Besides DeLay Rule letter-writers, there’s also a growing list of members who simply tell their constituents it was a “private vote” and refuse to answer any questions.
High on that list is Vernon Ehlers of Michigan, Jim Saxton of New Jersey (though we have some conflicting word there), Howard Coble of North Carolina (though again his staff has made some conflicting statements), and Denny Rehberg of Montana.
For many offices, as you can see, there are overlapping and conflicting answers given out to different callers and constituents — sometimes to a single constituent. So often it’s ‘it was a voice vote, we don’t know how he voted, but it’s not recorded, and it’s private, and give us you’re address and maybe we’ll send a letter later.’ So, as you can see, it sort of challanges TPMs categorizing abilities.
In the case of Denny Rehberg, one his staffers apparently went so far as to tell one TPM reader that GOP caucus rules forbade him from disclosing his vote on the DeLay Rule.
I guess that means Chris Shays and the whole of the Shays Handful is in a heap of trouble.
