Closed Caucus Criticism Immunity
SD Dems -
I'm glad to see that your compatriots in the US Senate have now agreed with the GOP legislators in the South Dakota House and Senate that there are benefits in having intra-party discussions where differences can be hashed out privately as noted in this article by the Associated Press:
I'm glad to see that your compatriots in the US Senate have now agreed with the GOP legislators in the South Dakota House and Senate that there are benefits in having intra-party discussions where differences can be hashed out privately as noted in this article by the Associated Press:
The first thing the new, Democratic-led Senate will do next year is meet in a closed "bipartisan caucus" to help set a more pleasant tone than the relentless backbiting of the Congress now heading home, party leaders said Friday.Read it all here. So I'm sure we'll never hear them groan about closed caucuses again. Right?
Far from lawmakers conducting business in secret — as open-government advocates warn — the meeting would serve only to sweep away grudges and smooth the way for more action, the leaders said.
and..
The gathering could establish a precedent expanding the kinds of "executive sessions" that up to now have been relatively rare.
Still, McConnell spokesman Don Stewart likened the proposal to closed weekly policy lunches that the Republican and Democratic caucuses hold separately.
"We won't be transacting legislative business," Stewart said.
The Senate met in private until 1794 in the belief that its role providing counsel to the executive branch compelled closed proceedings.
Comments
Great!