the Senate, and the senators seem to almost like it that way.
The House completely bitch slapped the senate over the budget, and the response from the senate was…well there wasn’t one, at all.
Then the house budget chairman, Rep. Dirk Deaton, who by most accounts duped the senate or in reality Thunder Dirked the senate, carried the bill on the maps and the senate didn’t say anything to protest. It’s like the Senate is not even there, it’s like they are becoming invisible.
After ending session with two PQs, and by their accounts duped on an entire budget bill they passed a very unpopular taxpayer funded sports bill without demanding 19 be passed as well. In fact the only senator who came out of special session with anything was democrat Stephen Webber and he didn’t even have to vote for the bill!
After that fiasco, now basically on their knees in front of a now dominant house, the senate decided their course of action in the second special session was to literally change the rules of the Missouri Senate to take up house bills before senate bills.
They were literally Thunder Dirked so hard that they changed the rules of their own chamber in order to take up and pass his bill before any of their own members could introduce their legislation.
It was truly the official declaration that Speaker Jon Patterson had led the House to its most powerful position in comparison with the Senate since the days of the legendary Speaker Bob Griffin.
Now you might read that and think that Dirk Deaton is a bully for Thunder Dirking the senate. After all, he slapped the senate around on the budget, then he sponsors the map bill in special session and makes them take it with little discussion and no amendments.
I would completely disagree. Rep. Deaton saw a group of weaker people, Thunder Dirked them, emasculated them, and took their power figuring they wouldn’t stand up to him. They didn’t. He was right to do so, and should do it again.
It’s a story as old as time. In politics the strong take power from the weak. No one should blame Speaker Patterson, Rep. Deaton, or the House for taking power the Senate wasn’t willing to fight to keep.
That is not even taking into account that on the next house resolution they passed they didn’t even debate it before making the PQ motion.
I’m not kidding, it’s not a typo there was zero debate on the IP reform bill before they moved the PQ motion and then adjourned.
What I’m telling you is that the body formerly known as the Missouri Senate took up a House Resolution to change the Missouri Constitution and passed it as is without a single second of debate.
There is no excuse for that. If you don’t want to debate legislation, if you just pass legislation with no debate then why on earth would you run for the Missouri Senate.
I know a lot of folks are going to reflexively want to blame senate leadership, you have to understand most people in Senate leadership view their role as one to pass things.
They raise the money to win tough general elections and in doing so pledge support for things, and they are the ones who report to a very engaged Governor and therefore they are under the most pressure to get things done. Oftentimes the process becomes secondary to the goal of delivering wins.
That is why it’s so important for senators to actually want to be senators. If senators are so willfully, and in this case happy to give over their power as Senators they are choosing to be irrelevant, and don’t be surprised when everyone treats them as such.
You can’t blame Senators Hough, Nicola, and Moon who voted against the PQ on the rules change. I wonder if you’re gonna see those three voting no a lot next session?
For sure do not blame Rep. Deaton for the senate changing their rules to bend for the house, blame “Senator” Jason Bean for voting for the rule change…and the PQ over it. He holds the seat once held by Senator Doug Libla who deeply cared about the institution, he should live up to that.
Do not blame Rep. Deaton for the senate changing their rules to bend for the house, blame “Senator” Mike Henderson for voting for the rule change…and the PQ over it. He holds the seat once held by Senator Kevin Engler and Danny Staples for goodness sake, he should live up to that legacy.
Do not blame the Missouri House of Representatives for the senate changing their rules to bend for the House, blame “Senator” Ben Brown for voting for the rule change…and the PQ over it. He holds the seat once held by Senator John Griesheimer for goodness sake, it’s tough to serve in the shadow of giants, but it’s not that hard to at least stand up for yourself.
You work so hard to get to the Missouri Senate, you would just by default assume the people who get there would like to actually be a senator. Maybe just try it and see. You might even like being a senator if you tried it.
There is an old maxim that in the House your priorities are: 1) Is it good for the state? 2) Is it good for your party? 3) Is it good for the institution of the House.
In the Senate the priorities are: 1) Is it good for the state? 2) Is it good for the institution of the Missouri Senate?
Personally, I totally understand where republicans are coming from on the maps (just look at Illinois), and I certainly believe IP reform is good for the state. However, I have no idea how anyone could tell themselves that the rule change was good for the Missouri Senate.
Or how a senator could tell themselves that having zero debate on a key amendment to the Missouri Constitution was good for the Missouri Senate.
It’s true that if they had not changed the rules for special session they would have had to do more PQs, and it would have taken longer. Well ask anyone who swung a hammer out in the heat last week if they would cry any tears for senators having to work Saturday to do their job right.
Doing the job right is what Missouri Senators are paid for. If they don’t want to put the work in then for godsakes go back to the house.
There will be Senate leadership elections next fall, and in a rarity both the Pro Tem and the Majority Leader are term limited. I hope for the good of the state, and the institution that senators will take this rare opportunity to consider what they want the Senate to be, or if they even really want a Senate at all.
Scott Faughn is the publisher of The Missouri Times, owner of the Clayton Times in Clayton; SEMO Times in Poplar Bluff; and host of the only statewide political television show, This Week in Missouri Politics.
