r/politics • u/slaysia • Dec 19 '17

Democrat wins Va. House seat in recount by single vote; creating 50-50 tie in legislature

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/democrat-wins-va-house-seat-in-recount-by-single-vote-creating-50-50-tie-in-legislature/2017/12/19/3ff227ae-e43e-11e7-ab50-621fe0588340_story.html?utm_term=.82f2b85b50fa
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41

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

Thank you so much! Really interesting. Sounds like it has the potential to be a total shit show this time around.

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u/icedino Dec 19 '17

Yeah, the Republicans will rally behind Kirk Cox as he was their choice for the next speaker. Meanwhile, Democrats will go for minority leader Toscano. Neither has been speaker before, so I have no idea how this will be decided.

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u/farmtownsuit Maine Dec 19 '17

What would be more valuable, committee chairs or the Speaker? I'm thinking maybe a compromise with one party holding all or the majority of the committee chairs, the other getting the speakership. That sounds like fair compromise.

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u/icedino Dec 19 '17

That's what is likely going to happen.

It's hard to say which is more valuable, since both have strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I would prefer committee chairs. Being able to decide what order legislation is presented isn't really useful is none of your legislative agenda makes it out of committee. At the same time, anything you pass out of committee can simply be pushed to the bottom of the agenda by the speaker.

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u/riverave Dec 19 '17

The committee chairs seems more appealing to me for a larger unified agenda across multiple areas, but also let all the new candidates who campaigned on new legislation go and create and at least put it out there

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u/gramathy California Dec 20 '17

If your core goals are limited, getting a few bills on the agenda to force votes rather than spam them into the full chamber could work.

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u/riverave Dec 19 '17

also, Jackson Miller getting voted out and the powerbase that he brought as whip is being relatively dismantled with the new house.

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '17

Might end up something crazy like R speaker for year one and D speaker for year two.

It’s going to be fun.

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u/GenJohnONeill Nebraska Dec 20 '17

I know not all Republicans are as big of liars as Paul Ryan & Co., but any Democrat who took a deal like this would be a complete fool.

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u/[deleted] Dec 20 '17

There's no real option. What are you going to do, it's 50/50 and you have to share power.

Any option that heavily favors the Democrats won't be passed. A one year one, one year the other kinda makes sense.

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u/GenJohnONeill Nebraska Dec 20 '17

Any deal that relies on goodwill from the GOP should be avoided because they are win-at-all-costs liars and opportunists. It's not possible to have productive government with the current incarnation of the Republican Party.

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u/[deleted] Dec 20 '17

You're missing the big problem. It's a 50/50 vote. You have to make a deal with them or nothing gets done (and they have a budget to pass this year).

There's no tiebreaking vote. So if it's 50/50, you have to deal with them, wants don't matter.

What's you're solution to this? Just get nothing done because you won't make a deal on who has what chair of what committee? I'm sure the Republicans wouldn't mind that.

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u/GenJohnONeill Nebraska Dec 20 '17

A do-nothing legislature is preferable to any deal that relies on a handshake deal with Republicans to get something back in the future. Make them pay upfront or don't do it at all, because Republicans all over the country have proven themselves to be baldfaced liars who renege on deals at the first opportunity.

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u/[deleted] Dec 20 '17

When it's happened before they actually write up a power sharing agreement and vote on it. It's not just "hey lets do this".

Regardless, VA Democrats have a bunch of issues they want through and a budget to do. A do-nothing GA session would be a disaster for them.

So there's no option here.

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u/zap2 Dec 20 '17

It’s not a do nothing legislative branch. It’s a do nothing government. They’d be unable to pass any bills. Even ones that everyone agrees upon.

The governor would get nothing to be signed.

Put simply, it’s not doable. Have one party take speakership, one party take head of committee. Then a year later, swap roles.

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u/eukomos Dec 20 '17

Sounds like the beginning of the Seven Against Thebes.