Well, we’ve been getting all sorts of reports from readers about how their representatives voted on the DeLay Rule. First, we should announce that we’ve found two new members of the Shays Handful. The first is Mark Kirk of Illinois. The second is a possible member. A staffer for New Hampshire’s Charlie Bass told a TPM reader that he opposed the DeLay Rule. But, as yet, I have not seen his opposition noted in any published report.
What we’re hearing a lot of are cases where the Rep. in question either says the vote was private or their staffers claim not to know how they voted. Interestingly enough, there seems to be a high correlation between these responses and whether the member is a moderate and/or in a swing district. We’re also getting a slew of reports of members who will only respond to constituents in writing about whether they supported the DeLay Rule.
Staffers for Rep. Judy Biggert of Illinois have so far pulled off a trifecta, managing to give different readers each of the three versions of no answer noted above.
We’ll bring you more shortly.
One final point: We already have our name for the folks who bucked DeLay and are willing to say so publicly. They’re the Shays Handful. But what do we call the Reps. who are afraid to tell, or refuse to tell, their constituents how they voted? Send us your suggestions.
Late Update: So far, I think the best bet is to call them the Shamed Handful, but I’d like to do better.
