Nervous Legislators Passing On St. Croix Junket?

newsexMike McCarville

Publicity and criticism over the votes of 16 Republican senators in favor of changing the electoral college may result in the cancellation of a legislative junket for House members scheduled for March 14th.

The McCarville Report has been told that Republican House members, sensitive to the controversy over the Senate vote on the National Public Vote Compact and the chastising of GOP senators who voted in favor of it by their own party chairman, now have no interest in the trip and being tied to the pro-popular vote group pushing the legislation, FairVote.

The planned junket follows others, including one to Las Vegas, that treated some Democrat and Republican senators prior to the Senate vote. It is reported that Senator Rob Johnson went to Las Vegas and then sponsored the bill. Rep. Tom Newell and Senator John Sparks both attended seminars in Miami. Sparks is the new Senate Democrat leader.

But when the Senate vote occurred, conservatives erupted in anger and soon, several of the GOP senators who voted yes were saying they’d vote the other way if they had the chance again.

The impact of the controversy is reflected in a report on the controversy by The Associated Press:

Another seminar is scheduled for March in St. Croix, but FairVote’s Executive Director Rob Richie said that trip may be canceled.

“We put out invites, but it’s not clear if it will happen,” Richie said.

Rumors about other junkets and who attended continue to circulate. Who went to Miami Beach? Who went to Puerto Rico? How many were wined and dined at Mickey Mantle’s in Bricktown?

Here’s our previous story that fueled attention:

Sixteen Republican senators who voted for the controversial National Popular Vote Compact last week now face scorn from their own Republican Party headquarters.

The party refers to their votes as “gaffes.”

Here’s what came from the office of GOP Chairman Dave Weston:

“SB 906 – The National Popular Vote Compact (The Compact) establishes new controls for how our future Presidents will be elected, passed the State Senate with a vote of 28-18 last Wednesday.  Thankfully our patriarchs followed the model of our founding forefathers, who understood that gaffes like this could and would happen.  Thus they astutely set up a system of checks and in this instance; the counter-balance(s) will be the State House and if necessary, the Governor.  THE COMPACT is made up of approximately eight-hundred-eighty-eight words which require a volume of six-hundred-ninety-two pages to defend it. Thus I’m reminded, ‘reasons to do right are few, but countless are the justifications for mischief.’”

Tulsa GOP activist and blogger Michael Bates erupted over the vote, calling it a “betrayal”: http://www.batesline.com/archives/2014/02/national-popular-vote-oklahoma.html.

These 28 senators (16 Republican, 12 Democrat) voted for the bill:

Allen (R), Anderson (R), Ballenger (D), Barrington (R), Bass (D), Bingman (R), Branan (R), Brecheen (R), Burrage (D), Ellis (D), Fields (R), Garrison (D), Griffin (R), Halligan (R), Ivester (D), C. Johnson (D), R. Johnson (R), Loveless (R), Marlatt (R), Mazzei (R), McAffrey (D), Paddack (D), Schulz (R), Shortey (R), Shumate (D), Sparks (D), Stanislawski (R), Wyrick (D).

Brecheen has since said his vote was a mistake.


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  1. Dick Grace, 20 February, 2014

    The republicans are proving to be every bit as dishonest as the democrats. The law should not allow these bribery sessions if sponsored by a non profit to be unreported. This fiasco just proves that non profits are as adept at buys legislators as lobbyists. I am personally offended that the good senators would expect me to believe they were not influenced by the junkets. Balderdash! Old fashioned term for hippo coprus. Latin for Horse manure.

  2. Castor, 20 February, 2014

    Corruptio optimi pessima.

  3. ConcernedPatriot, 20 February, 2014

    They should be nervous……they should also start practicing “Doing The Right Thing When Nobody Is Looking”. It works everytime it’s tried.

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