Twenty is not more than twenty

November 18, 2011

On November 8th, Virginia voters chose to elect equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans to the State Senate. Now, Republican Senators are circumventing the voters' decision and Virginia's Constitution to declare a majority in order to push through their extreme agenda. Senator Tommy Norment, who has been selected to lead the Republican Senate Caucus, demonstrated his poor grasp of math yesterday when he declared "the people of Virginia voted to have Republicans lead the Senate of Virginia."

Progressive Point: Respect for the rule of law and the decisions made by voters are fundamental to our democracy. Republicans in the State Senate have chosen to disregard the Virginia Constitution, the verdict delivered by voters on November 8th, and apparently the basic rules of math. Ask any first grader whether 20 is greater than 20 and they will tell you no. This blatant power grab is an insult to Virginians. Republicans in the State Senate must respect the laws of our Commonwealth and establish power-sharing in the Senate. Running roughshod over the will of Virginia voters to push through their extreme agenda threatens our future and subverts our democratic traditions.

Get the Facts:

20 is not greater than 20. (Source: 1st grade math, Wolfram Alpha)

The Virginia Constitution states that "members elected" may vote on the rules and organization of the Senate. The Leiutenant Governor is not a member of the State Senate. (Source: Constitution of Virginia, Senator John Edwards)

Tweet it: Twenty is not more than twenty http://bit.ly/tRm0Te via @ProgressVA

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