Aggravating, but unsurprising


Texas Governor Orders Session
AUSTIN, Sept. 9 -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry today declared an extraordinary third session of the legislature to consider congressional redistricting as 10 Democratic state senators headed home from New Mexico, where they had been holed up in an attempt to block the GOP plan.

The Republicans are breaking the seal of something that should never be opened. Someone else said they were acting like they thought they would have the majority forever. But when they lose it, well, paybacks are a bitch.

A corrollary: When Democrats get the majority back, do we give it to them three times as hard as they gave it to us? Or do we take the more statesmanlike approach and try to restore the collegial environment that existed before they took the majority? And don't give me any guff about how Democrats were just as bad when they were in the majority; they never tried to redistrict like this and they never started changing the operating rules to suit themselves, because they knew what paybacks were like. Do we have to give them the payback to remind them never to touch the rules?

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