Insider on Senate Democrats
Democrat E. B. McClain of Midfield has already agreed to return to the Senate Democratic majority caucus. With McClain’s return, Senate Democrats would hold a 19-16 advantage over the Senate minority caucus that includes all twelve Republican senators and four more Democrats who have caucused with the Senate Republicans. Twenty-one votes are necessary to be “filibuster-proof.”
A source close to the Senate stopped by the Parlor today to talk about the growing Senate Democratic majority.
On Sen. Jim Preuitt of Talladega: “Preuitt rolled the dice on the Senate reorganization and being President pro tem. He lost that roll of the dice. He’s mad and doesn’t seem to have any interest in being anything but obstructionist. I don’t think he’ll come back.”
On Sen. Jimmy Holley of Elba: “Holley is a man of unbelievable integrity. Unbelievable. He reads every word of every bill, and I don’t know many who do that. I don’t know about him coming back. He’s one who could run as a Republican and win down there in the Wiregrass.”
On Sen. Larry Means of Attalla: “I think he is coming back. I wouldn’t say I’m certain, but I’d say it’s 90% likely.”
On Sen. Tom Butler of Madison: “Tom and Lowell are going to have to come together. It’s personal between them. Lowell has apologized to all the dissidents. They had the mediator come out a few weeks ago. It went real well. Honest discussion, lots of apologies. Lowell Barron said a lot of things and apologized. McClain heard it. Means heard it. Butler didn’t hear it. Some things you can’t hear until you are ready to hear. There is a real focus on hearing Tom Butler’s concerns.”
Sen. Lowell Barron of Fyffe was Senate President pro tem for eight years and is widely believed to have supported campaigns of opponents to some of the dissident Democrats.
“The Democrats want all the dissidents back. I don’t even like that term ‘dissidents.’ They are Democrats. Period. All these guys are Democrats. The press wants to make it out like the five have more in common with the Republicans, but they are not Republicans. They have much more in common with the Democrats. They ran as Democrats and that’s who they are.
“There is no animosity towards these guys. They have a long history with the Party, and everyone wants them back. Some of them need help finding their way home.”
Related Articles:
Did you ask who paid for their mediator? Paul Hubbert says he didn’t and Zeb Little says the Democratic caucus didn’t and he doesn’t know who did. Could it be the taxpayers did? And if they did, why?
“Hubbert said he did not pay for the mediator. Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little, D-Cullman, said Tuesday that the caucus did not pay, and he does not know who did.”
Here’s link to the story.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/index.ssf?/base/news/1186046889300010.xml&coll=3
Comment by Anonymous — August 2, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
No, I didn’t. That’s a good question, but I had not seen the Press-Register article before our visit.
Comment by Danny — August 2, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Didn’t see the story? You’ve got a link to it under the daily digest.
Comment by Anonymous — August 2, 2007 @ 10:23 pm
Anonymous in Comment 3, you may not know that I do not compile the Daily News Digests. They are compiled every morning by a fine and tireless human being known here as “G” who rarely gets enough credit for the daily early morning news-gathering.
So, yes, you are correct that there was a link to it in the daily digest. And it’s also true that I had not seen it before the visit described in the post.
Comment by Danny — August 3, 2007 @ 12:16 am
So, why is the E boldfaced in “sEnate” ?
Comment by Lurker — August 7, 2007 @ 8:10 pm
Dude.
Took me five minutes and opening up two separate browsers before I could figure out what you meant.
LOL.
The boldfaced E is for “Extremely Exasperating.”
Comment by Danny — August 8, 2007 @ 8:57 am