Worst of the Week - The Power Grab

January 13, 2012

Despite conservatives in Richmond attempting to pass laws that would ban abortion and discriminate against minority voters, neither was the most offensive act of the week. ProgressVA's Worst of the Week occurred on the very first day of the legislative session when conservatives executed their brazen power grab--disrespecting Virginia voters who cast their ballots for power sharing and an even split in the State Senate.

Progressive Point: Virginia's voters elected 20 Republican and 20 Democratic State Senators, but conservatives in Richmond disregarded that choice in their brazen power grab. And in their very first act after disrespecting the people's desire for power sharing, conservatives re-wrote the rules of the Senate. Right-wing Senators decided that they didn't like the rule requiring Senate committee assignments to be proportional to the number of elected Senators in each party--so they threw it out.

Richmond isn't Washington, D.C., and Virginians deserve better than blatantly partisan political games. But conservatives in our Capitol are bent on twisting our democracy to their will, and throwing out the rules when they don't like them. This divisiveness is not what we the voters want or what our Commonwealth deserves.

Get the Facts:

• On Wednesday, conservative Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling voted to give his party and himself control of the State Senate's organization, despite the equal split in Democratic and Republican Senators. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)


• Also on the first day of the General Assembly Session, conservatives threw out rules that require the number of Senate committee assignment for each party reflect the ratio of elected State Senators from each party. However conservatives are giving Republicans 93 committee seats and the Democrats just 74. (Washington Post, January 12, 2012)

Tweet it: Worst of the Week: http://bit.ly/xAQHFw via @ProgressVA

Share on Facebook

Forward to a Friend via email