What is it about Republicans that makes them think that when they lose election after election, and are the minority in both Houses of the General Assembly, that they are still entitled to write all legislation or at the very least have legislation crafted the way they see fit.
The House Republican caucus blocked a scheduled vote on Senate Bill 234, which would institute statewide curbside recycling in Delaware. And the reason why they blocked it was because Republicans were not consulted.
House Minority Leader Richard Cathcart, R-Middletown, said his caucus threatened to close ranks and oppose a proposed “universal” recycling plan unless the administration postponed the vote until Tuesday. […]
The bill — which creates a 4-cent recycling fee for some beverage bottles while eliminating the state’s 5-cent bottle deposit on the same containers — needs at least one Republican vote to meet a requirement for a 60 percent majority.
“We are sick of it,” Cathcart said afterward, noting that the partisan blockade of S.B. 234 was intended as a demand for “simple courtesy” and a call for bipartisanship. “We want to be participants in the process. Not spectators.” […]
Hey Cathcart, you are participants in the process. You can participate by voting for or against the legislation. If you are this pissed off about not being consulted, vote against the legislation. Of course, we will lambast you for putting your own personal temper tantrum ahead of the people of the State of Delaware, but that is the breaks when you act like a child on our dime. Your job, in case you have forgotten, is to serve the people of Delaware, and you serve them by passing legislation to address state issues. Now, it is perfectly legitimate to vote against a recylcling bill because you oppose the compulsive nature of it, or because you don’t like a four cent fee. Those are substantive differences.
But the reality is, you and your Republicans are in the minority, which means that, more often than not, you will have substantive differences with the legislation the majority produces. If the majority has the votes for passing the legislation it wants…. newsflash…. it doesn’t have to cater to you. And in this case, the Recycling Bill has Republican co-sponsors. It will pass. It is bipartisan. So there goes one of the reasons Crybaby Cathcart cited in pulling this stunt. He wanted bipartisanship, well, the bill is fucking bipartisan.
Cathcart’s second reason is as assine as his temper tantrum. He needs until Tuesday to have the bill reviewed by outside third parties? In case you didn’t know, “unnamed third parties” is NewsJournalian for lobbyists. The lobbyists employing Cathcart need more time. To do what I dunno. Maybe the lobbyists can’t find a legitimate reason to oppose this bill. Maybe they have to bring in Frank Luntz to word play some scary phrases.