Both the Albuquerque Journal (subscription) and the Santa Fe New Mexican had stories yesterday about House Speaker Ben Lujan. What really struck me is the following from the New Mexican article:
“There’s not a lot of room for dissent, deliberation or dialogue,” said a Democratic state representative who asked not to be named.
The fact that few House Democrats would agree to talk to a reporter about Luján unless guaranteed anonymity is itself a testament to his power — and the fear it inspires.
“Not only could I get screwed on committee assignments, but my bills and my capital outlay would suffer too, and in the end, it’s my constituents who would pay,” said one House Democrat, expressing the same sentiments as several others interviewed in recent weeks.
A deliberative body that won’t deliberate because of a FEAR. Fear that they will end up with a bad assignment. Fear that their capital outlay will be vetoed. Fear that their bills won’t see the light of day.
Maybe, they should balance those fears with fears of castration. Whatever happened to the Western spirit? In the land of Lobos – sorry Aggies – our Democratic legislature has turned into a bunch of sheep. Someone should remind these folks that they don’t get paid for this job. In fact, all they have is there dignity, and it’s pretty sad if they’re willing to trade that away for a better committee assignment.