Power Sharing Deal Brewing in Virginia Senate?

This week may have finally broken the stalemate since election day when Republicans picked up 2 seats in the Virginia Senate to bring that body to a 20-20 split. 

Democrats have claimed that Republicans should share power entirely since the Senate was evenly divided even though the GOP has Lt. Governor Bill Bolling presiding.

Meanwhile Republicans immediately claimed full power and have refused to back down claiming they completely control the evenly divided Senate.

But both sides are now having to frantically negotiate after Bolling released a worst case scenario for both parties leadership when he announced which issues he believed he had the right to vote on per the Virginia constitution and which ones he did not.

In short, Bolling said he had the right to vote on organizational issues and bills, but not on the Virginia budget.

For both sides this creates a big problem going forward...

Many of the Democrats elected are social issue driven.  On those issues under the Bolling rules- Republicans could take total control of committees and pass anything they wanted on guns, gays, abortion, etc.

On the other hand, what many of the older Republicans in the Senate want is control over the money in the budget and that is now the biggest thing Democrats can hold up.  Tie votes in the Senate fail, so no budget could be passed without a Democratic vote in favor under Bolling's ruling.

I think this is leading us to a big announcement from Dick Saslaw and Tommy Norment on some sort of semi-power sharing arrangement in the Senate.  The structure of such a deal will be really interesting because its obvious what the Democrats will want (parity on committees with tied votes not advancing to the floor so they can kill bills in committee), but what Republicans will want is much harder to achieve in a deal.  Democrats could hypothetically promise to cooperate on the budget for parity on committees but that is the kind of unstructured deal that would lead to a tea party revolt within the GOP.  

Saslaw's ability to parlay Bolling's ruling into a deal that lasts for the next two years in the Senate has huge ramifications for what will be passed in 2012 and 2013.  Stay tuned, there is a lot of excitement yet to come from the Senate.

Comments

[Man of Reason?]

I thought Bolling's release on this was pretty reasonable. Despite the fact that few Democrats will agree with Bolling on a lot of policy, I think you have to respect the fact that he presented a fair and detailed proposal on what his views are. I know some will argue he did this because the courts would have settled it along those lines, but Bolling saved us all the drama and litigation involved. I doubt many politicians would have acted the same in today's charged environment. Kudos to Mr. Bolling.

[See Dick Cave]

Watch Saslaw sell out the Black Caucus and Democrats in general by caving in to Republicans on the Congessional redistricting plan, thereby guaranteeing an 8 Republican 3 Democrat congessional delegation majority in the state for the next decade.

[DC Government Affairs]

It will be an interesting year for Virginia politics. The question is how will the Governor's agenda drive the issues the Senate takes up.

[Noticed]

This deal (if there is one) lasts as long as Chuck Colgan's occupation (pardon the term) of his Senate seat.

[kelley in virginia]

see dick cave: I can't see any scenario (without major redistricting/redrawing of lines horizontally rather than vertically) where incumbents face real problem.

[NotJohnSMosby]

If the deal sets it up where Dems would control a few key committees where they can bury crazy social issues and new attempts at voter suppression for this year, I say go with it and gun hard for the 2013 elections. That's the best-case scenario at this point. Hold the line on Republican craziness. We're in no position to get aggressive on redistricting beyond delaying it to the point that it goes to the courts.

[Change]

8-3 (safe) congressional redistricting is inevitable only because 9-2 could not work (at this point).

I believe power sharing is a fair scenario and might just help our pol’s learn to work together again and move away from the extremes on both sides
I hope the D’s and R’s in the senate work together to make this happen.
It would be a healthy change from what we see going on in Washington.
Maybe VA could be an example of proper government as opposed to how the Obama administration has decided our constitution does not matter, and believe he was chosen as “supreme leader” as opposed to a president.

[Silly to have to waste time putting the beat down on illogical ad-homs]

See Dick Cave -

So wrong you are. The Senate Dems were the only oneswho fought for Democrats in congressional re-districting - long before DCCC, DNC or Pelosi got involved. Saslaw was a driver on this from day one. In fact the national dem orgs did not want any part of it until November.

