Texas House GOP Leaders Push Yom Kippur Redistricting Vote 10/03/03 Washington, DC: Republican leaders of the Texas House of Representatives yesterday adjourned the legislature until Sunday afternoon to debate the controversial issue of congressional redistricting – with the understanding that the debate and subsequent votes may continue through the solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. After Jewish members informed Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick’s (R) staff of the scheduling conflict at the beginning of Thursday’s session, the Republican leadership decided to move forward with the Sunday session. Today’s Austin American-Statesman reports, “In an attempt to avoid a conflict with Yom Kippur, Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, on Thursday asked the House to adjourn until 8 p.m. Monday, when the observance would be over. ‘I’m told by some of our members on the floor that they will have to be out of here by 3 o’clock p.m. (Sunday) so they can make their arrangements to observe the holiday,’ Dunnam told colleagues. ‘And I know and you know that we wouldn’t do this on Easter.’” The House rejected Rep. Dunnam’s motion by a party-line vote, with 68 Republicans opposing the measure, and 35 Democrats and 2 Republicans supporting it. “It is simply wrong for Texas GOP leaders to force Jewish Texas House members – all Democrats – to choose between observing the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and fulfilling their professional obligation to vote on the most egregiously partisan power-grab in recent decades,” said National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director Ira N. Forman. “It is understandable that Texas House leaders might not have been aware of the scheduling conflict. But once informed of it, their refusal to accept a plan to delay the session until Monday evening is nothing short of unacceptable. I keep hearing that the Bush Administration and the Republican Party nationwide is engaged in an all-out effort to court the Jewish vote; if this if the Republican idea of Jewish outreach, then I’d hate to see what benign neglect looks like.” The Austin American-Statesman article quotes several Jewish House members as they reflect on the difficult position they have been placed in: ** Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston: “The possibility is that I will have to either choose to not follow the teachings of my religion or not be here to vote on an important issue. ...It appears that the desire for redistricting is so strong that respect for people’s religious beliefs gets trampled in the process.” ** Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin: “I think it’s unfortunate and insensitive to insist on scheduling the House to convene on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, when there is no legislative necessity to do so. ...People of all faiths should be outraged.” “These moves by the Texas House leadership just add insult to injury – adding the insult of pressing Jewish representatives to forego their religious observance to the injury of a Republican attempt to seize more power by brute force redistricting efforts, flying in the face of any claim of bipartisanship. But Texas GOP leaders can still agree to postpone the debate and votes until a time when members will not be forced to choose between observing their faith and taking part in this critical debate,” Forman added.
Yes it can. Right now, they are looking at splitting Travis County 3 ways with districts running to the Houston suburbs and the Mexican border. It would make Austin the only major city in Texas without a district within it's metropolitan area... something that has been traditional in previous redistricting efforts going back decades. And, to stay on the topic, the mad Republican Leadership doesn't care about it's own. Check out the portion of this article I highlighted: Yom Kippur, remap talks clash for 4 Vote to meet Sunday forces Jewish lawmakers to choose faith or work By Ken Herman AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Thursday, October 2, 2003 Thanks to a battle that dragged on for months, legislative approval of new congressional boundaries could conflict with the holiest day of the Jewish year, a calendar coincidence that has upset lawmakers of that faith. Secretary of State Geoffrey Connor said Monday is the final day that lawmakers can approve a new map without having to postpone the March 2 primaries. With that in mind, the House voted Thursday to adjourn until 2 p.m. Sunday for possible debate — which could go on beyond sundown — on any map approved by House-Senate conferees. House Speaker Tom Craddick said that if there is no map to be considered Sunday, the House would convene Monday. Monday is Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement that begins at sundown Sunday. For Jews, the day is marked by fasting, daylong prayers and not working. In an attempt to avoid a conflict with Yom Kippur, Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, on Thursday asked the House to adjourn until 8 p.m. Monday, when the observance would be over. "I'm told by some of our members on the floor that they will have to be out of here by 3 o'clock p.m. (Sunday) so they can make their arrangements to observe the holiday," Dunnam told colleagues. "And I know and you know that we wouldn't do this on Easter." Dunnam's motion was rejected, and the House, by a 66-35 margin, then voted to convene Sunday afternoon. Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston and one of three Jews in the House, said he had informed the House leadership about the holiday conflict. "The possibility is that I will have to either choose to not follow the teachings of my religion or not be here to vote on an important issue," Hochberg said. "It appears that the desire for redistricting is so strong that respect for people's religious beliefs gets trampled in the process," he said. Bob Richter, spokesman for Craddick, said Craddick is not insensitive to members' religious obligations but is up against a deadline. "They don't want to delay it any longer than they have to as far as the primaries go," Richter said. Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, another Jewish lawmaker, said the schedule leaves him in a difficult position. "I think it's unfortunate and insensitive to insist on scheduling the House to convene on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, when there is no legislative necessity to do so," he said. "People of all faiths should be outraged." Naishtat said he could attend a Sunday session that begins at 2 p.m. but would have to leave by early evening. "I don't work on Yom Kippur. I spend part of the day in synagogue and part of the day reflecting and atoning for my sins," he said, adding he has made no decision on what he would do Monday if the House is in session. Rep. Steve Wolens, D-Dallas and the third Jewish member of the House, was unavailable for comment Thursday. The Senate's only Jew, Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said she will observe the holiday and not be in Austin for Sunday or Monday sessions. "I'm disappointed, but the problem is we have a deadline," she said. "And that deadline is Monday." "We are a victim of circumstances over which we have very little control at this moment. Time is the enemy and it landed on a very difficult day for me," she said. Connor said a new map approved by Monday would require postponement of the candidate filing period. He said approval of a map after Monday would require postponing the primaries at least until March 9. kherman@statesman.com; 445-1718
So now that it's politically convenient for them, the Democrats have transformed themselves into champions of religious values! Quite a change from their normal course... hmmmm...I wonder why? Hypocrisy at its finest, ladies and gentlemen. What else would you expect from a band of vigilantes who flee to neighboring states instead of serving the public that voted them into office? Once again, the liberals prove that the platform that they run on is their superior ability to complain.
Why don't we redistrict when we are supposed to? As much as this is conservative bullcrap(screw the minorities), I hope they choose religion over politics.
Um, hello, the people who are the main "champions" as you call them are jewish people. That includes the lone jew in the Senate, who is coincidentally a republican. Actually, it is not a change from their normal course, I find that democrats are generally much more open to differences of religious expression than republicans. You mean that the jewish people should just shut up and go to work on the day that is like Christmas to them? They served the people who voted them into office BY going to a neighboring state. They are not vigilantes, they represented the people who put them there. I will quote a post from the other thread where you were DEBUNKED. "Pot. Kettle. Black."
For those who cling to the idea that DeLay isn't behind this: DeLay working on redistricting compromise House majority leader at Capitol trying to heal split on congressional district boundaries AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Monday, October 6, 2003 U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is in the state Capitol trying to help hammer out a final compromise on redrawing the state's congressional boundaries. DeLay, who has been active in pushing for a map that could send more Texas Republicans to Congress, this afternoon moved between the offices of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick. "I'm a Texan trying to get things done," DeLay said when asked about his role in the negotiations. Republican leaders in the House and Senate have been divided about how to split West Texas. Craddick, R-Midland, wants a congressional district based in his hometown. Other West Texas leaders oppose the changes that would be needed to accomplish that. Democrats for months have blocked action on congressional redistricting. For the past several weeks, however, it's been Republican infighting that's prevented final action. "We're close," DeLay said Monday afternoon. "Just working out the specifics." DeLay wouldn't comment on whether Republicans should have reached an internal deal while Democrats were boycotting the Legislature to prevent action. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared/texas/legislature/1003/1007redistrict.html
If the Dems had not fled the state, all this redistricting stuff would have been over long ago, wouldn't it? Wasn't it the Dems dragging it out that has led to this scheduling conflict?
