the irish lass

The Senate voted, 33 to 0, to repeal the law after only four minutes of debate

In a victory for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senate Democrats joined with their Republican counterparts Monday to repeal a controversial law that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain California driver's licenses.

Good news reported (for once) by the dog trainer.

And On the 8th Day

Some of you may know that I am a friend and big fan of Congressman Bill Thomas (R-Bakersfield) the Chairman of Ways and Means. He is the one who pushed through President Bush's tax cuts and is going to get us social security reform.

I was thinking of him as I read the reports on how whiney mad the Dems were about the extended voting period for the medicare bill. I recalled Congressman Thomas telling me about a similar tactic the Dems had used against us when Jim Wright was speaker. I've been e-mailing people and commenting on other's blogs, hoping someone could remember the incident.

Thanks to Joel B visiting the Fresh Potatoes who pointed me to Pejmanesque It happened in 1987. First they added an 8th day to the week, then they stretched 15 minutes out and out and out. Pej' writes:

The initial vote on the bill--which the Democratic majority supported--was defeated as a result of 41 Democrats defecting, and all of the Republicans standing fast against the bill. Initially, the Democrats were going to come back the next day with a new bill, but feared that overnight, word of their defeat would make them look bad. So Wright's chief of staff suggested that the House adjourn early for the day, and then reconvene again on the same day. The adjournment would create a second legislative day within the same calendar day, the Democrats could lean on defectors, and win the vote--thus erasing their earlier loss from the headlines. Wright agreed to the suggestion.

Republicans were enraged. One Republican confronted then-Majority Leader Tm Foley (who succeeded Wright as Speaker, and later served as Ambassador to Japan), and mentioned that as the Book of Genesis had stated that God had created the world in six days, and rested on the seventh, the creation of an eighth day was quite the big deal. Sarcastically, the Republican asked Foley what the new day was being called. Foley replied that it was going to be called "The Guaranteed Deficit Reduction Act."

Go and read the whole thing.