This issue will now be decided in the courts. The constitution is very clear, re-districting needed to be done last year.

You should change your name to "get your facts straigh before you post."

[Bubby Hussein, Hillbilly Sheikh]

Change, you are a special kind of stupid - The U.S. Constitution provides for Executive recess appointments to Federal agencies. But there is nothing in there about the right to phoney, pro-forma Senate sessions to obstruct the peoples business. Furthermore, Congress has no authority to direct which powers the Executive may use, especially, the minority party.

[change]

bubbly,
you are correct, the only thing you missed is that the senate is NOT in recess...

check your mirror for your "special kind of stupid" view...

[See Dick Cave]

"Silly to have to waste time putting the beat down on illogical ad-homs"

So are you saying that I just imagined that Saslaw didn't cave in to Republicans just a few short months ago on General Assembly redistricting?

That I just imagined that I read him saying he wasn't going to change "one period, one comma" to the original resdistricting legilation passed by Senate Democrats and then totally capitualte to the Republicans a few days later?

Are you really saying that didn't happen?

Wow, I guess I'll just be imagining things next week when Tom Garrett takes office, thereby giving Republican control of the State Senate.

[Ghost of RWR]

All of this is utter nonsense. First, the new conservative members of the GOP caucus will erupt if committees are given to the libs.

Second, if conservatives are ignored, it would soon be following by burning Norment at the stake.

Third, do you really think that Mark Obenshain will stand by—wanting to run statewide as it is—while Democrats snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?

Finally, do you think Bolling would be willing to hand social conservatives a defeat—with Cuccinelli breathing down his neck—while the GOP put Democrats in chairmanships?

What the heck are you smoking?

[just the facts]

Ghost, the Dems are not going to roll over either and the state constitution pretty clearly circumscribes the power of the Lieutenant Gov....

[Ghost of RWR]

Just the facts...

From the RTD today on the D effort to stop Bolling in court. Tough to challenge if the one your suing if he doesn’t have to show up.

Checkmate. :)

"The case, filed in December in Richmond Circuit Court, has so far gotten McEachin nothing but mocking. “Democrat Sore Loser Suit,” the GOP calls it. Judge Beverly W. Snukals declined to issue the temporary injunction McEachin sought to block Bolling from voting on organization, ruling that the issue was not “ripe” because he had not yet cast such a vote.

Yet Snukals has not dismissed the suit, which seeks a declaration that the lieutenant governor cannot vote on certain matters. McEachin hinted that he’ll seek another injunction if Bolling votes on organization.

But there’s a catch: Under state law, the lieutenant governor, like the governor and General Assembly members, cannot be compelled to appear in a civil court matter during the session, nor for 15 days before or afterward. If Bolling refused to appear, McEachin’s case could not be heard until after session.”

[Steve]

Today's Blog Post "Color Virginia Red" explores the recent voting history of Virginia and it's implications for the 2012 election...

http://commoncts.blogspot.com/2012/01/color-virginia-red.html

[Bolling's hairpiece]

Va code section 30-5 is the law that allows elected state officials to basically put any civil litigation on hold until after the session.

McEachin is well known as the #1 abuser of 30-5. Ask any lawyer in Richmond who does insurance defense. Nice to see 30-5 come back and bite him in the ass.

[Not Bubby]

Hairpiece speaks truth, and the judges in the
Richmond CC know this about Don all too well. They're probably laughing their asses off.

[Steve Vaughan]

There could be a deal.
Republicans control the floor, even division on committees.
GOP agrees not to "revisit" legislative redistricting, Dems agree to incumbent protection Congressional redistricting plan.

[boxing machine]

now its all good, but we should the same stats next year. anyway thanks for the good post.

[Ghost of RWR]

So, I hope you D’s have regained your composure after the GOP did the obvious…control ALL of the committees save one that frankly not very essential. So much for “Democrats will fight”. This power sharing “dream” was nonsense from the beginning.

[Skinny Dinny]

The Senate Republicans will need to flip only one Democrat to pass the budget. The only questions are, who will it be and how much money for their district they will receive for their vote. There is an opportunity for the Northern Virginia delegation to have some influence here, but historian Chap seems to be leading the way in the other direction.