Power Elusive For Outnumbered Democrats

The absence of Democrats is turning the Idaho Legislature into rather a dull place.

Gone are the days when the evenly matched parties went into closed-door caucuses to hammer out strategy, then sweated out tense votes on the floor. Even ill lawmakers often had to attend because their vote might make a difference.

This year there’s little sign of partisan politics. The rare debates that have occurred have been over things other than Republican-versus-Democratic policy.

Five senators and 11 House members are the fewest Democrats since the 1920s. By the numbers, they can do little to influence what goes on.

The fact that Republicans don’t need their majority to muscle Democrats out of the way may even be benefiting the minority. Not seen as any real threat, Democrats have even held the reins of power a few times, albeit in minor roles.

For example, Rep. Charles Cuddy of Orofino, a senior Democrat and one of the most experienced members of the House tax panel, headed a subcommittee that dealt with important tax or revenue bills. It’s no small assignment because subcommittee recommendations often are accepted by the full committee with little debate.

Rep. Wendy Jaquet, a Ketchum Democrat, found herself acting chairman of the House Education Committee, even if it was for just a few minutes.

“I never thought I’d find myself in this position,” she said.

Chairman Rep. Fred Tilman of Boise allowed Jaquet to run the committee while he personally sponsored a bill on charter schools. Jaquet looked like she wanted to stay longer, but surrendered the gavel when Tilman was finished.

Prospects aren’t as good for that little taste of power in the Senate. Democrat Bruce Sweeney of Lewiston has been co-chairman of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee since it was founded. But that’s only because the panel was set up to be bipartisan, no matter the split in the Legislature.

“Because we operate with smaller committees, we rarely have subcommittees,” Senate President Pro Tem Jerry Twiggs said. “The House with bigger committees obviously uses a lot more subcommittees. It’s really never come up.”

Twiggs said the huge GOP majority might allow a Democrat some authority, depending on the circumstances - “if the occasion arose and if the person sitting there was qualified.”

But Twiggs said he wouldn’t allow that to happen if he thought the Democrat had a political agenda.

Democrats promise to be heard later in the session, however.

Both caucus chairmen, Jaquet in the House and Clint Stennett in the Senate, said they expect to battle for campaign finance reform.

“It’s been our issue forever,” Stennett said.

Democrats also plan to fight to protect the initiative process and state aid for education.

Stennett said attempts to make it much tougher to get initiatives on the ballot show “a real arrogance of power.”

The latest assault, he said, is the result of “one-party government” and industry hoping to block citizen lawmaking.

Stennett also said Democrats don’t have to “lock in” on issues, which allows individual members to pursue legislation on their own.