Senate Democrats’ Family Affair
The word from the Senate Democrats’ retreat this week was that participants felt it went very well. “Unprecedented honest dialogue” about the rift and Democrats’ election activities against other Democrats that contributed to it had more than one participant saying it was the best discussion the Democrats had had in years. “There was a real family atmosphere by the time things ended.”
Dissident Democrat E. B. McClain (Midfield) has agreed to come back into the fold. I heard confidence that Larry Means (Attalla) would come back. “Butler’s wounds [Sen. Tom Butler of Madison] apparently are deeper but most are still optimistic” that he would come back.
No mention of dissidents Jim Preuitt (Talladega) and Jimmy Holley (Elba).
The five dissident Democrats have been in a caucus with twelve Republican senators. If three of them re-joined the Democratic majority caucus, the Senate Democrats’ majority would go from 18-17 to a filibuster-proof 21-14.
Comments in the paper by Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R - Birmingham) that called the five dissidents “our Democrats” received special attention. The quote heard here: “He’ll live to regret those words.”
Other agenda items were covered. (A participant stressed to me that the event was not created for the specific purpose of dealing with the dissidents, but that the Democratic caucus holds events like this periodically for business and fellowship purposes.) For example, ideas for a legislative agenda were laid out with special attention to ethics reform and pre-school education.
See also today’s Press-Register story.
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