But some Dems are breaking free
by Rep. Gina Galfetti
In politics nothing is ever set in stone until a vote. In between times players are constantly jockeying for position. Nothing is ever simple because there are too many personalities colluding and the Democratic Party has been good at getting her members into line.
However there may be a subtle wind of change blowing through the air. Like knots of wood that have somehow escaped the chipper, a few brave souls are breaking step with the Democratic regime.
What happens when Democratic Party members fail to fall under the yoke? In past sessions, the Democrats have had large but not veto-proof majorities. It was important for them to hold each and every Democratic vote, and if any member dared to vote against the party position, that member was “invited” to a not-so-pleasant “discussion” with leadership. The member might be told that future deviations would result in that member’s bills having no chance of passage, or that being stripped of committee assignments was a possibility, or in extreme cases that leadership might actively recruit someone to run against the offending legislator in the next primary. It was commonly known as “being taken to the woodshed.”
However, this does not mean that the Democratic leadership doesn’t have things under control and carefully planned from a strategic standpoint. They have enough votes to give their new members their heads and let them run. After all, they have enough votes by a long shot. Especially, when they know they can count on the Progs sometimes. This allows them to provide an illusion to the many new members that voting outside of the party line is possible when you are a member of the Democratic Party.
Honestly when Democratic legislators are asked to contribute $350 in dues and meals cost extra who can deny that the well oiled machine is well funded. By comparison the Republican dues are $100…Optional.
Additionally, many of the new female legislators are graduates of the Emerge program. Many of these women have been trained and selected from larger pools of applicants and trained in a program to get elected. Make no mistake, these women are smart, well trained and ready to take center stage. By comparison we have no such program for Republican women or any Republican candidates for that matter.
Which brings me to my next point. Republicans are not well funded and not well organized. We have failed to coalesce around a unified message and all too often only extremist voices are heard. This weakens the party and weaponizes our message against ourselves.
Let’s face it, most people don’t think that mind controlling nanobots are in the COVID 19 vaccine. These outlining messages in the party and their champions do not make good candidates in the general election. As a result we are mired down in a convoluted message. We have failed to recognize the importance of finding common ground and creating a unified front.
The most recent vote is evidence of the potential scenarios at play. H. 429 is an election rules change. The bill would help Democrats to consolidate their power by cutting independents out of the general election. The bill would no longer allow someone that has run in the primary to re-file as an independent.
This would eliminate the potential for a more moderate candidate to the general election. A candidate that had not won the day during the primary where more polarized voters are heard on both sides. Perhaps a major party candidate that failed in the Primary would have won the day. Now, if H.429 passes, this possibility would be gone.
This brings me to my point. In this vote a number of Democrats voted outside of the party. But it was not enough to win the day. On most legislation, the Democrats have the option to give their members leeway. But – and this is a huge but – perhaps new members pushed back and decided that they are ready to vote their mind and their constituents. Maybe, we will see a new generation of Legislators.
I leave the imagining up to the rest of you and look forward to seeing what is in the comments section.
The author is a Representative for the Washington/Orange District and can be contacted at: 802.461.3520 or ggalfetti@leg.state.vt.us